Sports in Brief: U.S. women beat Canada, 3-2, in ice hockey

Hilary Knight scored the lone shootout goal and the United States women's hockey team beat Canada, 3-2, on Saturday in a pre-Olympic exhibition game in St. Paul, Minn.

Jessie Vetter stopped all three Canadian shootout attempts.

Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter scored for the United States in regulation, and Meghan Acosta-Marciano and Marie-Philip Poulin countered for Canada.

Although the game was physical - six of the 15 penalties were for checking, roughing or charging - the game did not feature the late-game fisticuffs that have recently become part of the series.

Matt Grzelyck, Jack Eichel, and Ryan Hartman each had a goal and an assist, leading the defending champion United States to a 6-3 victory over Slovakia at the world junior hockey tournament in Malmo, Sweden.

Miami of Ohio's Riley Barber, Boston University's Dan O'Regan, and New Jersey Devils prospect Stefan Matteau also scored for the Americans (2-0-0) in a Group A game.

SKIING Todd Lodwick earned a spot in his sixth Winter Olympics, winning the nordic combined competition in the U.S. trials in Park City, Utah. Bryan Fletcher was second overall, and Bill DeMong third.

Anna Fenninger of Austria won a women's World Cup giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, for her fifth career victory. U.S. teenager Mikaela Shiffrin was third.

Lindsey Vonn sat out the race to rest her injured right knee ahead of the Sochi Olympics.

SPEEDSKATING Heather Richardson won the women's 500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials in Kearns, Utah, claiming the first of what is expected to be three events at the Sochi Olympics.

Brittany Bowe took second despite slipping right off the start in her opening race. Lauren Cholewinski and Sugar Todd took the other two expected spots on the U.S. team. Elli Ochowicz was denied a fourth Olympic berth by just 0.12 seconds, finishing fifth.

HORSE RACING The Belmont Stakes will be worth $1.5 million next year, the first purse increase for the final leg of the Triple Crown since 1998. The Preakness Stakes announced earlier month that its purse would increase to $1.5 million. The Kentucky Derby is worth $2 million.

TENNIS Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record in Abu Dhabi by beating David Ferrer, 7-5, 6-2, to win his third straight World Tennis Championship title.

Victoria Azarenka beat top-ranked Serena Williams in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, in an exhibition match in Thailand between the world's top two women's players.

- Associated Press