Month: December 2024

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Rangers lose 8 of last 10 drop game to Blackhawks; Blackwood joins Aves for Georgiev to Sharks; plus more news

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The Seattle Kraken Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) scored on the New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) in the second period at Madison Square Garden in New York on Mon Dec 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 The New York Rangers are trying to figure out what has gone wrong with their hockey club. The Rangers had best record last season but now have lost eight of their last ten games. After two games after trading defenseman Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks the Rangers lost both of those games which included a home loss to one of the worst teams in the NHL the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1.

#2 The Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Monday. The Aves also picked up Giovani Smith from the Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alexander Georgiev and rookie forward Nikolai Kovalenko.

#3 The Chicago Blackhawks have put goaltender Petr Mrazek on injured reserve with left groin injury on Sunday. Mrazek was replaced by goaltender Arvid Soderblom in the first period in Saturday’s game. The Blackhawks lost to the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 loss. Hawks continue to struggle just to get a win and losing Mrazek in the first period

#4 Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella had some criticism after their game after the Flyers loss to the Boston Bruins in overtime 4-3 at TD Waterhouse in Boston on Saturday. The Flyers were hit for two tripping penalties in the third period and one of the tripping penalties led to a goal against. That led Tortorella to said in the post game conference that he doesn’t teach his team to dive but maybe he should team them to dive.

#5 Washington Capitals Tom Wilson who scored two goals Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens got hit with a puck in the left cheek and came back later in the first period. The Caps rallied to beat the Canadiens for a 4-2 win on Wilson’s two goals. Wilson said it felt like his face was falling off but got looked at by the trainer and got back in the game to pick up two goals.

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com every other Wednesday night

Utah HC Loses A Wild One To Minnesota In A Shootout 5-4

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Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) scores the only goal in the shootout against the Utah Hockey Club’s goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Dec 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–After climbing back from behind in the third period to take the lead, Utah surrendered the tying goal with 44 seconds remaining and fell to Minnesota 5-4, failing to score in the franchise’s first shootout.

The Utah Hockey Club swept their two-game road trip over the past several days, first defeating the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Saturday in a game featuring Utah’s first Gordie Howe hat trick by defenseman Michael Kesselring in his 100th NHL game and in which head coach André Tourigny recorded his 100th career coaching victory, followed by a 4-2 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Sunday. It was also the first time Utah has recorded back-to-back victories since winning their first three games of the season, giving them a 8-6-2 record on the road.

Utah entered Tuesday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild with a 4-5-2 home record and hoping to break even with a win over their division rival. Kevin Stenlund got Utah off on the right foot with his 4th goal of the season at 13:46 of the first period, assisted by Michael Carcone. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka turned away 17 shots in a very lopsided opening frame.

With a little more than five minutes remaining in the second period, Minnesota forward Marat Khusnutdinov evened things up for the Wild with an unassisted goal. Teammate Kirill Kaprizov made it 2-1 just 36 seconds later, netting his 18th goal of the season, assisted by Marcus Johansson. Kaprizov trails only Sam Reinhart of Florida and Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton by one in the NHL goal scoring race.

Early in the third period, Utah caught a break as Matt Boldy went to the penalty box for tripping against Clayton Keller. On the ensuing power play, Keller cashed it in for his 8th goal of the season to tie things up, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev.

The momentum vanished less than a minute later when Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson scored his fourth goal of the season unassisted, silencing the crowd which had been so exuberant mere seconds earlier.

Midway through the third, Utah caught yet another break as Marco Rossi went to the sin bin for tripping against Dylan Guenther. With time running out on the power play, Clayton Keller drilled a nearly identical shot past Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson for his second of the night and ninth on the season, assisted again by Sergachev and Guenther, making things even at 3-3.

At 11:45 of the period, Utah defenseman Juuso Välimäki gave Utah its first lead since the opening period with just his second goal of the season, assisted by Lawson Crouse. The home team locked down its defense the rest of the way until the Wild pulled Gustavsson for an extra attacker in the closing minutes. With just 44 seconds remaining in regulation, Minnesota’s Marco Rossi from Feldkirch, Austria, stunned the Utah faithful with his 10th goal of the season to send the game to overtime.

Neither side was able to claim victory in extra frame, sending the game to Utah’s first-ever shootout where Matt Boldy was able to get past Karel Vejmelka while Filip Gustavsson shut the door on Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Nick Bjugstad to steal the win for the Wild and a first-place tie with the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division. Utah drops to 4-5-3 at home with it’s fifth straight home loss.

Utah HC head coach André Tourigny addressed the media after the game. “It was a tough game. They’re a good team. For us, it’s our third game in four nights and with the long travel…we’re not as urgent as we normally are. So having that pushback late in the game, even if the guys were tired, I think that was huge. Unfortunately, we could not close the deal, that will go in the baggage and we won’t forget it. Sometimes we show our age a little bit. We’re a young team and we got emotional, especially when you’re tired. It’s bittersweet that we got a big point again against the number-one team in our division. Having said that, I would have loved to have two points, especially when you have a lead late in the game. But there are a lot of positives.”

Talking about Clayton Keller’s two power-play goals, Tourigny continued, “I thought those two were really clutch at key moments. I like the way he competes. I think his game is really taking off, and the way he competes, the way he works from the inside, both sides of the puck. He’s doing a good job.”

Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about the power play goals and the shootout loss. “I think the boys played hard tonight. It was nice to get a couple on the power play. Hopefully, build some momentum there. I thought we got better as the game went on. It was a little sloppy early. I’m proud of the guys for the way we fought back. We got the lead there, just gotta have better coverage…But we’ll learn from it and be ready to go next game. … There’s going to be games throughout the year where you’re a little sloppy with your execution; a couple mistakes here and there. But I’m proud of the way we fought. The power play stepped up, which we hadn’t recently. That’s a good step in the right direction. I think we have a lot of confidence right now. We’re heading in the right direction.”

Tuesday night marked the third straight one-game homestand for the Utah Hockey Club. Utah hits the road once again for games against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday before returning to Salt Lake City for yet another one-game appearance against the Vancouver Canucks at 8:00pm MST on Wednesday, December 18.

Bears nearly come back from another large deficit, but once fall short 88-80 to Cornell in third-straight loss

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Cal Bears forward Joshua Ola Joseph takes a jump shot against the Cornell Big Red in non conference action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Tue Dec 10, 2024 (@calmbball twitter photo)

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Cornell Big Red 88 (7-3)

California Golden Bears 80 (6-4)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears came back from down 23 points to take a late lead, but the Cornell Big Red pulled off an 88-80 win in the late minutes to hand Cal their third-straight loss.

Following their 89-81 loss to Stanford in their first all-ACC game on Saturday, the Bears ventured back out of the ACC, as they welcomed the Big Red into Haas Pavilion. Cornell came on winners of two-straight, following dominant and decisive wins over Colgate and Army.

Tuesday night’s game began as a tight one, as the Bears had an 8-7 lead just under three minutes into the game. It was then 11-11 with 12:18 remaining in the first half before Cornell opened up a 47-29 lead into the half.

It was looking to be a blowout, but the Bears showed a lot of fight in them come the second half. Cornell would open their lead to 52-29 just a minute and 46 seconds into the half. Jeremiah Wilkinson then hit a pair of threes, and the Bears would slowly start clawing themselves back into the game.

The Bears went on a 21-7 run to cut Cornell’s lead to 59-50 with 12:34 to go. Cal had fallen short after turning a 20-point deficit into just a six-point deficit against Stanford on Saturday, and they wanted to more than make up for that Tuesday night.

Mady Sissoko made a layup, and Spencer Mahoney hit a three to cut it to 61-55. Cornell kept pace with a layup by Jake Fiegen and Guy Ragland Jr., but after the Bears kept coming, and closed the deficit to 65-61 with 8:57 to go.

Cooper Noard was fouled and hit two from the line, and Ak Okereke made a layup to extend Cornell’s lead back to 69-61.The Bears pulled back within four, but Okereke was fouled and hit two from the line to keep the Big Red’s lead at 71-65 with 6:57 remaining.

Sissoko slammed one down, and Wilkinson made a layup to close it to 71-69. Andrej Stojakovic then hit a three, and the Bears had come all the way back from down 23 points to take a 72-71 lead with 5:15 remaining.

Guy Ragland Jr. hit a three to put Cornell back ahead with exactly five minutes to go, and after a minute with no scoring, Joshua Ola-Joseph hit a layup to tie it at 74-74 with 3:51 left to go. Noard made a layup to put Cornell back ahead 76-74 with nearly 3:20 left, and the score would remain stagnant for nearly another two minutes.

With 1:34 left, Jake Fiegen hit a layup to extend Cornell’s lead to 78-74, but he was fouled and made his shot from the line to make it 79-74. That seemed to kill any late hopes for the Bears to pull this one off, and Cornell won by a final of 88-80.

Ola-Joseph was the leading scorer for the Bears with 21 points, as he was 7-for-11 in field goals. Stojakovic was just 4-for-11 in field goals, but he scored 13, as did Sissoko, who was a perfect 6-for-6. Wilkinson scored 12, and Jovar Blacksher Jr. scored 11.

The Bears fall to 6-4, and they will look to bounce back against the Northwestern State Demons of the little-known Southland Conference on Saturday. Just an FYI, Northwestern State is a different university then Northwestern, though the two teams shared a very-similar shade of purple. Tipoff will be at noon on Saturday.

Sharks Lose 3-2 to Hurricanes, Kunin Scores Twice

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San Jose Sharks Barclay Goodrow (32) can’t control the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes Sean Walker (26) and Shane Gostisbehere (4) at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh NC on Tue Dec 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Shayne Gostisbehere, Brent Burns and Jalen Chatfield scored for the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov made 21 saves for the win. Luke Kunin scored twice for the Sharks and Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves in the loss.

This was the Sharks first game after the trade of Mackenzide Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Vitek Vancecek was in net, with his last appearance being in the first period in Tampa Bay two games ago. After Tuesday’s game, Luke Kunin said, of Vanecek: “He was great, he’s been great for us all year. Kept us in that one early. Yeah, our goaltending’s been phenomenal.”

William Eklund also credited Vanecek with keeping them in the game despite the team’s regrettable third period: “It’s just, obviously we’ve had good third periods this year. That’s been our thing I felt like. And today it wasn’t our thing. We shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit.”

Shayne Gostisbehere scored the first goal of the game at 4:26. As Gostisbehere skated in from the blue line, he caught a pass from Wiliam Carrier in the slot and snapped the puck past Vanecek. Assists went to Carrier and Jack Roslovic.

Luke Kunin tied the game at 18:51. Macklin Celebrini brought the puck in and then found Kunin with a pass to the slot. Kunin snapped it by Kochetkov. Assists went to Celebrini and Cody Ceci.

There were no penalties called in the first period. The Hurricanes outshot the Sharks 11-9.

Kunin scored again to give the Sharks a lead at 11:44 of the second period. William Eklund took the puck below the goal line and behind the net before sending it back up to Kunin. Kunin was just arriving by the net and tapped it past the goaltender.

The teams were very close in shots during the second period, 8-7 Hurricanes. The Sharks took three penalties and the Hurricanes took two.

Brent Burns tied the game back up at 4:11 of the third period. A turnover at the Hurricanes blue line sent the home team racing the other way. Sebastian Aho’s pass found Brent Burns approaching the Sharks net with Vanecek unable to get across. Assists wet to Aho and Martin Necas.

Jalen Chatfield scored the game winner at 17:21 of the third period. He intercepted a failed clearing attempt and sent it back to the net through traffic.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues at 5:00 PM PT.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders hope to snap 8 game skid face Falcons on Monday Night Football

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell (12) looks to heave the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay on Mon Dec 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

#1 The Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) once again were on their opponents heels late in a game but once again the game got away from them in the fourth quarter. This time against the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) the Raiders had a 14-10 but the Bucs pulled ahead with a touchdown in the fourth quarter that pretty much put the kibosh on any chance for the Raiders to come back losing to Tampa Bay 21-10.

#2 Once again the Raiders played a close game quarterback Aidan O’Connell didn’t throw anywhere close to 200 yards and if the Raiders were able to get just that much more offense just maybe they would have been able to get the lead.

#3 The Raiders scored twice in the second quarter with O’Connell rushing for a one yard touchdown at 8:07 making it 14-7 and with a 25 yard field goal at 4:28 by kicker Daniel Carlson cutting Tampa Bay’s lead to four points 14-10 at the half..

#4 Fourth quarter the Bucs added Rachaad White carried for three yard touchdown to pull ahead 21-10, Carlson for the Raiders booted a 27 yard field goal 21-13 at 3:05 and the Bucs put the final touches on scoring Sunday with a quarterback Baker Mayfield 29 yard pass to Jalen McMillan 1:56 giving the Bucs a 28-13 win.

#5 Sunday’s loss is the Raiders eighth consecutive. This has been a struggling effort by the Raiders just to get back in the win column a place they have not been since Sep 29th when they defeated the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders take that eight game skid into their next game at Allegiant Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football on Dec 16th. The Falcons lost to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday and the Falcons drop below .500 at 6-7. How do you see this game next week Monday?

Tony Renteria does the Raiders podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: How Soto improves Mets World Series chances; Phils to take a chance on Romano; plus more news

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New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto in the sunset will he improve the Mets chances to get into the World Series for 2025? (photo from Stable Diffusion Online)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The New York Mets odds to make the 2025 World Series went from +1200 to +750 after acquiring Juan Soto on Sunday night. What is your take away on the Mets chances to make the World Series with Soto in the line up and does the Yankees chances diminish now that Soto has left the Bronx?

#2 The Philadelphia Phillies have come to a one year agreement with Jordan Romano. Romano pitched in the 2024 for the Toronto Blue Jays but was suffered injuries and missed some relief duties and later had to have arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. Romano had four strong seasons pitching before 2024 and was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball with a 2.29 ERA in 200 2/3 innings, 251 strike outs. Romano is taking a physical if he passes he’ll be relieving for the Phillies in 2025.

#3 Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was posted to Major League teams and will be able to sign as a free agent on Tue Dec 10 to Thu Jan 23. Chiba Lotte Marines waited for the deadline until they were able to post Sasaki to a Major League team.

#4 Former Pittsburgh Pirate Dave Parker and former Chicago White Sox Dick Allen were elected to the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Parker was the 1978 National League MVP and Allen was the 1972 American League MVP. Parker hit .290, 339 home runs, 1493 RBIs from 1973-1991. Allen who passed away in 2020 hit .292, 351 home runs, 1119 RBIs.

#5 Their jumping ship in San Francisco for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Outfielder Michael Comforto has signed a one year $17 million contract with the Dodgers. Comforto hit .238, 35 home runs, and 124 RBIs in 255 at bats and played left and right field for the Giants. Comforto is second ex Giant to leave for the Dodgers along with pitcher Blake Snell.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Deebo says “Not Struggling at all just not getting the ball” on X

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel says he’s not getting enough touches on his X account although he’s second behind Jordan Mason carries (photo from the San Francisco 49ers)

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 On Monday San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said on X “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball” is he right is he not getting enough chances or is he wrong he’s not producing from the chances that he’s given.

#2 Samuel had 97 yards from scrimmage in his last four games, is second in touches behind Jordan Mason. Against the Bears last Sunday Samuel carried for 35 yards from scrimmage five yards on two carries.

#3 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football at Levi Stadium at 5:15pm PST. The Rams are second in the NFC West , they have won their last two games, and have won four of their last six games. Do you see the Rams being a much tougher customer than the Bears were?

David Zizmor does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State Spartans smash in 117-80 win over Lincoln University

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San Jose Spartans player preparing before the match against Lincoln University on Monday December 9th at Provident Union Center (SanJoseStateMBB/x)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE-The San Jose State Spartans hosted the Lincoln University Oaks for a Monday night matchup. San Jose State is coming off of a 83-77 loss against the New Mexico Lobos on December 4th. Lincoln University is coming off a 117-72 loss against UC Merced. Both teams will be looking to get back in the win column.

Head Coach Tim Miles went with the same starting five except making a minor change in replacing Will McClendon and inputting Latrell Davis at point-guard. Will McClendon was out tonight with illness making him unavailable.

After the first half, the Spartans went into the locker room up 57 to 47. San Jose’s lead point scorer was Josh Uduje. Lincoln University’s was Joshua Russ with 18 points. Lincoln made 12 out of 27 3 point shots with a blistering 44% which is what kept them in the game. “We knew that was their MO. I didn’t feel good about the first half but felt good about the second half.” said Head Coach Tim Miles.

In the 2nd half, San Jose’s defense stepped up allowing Lincoln to attempt 15 3 pointers but only making 4, going down to 26%. The Spartans picked up their 3-point game making 7 of 18 for 33% after going 1-12 in the first half. San Jose got a boost from Latrell Davis, accounting for 8 assists. “He requires so much attention because of his ability to go downhill, so that’s a next step for his game to create problems” said teammate Josh Uduje.

San Jose got a good game out of their monster center Robert Vaihola. Vaihola registered 17 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks, and went 7-9 in shooting only missing the basket twice. 14 out of the 18 rebounds were defensive. “Just chillin around the rim, I just happened to be there”. said the Center.

“Credit Lincoln and Coach Middlebrooks, they did a good job, playing loose, playing fast, and shooting the ball extremely well.” said Head Coach Tim Miles after the 117-80 win. The Spartans will be back in action on Saturday against Cal Poly at 7pm. When asked about preparation for that game, Coach Miles said “One of the fastest teams in the country. Credit Cal Poly, they’ve done a great job.”

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: No Mercy Rule for Jazz; Kings blow out Utah 141-97 at Golden 1

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Guard De’Aaron Fox (5) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) of the Sacramento Kings are please with how things are going against the Utah Jazz on Sun Dec 8, 2024 at Golden 1 Center (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara, talk about how important Kevin Huerter was for the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night leading with 26 points as the Kings demolished the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center 141-97.

#2 The Kings are on a roll with their scoring they have won by 140 or more in their last two games. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs last Friday 140-113.

#3 The Jazz on the other hand have lost six of their last seven games and it showed how much Utah is struggling as the Kings had their way with the Jazz scoring at will.

#4 The Kings never let up they scored 43 points in the third quarter and De’Aaron Fox even beat the buzzer to give the Kings a 31 point lead going into the fourth quarter.

#5 The Kings face another struggling team the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans on Thursday night. The Pelicans are last in the Western Conference with a 5-20 record and the Kings are 12th with a 12-13 record. It’s a one game road trip as Sacramento returns home Mon Dec 16th against the Denver Nuggets. Barbara how do you see this Kings-Pelicans match up on Thursday night?

Barbara Mason does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda has Firebirds on the run both clubs meet again Thursday night

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San Jose Barracuda celebrate their win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Tech CU in San Jose on Sun Dec 8, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda edged the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Sunday afternoon 2-1 at Tech CU Arena in San Jose. The Firebirds Nikolaus Brouillard scored his second goal of the season at 9:36 in the first period to put the Firebirds on the scoreboard to kick things off 1-0. It was early but the Firebirds are a good club were there any fears or worries from the Barracuda bench?

#2 At 15:17 the Barracuda’s Thomas Bordeleau scoring his fourth goal of the season to tie up the game in the first period.

#3 Oh yes nice job by goaltender Georgi Romanov stopped 32 shots nice work in keeping the Birds out of the net.

#4 Game hero Barracuda Donavan Houle scored the go ahead goal at 10:32 making it 2-1.

#5 The Firebirds are a tough a club but for head coach John McCarthy and company to take a two game sweep from the Firebirds the Barracuda in second place moved four points on the third place Firebirds in the standings.

#6 The Barracuda take on the Firebirds at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert this Thu Dec 12th at 7:00pm PST. You got to see both clubs on Saturday and Sunday how do you see this match up in the desert this Thursday?

Join Marko Ukalovic for the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com