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Tyson scores 30 to lead Cal to miraculous comeback win over Colorado 82-78

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Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Colorado Buffaloes 78 (11-5 Overall; 2-3 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 82 (6-10 Overall; 2-3 Pac-12)

Cal Bears guard Jaylon Tyson (20) celebrates guard Rodney Brown Jr (1) standing to their right is the Colorado Buffaloes guard KJ Simpson during second half action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Jan 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

Magic struck tonight at Haas Pavilion, as Jaylon Tyson scored 30 points to lead the Bears to a miraculous 82-78 comeback win over the Colorado Buffaloes after the Buffaloes led the Bears by 20 points in the first period.

Following a well-fought win over the UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles Saturday night, the Bears returned home to host the Colorado Buffaloes, who came into tonight’s game at 11-4, but losers of their previous two games. It would be a tough match for the Bears, who are slowly proving that this season is very different from last.

The Buffaloes indeed proved to be a tough match for the Bears, as Colorado stormed out of the gate to a 10-0 lead in the game’s first two minutes and 41 seconds. Eddie Lampkin led the way with six of the 10 points, as Tristan Da Silva and J’vonne Hadley scored the other two.

Jaylon Tyson finally got the Bears on the board after hitting a pair from the line, but the Buffaloes did not let up. Colorado opened their lead up to 22-7 with 10:13 remaining in the first period, and they just kept going in what was an overall team effort, as a three by Da Silva made it 40-20 with 2:09 remaining.

Grant Newell and Rodney Brown Jr. closed out the first period for the Bears with threes, and Cal went into the half down 40-26.

J’vonne Hadley hit a layup for Colorado to begin the second period, and despite the Bears’ finish to the first period, the Buffaloes continued their onslaught after the half. Tristan Da Silva hit a three-ball to cap off a 10-5 run for Colorado, which opened their lead back up to 50-31, just two minutes and 42 seconds in. 

However, things started to slowly change. Fardaws Aimaq laid one in, and Tyson hit one from beyond the arc to make it 50-36. Hadley laid one in for Colorado to make it 52-36, but despite a quiet several minutes, the Bears’ kept slowly chipping away at Colorado’s lead.

Jalen Cone hit a three-ball, followed by a jumper by Tyson, and a three from Grant Newell. Rodney Brown Jr. then hit a three of his own, and suddenly out of nowhere, the Bears had somehow made it just a five-point game, as they trailed 52-47 with 11:24 to go.

Cody Williams hit a jump shot for Colorado to make it 54-47, but the Bears just kept coming. Tyson hit a three, followed by a jumper by KJ Simpson of the Buffaloes. Tyson then made a layup, followed by one from the line after he was fouled, and Tyson made another layup to make it 56-55. 

The Buffaloes then had a reprieve. Simpson hit a layup; Eddie Lampkin hit two from the line; and Da Silva hit a jumper to open Colorado’s lead back to 62-56 with 7:09 remaining.

As for the Bears, it was no problem. Keonte Kennedy hit a three-ball; Aimaq laid one in; and Jaylon Tyson slammed one down. Someway, somehow, the Bears had come all the way back from down 20 points to take their first lead of the night, as they led it 63-62 with 5:38 to go.

As the second period began to wind down, the two teams prepared for a bitter fight all the way to the end. Lampkin laid one in to put Colorado back ahead, and Tyson made a pair of free throws to put Cal back ahead. The teams kept the seesaw battle going. Da Silva hit a three to put Colorado back ahead; and Jalen Cone responded with a three to put Cal back ahead.

After the teams switched leads two more times, Lampkin was fouled, and made one of two from the line to tie the game at 70-70 with 2:59 remaining. 

Jalen Cone went for three, and missed, but Tyson got the rebound, and passed it back to Cone, who was good from downtown this time around to give the Bears a 73-70 lead with 2:33 to go. 

There would be no scoring for over a minute, but Jalen Celestine drew the foul, and hit both free throws to put a cushion on Cal’s lead at 75-70. 

The Buffaloes were not going to lose this game without a fight. Colorado responded with a 6-2 run, as Cody Williams hit a layup; drew a foul; and hit his free throw. Tyson slammed one down, but Da Silva, who ended up scoring 20 points on the night, hit one from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game at 77-76 with just 30 seconds to go.

The Bears handed the ball to their man, Tyson, and he drew the foul. Tyson hit both from the line, and then Cody Williams responded with a jumper to make it 79-78. The Bears then gave the ball to Jalen Cone, who drew the foul, and made just one of two from the line.

Down 80-78, the Buffaloes went to Da Silva, who tried to hit a three with four seconds to go, but it missed, and the ball was rebounded by Cone, who drew the foul. Cone hit both shots, and the Bears had completed the miracle, as they had come all the way back from down 20 points to win it, 82-78.

It was an unbelievable night, and yet another indication that the 2023-2024 California Golden Bears are much different from last season’s team that only won three games. In fact, they have already doubled their win total, as they improve to 6-10 on the season. They have also doubled their Pac-12 win total from a year ago, as they are now 2-3 in conference play.

The Bears won their first game at UCLA in nearly 14 years, and then they followed that up with a miraculous come-from-behind win against a Colorado Buffaloes team that had been off to a strong start.

Now, the Bears will head back on the road, this time to Eugene Oregon to play a very powerful Oregon Ducks team in their arena at 5 pm on Saturday. The Bears will once again have their work cut out for them, as the Ducks are 4-0 in conference play, and 12-3 overall. Whether the Bears will have yet another miracle in them remains to be seen.

Spartans drop their third straight lose San Diego State 81-78 at Provident Credit Union

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By Troy Ewers

Short moment of happiness on the San Jose State Spartans bench as they would later lose to the San Diego State Aztecs in San Jose on Tue Jan 9, 2024 (SJSU Spartans photo)

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024

By Troy Ewers 

SAN JOSE–The San Jose State Spartans host the No. 19 ranked San Diego State Aztecs in a big conference game for the Spartans. The Aztecs are riding a six game winning streak and 13-2 record, both losses coming in away games to unranked teams and San Jose State hopes to be another unranked team to hand San Diego State an L on the season. SJSU hasn’t won a conference game so far and hope they can get the ball rolling against an in-state Conference rival.

A surprising first half as both teams were fighting to get a run started. Each team looked as even as it could be, literally feeling like a heavyweight bout where blows were traded and when it looked like the Aztecs were generating a run, the Spartans stayed in the mix with free throws and threes.

For the opening half Alvaro Cardenas and Trey Anderson led the Spartans in points, Cardenas having 10 and Anderson having 11. On the other side Jaedon Ledee with 14 points and Lamont Butler with 11 points were the point leaders for the Aztecs.

This led to a 42-41 Aztec lead at halftime and in Event Center in front of predominantly San Diego State crowd, the score shocked people where the Spartans had a chance to upset their rivals. 

The second half was no different than the first… a slugfest between two teams trading buckets. Tibet Gorener showing everyone why he’s third all tie in SJSU history in three point shooting as he dropped a couple early ones at the top of the half to tie things up and after SDSU switched to a full court press, the battle became more physical which led to some questionable fouls and some chippiness from both coaches.

A three from Amey Jr. tied it up with four minutes left and when the clock was at a minute and a half left the Spartans were within four points making the game a battle of who can not make a crucial mistake. With 40 seconds the Spartans were now within two points and a shot clock violation on San Diego State created a high pressure last possession for the Spartans.

SJSU had the ball with 13 seconds left and a major opportunity at their hands and Trey Anderson gets blocked. After Lamont Butler went 50% on his free throw attempt giving the Aztecs a three point lead. Spartans miss the buzzer beater and the game ends 81-78 San Diego State winning. 

San Diego State brought a large crowd and their A-game and even though the Spartans brought their A-game, the Aztecs squeaked out the victory. Cardenas led the Spartans with 21 points and didn’t get a double like he did three of the last six games, but walked out with a great showcase.

On the Aztec side, Jaedon LeDee was the point leader with 31 points and 10 rebounds. SDSU stays undefeated in conference play while SJSU is winless in the Mountain West.

Next game for the Spartans is January 13th against Air Force and Coach Tim Miles has to do some course correction as his Spartans have now lost three in a row.

Reign dominate in 4-1 win over Barracuda

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Ontario Reign goalie Erik Portillo makes a save with San Jose Barracuda forward Tristen Robins fighting for position with Reign defenseman Jacob Moverare at Tech CU Arena on Tuesday JAN 9, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Ontario Reign scored every which way but loose in a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose lost its third straight game to their division rival. Ontario has won three straight games against the ‘Cuda and have won all five meetings this season.

Ontario (19-10-3-1) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. Sameul Fagemo continued to torment the Barracuda with his first goal of the contest. Wyatte Wylie set up Fagemo who guided a wrist shot underneath the glove of ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi for his team leading 17th goal of the season at the 4:05 mark.

“That line as a whole, (T.J.) Tynan, (Samuel) Fagemo, and (Charles) Hudon. They got some talent, they score. Fagemo has a great shot. We can’t give them opportunities because they’ll make you pay,” ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy said.

The Reign doubled its lead early int he second period with a power play goal. Jacob Moverare found Charles Hudon along the right wing and Hudon blasted a one-timer past Makiniemi for his 13th goal of the season at the 2:25 mark.

Ontario scored its third unanswered goal while on the penalty kill. A turnover inside the ‘Cuda zone led to Akil Thomas picking up the puck, getting Makiniemi to go down before tucking in the puck into an open net for a short-handed goal, his 11th of the season at the 5:35 mark.

San Jose (11-16-5-0) out shot Ontario 14-12 in the middle frame but were denied getting on the scoreboard by Reign goalie Erik Portillo who made a few point-blank saves on ‘Cuda chances.

The Barracuda finally broke through late in the third period. Jack Studnicka made a drop pass to Danil Gushchin who beat Portillo with a wrist shot to the far side for his team leading 12th goal of the season at the 12:57 mark.

“Historically you don’t generate a ton (of chances against Ontario) and typically they don’t generate a ton either. So, it’s kind of a boring game. The neutral zone (defense) that they play, they kind of sit back and play a 1-3-1 (formation). So, when you get a chance to score, you really got to take advantage of it,” McCarthy said.

Fagemo sealed the deal for Ontario with an empty net goal, his second goal of the game with 52 seconds remaining in the game. Fagemo has scored five goals in the past two games against the Barracuda.

Portillo (10-4-1-2) finished the game stopping all 36 of the 37 shots he faced to earn his 10th victory on te season. Makiniemi (4-5-0-1) made 27 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Ontario went 1-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Fagemo 2) Hudon 3) Gushchin.

UP NEXT: San Jose begin a home and home series with the Bakersfield Condors on Friday 1/12 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Rams comeback from 13-point deficit to beat 49ers 21-20 in season finale

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San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw makes a tackle on Los Angeles Rams quarterback Carson Wentz at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday JAN 7, 2024. (Terrell Lloyd-San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was five and a half years in the making.

Carson Wentz led a second half comeback as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 21-20 in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium. It was the first time the Rams have beat the 49ers in the regular season since December 30, 2018.

San Francisco has the bye week as the number one seed in the NFC and will enjoy the bye next week. Los Angeles finished as the sixth seed and will take on the Detroit Lions next weekend at Ford Field.

San Francisco were without quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle on offense as they were given an extra week off to rest their aching bodies.

“Our goal was to get the No. 1 seed, that was our first and foremost goal. We did. It was just a little bit weird this last week but I like how our guys handled it. I loved how our year went. We set out to do this. I was real happy with a number of guys. I thought guys got better throughout the year, but as our players have been saying, we still feel our best football’s forward. That’s kind of tough to generate when you’re not going through these games. But that’s why we got to be so locked into these practices. Just how we clean things up and make sure no matter what happens, no matter who comes here in a couple weeks. And no matter what type of game it is, whether it’s a shootout, a game of field goals, whatever it is, that we’re up for whatever it takes to win it,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

The 49ers (12-5) scored on its opening drive. Sam Darnold, who was in for starter Brock Purdy, led his team down the field on 12 play 75-yard drive that resulted in a one-yard rushing touchdown by running back Elijah Mitchell, who made the start for Christian McCaffery.

Los Angeles (10-7) were without the majority of their offensive starters including quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and running back Kyren Williams. Wentz, who signed with the Rams back in November, made his first start and answered with 11 play 75-yard scoring drive against the 49ers first team defense. He connected with rookie wide receiver sensation Puka Nacua for a 19-yard touchdown reception.

Darnold and the 49ers offense marched down the field on its next drive against the Rams defense that last nearly 10 minutes. San Francisco’s backup quarterback completed the 16 play 75-yard drive with a quarterback sneak for a one-yard rushing touchdown, his 14th of his career.

“Yeah, we got in a really good rhythm those first couple drives. That second half just couldn’t sustain rhythm or drives. They went on a couple long drives as well, but we’ve got to do something there to get that rhythm back. Obviously at the end, we had a chance and the ball didn’t bounce our way,” Darnold said.

The Niners defense recorded its first turnover on the Rams next drive. A pass intended for Tutu Atwell deflected off of his hands and safety Taylor Hawkins, who was just called up from the practice squad, made a diving interception at the Los Angeles 36-yard line for his first career interception.

“Just normal cover three, plays we run every day, and I was in the post. We have something called tips and overthrows and we have to get those. So that’s what it was, a tip, so I had to go get it,” Hawkins said.

San Francisco closed out the first half going up by two touchdowns. Darnold threw a tight ball to Ronnie Bell for a five-yard touchdown reception, Bell’s third of the season with 16 second remaining in the second quarter. However, kicker Jake Moody missed the extra point which snapped his own record of 60 straight PAT’s made to start a season.

Wentz drove the Rams down on their first drive in the second half that ate up 10:15 off the clock. Tyler Johnson made a difficult over the shoulder catch for an eight-yard touchdown reception, his first touchdown since October 2020. Kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point.

On that drive Nacua broke the single season records for most yards and catches by a rookie wide receiver. He broke Jaylen Waddle’s record of 104 catches he set in 2021 and then Bill Groman’s record of 1,473 performed in 1960.

Wentz led the game winning drive with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter. He needed just five plays to drive down the field 71 yards. Wentz scored the game winning touchdown with a quarterback draw up the middle for a 12-yard rushing touchdown, the 11th of his career. Atwell converted the two-point conversion to give the Rams a 21-20 lead with 4:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“It was fun. It was a lot of fun. It’s been over a year for me since I got game action and it’s been a weird year and season for me, but I had a lot of fun out there. It was fun to get to win, especially. But just playing with these guys, some of the guys I’ve been taking practice reps with on scout team, different faces out there. We all had a lot of fun and getting the win was even nicer,” Wentz said.

San Francisco regained the ball one final time with 55 second remaining with a chance to win the game, but Darnold was sacked and fumbled the ball with 25 seconds left recovered by Byron Young at the 49ers 43 yards line to end the comeback attempt.

Wentz finished the game 17 of 24 for 163 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also led the Rams in rushing with 56 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown, 16 of those designed runs. The 16 designed runs by a quarterback in a single game was the most for the Rams since 1950. Tigth end Brycen Hopkins led the Rams in receiving with two catches for 47 yards.

Darnold went 16 of 26 for 189 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Mitchell rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries to lead the 49ers. Chris Conley led San Francisco in receiving with three catches for 69 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 5-for-10 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 9-for-15.

The 49ers finished the 2023 regular season with 491 total points scored, which is the 2nd most points scored in the regular season in franchise history.  

The 49ers also registered 6,773 yds. in the regular season, which is the 2nd most total yds. in the regular season in franchise history.  

The 49ers scored a TD on their opening possession for the 10th time this season and have scored an NFL-high 76points on the opening possession of games this season.  

UP NEXT: San Francisco await their opponent for the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs on the weekend of January 20/21.

Kings Lose to Pelicans 133-100; McCollum leads Pelicans with 30 points in win

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The New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram (14) takes a jump shot over the Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox(5) and Chris Duarte (3) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Jan 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings had not had a great season against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings entered Sunday with a 0-3 record against the Pelicans this year. On Sunday, the Kings looked to get their first win of the season against the Pels.

The Kings were coming off a tough stretch of game, albeit at home. The Pelicans came into town having last played on Friday against the Clippers. The Pelicans lost that game. The Kings last played on Friday night, where they defeated the Toronto Raptors 135-130.

The tip-off on Sunday was set for 3 PM PST in Sacramento. The Kings would lose to the Pelicans by the final 133-100.

In the first quarter, the Kings offense started to get ice cold. The Kings had only managed 12 points at the 4:00 mark left to go in the quarter. On the other hand, the Pelicans found a rhythm early to put together a solid first quarter. The Pelicans outscored the Kings in the first quarter 33-21 to jump out to a quick lead. The Kings would need to take better care of the ball moving forward against a Pelicans team that refuses to lose to the Kings.

As the second quarter opened up, Kings fans were looking for better energy from the Kings. The Kings wouldn’t appear to be turning the page from the first quarter early in the second. The struggles shooting continued as the Pelicans shots were seemingly all falling.

The Kings would get blown off the floor for the rest of the quarter as they were outscored 39-26 in the second quarter. The Kings would take a 72-47 deficit into halftime. It was one of the more ugly halves of basketball this year in Sacramento.

The second half of this game doesn’t even deserve per-quarter breakdowns. This game was just a pathetic showing from the Kings from start to finish. The Kings had no energy on the defensive end, and that translated to the offensive end.

The Kings were outscored 31-14 in the third quarter as the game ballooned to a 50-point deficit for the Kings. Yes, you read that right, 50 points. The Kings would need to do some serious soul-searching after the atrocious performance.

The Kings had three tough losses, all in the last couple of weeks. The Kings losses to Portland, Charlotte, and now New Orleans were tough to swallow, all for their own reasons. In the fourth quarter, the Kings got a bit of life from the bench by outscoring the Pelicans 39-30. The Kings would lose the game 133-100.

Up Next: The Kings will go on the road to take on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at 4 PM PST.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Raiders finish 2023-24 season with 27-14 victory; Will Pierce be back as head coach?

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell (4) confers with head coach Antonio Pierce during the second half at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Jan 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich:

#1 Aidan O’Connell led the Las Vegas Raiders (8-9) for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders 27-14 win to conclude the 2023-34 season.

#2 Former Raider quarterback Jarrett Stidham and current Denver Bronco (8-9) quarterback went 20-34 for 272 yards and one touchdown.

#3 . Both Broncos and Raiders didn’t score in the third quarter both defenses held each other off.

#4 Raiders scored ten points in the fourth quarter to stay ahead of Denver.

#5 How special was it for Raider head coach Antonio Pierce to get this win? The players like him but will he be able to return next season?

Rich Perez did the Las Vegas Raiders podcasts for the 2023 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fagemo’s OT winner spoils Barracuda’s comeback bid in 5-4 win

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Ontario Reign’s TJ Tynan (#17) and Sameul Fagemo (#11) celebrate the game winning goal against the San Jose Barracuda at Toyota Arena on Saturday JAN 6, 2024. (Ontario Reign)

by Marko Ukalovic

Sameul Fagemo recorded a hat trick, including the game winning goal in overtime to give the Ontario Reign a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Toyota Arena.

San Jose has lost two in a row as they dropped both games of the weekend series. Ontario, with the sweep, has won three of its past four games.

T.J. Tynan set up Fagemo’s heroics with a drop pass in the right wing. Fagemo utilized a screen in front of ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona as he deposited a wrist shot to the short side at the 2:17 mark of the extra session to complete his hat trick and team leading 16th goal of the season to send the crowd of 8,329 home happy.

Ontario drew first blood with Fagemo’ first goal of the goal game 42 seconds into the first period. Charles Hudon sent a rink wide pass over to Fagemo along the right wing and the Reign winger sent a quick shot past Chrona for his 14th goal of the season.

The Reign doubled its lead late in the opening frame with an even strength goal. Wyatte Wylie set up Samuel Helenius up at the point and the Reign defenseman beat Chrona with a wrist shot through a sea of traffic in front of him for his fourth goal of the season at the 15:54 mark.

Akil Thomas scored Ontario’s third unanswered goal of the game on the power play near the halfway mark of the second period. Thomas cleaned up the rebound off of a Fagemo one-timer from the left wing for his 10th goal of the season at the 8:29 mark. Thomas has scored in back-to-back games against the ‘Cuda.

San Jose started their comeback early in what would be a four-goal third period with a goal on the man advantage. Jacob Peterson found Radim Simek up at the point. Simek held the puck before firing a seeing-eyed shot past Reign goalie Jaocb Ingham for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:47 mark.

Ontario regained its three-goal lead just past the halfway mark of the period. Fagemo scored his second goal of the contest when he redirected a Cody Haiskanen shot from the point past Chrona for his 15th goal of the season at the 11:20 mark.

The Barracuda answered back just over a minute and half later. Ethan Frisch skated down the right wing before centering a pass through the crease where Shakir Mukhamadullin tapped home the puck past Ingham for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:36 mark.

Scott Sabourin brought the ‘Cuda to within one goal with a power play goal three minutes later. Nathan Todd’s low shot from the point was tipped in by Sabourin, who was camped out in front of the crease, for his eighth goal of the season at the 15:54 mark.

Sabourin scored the equalizer, his second of the game with 2:05 remaining in the period with an even strength goal. Cole Cassels centered the puck over to Sabourin unmarked in front of the crease and the ‘Cuda winger banged home the puck into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Ingham (2-0-0) finished with 21 saves on 25 shots in winning his second start of the season. Chrona (4-7-3-0) made 22 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-3 on the power play. Ontario was 1-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Fagemo 2) Sabourin 3) Hudon.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host Ontario on Tuesday 1/9 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Sharks close out home stand with tough loss to Toronto 4-1; Loss streak continues for SJ at 11 straight

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks. Mario Ferraro getting warmed up against the Toronto Maple Leafs (taken on January 6th, 2023). 

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- On a rainy Saturday evening the San Jose Sharks (9-28-3) and Toronto Maple Leafs (20-10-7) took to the ice for the first of back-to-back home at home matchups between the two teams. The Leafs won their third game in row defeating the Sharks 4-1 at SAP Center. It was San Jose’s 11th consecutive loss.

A familiar face was in between the pipes for Toronto as former Sharks goaltender Martin Jones got the start. Who surprisingly heading into this one has been playing stellar hockey with 10 wins and a 2.20 GAA and .930 SV%.

Getting his second start in a row was Mackenzie Blackwood who played great in his last start a loss against Winnipeg making 28 saves.

The first period started out slow but quickly fell into Toronto’s control which was helped by a five-on-three after Thomas Hertl and Mikael Grandlund were both called for penalties. The Maple Leafs power play made quick work of the Sharks penalty killing unit as Mitchell Marner scored his 15th goal of the season making it 1-0.

Realistically though the score could’ve been much worse as the Maple Leafs hit the post three times and Blackwood had to make some stellar saves. This being especially highlighted by the fact that at the end of the first the shots favored Toronto 18-3.

The middle frame got off to a pretty sleepy start as the Maple Leafs looked to be playing on cruise control. On the other side of the rink the Sharks through the first ten minutes only managed to add two more shots to their total. 

It continued to be an unremarkable period until in the dying moments when with less than a minute left Calle Jarnkrok spun around in the slot and fired one home. The goal was Jarnkrok’s 10th goal of the season and got a decent response from the large amount of Leafs fans in attendance. 

Team Teal started the third with a little more jump as Jones had to make a couple of solid saves. 

The true dagger came when William Nylander rushed down the right wing and sniped one past Blackwood making it 3-0. The goal caused some “Go Leafs go” chants to rain down from the crowd that was becoming increasingly more filled with Toronto fans. 

There was a glimmer of hope as Fabian Zetterlund made a beautiful pass that he hooked over to a wide open Granlund who tapped it home. The goal brought some life back into the stadium and was his fifth of the campaign. 

Not long after that Nylander truly iced the game as he snuck home his own rebound after a great save by Blackwood making it 4-1. 

With the loss the Sharks record now stands at 9-28-3 while the Leafs improve to 20-10-7. 

The shots in this one ended at 34-24 in favor of the Maple Leafs with Blackwood making 29 saves while Jones made 23. 

The three stars of the game: 1st: William Nylander 2nd: Mikael Granlund 3rd: Auston Matthews 

With the three game home stand now behind them the Sharks will go on a five game roundtrip. Starting with these same Leafs as they’ll do battle on Tuesday at 4 p.m. 

Kings Defeat Raptors 135-130; Sabonis unstoppable scores second triple double for Sac two games in a row

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By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night after taking on the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Kings expended a lot of energy in the game on Wednesday as it went to double overtime. The Kings ultimately won the game by the final of 138-135.

On Friday, the Kings were set to welcome in the Toronto Raptors. It was an exciting matchup for the Kings, with all the trade speculation swirling of a trade between the Kings and the Raptors. Prior to tip-off, it appeared the talks between the teams had cooled, and nothing appeared to be possible.

Time would tell if the two teams could get a deal done. The tip-off against the Raptors was set for 7 PM PST on Friday. The Kings defeated the Raptors 135-130 on Friday night at Golden One Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out playing well. The Kings shots were falling on the offensive end, and the defense was paying well on the other end of the floor. The Kings outscored the Raptors 36-27 in the first quarter to build a quick lead.

In the second quarter, the Kings did more of the same to expand the lead going into halftime. The Kings outscored the Raptors in the second quarter 41-30 to go up big going into halftime. The Kings would lead 57-77 going into halftime as they built a sizable lead. Domantas Sabonis and Harrison Barnes led the Kings in the first half with 12 points. RJ Barrett and Dennis Schroder each had 11 in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Kings took a regression in the game. The Kings defense faltered in the quarter as they allowed the Raptors to score 40 points. It was a defensive meltdown for the Kings, who would look to tighten things up in the final quarter to maintain the lead. The Kings scored 30 points in the third quarter to go into the fourth with a 10-point 107-97 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the game would turn into a dogfight. The Kings were trying their best to maintain the lead. However, some of the Kings found themselves in foul trouble. Sabonis would foul out of the game with just over a minute to go.

The Kings went to Chris Duarte in place of Javale McGee. The Kings would get outscored in the final quarter 33-28. However, the Kings would still hold on for the win 135-130. It was a tough-fought win for the Kings, who once had a 20-point lead.

The Raptors best performances came from Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, who both scored 20 points. The Kings best performance came from Sabonis, who had a 24-point, 15 rebound, and 10 assist game.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at 3 PM PST in Sacramento.

Reign use special teams to beat Barracuda in 2-0 shutout win

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Ontario Reign forward Andre Lee (#26) crashes the crease in a sea of San Jose Barracuda players including goalie Eetu Makiniemi (#32) in the second period at Toyota Arena on Friday JAN 5, 2024. (Ontario Reign)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Ontario Reign scored two special teams’ goals in the second period to upend the San Jose Barracuda in a 2-0 shutout victory on Friday evening at Toyota Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last five games. Ontario has won two of its last three games is undefeated against the Barracuda in three games this season.

Ontario had the ice tilted in their favor in the scoreless first period as they outshot San Jose 11-6 in the opening frame. The Reign had the only power play opportunity but failed to capitalize on it.

The Reign (17-10-3-1) drew first blood late in the second period with a power play goal. TJ Tynan’s attempted pass was knocked out of the air by Shakir Mukhamadullin. The puck pinballed around in front of the net before Akil Thomas poked home the puck for his ninth goal of the season at the 13:19 mark.

Ontario doubled its lead with a short-handed goal late in the middle frame. Thomas battled Tristen Robins for a loose puck in the neutral zone. Taylor Ward, who trailed the play, picked up the puck and skated in a breakaway before depositing the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi for his third goal of the season with 19 seconds remaining.

Ward’s goal snapped a five-game goal-less draught.

San Jose (11-15-4-0) weren’t able to generate any offense despite having three power play opportunities throughout the contest. The ‘Cuda pulled Makiniemi for an extra attacker with 2:37 remaining in the game to no avail as Ontario held down the fort in the final two and a half minutes.

Reign goalie Erik Portillo (9-4-1-1) stopped all 25 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season to snap a four-game winless streak. Makiniemi (4-4-0-1) made 25 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Ontario was 1-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Porillo 2) Thomas 3) Ward.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Ontario conclude their two-games series on Saturday 1/6 at 6:00pm at Toyota Arena.