Louie Byrd, an 19-year-old from Denver, rallied from a first-round deficit with a barrage of punches down the stretch to defeat France’s Jeremy Veccu to win the flyweight championship at the World Cup of Petroleum Countries in Khanty-Mansisysk, Russia, on Sunday.
Byrd, the top-ranked American at 112 pounds, fell behind 3-2 after the first round, but went on a 4-1 run in the second round and held on late for a 9-6 decision over Veccu. Byrd was the only American to qualify for the final round in the 11-nation tournament. He won an 8-2 semifinal decision on Saturday over Moldova’s Alexander Ryshkin.
McGrane scores three points, Eagles win.
The Colorado Eagles, behind a three-point effort from Ed McGrane, scored six unanswered goals for a 6-2 victory over the visiting Missouri Mavericks late Saturday night in Loveland. Colorado (19-4-1) won its seventh consecutive game and second in back-to-back nights against Missouri.
The Eagles have the best record in the Central Hockey League, with an .813 winning percentage. Their 39 points lead the Northern Conference and trails only Odessa’s 43 in the South.
