HOCKEY

Maineiacs score late goal to take playoff series lead

Etienne Brodeur put in a rebound with five seconds left to give the eighth-seeded Lewiston Maineiacs a 2-1 win over the second-seeded Montreal Junior in Game 3 of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League quarterfinal series at the Colisee in Lewiston.

The Maineiacs lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for 7 tonight at Lewiston.

Samuel Carrier tied the game with 3:13 left in the second period after Trevor Parkes scored 45 seconds earlier for Montreal.

Nicholas Champion made 28 saves for the Maineiacs.

FOOTBALL

NFL: The league is preparing for preseason games even though the owners and players remain at odds over a new contract.

The league released its preseason schedule as lawyers for locked-out players were meeting with a judge in Minneapolis prior to court-ordered mediation with the league later this week.

The first preseason game matches the Chicago Bears against the St. Louis Rams in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game at Canton, Ohio on Aug. 7.

The preseason schedule is of course contingent on the players and owners reaching a new collective bargaining agreement, replacing the one that expired March 11 after talks with a federal mediator in Washington broke off.

Because teams will need at least two weeks of training camp to get ready, that means the NFL would need to have its labor stalemate solved by about July 25 at the very latest, even if starters are only going to play for a series or two in the exhibition opener.

AUTO RACING

NASCAR: Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne landed the sponsorship he needed to enter the Sprint All-Star Race next month at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 20-year-old Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in race history when he won the season opener and earned an automatic berth in the All-Star race, but Wood Brothers Racing didn’t have sponsorship to put Bayne in the race.

Good Sam Club, a sister company of Camping World, signed on to sponsor Bayne in both the May 21 All-Star race and this Sunday’s event at Talladega Superspeedway.

TENNIS

WILLIAMS PRACTICES: Serena Williams hit some balls on a tennis court, calling it her “first day back” after a series of health problems, including blood clots in her lung.

Williams, the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, has not played an official match since she won the title at Wimbledon in July. She has not said when she might return to competition.

MONTE CARLO MASTERS: Second-seeded Roger Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-1 at Monaco.

In other matches, Ivan Ljubicic also reached the third round after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (2), 6-4; big-serving Milos Raonic downed Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 7-5; and Tomas Berdych beat Olivier Rochus, 6-2, 6-3.

SOCCER

MLS: David Beckham, whose five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires after this season, said there’s a chance he will return to Major League Soccer for another year.

Beckham also said he wants to be involved with the England team at the 2012 London Olympics.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Barcelona and Manchester United moved a step closer to a rematch of the 2009 league final with victories to extend their first-leg advantage and reach the semifinals.

Lionel Messi scored his club-record 48th goal of the season in the 43rd minute to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Park Ji-sung secured a 2-1 win for United over Chelsea, scoring the winner less than a minute after second-half substitute Didier Drogba scored for Chelsea in the 77th.

HORSE RACING

UNCLE MO GETS A PHYSICAL: Kentucky Derby contender Uncle Mo had a thorough physical exam after a disappointing run in the Wood Memorial, and trainer Todd Pletcher said the 3-year-old colt came out fine.

Uncle Mo was unbeaten heading into the Wood Memorial, but was passed by Toby’s Corner and Arthur’s Tale in the stretch at Aqueduct to finish third.