San Jose Barracuda Sat game wrap: Barracuda can’t hold on lose to IceHogs 4-3 in overtime

The San Jose Barracuda goaltender Georgi Romanov (31), defenseman Shakir Mukhamdullin (85), and the Rockford IceHogs leftwinger Brandon Baddock (13) stay around the net anticipating the puck at the BMO Center in Rockford IL on Sat Mar 16, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

By Titus Wilkinson and Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda (18-28-9-2) picked up a point getting into an overtime stanza with the Rockford IceHogs (27-22-5-2) at Rockford IL in the BMO Center. The Barracuda just couldn’t hold on and ended up dropping their ninth overtime game of the 2023-24 campaign losing 4-3.

The Barracuda’s Ethan Cardwell scored a goal and picked up two assists. To start the contest the IceHogs wasted no time Luke Phillip scored his first goal of the season for a 1-0 lead. This was Phillip’s first game of the season and he hit a ripper while being defended two on one at 2:55.

The Barracuda answered back with a goal from Cardwell at 13:26 in the first period for his 16th goal of the season the goal looked pretty much the same as Phillip’s in a two on one situation. Prior to Cardwell’s goal the IceHogs put eight consecutive shots on net that was defended by Cuda goaltender Geogie Ramanov.

The IceHogs in the second period shut the Barracuda out not allowing them a goal by the well defending netminder of Rockford Stauber Jaxson. On the other hand the IceHogs got by Ramanov with a short handed goal by Cole Guttman his tenth of the season at 3:51 and David Gust who scored his 14th goal of the season at 6:04. The IceHogs took a 3-1 lead going into the third period.

Ramanov ended up shutting the IceHogs in the third period to make it turn abouts fair play while the Barracuda scored two goals to tie up the game from Cole Cassels his eight of the season at at 40 seconds and Tristen Robins scored a crucial tying goal at 3:46 to make it 3-3 forcing overtime.

In the overtime stanza the IceHogs Colton Dach buried his tenth goal of the season at 2:38 to close out the contest as the IceHogs picked up their 27th win of the season.

There’s no time to feel sorry or bad for the Barracuda over this one as they return to the rink on Sunday for a 2:00pm face off at the BMO Center in Rockford.

Titus Wilkinson and Marko Ukalovic are beat writers covering the San Jose Barrracuda at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Brunson’s 42 points puts Knicks past Kings 98-91

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson who scored 42 points takes a shot against the Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) at Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Sat Mar 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Saturday night in Sacramento. The Kings were coming off a win in their last game on Wednesday night. The Kings defeated the Lakers on Wednesday, sweeping the season series between the teams.

The Kings had two days off and were ready for their next opponent. The New York Knicks came to town on Saturday to take on the Kings. The Knicks were 39-27 coming into the matchup, and the Kings were 38-27. Tip-off on Saturday was set for 7 PM PST inside Golden One Center. The Kings would lose 98-91 to the New York Knicks.

In the first quarter, defense was the name of the game. The Knicks and the Kings played solid defense to limit the offense in the first quarter. The Kings scored 22 points in the first quarter to take an early lead against the Knicks. The Knicks only managed 21 points against the Kings in the first quarter. Domantas Sabonis started the game hot, scoring 13 points in the first quarter and five assists.

In the second quarter, offense remained at a premium. However, the Kings had minimal answer for Jalen Brunson on defense. Brunson scored 21 points in the first half to lead the Knicks to a halftime lead over the Kings. The Knicks outscored the Kings 32-26 in the second quarter to take a 53-48 lead going into halftime. Domas Sabonis was the Kings’ leading scorer in the first half, scoring 18 points.

In the third quarter, both teams would trade baskets. Brunson continued to torch the Kings even as they played solid defense. Brunson couldn’t miss. Brunson scored 33 points through the first three-quarters of action. The Knicks outscored the Kings 26-22 in the third quarter. The Knicks would take a 75-74 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, It was a dogfight until the end. Brunson and his magnificent performance was the story of the game, but could the Kings overcome him? Unfortunately for Kings fans, the Knicks defeated the Kings 98-91.

The story of the game was Brunson. Jalen scored 42 points against the Kings on 28 attempts. The Knicks outscored the Kings 17-23 in the fourth quarter to take the win. The Kings leading scorer was Domantas Sabonis, who scored 21 points in the game.

The secondary story of the game was the awful officiating. One play late that was particularly egregious was when Sabonis was trapped in the paint. He would then be hacked, and a no-call would follow, leading to a double-dribble. It was a microcosm in the game of terrible officiating.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at 7 PM PST. Memphis will be without Ja Morant as he has been out and will be the rest of the season.

Curry Leads Warriors to Win Over Lakers 128-121

By Barbara Mason

In a crazy game Saturday night the Golden State Warriors (35-31) beat the Los Angeles Lakers (36-32)128-121. Golden State welcomed the return of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Curry did not disappoint shooting for 31 points after a slow first quarter.

Game recap: While we did not get clarity in the opening quarter, Curry set the record straight shooting for 11 points in the second quarter. He was just getting warmed up in the first quarter and really began to heat up in the second.

The Lakers suffered a blow when Anthony Davis headed to the locker room in the first quarter. There was an apparent eye injury to Davis and when he did not return a more severe injury was suspected. The Lakers led after the first twelve minutes 36-30. Golden State answered back winning the second quarter 37-30. At halftime the Warriors were clinging to a 67-66 lead.

The Warriors continued to dominate winning the third quarter 35-27 leading 102-93 with one more quarter of basketball to be played. The absence of Davis had certainly cramped the Lakers style with most of the pressure on the shoulders of LeBron James.

The Warriors were doing a great job of protecting the ball with only six turnovers in the first half and mid-way through the fourth quarter not a single turnover in the second half for Golden State.

The Warriors had as much as a 12 point in the final quarter but the Lakers pulled too within four points with 5:26 left in the game. The Warriors had scored 50 points in the paint since the first quarter of this game with four minutes left on the clock.

With less than two minutes left in the game a barrage of reviews took center stage and this turned into the game that refused to end. 18 minutes elapsed with only 15 seconds coming off the clock.

Head Coach Steve Kerr could only shake his head in disbelief. At first some of the players were amused with the stoppages but it quickly turned into frustration with 20 minutes now elapsed with the shot clock malfunctioning. Curry, Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga spearheaded the

Curry led the team with 31 points. Thompson was solid with 26 points off the bench and Kuminga continued his stellar play with 23 points. After the first quarter warm-up, Curry did not miss a beat. The Warriors are now tied for ninth place in the Western Conference.

Game notes: Saturday night the Golden State traveled down to Los Angeles taking on the Lakers. The two teams battled it out for the last play-in spots with the Warriors currently sitting in tenth place and the Lakers in ninth place in the Western Conference.

Both teams are in fact looking to move out of play-in position but with the season rapidly winding down there is not a whole lot of time to finish where they would ultimately like to finish. Golden State welcomed Stephen Curry and Draymond Green back into the lineup.

Green missed only their last game whereas Curry missed a couple of games. The Warriors lost to the Mavericks and beat the Spurs in Curry’s absence. After being sidelined for a couple of weeks how would Curry come back in this game? He did come back with a vengeance scoring 31 points. It looked like he never missed a game.

Monday night the Warriors will take on the New York Knicks at Chase Center. With only 16 games left on the season the Warriors have a fight ahead of them if they want to move up in the standings. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Quakes stay winless at 0-4; Drop match to Sporting KC 2-1

The San Jose Earthquakes dueled it out with Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park in Kanas City on Sat Mar 16, 2024 (photo from the San Jose Earthquakes)

By William Espy

The winless San Jose Earthquakes visited Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park in a rematch of last season’s knockout round when Sporting KC ended the Quakes’ season in penalty kicks. Kansas City was also looking for their first win of the season, drawing their first three matches. The Quakes got edged out by Sporting KC 2-1 on Saturday night at Child’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

Meanwhile, the Earthquakes still didn’t have a single point, losing all three of their opening games. The mission for each team was clear, KC needed to walk away with their first victory of the season, and the Earthquakes needed to get at least a point to get momentum on their side.

Manager Luchi Gonzalez made some changes for the game, swapping his formation from a 4-3-3 to a basic 4-2-2 and starting Preston Judd for the first time this season. He made a substitute appearance in each of the first three games and scored a goal against his former club the LA Galaxy.

The Earthquakes started off strong with some quality scoring chances, but last-minute desperation defending from Sporting KC kept it a tie early on. In the eleventh minute that changed though, the Earthquakes were finally able to get on the scoreboard with a goal from Vitor Costa de Brito off of a corner.

They crowded the box with six men, and once the ball found Costa there was no chance for Sporting’s goalkeeper Tim Melia. For the first time this season, Sporting KC found themselves trailing in a match. It took until the 16th minute for Sporting to get their first attack of the night, and despite a strong long shot, Daniel was able to keep the ball out of the netting.

The Earthquakes wouldn’t be as lucky on the set piece though, as defender Dany Rosero was able to tie it up on the corner.

During the 28th minute, a great passing play around the Earthquakes defense would eventually find Kansas City’s striker Alan Pulido who would put his team up 2-1 with his first goal of the season. Sporting’s captain Johnny Russell got the assist on the play and the Quakes found themselves in a familiar position this season, trailing.

The first card of the game came when Rosero took down Judd on a hard tackle, he was given a yellow card but it did prevent what would’ve likely been a very highly quality scoring opportunity for San Jose. On the ensuing play, the Earthquakes nearly got a goal but a fantastic save by Melia kept Sporting in the lead.

Paul Marie went down with an injury following accidental contact to the head with Kansas City’s left-back Tim Beibold’s leg. After spending some time down and going through the concussion protocol, Marie returned to the game fairly quickly. At halftime, the Earthquakes trailed 2-1 despite a strong start. KC led in possession at that point, with 57.5%.

Sporting KC lost a key player, Russell less than ten minutes into the second half. After attempting an attack, he took an awkward fall which resulted in an apparent leg injury. Despite him clearly telling the coaching staff that he was okay, they obviously disagreed and substituted him off for Stephen Afrifa.

This came shortly after they took off Memo Rodriguez for Remi Walter. After 15 scoreless minutes in the second half, the Earthquakes made a few substitutions of their own. Jeremy Ebobisse, Amahl Pellegrino, and Judd came off with Benjamin Kikanovic, Jack Skahan, and Ousseni Bouda taking their respective spots.

As we entered the last 15 minutes, San Jose started being more aggressive and running with a more attacking mindset as they looked for an equalizer. Centerback Rodrigues would seemingly tie things up for the Earthquakes off of another set piece but it had bounced off of his teammate’s arm and after consulting the Video Assistant Referee, the goal was overturned and it remaKikanovic nearly got a lucky deflection in the 94th minute, but it went just wide.

On the following corner, Sporting KC broke up the attack and tried to counter with an attack of their own but were unable to get it out of their own half. Some back and forth took place for the final two minutes of stoppage time, but it was too little too late for the Earthquakes as they lost 2-1 and fell to 0-4-0 on the season. It’s only the second time in club history that they’ve started pointless through four games, the first time being in 2019.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks and Blue Jackets battle of two last place teams tonight

Pittsburgh Penguins Bryan Rust (17) checks the San Jose Sharks Mikael Granlund (64) into the boards during the second period at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thu Mar 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks took a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Friday night. The loss was the Sharks second consecutive loss in a row.

#2 The Sharks defense was lacking they skated with only five defenseman. Jacob MacDonald fell ill and had to sit out the game taking away one more defensive player to the already struggling team.

#3 In goal for San Jose was Magnus Chrona who saved 25 shots but allowed five goals. Chrona simply did not get enough protection up front and the Penguins crashed the net once they realized there was a weakness in the San Jose defense.

#4 Sharks head coach David Quinn said that he knew the defense was slow reacting but said he loved the competitiveness and heart the team had in the game. Quinn just had hoped that they could have been a little bit better defending around the net.

#5 The Sharks face off with the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 4:00pm PDT at at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The Blue Jackets are having their own struggles. Their last in the Metropolitan Division at 22-33-11 with 55 points. They have lost five of their last ten games. How do you see this battle tonight the Sharks have 39 points going into this game.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Knicks Saturday; Sac can win their 3rd straight game

Sacramento Kings guard Molik Monk (0) asks “whose the man?” in second half action against the New York Knicks at Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Thu Mar 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (38-27) Domantas Sabonis got a triple double with 17 points, 19 rebounds, and ten assists that helped defeat the Los Angeles Lakers (36-31) 120-107 at Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Wednesday night.

#2 The Kings have had success against the Lakers having won seven of the last eight games against Los Angeles and also swept the Lakers in all four games this season.

#3 The Kings Harrison Barnes scored seven 3 pointers and had 23 points. De’Aaron Fox had 21 points and Keegan Murray had 19 points.

#4 Sabonis keeps adding up those triple doubles picking up his 23rd of the season which leads the NBA.

#5 The Kings host the New York Knicks (39-27) at Golden 1 Saturday night at 7:00pm PDT. The Knicks are fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks have won five of their last ten games and have won two straight coming into Saturday night’s game.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Daivd Zizmor: Armstead to Jaguars; DT Collins joins in trade; Kendricks backs out of deal; Juszczyk becomes highest paid back in NFL

Former Houston Texan defensive tackle Maliek Collins was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a seventh round draft pick. The deal was completed Wed Mar 13, 2024. (AP News file photo)

On the SF 49ers podcast with David:

#1 Dave, talk about the San Francisco 49ers trading for defensive tackle Maliek Collins 26, while the 49ers are prepared to release defensive tackle Arik Armstead.

#2 Linebacker Eric Kendricks backs out of deal and signs with Dallas. Kendricks had 117 tackles last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. 49ers sign De’Vondre Campbell at linebacker for a one year deal.

#3 Fullback Kyle Juszczyk became the NFL’s highest paid fullback. Juszczyk 32 agreed to a reconstructed contract. The deal creates a $1.75 million salary cup for 2024. It will be Juszczyk’s eight season with the 49ers.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s 2024 In One Word, “Prospectos”

Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay seen running out of the dugout on Sep 10, 2024 in Arlington Texas against the Texas Rangers hopes the 2024 A’s can finish at least at .500 for the season. (AP file photo)

A’s 2024: In One Word, “Prospectos”

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–It is time to talk baseball and leave executive negotiations and all trials and tribulations on the A’s future “housing,” but unless there is a deal with Oakland, the A’s could play their last game at the Coliseum this season.

I will leave those issues to the people who have that responsibility. But this is not a rumor, On March 28, 2024, the Oakland Athletics will begin their 56th season at the Oakland-Alameda-County Coliseum. The A’s open the season with a weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians and their new manager, ex-A’s Stephen Vogt. What we can expect this season is two-fold.

1-Manager Mark Kotsay said a “.500 season is the challenge for his team this year.” That is an expected position for a young manager in an organization that changes players like most of us change underwear.

2-Prospects. Although I see it as the main focus for the young A’s in 2024, after a 102-lost season in 2023, they are loaded with young but unproven talent. Although the P word (potential) always figures with prospects, that is the question for many young kids trying to make the majors. Not every player develops the same way; some are ready given the opportunity, and others are late bloomers.

Lazaro (Lazarito) Armenteros (outfield) is a five-tool player signed by the A’s out of Cuba as a 17-year-old for $3 million. The team hopes he blossoms into the Major League player they envisioned when he was signed.

He began the 2023 season in Lansing, then was promoted to Double-A Midland Rock Hounds, where he ended with a 2.49 average 14 homeruns, 72 runs batted in and ten stolen bases. On November 6, A’s added him to the 40-man roster. Jacob Wilson is the A’s No.1 prospect and No.68 in MLB. Two third-basemen are in the prospect mix: Brett Harris A’s No.11 and Myles Naylor A’s No.9.

Since baseball is not a perfect science, you could see some of these prospects, although unlikely, this season. As it is today, the A’s will have a young team when they open the season in a couple of weeks.

WSU ends Cardinal season 79-62 in Pac-12 tourney; Haase dismissed

Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) shoots over the Washington State Cougars center Ruben Chinyelu (20) in the first half of the Pac 12 Tournament quarter round at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Thu Mar 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Two things happened Thursday when Washington State defeated Stanford 79-62 in the quarterfinal round of the final Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament.

1) The loss ended the Cardinal’s season, and 2) almost simultaneously, Coach Jerod Haase was dismissed after leading Stanford to a 126-127 record in eight seasons at the Cardinal’s helm.

In a statement, the Stanford athletic department said a nationwide search for Haase’s replacement would begin immediately.

The No. 2-seed Cougars (24-8) will make their first appearance in the Pac-12 semifinals since 2008 on Friday. Stanford’s season ends with a record of 14-18. They were 8-12 in the conference.

Fifth-year forward Isaac Jones, an All-Pac-12 first team selection, led the Cougars with 16 points and six rebounds while making 7-of-12 shots. Myles Rice, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and all-conference first team, and Jaylen Wells each scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Rice and Wells combined for 11 assists.

Andrej Jakmovski scored 13 points for WSU, followed by Kymany Houinsou and Rueben Chinyelu with 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the Cougars bench.

The Cardinal took an early 9-7 lead before Washington State took a 15-9 advantage. Over the next five minutes, the Cougars extended their lead to 10 points, eventually leading 29-19.

Brandon Angel and Michael Jones combined for 21 first-half points, as no other Cardinal had more than three points at the break. WSU held a 45-29 halftime lead after holding Stanford to 1-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.

Five minutes into the second half, Rice’s jumper pushed the Cougars’ lead to 58-34. Stanford responded with a 12-2 run, cutting its deficit to 60-46.

After Rice converted a steal into a dunk, Washington State pushed its lead back to 21 after a Wells 3-pointer. Isaac Jones made a short jumper and Rice’s layup put the Cougars up 69-48 with 7:22 left.

Michael Jones led Stanford with 22 points, followed by 15 points by Angel. The Cardinal never got closer than 17 points for the remainder of the game.

Sharks Lose 6-3 to Penguins; San Jose faces off with Columbus Saturday

The San Jose Sharks Magnus Chrona (30) puts the stop on a shot by the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thu Mar 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were defeated 6-3 by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Noel Acciari, Jeff Carter, Evgeni Malkin, John Ludvig, Rickard Rackell and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry made 29 saves for the win. Fabian Zetterlund, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Klim Kostin scored for the Sharks. Magnus Chrona made 25 saves in the loss.

The Sharks had to play with only five defensemen when Jacob MacDonald could not play due to sudden illness. After the game, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said that this may have been a factor in a disappointing third period:

“I thought we were a little slow reacting defensively tonight but I just loved their compete, I thought we really battled hard. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to defend a little bit better around our net in the those instances in the third period. But maybe it was fatigue, you’ve got five D and they’re playing a ton of minutes so it’s a tough ask.”

Noel Acciari gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 10:28 of the first period. Acciari tipped a shot from Erik Karlsson in the middle of the blue line. Assists went to Karlsson and Drew O’Connor.

Fabian Zetterlund scored to tie the game at 14:31. Zetterlund caught a rebound from Calen Addison’s shot to score his 17th of the season. Assists went to Addison and Henry Thrun.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead at 19:01. Vlasic took a shot from below the goal line that bounced off of Jarry and Marcus Petterson before going into the net. Assists went to Klim Kostin and Mikael Granlund.

A goal from Jeff Carter tied the game back up at 4:11 of the second period. Carter skated into an open space in front of the net as Emil Bemstrom made a pass from the other side.

Evgeni Malkin scored at 11:34 to give the Penguins their second lead of the game. He picked up a rebound at the corner of the net and poked it behind Chrona. Assists went to Drew O’Connor and Lars Eller.

At 16:10 of the second period, Alexander Barabanov deflected a Granlund shot into the net but he did so with a high stick so it was called back.

Klim Kostin scored for the Sharks to tie the game 3-3 at 18:42. Mikael Granlund gathered up a rebound from a Vlasic shot, then found Kostin through traffic with a pass. That was Kostin’s first goal as a Shark.

Midway through second period, Mikael Granlund got tangled up with Bryan Rust along the boards. He went down with his right leg and ankle folding in an unnatural position. He had to be helped from the ice but did return before the end of the period.

John Ludvig scored from the blue line to give the Penguins their third lead at 2:38 of the third period. Assists went to Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Reilly Smith.

Rickard Rackell made it 5-3 at 4:38, deflecting a shot by Joseph from the blue line. Assists went to Joseph and Ludvig.

Bryan Rust made it 6-3 with an empty net goal at 18:04. Assists went to Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins had just four shots on goal in the third period.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 4:00 PM PT in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.