Canada gets best of U.S. in shootout

Canada goalie Jake Allen made a single stop in a shootout, just enough to give his team a 5-4 victory over the United States on Thursday night in the world junior hockey championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The first five shooters scored in the shootout, but the Gophers' Jordan Schroeder got stopped by Allen, who was then mobbed by his teammates.

Five-time defending champion Canada and the United States each won their first three games to set up the round-robin finale for the top spot in Group A.

Canada will play the Russia-Switzerland quarterfinal winner in the semifinals Sunday. The United States will face Finland in the quarterfinals Saturday, with the winner advancing to face Group B winner Sweden on Sunday night.

The United States had a 4-2 lead in the third period, but Jordan Eberle scored his second goal of the game at 10:03, and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo tied it with a short-handed goal with 4:15 left.

Schroeder and Tyler Johnson had short-handed goals for the United States in the second period. Philip McRae and Danny Kristo of Eden Prairie also scored for the Americans.

Cubs add Byrd to play center The Chicago Cubs found the center fielder they'd been searching for, agreeing to a $15 million, three-year contract with Marlon Byrd.

"When I knew I had the opportunity to become a Cub, I was really hoping that this would be my landing ground," Byrd said.

Elsewhere

• Boston third baseman Mike Lowell is expected to be ready for spring training after having surgery on a thumb injury that derailed his trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox are expected to revisit a trade once Lowell recovers.

• Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother, New York Yankees infield prospect Brandon Laird, were arrested following a brawl in the lounge area of Phoenix's NBA arena. Police said the Lairds assaulted security guards.

• The Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent righthanded reliever Danys Baez agreed on a two-year contract. Baez, 32, went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 59 games with Baltimore last year.

Pearce, considered a likely member of the U.S. Olympic team, was knocked unconscious when he hit his head. He had just returned to competition after suffering a concussion three weeks ago.

Boxing: Mike Tyson and a photographer won't face charges after their scuffle last month at Los Angeles International Airport, city prosecutors said, citing insufficient evidence.. ... Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will challenge Francois Botha for the lightly regarded WBF title on Jan. 16 in Uganda. The 47-year-old Holyfield (42-10-2) has not fought since losing a decision to Nikolai Valuev a year ago. Botha is 47-4-3, having lost to Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Michael Moorer in his career.

Cross-country skiing: Former Olympic champion Christian Hoffmann retired after Austria's national anti-doping agency provisionally suspended him for his alleged involvement in blood doping. Hoffmann, 35, won the 30-kilometer race at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Horse racing: Garrett Gomez rode Cenizo to a 1¼-length victory in the last race of the year at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., giving the jockey his fourth consecutive national purse earnings title. Gomez finished with purse earnings of $18,571,171.