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The ECHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday that Florida Everblades defenseman Sean Allen has been suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount following an interference major and game misconduct during Game Three of the South Division Finals against the Orlando Solar Bears on May 6.
First-Period Hit Leads to Ejection
The incident occurred at 14:53 of the first period at Kia Center. Sean Allen received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct after a high, open-ice hit. The penalty contributed to a penalty-heavy opening frame in which Florida was assessed 23 minutes on six infractions, while Orlando was called for 6 minutes on three.
Despite the extended shorthanded situation, Florida successfully killed off the resulting power play and kept the game scoreless through the first 20 minutes. Goaltender Cam Johnson made 14 saves in the period to keep the Everblades even heading into the second.
Allen to Miss Next Two Playoff Games
Allen’s actions triggered further review, resulting in a two-game suspension (Rule #28 – Supplementary Discipline). He will miss Florida’s upcoming playoff games—Game Four on May 9 and Game Five on May 10, both in Orlando.
The series currently stands at 2–1 in favor of Florida, following the 2–1 Game Three loss that ended their six-game postseason win streak. With Allen unavailable and the series tightening, Florida’s defensive depth will be tested heading into this pivotal back-to-back.
Fines Support PHPA Hardship Fund
Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the PHPA, all collected fines go to the PHPA’s Hardship Fund to aid players facing financial difficulty.
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What Nine-Game SEC Schedule Means for Texas Longhorns
The SEC announced Thursday that it will move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, a historical change that ends the eight-game slate each team in the league has played since 1992. “Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and paired with our requirement to play an additional (major conference) opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.” This means the Texas Longhorns will enter their third season in the SEC at the center of these changes, but how could it impact the program as a whole? How New SEC Schedule Impacts Texas Longhorns Three Permanent Opponents The new schedule format requires each SEC team to annually play the same three opponents while rotating teams for the remaining six games on the slate. Ideally, Texas would play its three rivals -- Oklahoma, Texas A M and Arkansas -- each year but that won't be confirmed until the 2026 conference is released. The Longhorns will also get a chance to face off against some other SEC powerhouses that they have yet to schedule during the program's first two years in the conference. Teams like LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee will now play Texas every couple of seasons while current conference contender hopefuls Georgia and Florida will look to build on the early conference history that's already been established with the Longhorns since last season. After some memorable finishes in Austin against LSU and Alabama in 2019 and 2022, respectively, the Longhorns will now welcome these teams and more to the Forty Acres in hopes of creating some additional rivalries. Texas Must Schedule Power 4 Opponent in 2030, 2031 The change also requires each SEC team to schedule "one additional high quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season," per SECSports.com. The Longhorns are set in that regard through the 2029 season, which includes a home-and-home with Notre Dame. Here are the Power 4 teams that Texas currently has on its future schedule: 2026: Ohio State 2027: Michigan 2028: at Notre Dame 2029: Notre Dame 2032: at Arizona State 2033: Arizona State The Longhorns currently have UTSA and UTEP on the schedule for the 2030 and 2031 seasons, respectively. Though Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has already been adamant about the Longhorns scheduling tough non-conference opponents, the new change now ensures Texas will have some intriguing opponents to look forward to in 2030 and 2031.
Steelers have major injury concern leaving preseason
The No. 1 priority for NFL teams in the preseason is to get out of the games without major injury. The Pittsburgh Steelers may have failed with that one on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, the team's first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had to be carted to the locker room with a knee injury while also looking visibly upset as he was taken back. The team announced almost immediately that he would be out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin provided an update after the game: Defensive line was a top priority for the Steelers this offseason, especially after their playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens where they allowed nearly 300 rushing yards to end their season. Along with Harmon, they also selected Iowa's Yahya Black in this year's class to help try to beef up their line. Harmon is expected to play a major role in this year's defense and was already in a starting position. With star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward holding in as he tries to get a new contract from the team, that puts even more importance on Harmon's ability to make an impact. He has had a strong training camp, and after a quiet first preseason game, he really took a big leap forward in the team's second game, recording a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Heyward returns, and if Harmon's injury is not serious, the Steelers would have the potential to have a really strong defensive line with those two joining rising star Keeanu Benton. Right now, though, those are a lot of "ifs," especially as it relates to the availability for Heyward and Harmon for the team's season opener.
Commanders' Jayden Daniels expands on prediction for Terry McLaurin contract standoff
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels raised eyebrows when he said during Monday's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals that he knew unsettled wide receiver Terry McLaurin would "be coming through the door soon." During the latest edition of The Athletic's "Scoop City" podcast, Daniels spoke with NFL insider Dianna Russini about the ongoing contract standoff between McLaurin and the Commanders. "Hundred percent, I feel great (about the situation)," Daniels said about his confidence that he'll have McLaurin as a teammate when Washington opens the season against the New York Giants on Sept. 7. McLaurin remains in the final year of his current deal and requested a trade on July 31 amid his desire for an extension. On Monday, ESPN's Ben Solak revealed that he could not "find anyone who believes wide receiver Terry McLaurin will play for another team in 2025" during a visit to the Commanders during training camp. Furthermore, a Thursday report shared that McLaurin is not among the players who could be made available to would-be buyers before the summer comes to an end. "I just know that it is all gonna work out, that both sides will come to an agreement, and Terry’s gonna be back out here. We’re gonna be throwing some passes to him," Daniels added. Daniels' comments don't erase the fact that, as of Friday morning, there was no indication that McLaurin and the Commanders were close to an agreement. On Wednesday, it was reported that "one person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations" said the 29-year-old "has asked for more than" the average annual value attached to the five-year, $150M contract that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf earlier this year. On Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Commanders tied for sixth (with the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers) among the betting favorites at +2000 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026, hence why Washington is in no rush to trade Daniels' favorite target for a future draft asset. Additionally, it appears Daniels understands McLaurin wouldn't forfeit money by sitting regular-season games out if he doesn't have an extension in hand by Week 1.
Tiger Woods unintentionally molded Scottie Scheffler into the best golfer in the world
Scottie Scheffler is the most dominant golfer we've seen since Tiger Woods in his prime, but he wasn't always at this level. It took Scheffler 73 starts before he finally won his first PGA Tour event at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. Since then, he's rattled off 21 worldwide wins, and he has Woods to thank. Ahead of the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Scheffler explained how playing with Woods in the final round of the 2020 Masters taught him a valuable lesson about what it takes to succeed on the PGA Tour. "The biggest change I felt like I made my first couple years on Tour to 2022 was the question always was, hey, how come you haven't won? The reason I felt like I hadn't won yet is I hadn't put myself in position enough times. I'd only played in a couple final groups. I always found myself just a little bit on the outside looking in, and that's one of the things I learned from playing with Tiger," Scheffler told reporters on Wednesday. "It was like, we're in 20th place or whatever going into Sunday at the Masters. Tiger has won five Masters; he's got no chance of winning the tournament. Then we showed up on the first hole and I was watching him read his putt, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, this guy is in it right now.'" Scheffler recalled how locked in Woods was in the final round despite being out of contention. He also mentioned how impressed he was when Woods birdied five of his last six holes after making a 10 on the par-3 12th. "I just admired the intensity that he brought to each round, and that's something that I try to emulate," Scheffler added. "It's not an easy thing to play a golf tournament. If I'm going to take a week off, I might as well just stay home. I'm not going to come out here to take a week off. If I'm playing in a tournament, I'm going to give it my all. That's really all it boils down to. "That was something that I just thought about for a long time. I felt like a change I needed to make was bringing that same intensity to each round and each shot … I think it's just the amount of consistency and the intensity that I bring to each round of golf is not taking shots off, not taking rounds off, not taking tournaments off." What used to be a weakness for Scheffler quickly became a superpower. The World No. 1 approaches every PGA Tour round like it's the final round of a major championship, and it shows in his consistency. Scheffler has played 72 competitive rounds this season. He's shot over par only seven times, and two of them came at the brutally tough U.S. Open in which only one player finished the tournament under par. Dating back to the Travelers Championship, he's shot in the 60s in 19 of his last 20 rounds. That level of consistency is nearly impossible to beat. The rest of the PGA Tour can't be happy that Woods gave Scheffler the secret sauce to dominating professional golf a few years ago.
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