The Captain humbled by number retirement by Coyotes

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Photo credit: @pjbreenphoto

COMMENTARY
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, February 24, 2019

GLENDALE, Ariz. — During the last few seasons of his NHL career, Shane Doan occasionally mentioned his love for the game. So much, he said, “I’ll play in a no-checking rec league.” Now retired for two seasons, Doan said that, in fact, he located one.
“It’s in north Scottsdale. I play once a week or so,” Doan explained on the night his number was retired by the Arizona Coyotes. “We have fun.”

Asked if other players were a little intimidated by having an NHL veteran in the league, Doan smiled and said, “I don’t shoot!”

In his 21 seasons in the NHL, Doan did plenty of shooting in his 1,540 games for the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise, scoring 402 goals, 570 assists and 972 points — all team records. But as one former teammate after another pointed out in their comments, it was more than the numbers that made Doan a special teammate.

Tyson Nash, a former teammate who does commentary on Coyotes TV, said during the lengthy pregame ceremony, “When I look up at that jersey, it won’t be the goals, assists and points. I will remember the stories, the dinners, the card games, the celebrations, the losses, the inside jokes, the wrestling matches, the smile.

“He’s the best person I ever got to call my friend, my teammate and my captain. I love you buddy,” Bettman said, “As I got to know Shane over the years, I’ll tell you a couple of things: 1) He is truly a great guy with incredible integrity, and 2) this franchise wouldn’t be here without him.”

Video tributes came from a list including everyone from former Diamondback Paul Goldschmidt to former teammates Jeremy Roenick and Keith Yandle to Garth Brooks.
Roenick said, “Not only was he a phenomenal hockey player, he was an incredible leader, teammate and most importantly, a great friend. Shane Doan, you are what people aspire to.”

Other touches: Doan’s No. 19 also painted on the ice behind each goal cage in the trapezoid. There was no shortage of banners throughout the crowd that also had a noticeable number of banners, including “Doan’t Stop Believing’,” while many had simple Thank you’s. Both the Jets and Coyotes players wore No, 19 on the back of their jerseys during the pregame skate, which will be put up for charity auction.

After comments from Bettman, Coyotes President and CEO Ahron Cohen, current Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, former Coyote Daniel Briere, Doan stepped to the podium at center ice.

“Being with one organization for 22 years was very special,” he said, adding that he wanted to thank his parents for “dedication, support and their work ethic.”

Doan gave a shout out to the commish, and the team’s numerous former owners (including the NHL itself) “for having the vision to put a team here.”

Addressing his approach to hockey and life, Doan recalled an old, favorite proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. And the only reason that I’m here and the only reason I’m celebrated is because of everything that everyone sacrificed around me.”

Doan mentioned his children, saying, “My kids sacrificed so much for me. … My children are truly amazing. They’re funny, they have empathy, they love each other. They are truly phenomenal.”

On his wife, Andrea, “I met her in the parking lot at a 7-11. Couldn’t take my eyes off of her!

“Strong tough, married a hockey player. She had to be! The game was always demanding of our time. Andrea was always great for me in every single way.”

Doan said, “Hockey taught me when I’m tired to keep going. It humbled me, and gave me more joy than I could ever imagine. … I played because of The Creator. I didn’t choose any of these things, but I benefited from them all.”

In true Doan style, he said, “I was never a superstar, I just kept hanging around, which is good; I would have been a lousy cowboy anyway. So, I kept playing hockey.”

Doan received a custom No. 19 golf cart, unveiled with Oliver Eckman-Larsson, and a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle, With that, his No. 19 was raised to the rafters with thunderous applause, cheering and another standing ovation.

When Doan and the Coyotes parted ways in 2017, it didn’t end well when the veteran reluctantly waived his no-trade clause near the trading deadline and there were no takers. Soon after, the Coyotes informed Doan they weren’t bringing him back. He retired soon afterward. Time healed that wound, and the time finally arrived for the Coyotes to honor “The Captain.”

After the ceremony, Doan, as is his nature, said “I had a hard time even walking out onto the ice because I didn’t feel comfortable with all the attention.”

As the chairs and mats were being removed, the public address announcer proclaimed, “One more time, Give it up for the Captain — Shane Doan!” Frankly, the crowd didn’t have to be asked.

Heat snap losing streak against Barracuda in 4-1 win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

by Marko Ukalovic

The Stockton Heat made the most of the last 20 minutes of the game. They scored four unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 4-1 on Sunday evening at Stockton Arena. The win snapped a pair of seven-game losing streaks. One against San Jose and the other on home ice.

San Jose (29-14-2-4) drew first blood in the first period. With Stockton on a power play, Alex True picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in on a breakaway down the right win and fired a shot past Heat goalie Jon Gillies (10-14-4) for a short-handed goal and his team-leading 18th goal of the season at the 7:45 mark. It was the third short-handed goal of the season for the Cuda and the 15th given up by Stockton, the most in the AHL.

Looking to regain the momentum for Stockton (22-25-4-1), forward Scott Sabourin dropped the gloves with Jeffery Viel seven seconds on the next shift after True’s goal.

Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (11-9-5) stopped all 10 shots he faced in the opening frame. The Cuda were also able to kill off two Stockton power plays.

In the second period, San Jose controlled play throughout the 20 minutes of the middle frame. They outshot Stockton 16-11 as Bibeau looked sharp between the pipes, not letting in any of the 11 Heat shots past him. However, they weren’t able to cash in on a four-minute power play to extend their lead.

Stockton received the equalizer on a short-handed goal in the third period. Rinat Valiev fed a pass over to Ryan Lomberg, who buried the puck past Bibeau for his seventh goal of the season at the 8:53 mark. It was Lomberg’s third short-handed goal on the season and Stockton’s 11th overall. Glenn Gawdin received the secondary assist.

Juuso Valimaki fired a shot off from the point that Kirby Rychel redirected past Bibeau on the power play for his team-leading 21st goal of the season at the 13:57 mark. Dillion Dube received the secondary assist.

Lomberg scored his second goal of the night on breakaway empty-net goal at the 18:16 mark. Then, the scoring was concluded on another empty-net goal by Stockton’s Spencer Foo as he scored his 14th goal of the season at the 19:28 mark.

Gillies had an excellent third period in keeping the Cuda off the board. He finished with 36 saves on 37 shots to earn his 10th victory. Bibeau made 30 saves on 32 shots in suffering the tough luck loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/5 on the power play. Stockton was 1/4.

The announced attendance was 3,217.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return back home to host the Iowa Wild on Tuesday 2/26 at 7:00 pm at SAP Center.

Pavelski’s Hat Trick Leads Sharks to 5-3 Win Over Red Wings

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Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 at Little Caesars Arena Sunday. Joe Pavelski scored three unanswered goals, after goals from Tim Heed and Brent Burns. The Red Wings got goals from Darren Helm, Gustav Nyquist and Mike Green. The Sharks’ Aaron Dell made 20 saves for the win while Jonathan Bernier made 32 saves in the loss.

The Sharks passed some milestones in Sunday’s game. Joe Pavelski earned his 350th (and 351st) NHL points, Marc-Edouard Vlasic earned his 300th and Brent Burns passed the 70 point mark in 65 games for the season. Burns became the first defenseman to do that since 1994 when Ray Bourque did it.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Tim Heed described the team’s approach to a fast Detroit team: “Like you said they have a really speedy team and a lot of skills. In the first period they were all over us, then in the second and third I thought we took away their time and space and that’s… after that I think we took over the game.”

Tim Heed gave the Sharks an early lead with a goal at 3:46. Initially it looked like Joe Thornton had tipped Heed’s blue line shot but the puck actually went off of a defenseman’s skate. Assists went to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Kevin Labanc.

The Red Wings responded with goals at 14:39 and 19:23. Darren Helm tied the game with a shot off of a breakaway, narrowly avoiding Brent Burns’s stick. Assists went to Justin Abdelkader and Mike Green.

Gustav Nyquist gave the Red Wings a lead in the final minute of the period. A backhand pass from Tyler Bertuzzi near the blue line found Dylan Larkin on the goal line. Larkin quickly moved it to the net where several Sharks and Red Wings descended upon it. Aaron Dell wound up down on the left side of the blue paint with Burns on the ice behind him. Burns stopped a couple of shots but Nyquist finally found the puck in the open and put it away. Assists went to Larkin and Bertuzzi.

At the end of the first, the Sharks had just five shots on goal to Detroit’s 15. The Sharks had some zone time but the Red Wings did a good job of limiting shot opportunities and blocking the ones the Sharks attempted.

One minute into the period, the Sharks were on the penalty kill after Brenden Dillon was called for high sticking Dylan Larkin. The Detroit power play lasted just 14 seconds before Dylan Larkin was called for hooking Tomas Hertl.

The Sharks made some adjustments for the second period, including some extra time on the ice for Evander Kane. In the first five minutes, the Sharks had five shots to the Red Wings one. Nevertheless, the Red Wings scored again at the 8 minute mark.

Mike Green found himself very much in the open with all the attention on the other side of the ice, where Justin Abdelkader had the puck in the corner. Abdelkader made a pass through traffic and across the goal mouth to Green. Dell tried to get across but could not get there in time. Assists went to Abdelkader and Anthony Mantha. That was Detroit’s third shot of the period and their last.

The Red Wings held the two goal lead until 13:50 of the second. Logan Couture won an offensive zone faceoff and Timo Meier helped the puck get to Brent Burns at the point. Burns’s shot went right through for his 13th of the season. Assists went to Meier and Couture.

Joe Pavelski tied the game at 15:50 on the power play. The Sharks spent a lot of time moving around the offensive zone before Joe Thornton finally took a shot. Bernier stopped it but the rebound didn’t travel far. Joe Pavelski was right in front of the goaltender and, while falling to his knees, he pushed the puck around the goalie and in. Thornton and Burns got the assists.

Pavelski gave the Sharks the lead at 16:45, deflecting a Vlasic shot while standing eight feet or so outside the slot. Assists went to Vlasic and Hertl.

The Sharks had 16 shots in the second to Detroit’s 3 in the second. In the third, the Red Wings got their first shot near the 14 minute mark, on a power play. The Sharks had 12 by then for the third period.

The only goal of the period came in the final minute, an empty net goal right off the faceoff. Joe Pavelski completed a natural hat trick with an almost casual backhand from the neutral zone. Logan Couture picked up an assist on that goal.

The faceoff was preceded by an off side call on the Red Wings, which followed a strange collision at the bench between players changing and the goalie leaving the ice. Kronwall seemed to get the worst of it, being knocked down. The extra skater in the final minute did little to help.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Boston against the Bruins at 4:00 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Coyotes retiring Doan’s number 19; Flyers take in the fresh air in outdoor game; Trades ahoy starts today; plus more

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Photo credit: @Sportsnet650

On the NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Coyotes retiring Shane Doan’s No. 19

2 Flyers stun Pittsburgh in outdoor OT

3 Teams getting busy before trading deadline

4 Innovations allow NHL to host an outdoor game almost anywhere

Catch the NHL podcast with Daniel each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings steal one on the road downing the Thunder 119-116

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
KINGS 223 score
Graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings entered the homestretch of the NBA season knowing that they needed to really improve their record versus Western Conference teams. As they began the game in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, Sacramento was 16-22 on the season versus Western Conference foes and just 5-12 playing those teams on the road.

After losing a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, the Kings had to travel to OKC to face the Thunder who feature Russell Westbrook – “the King of the triple-double” – and the potential 2018-19 MVP Paul George who own the third spot in the Western Conference.

OKC was coming off a tough Friday night

The Thunder hosted the Utah Jazz on Friday night and had to really battle to come away with a victory. That game went into two overtimes before the Thunder finally put the Jazz away 148-147.

Paul George had to play 50-minutes. Russell Westbrook spent almost 43 minutes on the floor before fouling out in the first overtime.

The Kings needed to take advantage of the Thunder playing in the second game of a back-to-back set, especially when the first game went into double overtime.

First half perfection

Kings 223 hield
Photo: @SacramentoKings

The Kings did exactly what they needed to do in the first 24-minutes of the game. Sacramento shot 50-percent (25/50) from the floor. They struggled a bit from downtown hitting just 3-of-12 (33.3%) from long range. They dished out 16 assists while turning the ball over just six times. Those six turnovers resulted in eight Thunder points.

Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 18 points in the half. He went 8-for-12 shooting including two 3-pointers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points by going 4-for-6 from the floor. Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to score 11 points and grab six rebounds.

To no one’s surprise, Russell Westbrook led the charge for Oklahoma City who looked tired and out of sync right from the opening tip-off. Westbrook put 18 points in the book while Paul George was the next leading scorer with seven points.

The Thunder shot just 35.8-percent (19/53) from the field. The had just eight assists and turned the ball over eight times which resulted in 12 Sacramento points.

At the end of the first half, the Kings held a 63-49 lead over the Thunder.

The second half had to mean a Thunder comeback

Even if they are tired, a visiting team cannot expect to keep a talented team like the Thunder from making big runs in order to get back into the game.

The Thunder went on an 18-6 run to begin the third quarter and cut the Kings lead to just two points with 7:29 to go in the period. The Kings woke up and began to play their game. Sacramento went back up by 14 points with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.

With 36-minutes in the book, the Kings still held a 94-83 lead, but everyone had a feeling that the Thunder were not ready to give up.

The final 12:00

OKC used a combination of strong play from Dennis Schroder, Paul George, Markieff Morris and of course, Russell Westbrook to fight their way back into the game one more time. By the 6:26 mark, the Thunder had cut the Kings lead to three points.

Russell Westbrook would go on to score 15 of the 33 points the Thunder would score in the quarter. The lead changed four times in the period. OKC outscored SAC 33-25 in the final 12-minutes which is what made it such a close game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings free throw shooting down the stretch allowed them to hang on and win the game 119-116.

Kings by the numbers

The win raised the Kings record to 31-28 on the season which allows them to remain in sole possession of ninth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies so they are 1.5 games ahead in eighth place. The Lakers lost to the Pelicans (even with Anthony Davis held out of the game) which means they are now two games back of the Kings in 10th place.

Top performers:

Kings 223 MBIII
Bagley scores two of his 19 points Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 34 points. “Buddy Buckets” hit 12-of-22 shots overall and went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He also was very effective from the free throw line converting 7-of-9 opportunities.
  • Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and hauling 10 rebounds. MB35 also added three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
  • De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game. He also dished out nine assists, blocked three shots and added a steal.

Team performance:

  • The Kings outscored the Thunder 48-46 in the Paint
  • The Thunder won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 16-7
  • Even though they were tired, OKC scored more Fast Break Points than the Kings 25-19
  • SAC shot 45.8-percent (44/96) for the game
  • They hit 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long range
  • The Kings converted 24-of-34 (70.6%) from the free throw line. The key was the number of opportunities.
  • The team was out-rebounded 59-46 and still managed to win the game
  • Protecting the ball has become a key trait for Sacramento. They turned the ball over just nine times which resulted in 15 OKC points.
  • The Kings recorded 24 assists which denotes excellent ball movement

Checking the book for OKC

Key individuals performances:

  • Russell Westbrook was the game’s high scorer with 41 points. Westbrook connected on 15-of-30 field goal attempts and made 5-of-12 3-point shots. He also had a good night at the charity stripe converting 6-of-8 opportunities. Westbrook made it a double-double game by adding 10 rebounds.
  • Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 14 points. The German transplant went 5-for-12 shooting.
  • Paul George also scored 14 points but he was 4-for-19 shooting for the contest. That 50-plus minutes of playing time on Friday obviously took its toll.
  • Markieff Morris put 10 points playing some key minutes late in the game for George.

Team numbers

  • The key number you need to know is the field goal shooting percentage. The Thunder shot just 38.1-percent (40/105) for the game. A team almost never wins a game in the NBA when they shoot under 40-percent. Yet, OKC came within four points of putting this game in the win column.

Up next

The Kings wrap up this 3-game road trip on Monday in Minnesota versus the Timberwolves.

The Thunder will return to action on Tuesday on the road in Denver against the Nuggets.

Warriors cannot overcome a slow start, fall to the Rockets 118-112

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors for the third time this season by a score of 118-102. The Rockets were without the services of James Harden, who was out with a cervical strain and a touch of the flu, but thoroughly outplayed the Warriors on both ends of the court Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

In the first quarter, the Rockets went on a 15-0 run that propelled them to a 35-20 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors were shooting just 29% from the floor as they were 4 for 14 with 3:21 left in the period. The Rockets’ Kenneth Faried, P.J.Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul had no trouble breaking down the Warriors’ defense. The Warriors left too many men open, and the Rockets capitalized on the poor defensive play.

The Rockets led 50-30 midway through the second period. The Warriors woke up from their slumber and were able to cut the deficit to seven 61-54 at the end of the first half. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the charge in the last six minutes of the second period. The Warriors committed eight turnovers in the first period and just one in the second. Cold shooting, poor defense, and turnovers really hurt the team.

The Warriors grabbed their first lead of the game 64-63 early in the third period. The Warriors had an 8-2 run. Durant had five points, and DeMarcus Cousins hit a three to give the Warriors the lead. Houston regained the lead 73-71, but it didn’t last long as the Warriors were behind a bucket by Klay Thompson and a three by Curry regained the lead 76-74. It was the last time in the game that the Warriors would own the advantage. Houston went on an 8-0 run to lead 84-76. The Warriors played catch-up the rest of the way. The Warriors cut the lead to three 89-86 on a three by Andre Iguodala. However, the fans let out a collective groan when the Rockets’ Tucker connected on a three as the buzzer sounded to the third quarter. Houston led 92-86 with 12 minutes left in the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets upped the lead to 14 110-96. The Warriors tried to come back as they went on a 7-0 run to make it a 114-110 game. The Rockets broke the spell with a bucket and were able to run out the clock for a 118-112 win.

Game notes and Stats: The key to the Rockets’ success Saturday night was the ability to stifle the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry down the stretch. They refused to give the Big Three any open looks and forced the Warriors’ other players to make shots. The strategy worked as Curry was not able to put any points on the board until late in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 42-17. They are still in first place in the Western Conference and would have homecourt advantage if the playoffs were to start today. The Rockets improve to 34-25.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 29 points. Steph had 25 points, nine boards, seven assists. He was 5-for-11 from behind the three-point arc. DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Andre Iguodala, coming off the bench, had eight points. The rest of the bench contributed just 13 points.

The Rockets had five players in double figures, and three players had a double-double. Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 25. Chris Paul had a double-double with 23 points and 17 assists. Kenneth Faried tallied 20 points, 10 boards, and made 2 threes. P.J.Tucker hit four threes and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Gerald Green led the Rockets’ bench with 10.

The Warriors committed 17 turnovers, and the Rockets had 13 steals and seven blocked shots on defense. The Warriors’ defense, led by Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson had eight steals and eight blocks. Draymond Green left the game in the fourth quarter. A Rocket player stepped on his foot, and he suffered an ankle sprain. He went to the locker room and did not return.

The Rockets won the first quarter 35-20. The Warriors outscored the Rockets by nine the rest of the way, but it was not enough to overcome the 15-point first-period deficit.

Up Next: The Warriors hit the road and play the next four games in Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The Hornets are in first place in the Southeast Division with a record of 28-31. Game time will be at 4:00 pm.

Sharks Shut Out 4-0 By Blue Jackets

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were shut out 4-0 in Columbus Saturday. The Blue Jackets got goals from Boone Jenner, Matt Duchene (on his second day with the team), Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Sergei Bobrovski made 26 saves for the shut out, while the Sharks’ Martin Jones made 19 saves on 23 shots before being replaced by Aaron Dell, who made three saves on as many shots.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said: “We don’t need a refresher. You know, we had a shut out the other night, so it’s not 6-5 every night. We’re doing our job defensively, that’s why we’re scoring. Tonight was one that kind of got away from us. Our special teams weren’t great, and five-on-five … didn’t generate a lot.”

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “Fugly. I mean, you know, not much else to say. It’s one of those… you have a few of those games a year, I don’t know why. We didn’t execute, they were hungrier, they were more desperate, they deserved to win. Having said that, it was still a 2-0 game, we had some chances to maybe turn it a little bit but we didn’t deserve… We got what we deserved tonight.”

The Blue Jackets struck first at the 11-minute mark of the first. Josh Anderson carried the puck into the zone, facing resistance from Erik Karlsson. Brent Burns was also keeping an eye on him, perhaps too close an eye. Boone Jenner entered the zone behind Burns and caught Anderson’s pass for an unimpeded shot from the slot. Anderson got the only assist.

Columbus doubled their lead just 59 seconds into the second period. Artemi Panarin carried the puck in and waited until the last second to shoot. Jones stopped that but two Sharks defenders with one Blue Jacket crowded in front of the net and made it oddly difficult to see where that puck was going. Matt Duchene, however, had a god view of it as he skated to the net and popped the puck over the line. Assists went to Cam Atkinson and Panarin. It was Duchene’s first goal as a Blue Jacket since being traded to Columbus on Friday.

There were no penalties in the first period, but five were called in the second. Two of those power plays went to the Sharks, but they had no shots on goal in their first power play and just one in their second. The Sharks killed two of the Blue Jackets’ power plays, but they gave up a goal on the third.

With just 6.9 seconds left in the period and 1:36 left in the power play, Zach Werenski took a shot from the blue line that hit Jones and then trickled under him. Cam Atkinson found the puck behind the goalie and pushed it over the line. Assists went to Werenski and Panarin.

The Blue Jackets made it 4-0 at 6:02 of the third. Pierre-Luc Dubois skated into the zone, pressured by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The pressure was not enough as Dubois got the shot off anyway. It did not look like Martin Jones expected that as the puck went right under him. Assists went to Dean Kukan and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

After the fourth goal, the Sharks pulled Martin Jones and put Aaron Dell in the net.

Erik Karlsson left the game after just four shifts in the second period. After the game, Pete DeBoer said that he had re-tweaked something and they “will see where it’s at tomorrow.” Marcus Sorensen left early in the third after being hit in the face by a shot from Dean Kukan.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Detroit against the Red Wings at 12:00 noon PT.

Earthquakes and Sounders settle for 2-2 draw

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Earthquakes captain Chris Wondolowski looked ready for the regular season as he singlehandedly led a comeback for his team with two penalty shot goals in a 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders in a pre-season match on Saturday afternoon at Avaya Stadium.

This was the fourth and final pre-season game for San Jose that came into the game off of a 3-0 victory over LAFC last week and finished 1-1-1 on the pre-season. Seattle finished 2-2-1.

The Quakes had the field tilted in their favor in the first 30 minutes of the game. Nick Lima’s centered a pass to Magnus Eriksson and his corner shot was stopped by a diving Stefan Frei. Lima then sent in a shot from 25 yards out in the 24th minute but once again Frei made a diving save to keep the ball out of the net. Christian Espinoza had a chance in the 29th minute but his shot went wide right from 20 yards out.

Seattle drew first blood when Jordan Morris took received the ball at midfield, raced down the right sideline and went around newly acquired Quakes midfielder Judson and crossed the ball into the middle to a wide-open Victor Rodriguez in the slot, who kicked the ball past Quakes goalie Daniel Vega into the back of the net at the 31st minute.

Marcos Lopez had a chance for an equalizer toward the end of the first half after taking a nice pass from Eriksson. However, his shot sailed high over the net at the 39th minute.

The Sounders doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Rodriguez won a battle for the ball along the left corner end line. He made a nice move around a Quakes defender then centered a pass over to Morris, whose shot was blocked and deflected back to Rodriguez at the side of the net chipped it off Vega into back of the net. San Jose was standing around looking for a handball that was never called.

“There’s always things we can improve on,” said head coach Matias Almeyda after the game. “We look for a style to be aggressive, we try to be offensive. Even when we were down 2-0, I valued the (team’s) attitude. It was an important change.”

It became Wondo’s World in a four-minute span midway through the second half. Wondolowski was tripped up trying to split two defenders just inside the box. His kick beat Frei into the lower right corner of the goal at the 57th minute.

Then, in the 61st minute, Ericsson threaded a pass into the middle of the box and Wondo was pushed down by Kelvin Leerdam earning a red card and an immediate ejection for the Sounders defender and another penalty shot for Wondo. He cashed in his second opportunity for his second goal of the match into the exact same location as his first goal. Leerdam received red card and was ejected from the match.

“We’re starting to understand the system,” said Wondolowski. “Understand the way he (Almeyda) wants us to play. It’s demanding, but at the same time it’s fun, entertaining and a joy to play.”

Shea Salinas, who came in as a late substitution, had a scoring chance seconds into stoppage time, but his shot went way over the net that resulted in a free kick to Seattle.

“It showed our willingness to come back after we were down 2-0”, said Lima. “We were able to come together as a team I think the way Matias (Almeyda) wanted. Fight, get a couple of bounced to go our way and evened up the score.”

GAME NOTES: Wondo ended up leading the Quakes with three goals in four games during the preseason.

UP NEXT: The Quakes open up their 2019 regular season on Saturday March 2nd as they host the Montreal Impact at 6:45 pm at Avaya Stadium.

San Jose State loses 17th straight at Air Force 82-68

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball arrived at Clune Arena with a goal to pick up its first conference win of the season against the Air Force Falcons Saturday. But, as you should already know, conference foes are one of the Spartans’ biggest challenges, so this conference game wasn’t an easy task for the road team.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau announced a starting lineup that featured the likes of Zach Chappell, Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Michael Steadman and Ashtin Chastain.

SJSU won the tip and the game went underway at Clune Arena. SJSU, however, fell behind and trailed 19-11 at the 12-minute mark of the first half. Why’s that? Air Force dominated the boards 13-5 in the early minutes of the game. Caleb Morris later knocked down a 3-pointer to help the Falcons extend their lead to 27-16 with 8:25 left.

What was the Falcons’ other scoring strategy? Just about any Falcons player could dump it down to Lavelle Scottie and boom! Scottie scores two points for the home team.

The Falcons built a comfortable 48-25 lead going into the locker room at halftime. The Spartans shot just 29 percent, which meant that they had a lot of work to do in the second half.

After the much-needed intermission, the second half was underway at Clune Arena. Pervis Louder recorded his first point of the game at the 17:33 mark by shooting a free throw. However, Louder missed a second free throw to make it two in a row. The score was 51-28 Falcons.

SJSU sent a small message to Air Force as a few bench players came off the bench and scored eight points before the first media timeout of the second. This scoring surge was capped off by Brae Ivey’s and-1. Ivey shot one after the break. Moreover, Steadman was being “Steady Steadman” with his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards.

Not only that, SJSU defended themselves and fought back as they held Air Force to just 2-of-9 shooting in the second. Knight had seven points at the 15:01 mark.

But the Falcons managed to hold onto a 60-43 lead at the 11:42 mark, despite the notable stat that the Spartans outshot the Falcons 54 percent to 28 percent.

SJSU wasn’t ready to back down though. Knight provided a huge spark for the Spartans with 12 points with 7:59 left. Still, SJSU trailed 64-50 at the under-8 timeout.

But the Spartans suffered from a 16-point deficit 76-60 at the final media timeout with 3:56 left. Sure, SJSU outscored Air Force 35-28, but the Falcons did just enough to keep the far-fetched advantage in tact.

SJSU (3-23, 0-14 MW) dropped its 17th consecutive game to Air Force (12-15, 7-8 MW) by a final score of 82-68.

SJSU returns home to host the New Mexico Lobos on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 pm PT.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: CBJs Bobrovsky gets in front of 22 shots to blank Sens 3-0; Flames win fourth straight; Jets turn up the offense on Knights; plus more

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Photo credit: @BlueJackets

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Columbus Blue Jackets shutout the Ottawa Senators 3-0 behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky who stopped 22 shots and it was done on Ottawa ice. The Blue Jackets’ Matt Duchene, who was just dealt to the CBJs from the Sens, said he enjoyed his last game in Ottawa, but in a different uniform.

#2  The Calgary Flames did it again with their fourth straight win, thanks to a go-ahead goal by the Flames’ Andrew Mangiapane at 3:29 to give the Flames a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

#3 The Winnipeg Jets’ Patrik Laine scored twice and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots as the Jets defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3. The Jets lead the Central Division and Jets head coach Paul Maurice picked up his 685th win to pass Pat Quinn for eighth place on the coaches winningest list.

#4 J.T. Compher got two for the Colorado Avalanche. On his second goal, Compher scored on a breakaway to break a tie and get the go-ahead goal to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. The Hawks’ Patrick Kane scored his 39th goal of the season and extended his 20-game point streak.

#5 The San Jose Sharks brought back Michael Haley from the Florida Panthers. Some wondered why? Haley proved necessary when things got rough when the Sharks ended up getting into a line brawl towards the end of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh and expect Haley to pay off in the home stretch of the season when things get physical and rough.

Matt does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com