Safeway Open: Snedeker’s collapse opens door for Tway’s first Tour win

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By Jeremy Harness

NAPA, Calif. – Brandt Snedeker was nine holes away from becoming the first player in the FedEx Cup era – which started in 2007 – to win the last event of the previous season and follow it up by winning the opening tournament of the next season.

One playoff hole later, one of the bigger golf collapses in recent years was complete.

Snedeker blew a four-stroke lead and was forced to watch as Kevin Tway outlasted Ryan Moore for his first PGA Tour win at the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort & Spa’s North Course. He made birdie on each of the last five holes – including the three playoff holes – to close the deal in grand fashion.

“It was nice to get hot at the end,” said Tway, the son of multiple PGA Tour winner Bob Tway, whose 1986 PGA Championship win came two years before he was born. “I knew the last few holes were easier, so I was just trying to make pars before I got to those holes.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the Masters, and now it’s happening. It’s going to be pretty awesome.”

With the win, the 30-year-old Tway not only gets 500 FedEx Cup points, but he also is fully exempt through the 2020-21 season while earning spots in this season’s Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship, the Masters as well as the PGA Championship.

He started the day three strokes behind Snedeker, and early on, it looked as if he would slip back to the pack, as he bogeyed two of the first four holes to fall five shots back at one point. He got things back together, however, as he got those two shots back at the sixth and eighth.

He bogeyed the 11th, but he held firm and then birdied the final two holes to get into a three-way playoff with Snedeker and Ryan Moore, who came from seven shots back get into the mix.

Starting the final round at nine-under, Moore played bogey-free golf and steadily climbed his way up the leaderboard, and his birdie at the par-5 18th tied Snedeker at 14-under, while Snedeker still had three holes to play.

“On a day like today, it’s not necessarily about how you’re swinging, how you’re hitting (the ball), it’s how you can just put the ball in the hole,” Moore said. “Somehow, I managed to do that today. I was able to just put together a really scrappy round of golf.” For the first nine holes, Snedeker was in complete control of the tournament. He did bogey the fourth hole, but he quickly got that shot back with a birdie at the very next hole and then picked up another shot at the par-3 seventh. At that point, he had a five-shot lead.

The wheels started to wobble for Snedeker when he hit the back nine, bogeying holes 10 through 12 and had his lead completely disintegrate. Several guys were right on his tail, and Moore caught all the way up to him.

Snedeker birdied each of the last three holes on Saturday, and he kept that trend going with a birdie at the par-5 16th to re-take the lead.

However, he quickly lost that lead when he found himself in the trees at the 17th and dropped a shot. Needing at least a birdie to avoid a playoff, he found the fairway bunker on the right side at the 18th. He then found the deep rough with his second shot. He made it on the green with his approach shot and then two-putted for his par to force a playoff with Moore and Tway.

On the first playoff hole, Snedeker’s drive found the fairway, but his second shot trickled off the green. Moore’s second shot did the same while Tway’s was about 20 yards short. The other two were able to get it up and down, and when Snedeker’s attempt missed to the right, his tournament was done.

“Really disappointing,” Snedeker said. “I’m going to look at that one in a few years and know I gave that one away. It sucks right now, but (I’m) playing next week, so (let’s) build on it and take the positives from this week.

“I played probably 63 holes of pretty damn good golf and nine holes I wish I had back.”

Luke List, the only guy in the field who did not wear a hat this week, also made a run on the back nine, and his eagle at the 18th left him at 13-under and only one shot back.

J.B. Holmes was one of the guys to make an early charge on Sunday. The former Ryder Cupper started at seven-under and gained significant ground. In fact, he picked up (four) shots and found himself tied for fourth after birdieing three hole in a row at holes 11 through 13. He finished the tournament at 11-under and in ninth place.

Another was Danny Lee, who started the day at seven-under, but then a stretch of three birdies in five holes on the front nine had him tied for fifth at one point. However, he stalled out on the back nine and could not get any closer, finishing at 10-under and tied for 10th.

One guy who was not in the mix at the end was Phil Mickelson. He was in it for the first 36 holes of this event, but fatigue from playing in France for the Ryder Cup last weekend set in over the weekend, and he finished at eight-under.

“I’ve made a bit of a mistake that I’m going to learn from, as far as playing too many events in a row and not being able to recover and be as sharp as I want to be,” Mickelson said. “And then, I just need to be focused when I’m playing.

“I think next year, when it has a bit of a break between the FedEx Cup and the start of the season, I think the field here’s going to get really strong.”

Three takeaways from San Jose State’s fifth straight loss

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans aren’t going to have its own Cinderella story this season, but they have plenty of things to look back on, and hopefully, learn from. In case you missed it, San Jose State lost their fifth straight regular season game and second straight home game to Colorado State 42-30. The Spartans were clearly unhappy with the final result, but there was nothing they could do except for prepare for this Saturday’s game versus Army West Point.

Here are my three takeaways from SJSU’s second straight home game vs. CSU. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.

3. Tyler Nevens’ return
Sophomore running back Tyler Nevens wasn’t listed in the Spartans’ possible starters list, but Nevens got to see some action on the field. Nevens returned from an injury, wore the No. 28 instead of the usual No. 23 and scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to help SJSU cut the Rams’ lead in half 28-14.

Nevens finished the night with 20 attempts, 73 yards, 1 touchdown 17 long gains and a 3.7 average. Not too shabby for a star running back who fought fairly hard in his much-anticipated return.

2. Tre Hartley’s impact
Fifth-year wide receiver Tre Hartley apparently realized that SJSU had to get back into the game vs. CSU. Hartley scored two passing touchdowns, a 24-yard passing touchdown and 51-yard passing touchdown, off quality passes from senior quarterback Josh Love.

Hartley finished the night with 96 yards, 2 touchdowns, 51 long gains and a 24 average along with 8 targets. Hartley’s apparent persistence helped the Spartans avoid a shutout by the Rams.

1. Rams’ vanishing offense
The Rams were off to a fiery start and carried a 28-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half. But the Rams, who were nearly as bad as the Spartans, came undone for the majority of the second half.

We can’t help but wonder about the Rams’ vanishing offense up until a gutsy fourth quarter when CSU scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown and a 55-yard interception to outlast SJSU. The Rams’ offense sputtered after a strong start, which allowed the Spartans to score 30 unanswered points. The Spartans just couldn’t close out the game.

Spartan nation, don’t forget that this Saturday’s game will be held at Levi’s Stadium. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, you can call or text (408) 924-7589.

Raiders three-point stance: Three takeaways from Raiders’ loss to Chargers in SoCal

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

CARSON, Calif — One week after exploding for 45 points to earn their first win of the season over the visiting Cleveland Browns, the Raiders struggled to find any offensive continuity Sunday losing to the Los Angeles Chargers 26-10.

Here are my takeaways from the Raiders (1-4) loss to their AFC West rival the Chargers (3-2):

Derek Carr and the offense didn’t show up
For an offense that ranks second in the NFL in total yardage coming into Week 5 averaging 441.8 yards per game, the Chargers’ defense held Oakland to 289 yards total for the game. The Silver and Black were pedestrian on third down, converting just 4-of-11 and were just 1-of-3 in the red zone.

Carr, who threw for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions last week, took a step back against Los Angeles, completing 24-of-33 passes for  268 yards one touchdown. But it was the kiss-of-death interception in the end zone that Carr threw in the third quarter with Oakland trailing 20-3 that really stung Oakland.

After Chargers safety Derwin James was called for defensive pass interference in the end zone while defending Raiders tight end Jared Cook, setting up Oakland with first-and-goal at the Chargers’ 1-yard-line, Carr didn’t see Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram drop back into the end zone and threw the ball right to him.

It was Carr’s league-leading eighth interception of the year, one of two turnovers for Oakland on the day.  Carr was also sacked three times.

Running back Marshawn Lynch, who at the age of 32 (when running backs are expected to be passed their primes) should be carrying the football 20 times a game, had just nine carries for 31 yards after his 20-carry, 130-yard rushing performance last week.

Inexcusable.

Amari Cooper is a week-to-week wide receiver
I’ve noticed a glowing pattern in Amari Cooper’s games this season that is alarming. Whenever Cooper has a tremendous game one week, the very next week he follows it up with a dud:

  • Week 1 against the Rams: 1 catch for 9 yards 3 targets.
  • Week 2 against the Broncos: 10 catches for 116 yards on 16 targets.
  • Week 3 against the Dolphins: 2 catches for 17 yards on 5 targets.
  • Week 4 against the Browns: 8 catches for 128 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets.

Can you guess what he did against the Chargers today? 1 catch for 10 yards on one target.

There’s no question that Cooper has special talent with game-changing ability, but what gives? How can anyone say that Cooper is a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL if he has the knack for missing in games?

Backup running back Jalen Richard led Oakland with six catches for

But good news for Raider Nation heading into Week 6.

Next week, Cooper should have a big day against the Seattle Seahawks when the Raiders travel to London for a “home” game.

Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense sliced up the Raiders’ defense
Rivers carved up the Raiders on Sunday, throwing for 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions on 22-of-27 passing. The 15-year veteran from North Carolina State was sacked just once by Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin, but had time to find his receivers for most of the game.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen was the main beneficiary of Rivers’ passes, hauling in eight passes (on 9 targets) for 90 yards. Backup rookie running back Austin Ekeler (44-yard touchdown) and backup tight end Virgil Green (13-yard touchdown), caught both of Rivers’ touchdowns.

Rivers has now thrown 43 touchdowns against the Silver and Black, the most Rivers has thrown against one team.

Starting running back Melvin Gordon was all over the field Sunday rushing and catching the football for Los Angeles. Gordon finished with 120 all-purpose yards against Oakland (19 carries for 58 yards and one touchdown; 4 catches for 62 yards on 4 targets).

Los Angeles piled up 412 total yards offensively on Oakland and controlled the time of possession, holding onto the football for 34:40 minutes to the Raiders’ 25:20.

Linebacker Tahir Whitehead had a game-high nine tackles (6 solo) for Oakland.

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Longhorns’ kicker Dicker boots the go-ahead for the win; Ohio State’s Haskins has career day with 455 yards; Howard just out of the grasp for win

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Photo credit: @bevobeat

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Texas Longhorns got a scare from the Oklahoma Sooners in the fourth quarter. The Sooners scored 21 unanswered points, but the Longhorns kicker Cameron Dicker kicked a go-ahead field goal for the 48-45 win.

#2 Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for a career-best 455 yards six touchdowns to beat Indiana 49-26.

#3 The North Carolina Central Eagles and the Howard Bison dueled it out in a close contest 40-35 a game that went down to the wire the Eagles came up a winner, but the Bison gave it everything they had,.

Michelle does the NCAAFB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Things tightening up in playoffs; Oakland’s bullpenning failed against Yanks; Yuck! Sox Price struggles in postseason

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Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a 2nd inning 2-run homer in game two of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum

1 AL and NL Division Series already interesting

2 Oakland’s pitching plan for the Wild Card game was sound, just didn’t work

3 David Price’s postseason woes continue

4 TBS announcer makes unfortunate gaffe about Masahiro Tanaka during broadcast

5 Twins fire Paul Molitor, bad move

Join Daniel for the MLB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Too Many Turnovers in Tucson: Cal coughs it up in 24-17 loss at Arizona

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By Morris Phillips

Brandon McIlwain did some good things. McIlwain also did some stuff that didn’t turn out good at all.

What didn’t turn out included the final score as the sophomore transfer’s first start fell short in a 24-17 loss at Arizona. Painful was the fact that the Bears had the ball, down three points with three minutes remaining when Scottie Young Jr. picked McIlwain for the game deciding touchdown.

“We gave them two touchdowns and we can’t do that,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We’re going to play in tough environments and it’s unacceptable to play like that. We have smart guys so we have to play smarter. We can’t make dumb mistakes like that.”

McIlwain became the third quarterback to start for Cal this season on Saturday night after he played in a platoon role with Chase Garbers the three previous games. The South Carolina transfer was again dynamic running the football (20 carries, 107 yards, 2 touchdowns) but faltered ever so slightly in throwing the ball 43 times, completing 32 for a career-best 315 yards.

With the Bears trailing from the first quarter on, but buoyed by a defense that stiffened considerably over the final three quarters, the close game hinged on McIlwain and the Bears constructing one big drive or a game-changing pass play. But due to McIlwain’s inability to stretch the defense, and numerous penalties, the Bears spent more than half the ballgame trailing by fewer than seven points but unable to assume the lead.

“We made a lot of plays and did a good job moving the ball between the twenties, but we just need to finish better,” McIlwain admitted. “I need to personally be able to get rid of those turnovers and take care of the ball a little better, but in general, we just need to finish.”

Cal fell to 3-2, 0-2 in Pac-12 play and failed to fully take advantage of a schedule that had them matched with three, beatable opponents following their lopsided, home loss to Oregon.

Utes down the Cardinal 40-21 at Stanford Stadium

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By: London Donson

STANFORD, Calif. — Going into Saturday, the Stanford Cardinal had to be feeling pretty good. Ranked at #14, despite coming off a 38-17 loss to Notre Dame last week, they held a 4-1 record. Looking for a chance to make some serious noise this season against the unranked Utah Utes under the lights in primetime.

The Utes had other plans and came out swinging. After trading scoreless possessions in the first, the Utes made into the red zone where running back Zach Moss would take pitch from inside the Cardinal 10-yard line and score one of his two touchdowns of the night. Giving them the early 7-0 lead, putting Stanford on their heels in the final minute of the first quarter.

KJ Costello, who was in at quarterback for the Cardinal, would orchestrate a drive down the field, getting his team into the red zone. A poor throwing decision later and he was picked off in the end zone by Jaylon Johnson, who dashed it backed down the field for a 100-yard pick six, doubling the Utes’ advantage. Utah continued to dominate the game on both side of the ball, giving the offense fits as the sacked Costello four times and picked him off twice. They would go into the half with a two-touchdown advantage, 21-7.

The second half saw the Cardinal find their moxie. After giving up a score early in the third, running back Cameron Scarlett would leap his way into the end zone virtually untouched. The Cardinal continued to rally four minutes later as Costello would find Michael Wilson in the corner of the end zone from just beyond the Utah 30-yard line. This would narrow the gap, 27-21, in front of a raucous crowd.

But Utah remained resilient. Having pushed the lead to 30-21, Utah had the ball with seven minutes left in the game on their own 42. After escaping a sack, quarterback Tyler Huntley tossed up a prayer off his back foot. His prayer was answered as wideout Samuel Nacua was able locate the ball and get in for six. It was Huntley’s only touchdown off the game, and it dashed the Cardinal’s hope for a comeback.

The Utes held onto the ball to eventually beat the Cardinal 40-21.

The Cardinal have a much-needed bye week and then head to the desert to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, October 18 at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose State set the expectation off the field, but not on the field in 42-30 loss to Rams

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Spartans were ready to work in Saturday’s game versus the Colorado State Rams inside CEFCU Stadium on Saturday night. The Spartans hosted an equally bad Rams team on “Set the Expectation” night, but was it as great of an idea as it appeared on paper?

CSU opened the scoring with what turned out to be a five-yard passing touchdown by Preston Williams. SJSU’s pass interference penalty on JaQuan Blackwell was declined. Wyatt Bryant kicked in the extra point for a 7-0 Rams lead at the 10:57 mark of the first quarter.

Despite an apparent helmet-to-helmet injury to Jonathan Lenard, Jr., SJSU had some good looks midway through the first quarter like, say, Tyler Nevens’ 17-yard pickup.

CSU made it 14-0 with 3:04 left in the first. Williams scored a 16-yard passing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point.

The Spartans trailed the Rams 14-0 at the end of the first. SJSU had to fine tune their offense in the next three quarters in order to pick up a win over CSU.

SJSU attracted some positive attention to themselves as Zamore Zigler intercepted K.J. Carta-Samuels’ pass intended for a CSU receiver midway through the second quarter.

CSU expanded its lead to 21-0 with 3:24 left in the second. Warren Jackson tallied a 16-yard passing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point.

CSU extended its lead to 28-0, thanks to Jackson’s second touchdown on the night–a eight-yard passing touchdown–and Bryan’s kick for the extra point with 23 seconds left in the second.

The Spartans dug themselves into a larger deficit 28-0 at halftime.

SJSU, however, salvaged something in the third quarter. Josh Love completed a pass to Tre Hartley, who ran the ball for a 24-yard passing touchdown, and Bryce Crawford followed up with a successful kick for the extra point. The Spartans avoided a shutout, but were still down 28-7 with 7:47 left in the third.

SJSU cut the Rams’ lead in half with 5:17 left in the third. Tyler Nevens rushed for a six-yard rushing touchdown. Crawford kicked in the extra point to bring his team within 14 points, 28-14.

SJSU pulled within seven points just 3:09 later. Hartley scored his second touchdown on the night–a 51-yard passing touchdown off a pass from Love–and Crawford kicked in the extra point to pull closer to the Rams, 28-21.

It seemed like CSU wasn’t worried whatsoever, as SJSU tied the score 28-28 with 28 seconds left in the third. Thai Cottrell scored a one-yard passing touchdown and Crawford kicked in the game-tying, extra point. Just five seconds later, Boogie Roberts scored a safety to put the Spartans up 30-28.

The Spartans put up 30 unanswered points for a 30-28 lead at the end of the third.

CSU, however, refused to back down. Izzy Matthews rushed for a one-yard rushing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point for a 35-30 Rams lead at the 11:26 mark of the fourth quarter. And, as if the confidence level wasn’t already high, CSU hurriedly capitalized on SJSU’s first turnover on the night for a 42-30 lead on Rashad Ajayi’s 55-yard interception and Bryan’s kick for the extra point.

The Spartans suffered their fifth straight loss, 42-30, to the Rams.

Notes
Spartans’ possible starters
Offense: Justin Holmes, Jackson Snyder, Troy Kowalski, Trevor Robbins, Jake Colman, Deano Motes, Josh Oliver, Josh Love, Malike Roberson, Thai Cottrell and JaQuan Blackwell.

Defense: Bryson Bridges, Boogie Roberts, Sailosi Latu, Jesse Osuna, Kyle Harmon, Ethan Aguayo, Jamal Scott, Dakari Monroe, John Touissaint, Tre Webb and Jonathan Lenard, Jr.

Up Next
The Spartans head to nearby Levi’s Stadium to face the Army Black Nights next Saturday at 12:30 pm PT on ESPNU.

Safeway Open: Snedeker maintains lead while Mickelson comes apart

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By Jeremy Harness

NAPA–In a tournament that has seen a lot of birdies and a lot of movement among the leaders, Brandt Snedeker has been the constant at Silverado this weekend.

After Saturday’s proceedings, Snedeker has the same three-stroke lead that he had a day prior, and he is now 18 holes away from winning for the first time in nearly two months, and it would be his first time winning the Safeway Open, the first PGA Tour event of the 2018-19 season.

Snedeker got things going early with what usually get him there: the putter. He had a long birdie putt at the third hole, and he shook off a bogey at the seventh with a birdie at the par-5 ninth.

He couldn’t get it up and down at the 13th and dropped a shot there, but he responded beautifully with three birdies in a row at holes 16 through 18 to get to 16-under par.

“It was a tough day,” Snedeker said. “The wind kicked up on the last 12, 13 holes and made it hard to hit it close and make birdies.

“I did a great job of staying patient knowing I had 16, 17, 18 for birdie holes left, and I was really proud of the way I stepped up there and hit some quality shots when I needed to. Tomorrow’s supposed to be tougher than today, so every shot is really important coming down the stretch.” One guy who has hung in there is Kevin Tway, who shot a 68 on Saturday, and he will play with Snedeker in the final pairing Sunday afternoon after finishing the third round at 13-under. He played a bogey-free round with back-to-back birdies on the front side – including a hole-out from a greenside bunker 41 feet away at the eighth – as well as two more birdies on the back nine.

“I kept the ball in play nicely, made a nice save on 14 when that was my only real bad shot,” Tway said. “I hung in there and played well.

“I got in contention a few times last year and didn’t do very good, so I’ll use tomorrow to learn from the bad and try to do better tomorrow.”

Phil Mickelson, however, didn’t hang in there as well as the other two. After being in the thick of things the first two days, he came unglued a bit on Saturday, starting with a double bogey at the par-5 eighth. He had two birdies on the back nine, but those were undone by two bogeys on the back side.

Barracuda down the Condors 5-1 in Bakersfield

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By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Barracuda had hoped to keep the win streak going after heading to Central California to take on the Bakersfield Condors at Rabobank Arena on Saturday night. But did the Cuda apply pressure on the rival Condors?

Prior to the puck drop, San Jose announced its starting lineup against Bakersfield.

Cuda goalie Josef Korenar made his first AHL start tonight. Korenar had some good looks from the get-go, including the notable save he made to prevent a Condor forward from scoring an early goal in the opening period.

The Cuda and Condors were in a scoreless deadlock after 20 minutes of play. Shots were 14-9 in favor of Bakersfield.

Despite being the new kid on the ice, Korenar–a Vystrkov, Czech Republic native–made yet another notable save to keep things scoreless in the second period.

The Cuda made it a 1-0 game on Jayden Halbgewachs’ first goal on the season just 4:03 into the second period. Nick DeSimone and Vincent Praplan collected the assists on Halbgewach’s goal.

The Cuda continued to pour in the goals just 2:56 apart at the 11:08 and 13:04 marks of the second period. Maxim Letunov scored his second (unassisted) goal on the season and then Cavan Fitzgerald followed suit with his first goal on the season. Alexander True and Manuel Wiederer collected the assists on Fitzgerald’s goal.

The Cuda led the Condors 3-0 after 40 minutes of play. Shots were 24-22 in favor of San Jose.

The Condors halted the Cuda’s hopes of achieving a shutout 5:46 into the third period. Josh Currie scored his first goal on the season. Cameron Hebig and Cooper Marody collected the assists on Currie’s goal.

The Cuda, however, bounced back with two goals after the first half of the third period. DeSimone scored his first goal on the season. Francis Perron and Jeremy Roy collected the assists on DeSimone’s power play goal following Keaton Middleton’s penalty for elbowing. Shortly after, Perron scored his second goal on the season. Vincent Praplan and Jacob Middleton collected the assists on Perron’s goal.

The Cuda defeated the Condors 5-1, so it didn’t matter Bakersfield outshot San Jose 38-31 after 60 minutes of play.

Korenar picked up his first AHL win, finishing with 37 saves on 38 shots and one goal allowed in 59:42 minutes. Condor goalie Dylan Wells absorbed the loss, making 26 saves on 31 shots and five goals allowed in 59:56 minutes.

Notes
Familiar face 
After failing to make the playoffs in all three years of its existence, the Oilers relieved Gerry Flemming of his duties and appointed former Sharks and Oilers’ assistant Jay Woodcroft as the head coach of the Bakersfield Condors this offseason. Woodcroft was an assistant under Todd McLellan with the Sharks for seven years before following McLellan to Edmonton the last three seasons.

Rookie arrival
Dylan Gambrell collected three points (two goals, one assist) in the first 16 minutes of Friday’s 4-1 win over the Reign. The rookie forward appeared in three games with the Sharks last season after the conclusion of his junior year at the Denver University, where he won a National Championship in 2017. His impressive AHL debut earned him first star honors.

Youth movement
The Barracuda opened up the 2018-19 season as the AHL’s youngest roster with an average age of 22.7 years old, which is comprised of 10 rookies. 13 players on the Cuda’s 25-man opening night roster skated in at least one game for San Jose a year ago.

Big trade
On June 14, Sharks GM Doug Wilson traded forward Adam Helewka to the Coyotes in exchange for 6-foot-5, 235-pound defenseman Kyle Wood. Two seasons ago, Wood was named to the AHL All-Rookie team after collecting 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) from the blueline. Wood collected a pair of assists in Friday’s 4-1 win over Ontario.

National pride
With the offseason signings of Vincent Praplan (Switzerland) and Lukas Radil (Czech Republic), along with the return of Captain John McCarthy, San Jose’s opening night roster will be comprised of three different skaters who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Up Next
The Cuda will return home to host the Condors in a rematch on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 pm PT.