First Call: Steelers reportedly bringing back a familiar face; Alex Ovechkin scores 800th; RMU hockey return date known

Wednesday’s “First Call” features a familiar face potentially rejoining the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. Alex Ovechkin hits a major milestone. And Duquesne’s basketball team wants to find its early season form.

Plus, Robert Morris University formalizes another step toward its re-entry to the college hockey world.

Help up front

The Steelers are looking to bolster depth in their front seven.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Field Yates, ex-Steelers outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi is returning to the team. The club is also reportedly signing defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall off of the Jets practice squad.

Adeniyi left for the Tennessee Titans via free agency prior to last year. The undrafted free agent from Toledo was mainly a special teams player in Pittsburgh, while backing up Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt on defense. In Tennessee this year, he was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 17 with a neck injury. He was activated on Dec. 3 before being released Dec. 12.

Steelers also adding former Titans’ LB Ola Adeniyi, a move his agents @DrewJRosenhaus and @RyanMatha confirmed today. So two new defenders for the Steelers.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 13, 2022

With the Steelers struggling against the run, Watt banged up and lineman Chris Wormley down for the year with a knee injury, the Steelers could use all the options they can get along the defensive front.

McCaffrey praises Panthers

When the Steelers travel to Charlotte this week, they won’t have to contend with running back Christian McCaffrey. That’s because the Carolina Panthers traded the former All-Pro to the San Francisco 49ers in October.

At the time, it was perceived that Carolina was punting on the season and building for next year. But since the deal, the Panthers have gone 4-3 and are just a game behind the Bucs for NFC South’s No. 1 spot in the standings.

McCaffrey recently praised his former team.

“I had a lot of good years,” he said via PanthersWire. “I really enjoyed my time in Carolina. And I know we didn’t have the results, but obviously they’re killin’ it, man. I’m happy for those guys. Obviously, beating Seattle’s big for us. Us beating Tampa — big for them. So, kinda hats off to those guys, man. I’m proud of them, and I love everybody in that locker room.”

McCaffrey just ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and added another 34 yards and a score through the air in a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. That was McCaffrey’s first 100 rushing game as a Niner. It was his fourth over 100 total yards from scrimmage.

The Niners are 6-1 since the trade.

More sports

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• Tim Benz: Get used to backup QB conundrum — Steelers will face it in depth this offseason
• Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: Kenny Pickett will start at Carolina if cleared from concussion protocol

800 for the Great 8

Alexander Ovechkin has reached another milestone.

The Washington Capitals winger collected his 800th regular-season goal Tuesday as part of a hat trick. The Caps smoked the Blackhawks 7-3 en route to a four-point night for Ovechkin.

ALEX OVECHKIN'S 8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣TH CAREER GOAL ???? pic.twitter.com/IvurRAhCVt

— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2022

Ovechkin is third all-time in goals scored. Gordie Howe is in second place with 801. Wayne Gretzky has the record with 894 goals. Ovechkin’s 1,444 career points are 18th all time, three fewer than Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins have yielded 37 of Ovechkin’s goals. He’s scored most often against the Carolina Hurricanes — 47 times in regular-season play since entering the league in 2005-06.

In postseason competition, Ovechkin has 72 goals and 69 assists.

Back in stride

Duquesne’s men’s basketball team is looking to get back to its winning ways Wednesday night at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

The Dukes host the DePaul Blue Demons (6-4) at 7 p.m. Duquesne (7-3) has lost two in a row after winning seven of its first eight games. As for the Blue Devils, they are coming off a 91-70 win against UTEP on Saturday.

The game could be high scoring. The Blue Demons allow 75.2 points per game. That’s the most among Big East Teams. Duquesne surrenders 72.3 points per contest, second most among Atlantic 10 squads.

Dae Dae Grant is aiming to heat up again for Duquesne. After hovering around 50% from the field through his first seven games of the year, the Miami (Ohio) transfer is 11 of 43 his past three outings.

Meanwhile, DePaul is led by Javan Johnson (18.1 points per game) and Umoja Gibson (16.1 points per game). They had 23 and 22 points respectively in DePaul’s win last time out against UTEP.

Feeling real

Another step on the long road back to the ice for the Robert Morris Hockey teams has been completed. We now know the date of their returns to home ice.

RMU released a date for the regular-season return of their men’s and women’s hockey programs. The Colonials announced Tuesday they will host a doubleheader Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, at Clearview Arena at the RMU Island Sports Center to open their home schedules.

The women will faceoff against Saint Anselm and the men will take on Bowling Green, with times to be announced at a later date.

Both teams were surprisingly cut from the team’s athletic department in May 2021. However, through alumni outreach, fundraising efforts and legal involvement, the teams fought their way back to reinstatement in December of last year.

On the men’s side, it’s also known that Derek Schooley’s team will be traveling out west to take on a national powerhouse in 2024-25. His Colonials will visit North Dakota that season. In 2011, Schooley’s club visited Grand Forks for a two-game set against the eventual WCHA champions, dropping the opener 8-0 and narrowly losing the second game 2-1.

As for the women, it was learned this week that they will have a presence at the World University Games (Jan. 12-20, Lake Placid, NY). Schooley’s daughter, Kaitlyn, a member of the Colinals when the team returns to competition, will join current RMU goalie Maggie Hatch on the Team USA roster. Former Colonial Maggie Burbidge is going to play for Canada. She is now with St. Francis Xavier University in Canada.

Alexandra Nolan and Allison Corser-James of Chatham are also on the American roster. So is Pittsburgh’s Annie Katonka. The former Pens Elite player is now with SUNY-Plattsburgh.