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Barracuda dominate Griffins in 4-0 shutout win

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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By Marko Ukalovic

Josef Korenar was back to his All-Star form in stopping all 29 shots he faced and received enough goal support from his offense as the San Jose Barracuda shutout the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-0 on Friday evening at Van Andel Arena.

Korenar (15-3-1) was tested throughout the first period as he faced an aggressive Grand Rapids (24-14-3-4) team that attempted 12 shots on net that ended with a scoreless opening 20 minutes.

San Jose (24-8-2-3) drew first blood early in the second period. Maxim Letunov took advantage of a face off win when he chipped in a loose puck from close range past Griffins goalie Patrik Rybar (10-7-5) for his eighth goal of the season at the 3:38 mark. Jayden Halbgewachs and Manny Wiederer received assists.

Halbgewachs helped double the Cuda’s lead when sent a perfect pass to his linemate Weiderer that sent him all alone on a breakaway where he buried the puck past the five-hole of Rybar for his ninth goal of the season at the 7:50 mark.

San Jose’s Nick DeSimone fed a pass over to Jon Martin, who beat Rybar to the short-side of the net for a 3-0 lead. Martin’s seventh goal of the season came at the 16:05 mark to close out the three unanswered goals in the middle frame.

DeSimone closed out the scoring for the Cuda on the power play just past the half way point of the third period. He was able to tip-toe the blue line with the puck and fire a wrist shot from the point and beat Rybar to the short side for his seventh goal of the season at 10:58 mark.

Rybar stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced in suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose 1/3 on the power play. Grand Rapids was 0/5.

The announced attendance was 8,826.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda conclude their two-game series with the Griffins on Saturday 1/26 at 4:00 pm at Van Andel Arena.

2019 NHL All-Star Game News and Commentary

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NHL

By Pearl Allison Lo

SAN JOSE — The “hub of innovation,” as proclaimed by Commissioner Gary Bettman earlier in the day to media, kicked off 2019 NHL All-Star weekend for the first time since 1997, with the Skills Competition Friday.

Players who did not make Media Day on Wednesday were made available to the press before the Skills showcase. These participants included Braden Holtby (WSH), John Carlson (WSH), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), Kris Letang (PIT), Drew Doughty (LAK) and Nathan MacKinnon (COL). Sidney Crosby was absent due to illness and did not play in the competition.

Doughty, set to play in Accuracy Shooting, on his chances, replied, “I doubt I’ll win. Yeah, I don’t know. I have a decent shot, but I can say I’ve never just stood in front of the net and shots pucks at targets before, so this’ll be my first time, and I’m sure the crowd will probably be booing me, so I’ll probably be super nervous, and embararssed a little bit…Hopefully the shoot goes well.” Doughty ended up in third out of eighth place with a time of 14.423 seconds.

First time NHL All-Star Carlson’s game was the hardest shot. Before, he said, “I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I haven’t ever been registered before, so I think we all have a chance this year with some of the guys that are in here…I like watching all of them (the competitions). I think they all showcase the talent of these great players in the league and that’s what it’s about and I like seeing some of the ways that our guys can handle the puck.” Carlson was the $25,000 winner, finishing with the top two quickest shots at 102.8mph and 100.6mph.

MacKinnon, an All-Star Captain for the first time, was on the shelf as well for the contest. HE responded, “I was forced, but I love coming here. It’s still fun. I’m still the captain…It’s just a bruise on the inside of my foot…we know it’s not broken…I’ll be good to go against Vancouver (February 2). Regarding not participating in the fastest skater competition, McKinnon replied, “I get killed every year…Connor’s so fast…McDavid won his third straight fastest skater contest with a time of 13.378 seconds.

The replacement for MacKinnon was the first woman to ever compete in the Skills match. Kendall Coyne from the U.S. Women’s National Team skated first and beat out Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes. With chants of “USA,” Coyne gushed she was “super, super excited, super, super honored. Thanks for the NHL’s support.” Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames commented, “She was fast. I didn’t expect that…It’s pretty impressive, obviously…she’s American, which is even better.”

Going back to MacKinnon on his favorite skill, he said, “probably the shooting. I always have to do the skating, but I’d love to do the shooting one year for sure.”

Regarding his teammates’ chances in the skills competition, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, MacKinnon analyzed, “Gabe has to do puck handling, so I don’t know. I don’t like his chances. He’s more of a forechecker.” For Mikko, he verified, “He’s got over 50 assists, so I think he’ll do pretty good at passing.” Landeskog finished fifth out of eighth in puck control with 33.425 seconds and Rantanen got second out of eighth with 2 minutes and 17.379 seconds.

Sharks’ defenseman Erik Karlsson did participate in the All-Star Skills, despite his status being questionable due to recent injury. On being able to participate, he replied, “It’s great, especially being here in San Jose, I think it’s a great thing for this fan base and for this organization and community, so I’m happy I can be here.” He finished seventh out of eighth in Premier Passer with 1 minute and 58.824 seconds. Teammate Joe Pavelski described the event well, “It seems like one of those events where you need a little momentum going in, and if you get a couple early, that’s good, if not, it’s pretty tough.”

An especially great moment of the competition for the hometown crowd, was when Toronto Maple Leaf’s Auston Matthews, playing in the last event of Accuracy Shooting, removed his jersey to reveal that of his now teammate and former Sharks’ legend Patrick Marleau, which he wore while partaking in the event.” Afterwards, he, along with San Jose’s representative of Karlsson, Pavelski and Brent Burns, took a picture with Burns’ and Pavelski’s boys.

2019 NHL All-Star Skills Competition Results

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @ScoutingTheRefs

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The 2019 NHL All Star Skills Competition featured six events in front of a big crowd at SAP Center Friday evening. In the first event, the Fastest Skater, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won for the third time in a row, this time with a time of 13.378. In second place, Buffalo’s Jack Eichel completed the course in 13.582, with the Islanders’ Matthew Barzal third at 13.778. The first skater in the competition was Kendall Coyne Schofield of the US Women’s National Team. Her time was 14.346.

The second event was demonstrated by Rebecca Johnston of the Canadian Women’s team. The Puck Control race started with a stick handling test, followed by a puck carrying exercise though cones. The third test was to put the puck through three variable gates. One of three gates in each pillar would light up as the skater finished the preceding test. At the end, they had to put the puck in a regular net. Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau took the prize with a time of 27.045. Chicago’s Patrick Kane skated first but came in second with a time of 28.611. Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux finished third with a time of 30.270.

In the Save Streak competition, each goaltender would face a shot from each skater on an opposing team, with the order of go to repeat if the goalie stopped a shot by a Divisional Captain. If he did not stop that shot, his turn was up. Henrik Lundqvist went last and won with 12 saves against the Atlantic Division.

Pekka Rinne was in the net first, making two saves in a row but no longer streak than that against the Pacific Division. Andrei Vasilevsky made 8 saves before Seth Jones scored from the Metro Division. John Gibson made 3 saves against the Central Division. Devan Dubnyk made 7 saves against the Pacific Division. Braden Holtby defended against the Atlantic Division but did not make more than 2 saves in a row. Jimmy Howard made 2 saves against the Metropolitan Division. Marc-Andre Fleury got the extra shots by making a save on the Central Dvivision captain, but he let in the very next shot and did not reach the eight-save threshold set by Vasilevsky.

Briana Decker of the USA Women’s National Team demonstrated the Premier Passer race. Contestants had to hit the sticks of three cutout skaters with a pass, then put pucks in four mini nets with a saucer pass over a low barrier. Finally, the skater had to hit five of six targets which would light up, signalling him to shoot at that one. If he did not hit the target before the light changed, it did not count. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl won it with a time of 1:09.088. The second best time was 1:18.530 from Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, and the third best was St. Louis’s Ryan O’Reilly with 1:25.897.

Washington’s John Carlson won the Hardest Shot contest with a 102.8 mph shot. San Jose’s Brent Burns came next with a 100.6 mph shot, while Columbus’s Seth Jones was third with a 99 mph shot. Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos was the only other shooter and his best was 96.2 mph. San Jose’s Sharky won the mascot hardest shot with 85.2 mph.

The Final Event was Accuracy Shooting. Renata Fast from the Canadian Women’s National Team demonstrated the new setup. Instead of plates that break, the targets were LED lit and they only stayed lit for 3 seconds before going dark. Of course, they had to be hit while lit or it did not count. The standing record for five-target accuracy shooting is 11.1. Boston’s David Pastrnak won it this year with a time of 11:309. Kris Letang and Drew Doughty came in second and third with times of 12.693 and 13.591 respectively. San Jose’s Joe Pavelski finished with a respectable 14.423.

The NHL All-Star Game will start at 5:00 PM PT Saturday.

San Jose State will welcome Air Force Saturday night

Published on January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball will welcome the Air Force Academy to the Event Center for a 6:00 pm tip Saturday. The game can be streamed online on the Mountain West Network. Justin Allegri will have the radio call on KLIV 1590 AM, broadcasting their final men’s basketball game of the season.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.

Game No. 19
Air Force (8-11, 3-4 MW) at San Jose State (3-15, 0-6 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 26, 6:00 pm PT
The Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

What Would a Win Mean?
SJSU’s fourth win over Air Force in the last six games. After the Spartans won three straight in 2016 and 2017, the Falcons swept both games last season (78-71 and 83-61). A win would also put an end to SJSU’s nine-game losing skid.

Newcomers Amp up Offense
The Spartans have played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. The newcomers are accounting for 66.9% of the Spartans’ offense (783-1170).

Steadman alone is accounting for nearly 19% of the Spartans’ offense with 222 points.

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good in fact that he leads the MW in 3-point percentage at 50.6 percent. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.4)

In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3-pointers (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann holds the top two scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. USU and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. He’s averaging 10.2 points in conference play, which is tied for the team lead and is shooting 48% from 3-point range in conference games.

Baumann has hit at least one 3-point basket in 16 straight games this season. It’s the longest such streak since Devante Wilson hit 17-straight in 2013-14.

Last season as a freshman, Baumann finished the year 40-for-87 (.460) from the 3-point range. Entering Saturday’s game, he is 44-for-87, with 12 regular season games remaining.

Staff Shakeup
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10″ forward is averaging a team-high 12.3 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.4 rebounds per game. He has six double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 15-of-18 games. He also has eight games with double-digit rebounds.

Changes
Prioleau has used seven different lineups throughout the season with no player starting each time out. Senior Oumar Barry had started the first 17 games before an injury kept him out of the lineup at Wyoming. Seven newcomers have made starts, including freshmen Seneca Knight, Zach Chappell, and Trey Smith.

Series History vs. Air Force
Saturday’s game will be the 14th overall meeting between the Spartans and Falcons. SJSU has a pair of three-game win streaks in the series. The Spartans have won three of the last five games, however, Air Force is on a two-game win streak.

Air Force checks in with an 8-11 overall record and 3-4 mark in conference play and is tied for sixth in the conference standings. The Falcons are led by a great offensive weapon in Lavelle Scottie, who ranks fifth in the MW in scoring, in conference play with 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Ryan Swan will prove to be a big test for Michael Steadman for the boards as he checks in right behind Steadman with 8.0 rebounds per game and is second in the conference with 2.7 offensive rebounds per game.

The Falcons are led by seventh-year head coach Dave Pilipovich.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal held lead in first half, then Utes made a comeback

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (9-10) hosted the Utah Utes (10-8) on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal dominated in the first half, but the Utes came back for the win 70-66.

#2 The last time the Utes won at Stanford was in 1971. Before last night’s game, the Utes had lost six straight games. but snapped that loss steak with a big win at Maples.

#3 Sedrick Barefield led the Utes with 18 points, and for Stanford, KZ Okpala led with 22 and Daejon Davis right behind with 17.

#4 The Cardinal’s Bryce Wills is the youngest player in the Pac-12. Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase says Wills is one of the most mature players that he’s coached for being the youngest player in the Pac-12.

#5 The Cardinal’s coaches discovered Wills at Iona Prep College on the New York Rens. He was a teammate of Stanford guard Cormac Ryan.

Joey does the Stanford Men’s basketball podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Men’s basketball continues to tumble; Prayers up for former football head coach Dick Tomey

Published on January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB and @CoachBrennan

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. SJSU went cold last Saturday and got blown out by UNLV 94-56 in Las Vegas.

2. Former SJSU head coach Dick Tomey underwent treatment for lung cancer last week. Tomey coached the Spartans from 2005-2009.

3. SJSU wrapped up a brief, two-game road trip in Laramie, Wyo. against the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday.

4. SJSU tight end Josh Oliver was the most targeted TE in the country a season ago.

Catch Ana on the San Jose State podcast each week at SportsRadioService.com. Don’t forget folks, you can follow Ana directly on Twitter @AnaKieu.

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Thunder in the house, Westbrook and George, led the way; Lillard can’t be contained, scores 24; plus more

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @okcthunder

On the NBA podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Oklahoma City Thunder got offensive help from Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Both scored 23 to lead the Thunder over the New Orleans Pelicans 122-116.

#2 Damian Lillard led the Portland Trailblazers with 24 points as the Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-106. A big road win for the Blazers in the Valley of the Sun.

#3 The Washington Wizards got rolled by the Golden State Warriors 126-118 in the nation’s capital. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry led with 38 points.

#4 Minnesota vs. LA Lakers: Karl Anthony Towns scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the Minnesota Timberwolves win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night 120-105.

Jerry is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL All-Star game podcast with Joe Lami: Sharks have three players in All-Star game, who are all building up anticipation

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the NHL podcast with Joe:

#1 The NHL All-Star Game is on Saturday, January 26th at SAP Center is one of the most exciting things about the game is the three-on-three.

#2 What’s this All-Star Game going to be like without the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin?

#3 The Sharks have three All-Stars. The Sharks’ Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. Karlsson says he’s anxious to get in front of the San Jose crowd and show his All-Star ability.

#4 What’s been the difference from the West vs. East format to the division teams format in the All-Star Game?

#5 Joe takes a look at how special it is to attend and cover an All-Star Game.

Joe Lami does the NHL podcast for http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Friday

Putting It All Together Is The Hard Part: Cal skid hits eight in loss to Colorado

Published on January 25, 2019 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The Cal Bears hadn’t been in a close game late in three weeks. But there they were, after overcoming an 18-point deficit, leading Colorado 54-53 with 7:04 remaining on Thursday night.

It would soon become a fleeting moment. The Bears would lead just once and see their losing streak reach eight games. The Buffaloes recovered, shutting down Cal in the final minutes, and winning 68-59.

But Coach Wyking Jones could at least point to his club’s effort as a positive in recapping the evening.

“I was obviously very happy with the fight and the toughness our guys showed in that stretch that I’ve been waiting to see for a long time,” Jones said. “I saw some guys who had to give everything they had get tired.”

The Buffs won at Berkeley for the first time as a member of the Pac-12 after five losses. They needed fewer than two minutes to extend their 11-point halftime lead to 18. But little went right after that, until Colorado grew stingy after Paris Austin pulled Cal within 60-58 with 4:09 remaining. The Bears were limited to one made free throw after that, missing their final seven shots.

“It’s much like November — it’s a lot better to learn from a win than learn from a loss, and this would have been a crushing loss,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “I’m really proud of the way the guys reacted to the adversity.”

Guard McKinley Wright finished with eight points, four rebounds, and served as the ringleader for a CU attack that feasted on open looks. Three Colorado players scored in double figures, led by Lucas Siewert with 18, but Wright made the big plays late, despite missing the previous game against Utah due to a shoulder injury.

“He’s like Tom Brady. When he’s on the floor, everything’s much easier,” said Tyler Bey (17 points, 14 rebounds) of Wright.

The Bears haven’t won a conference game since February, and that streak will extend to more than a year if they can’t stop Utah on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

“We don’t have that margin of error where we can lay back. Those little spurts when we’re not focused, they really come back to hurt us at the end of the game,” said Justice Sueing, who along with Austin paced Cal with 13 points.

Kings Press Row Podcast: Troubles on the road trip and the trade deadline is coming

Published on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

raptors kings mb35 — Graphic @SacramentoKings

Your hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin & Charlie O

What has happened to the Kings on the road trip so far?
Which games the Kings lost should they have won?
Why did the Kings sit three players in Toronto with Kawhi, not in the lineup?
Who were the key players for the Raptors in their win over the Kings?
Is the game in Memphis a must win for the Kings?
The trade deadline is coming — who will be in a Kings uni on February 7th?
Is Jeremy Lin a good fit for the Kings?
Would Otto Porter, Jr. cost the Kings too much money in a trade deal?
Could Enes Kanter be the piece that puts the Kings in the playoffs?