Austrian skier Scheib locks up World Cup GS title. Shiffrin finishes 5th and protects overall lead

ÅRE, Sweden (AP) — Julia Scheib had never won a World Cup race in her eight years on the circuit before the start of this season.

Now the Austrian giant slalom specialist is a five-time winner who has locked up the discipline title with a race to spare.

Scheib won the penultimate GS of the season Saturday after first-run leader Camille Rast skied out early in her final run.

The victory gave Scheib an insurmountable lead of 189 points over her Swiss rival in the GS standings.

“It feels very special, winning the giant slalom globe has been a goal of mine for many years. To achieve it today means a lot to me," said Scheib, the ninth Austrian winner of this globe but the first since Eva-Maria Brem took it in 2016.

Mikaela Shiffrin improved from 12th following a costly mistake in the opening run to finish fifth and protect her lead in the overall standings.

Sara Hector was the only other racer who could have threatened Scheib's title, but the 2022 Olympic gold medalist from Sweden dropped out of the race after sliding off the course and into the safety netting in the first run.

Scheib denied Paula Moltzan a first career victory, finishing 0.36 seconds ahead of the American. Alice Robinson of New Zealand was 0.75 behind in third.

Limiting the damage after her first run, Shiffrin lost just five points on second-ranked Emma Aicher of Germany, who finished the race in a career-best fourth, and won 55 points on Rast.

Shiffrin now leads Aicher by 120 points and Rast by 223 and could increase her lead in Sunday’s slalom, which is the American star’s strongest event.

After this weekend, only the World Cup Finals with four races remain.

“I felt a really good mentality, both runs. In GS racing, it's so important to be willing to take the speed,” Shiffrin said. “I felt really positive things.”

Shiffrin's mishap came near the end of what might have been the fastest run by far in the opening leg.

In an all-attacking run, the American star was more than half a second ahead of race leader Rast at the last split time when she came off the course shortly before the finish and had to brake to make the next gate.

“I was just not really expecting to get like a kind of a little bit of a jump on this last roller,” said Shiffrin, who started in the 300th World Cup race of her career, a day after her 31st birthday.

“My goal this run was to be really attacking, then I had more speed than I expected,” she added. “For the rest of the run, that was the best run in GS skiing I had in a race this year. I’m so happy with that.”

Shiffrin holds the women’s record for most career GS wins with 22 but hasn’t won a race in the discipline since December 2023.

Following two crashes in a downhill and a GS in 2024, Shiffrin has been working her way back up in the discipline and got her first podium result in two years when she placed third at a race in Czechia in January.

Shiffrin's performance in GS impressed her teammate Moltzan.

“Mikaela is coming back in peak form, I think,” said Moltzan, who earned her fifth podium of the season and 10th overall, though her maiden victory is missing.

"Going into this race I wasn't so confident, I had a tough Olympics in GS, so to know that my GS skiing is still at the level in the World Cup where I left it makes me a lot more confident,” added Moltzan, who placed 15th in the Olympic GS last month.

Olympic GS champion Federica Brignone ended her season two weeks ago to continue rehab after the Italian returned from a broken leg just weeks before the Games.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Austria's Julia Scheib celebrates winning a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Austria's Julia Scheib celebrates winning a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Austria's Julia Scheib celebrates winning a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Paula Moltzan speeds down the course during a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Austria's Julia Scheib speeds down the course during a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Camille Rast speeds down the course during a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during a women's World Cup giant slalom, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Thomas Harley scored 2:05 into overtime to give the streaking Dallas Stars a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist, and Michael Bunting also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of 24 shots. Harley scored his seventh OT goal in regular-season games.

The Stars are 14-0-1 in their last 15 games, matching the longest point streak in club history. Their 1998-99 Stanley Cup team had a streak of 12 wins and three ties.

Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond scored for the Red Wings, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period but dropped their third straight (0-2-1). John Gibson made 21 saves.

Bunting’s goal, on a power play for a 2-0 lead in the second period, was his first since being acquired from Nashville on March 5.

Dallas has won four straight and owns the second-most points in the league, three behind Central-leading Colorado.

Oettinger is 11-0-1 in his last 12 games, his longest career point streak. His 28 wins rank third in the league.

The 15-game run ties for the second-longest point streak in the NHL this season with Tampa Bay, behind a 17-game effort by Colorado.

Johnston has career highs with 36 goals and 73 points. He has seven goals and 14 points in Dallas’ nine games following the Olympic break.

The Stars, with the best home power play in the league, have scored with the man advantage in 12 consecutive games.

The Red Wings played their fourth consecutive game without captain Dylan Larkin and second straight without fellow forward Andrew Copp, sidelined with leg injuries that will keep them out for weeks. To have enough skaters on Saturday, Detroit called up John Leonard from Grand Rapids of the AHL and activated David Perron off injured reserves.

Red Wings: Open a four-game homestand on Monday against Calgary.

Stars: Host Utah on Monday, completing a six-game homestand that is their longest of the season.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

A shot by Dallas Stars left wing Michael Bunting, far left, enters the net of Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, right, for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) and Dallas Stars right wing Arttu Hyry (25) compete for possession of the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston, right, celebrates his first period goal with center Mavrik Bourque (22) and left wing Jason Robertson, center, as Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) looks on during an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars left wing Michael Bunting, right, reacts after scoring his first career goal with the Stars during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)