SEATTLE – Alex Carpenter had two goals and an assist, and Hannah Bilka had a goal and two assists as the Seattle Torrent earned a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge on Wednesday night.

Hannah Murphy was 38.1 seconds away from the first shutout in Torrent history before Ottawa finally got on the board late in the third period on a goal from Rebecca Leslie. Murphy made 24 saves on 25 shots in the victory.

Julia Gosling also added a goal on the power play as the Torrent won their second straight game.

Seattle took the lead on Gosling’s power play goal late in the first period with Rory Guilday in the box for a hooking penalty. Ottawa looked like they were going to get the game into the intermission scoreless after clearing the zone in the final 20 seconds of the period, but Carpenter and Bilka combined to find Gosling driving the back post for a finish past Sanni Ahola for a 1-0 lead.

Another power play chance off a Mannon McMahon tripping penalty allowed Carpenter to strike for a 2-0 lead.

A shot from the right circle from Bilka deflected off a skate to Carpenter at the front of the net as she back-handed the puck into the net for a two-goal advantage.

The Charge then lost track of Carpenter in the offensive zone as she found space directly in front of Ahola, beating the goaltender for a 3-0 lead off a pass from Megan Carter off the left boards.

Murphy was sharp in net for Seattle, turning aside 13 shots in the first period alone as Ottawa had the upper hand early. She’d face just 12 more shots over the final two periods combined, with only Leslie’s goal finding a way through.

After Bilka’s empty-net goal made it 4-0, Leslie outflanked Carter and the Seattle defense to get a near breakaway look in on Murphy that she finished to avoid the shutout for Ottawa.

Murphy has been the goaltender for both of the Torrent’s victories this season as the rookie out of Colgate University has been terrific early in the season for Seattle. 

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Jorge Polanco won’t be back with the Seattle Mariners next season, but he left the club and its fan base heartfelt message after his signing with the New York Mets became official on Tuesday.

Morosi breaks down what could be next for Seattle Mariners’ offseason

Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Mets, posted the following to his Instagram page.

#Godfirst. I cannot express with words how grateful me and my family are for the belief YOU had in me. First you traded for me and then you signed me when everyone else doubted me after surgery. YOU made me feel wanted and loved and I will be forever grateful for that. I became a better player and person because of YOU. YOU embraced my wife, kids, and me as one of your own…again, I will be forever grateful for that. YOU were an inspiration for me every night and I just wish we could have delivered you the trophy YOU deserve. I will always cherish my time with YOU…I will never forget these last two years because of YOU.

YOU= Seattle Fans, Teammates, Trainers, Coaching Staff, Front Office, and Owner.

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I will always smile thinking of YOU all.

Tridents UP!

Polanco was hindered by a knee issue and had a disappointing first season with the Mariners in 2024 after he was acquired in a trade that sent four players to Minnesota. But after coming back to the M’s on a one-year deal before the start of 2025, he had a resurgent campaign that helped key the club’s run its first American League West title and AL Championship Series appearance since 2001.

After posting career worsts with a .213 average and 29.2% strikeout rate in 2024, the 32-year-old second baseman and designated hitter batted .265 with an .821 OPS, 30 doubles, 26 home runs and 78 RBIs over 138 games in 2025. His strikeout rate dropped to 15.6%, marking the largest year-to-year dip in strikeout percentage in MLB history (minimum 450 plate appearances), per MLB.com’s Mike Petriello.

Polanco was extremely clutch for the Mariners all season long. He led the league with a 1.284 OPS and 259 wRC+ in high-leverage situations, and his .438 batting average was second.

That clutch hitting showed up in the postseason as well. Polanco homered twice off two-time reigning AL Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal during Game 2 of the AL Division Series and delivered one of the biggest hits in Mariners history with a walk-off single in the 15th inning of their series-clinching Game 5 win. He also hit the go-ahead three-run homer in Seattle’s Game 2 ALCS win.

Polanco triggered a $6 million player option for 2026 by reaching 450 plate appearances in the regular season, but he declined the option to become a free agent. He was a top offseason target for Seattle before signing with New York.

More Seattle Mariners offseason coverage

• Donovan or Marte? Weighing Seattle Mariners’ 2B trade options
• Seattle Mariners sign backup catcher to one-year deal
• Seattle Mariners reportedly a front-runner for Cardinals’ Donovan
• Drayer: How Polanco’s departure impacts Seattle Mariners’ offseason
• Why Nolan Arenado could make sense as a Mariners trade target

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA plans to make a decision regarding domestic expansion in the coming year, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, offering the most definitive timeline since the league began exploring the possibility of moving from 30 to 32 teams.

And if there are favorites, as has long been expected, Las Vegas and Seattle are at the top of the list.

“Not a secret, we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle,” Silver said before the NBA Cup final between San Antonio and New York. “We’ve looked at other markets as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.”

Expansion has been a topic for years in the NBA, and it’s no secret that Seattle — which had a team until the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 — and Las Vegas have long been clamoring for franchises.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. … I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.

“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination.”

Cup future

Silver revealed on Amazon Prime Video’s pregame show for the NBA Cup final that the title game of the tournament may move away from Las Vegas.

Among the sites under consideration: “Some storied college arenas,” Silver said. “We’re looking at other ways we can do this.”

Semifinal games in the Cup will be played at No. 1 seed home sites starting next season, so the concept of a final four in Las Vegas was going to change in 2026 anyway.

Cup viewership increases

Going to a streaming service hasn’t prevented fans from watching the NBA Cup.

Saturday night’s semifinals on Prime Video — in its first season as a league broadcast partner — averaged 1.67 million viewers, a 14% increase over last season’s semifinals.

And Saturday’s doubleheader — San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City and New York vs. Toronto — saw a 126% year-over-year increase in social media views, the league said, with more than 400 million views across all platforms.

NBA Europe plans

Silver hinted that there might be some news next month on the plans for the NBA’s project with FIBA to start a league in Europe.

That makes sense, with the league set to play regular-season games in Berlin and London next month when Orlando and Memphis go over for a pair of matchups.

“I would say we’re casting a very, very wide net right now and essentially saying to anyone who’s interested, come see our bankers, explain to us why you’re interested, how you view the opportunity, what resources you would put behind opening a team, and then we’re taking all that information back,” Silver said. “And then I think sometime in late January, or in January, we’ll be in a position to have more serious conversations with those interested parties.”

Silver said he got the news on Chris Paul being sent home by the Los Angeles Clippers the same way basically everyone else did: He checked his phone in the middle of the night.

“I will say I was dismayed just for everyone involved,” Silver said. “As you know, I’m particularly close to Chris because he was president of the Players Association many years. … I would love to see him finish off the season on another team. He’s already announced this is his last season, so I’d love to see him finish strong.”

Silver said it’s not his role “to cross-examine the participants” and added that he hasn’t talked to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer about what happened.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that it ended the way it did,” Silver said. “So, I’m focused, and I hope Chris is now, on the future.”

Silver says WNBA talks are progressing

Silver said he and NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are available to help the WNBA and its players strike a new labor deal, if needed.

Silver said he’s “optimistic” a deal will get done.

“I’m tracking things very closely,” Silver said. “We’re integrated at the league office. I talk to the people who are at the negotiating table on a daily basis. As I’ve said before, we, the NBA-WNBA collective, acknowledged that our players deserve to be paid significantly more than they have so far based on the increased success of the league. It’s just a question now of finding a meeting of the minds in terms of what is a fair deal. It’s going to require compromise on both sides.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA