The latest news on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Buffalo Sabers interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis were placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
The development leaves General Manager Kevyn Adams taking over from behind the bench for the Buffalo game in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
The team made the announcement two hours before the opening match.
This marks the second time that the Sabers have been hit by COVID-19 in two months. Buffalo’s season was interrupted for two weeks in early February, after nine players and then-coach Ralph Krueger were placed in the protocol.
Krueger was fired last week.
Buffalo comes from a 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, which extended the team’s winless skid to a worse 0-13-2 of the franchise. It corresponds to the longest NHL skid since Phoenix Coyotoes was 0-8-4, with three draws from February 21 to March 21, 2004.
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Notre Dame is out of the NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament due to several positive COVID-19 test results and contact tracking within its Tier I test group.
The decision announced on Thursday was made after consultation with local health department officials at one of the regional locations in Albany, New York, and the NCAA Medical Advisory Group.
After losing in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, the school said the team remained on conference test protocols until last Saturday and started additional PCR tests on campus. The university said the team underwent seven rounds of testing in the seven days leading up to its departure for Albany on Wednesday.
Fighting Irish was the fourth seed at Albany Regional and was scheduled to face Boston College on Saturday at the Times Union Center.
BC now advances to the next round.
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South Carolina plans to have about 9,000 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium for its April 24 football game.
The school said that, due to continuing concerns about COVID-19, seats at the lower levels and stadium clubs will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis in socially distant groups of five, according to CDC guidelines.
The available seats will be marked with a green “sit here” sticker. You will need to cover your face over your nose and mouth and should be used, except for eating or drinking.
South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said the information the school has received from health officials is “promising trends” in relation to the pandemic, and the guidelines for the game are part of that.
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