New year’s eve not kind to Barracuda who drop eighth in a row against the Firebirds 4-1

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. William Eklund stick-handles in front of a Firebirds defender.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE – In the second of back to backs against the Firebirds on home ice the Barracuda one again turned in a disappointing performance this time losing 4-1.

It was a quick start compared to yesterday’s game between these two teams as just 44 seconds in Ryker Evans took a holding penalty putting San Jose on the power play.

The power play however did not go to plan as shorthanded Jimmy Schuldt scored his fourth of the season putting the Firebirds on the board.

For San Jose the power play continued to struggle going 0/3 in the first though no more shorthanded goals were scored.

At the 9:59 mark Kole Lind extended Coachella Valley’s lead to two scoring his 14th goal of the season with no assists on the play.

That ended up being all the scoring in the first with the shots favoring San Jose at 14-9.

The following period saw San Jose’s power play unit get another chance as Kole Lind was sent to the box for slashing.

This time on a beautiful passing play Thomas Bordeleau scored his 15th goal of the season on the power play as Danil Gushchin and William Eklund assisted on the goal.

The rest of the period played out closely with neither team pulling away offensively and so the score finished at the end of the second 2-1.

The shots at the end of the second still favored San Jose at 24-17.

Unlike the first two period the third period ended up being a penalty fest as in total 11 penalties were called.

On one of these penalties the Firebirds responded as Max McCormick scored his 12th goal of the season. Both Brogan Rafferty and Cameron Hughes assisted on the goal.

Coachella Valley looking to pull away got another goal this time it was Evans scoring his second of the game. Tye Kartye and Alexander True both assisted on the goal.

The score now becoming out of reach 15:12 into the third Patrick Sieloff took a boarding penalty as well as receiving a game misconduct and penalty for abuse of an official.

With that play the game was essentially over as the Barracuda had to spend the rest of the game killing off Sieloff’s penalties.

The shots at the end of the game favored the Barracuda at 31-30.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Jimmy Schuldt 2nd: Thomas Bordeleau 3rd: Joey Daccord

San Jose’s next game will be Wednesday at home at 7 p.m. against the Henderson Silver Knights.

Stanford De-Barked by Utah Inside Maples Pavilion on the Last Day of 2022, 71-66

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Utah guard Rollie Worster (25) shoots against Stanford forward Brandon Angel (23) during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Dec 31, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-9, 0-4 Pac-12) remain winless in conference play after being chopped down by the undefeated (division) Utah Runnin’ Utes (11-4, 4-0 Pac-12), on a rainy New Year’s Eve on the Farm, 71-66.

Stanford trailed most of the initial 20 minutes of play, and fell behind by ten points early in the half. Utah had a 10-0 run to sustain their advantage on the road. The Cardinal managed to make a 7-0 charge, and had a deficit of that same amount of points (7) at intermission, 30-23.

Sophomore forward Harrison Ingram led the Cardinal with seven points and five rebounds, while senior center Branden Carlson topped the Utes with 11 points.

In the second stanza, Utah pushed the lead back up to double-digits within the first three minutes after the break in action.

Although the Utes pushed their advantage to as high as 16 points, the Cardinal kept chipping away and cut the margin to single digits several times, getting as close as two points away from their guest from the Beehive state with just over two minutes left in regulation.

However, Utah was able to hit crucial free throws down the stretch, while Stanford did not, resulting in a five point loss, 71-66.

The Cardinal was led by senior forward Spencer Jones’s 16 points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Isa Silva added 11 points, junior forward Max Murrell chipped in ten points. Ingram only added two second half points to his halftime total, tallying nine points, seven rebounds and five assists, but 0-3 from the free throw line in crunch time.

The Runnin’ Utes had four players in double-digits: Sophomore guard Lazar Stefanovic (20), Carlson (18), junior guard Gabe Madsen (10 points & 7 rebounds) and senior guard Marco Anthony (10).

Stanford will next be in action Friday, January 6, 2023, across the Bay in Berkeley, for part one of the Battle of the Bay versus Cal. Utah will be back in Salt Lake City to host Oregon State, January 5, 2023.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Forsberg and Sissons lead Nashville to 6-1 win in Anaheim; Canes Raanta shutsout Panthers 4-0; plus more NHL news

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Nashville Predators center Juuso Parssinen, center, misses the puck on a rebound with Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson, left, and right wing Troy Terry defending during the second period at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Fri Dec 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Nashville Predators Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, Colton Sissons scored a goal and an assist as the Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim 6-1.

#2 Matt the Predators also got scoring help from Yokov Trenin, Thomas Novak, Roman Josi, and Nino Niederreiter the win ended Nashville’s two game loss streak.

#3 Jesperi Kokaniemi supplied the offense for the the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-0 defeat over the Florida Panthers. Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta saved 19 shots on goal by the Panthers and picked up his first shoutout for the 2022-23 campaign.

#4 The New Jersey Devils got a two goal win over the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. The Pens Jack Hughes scored two goals and teammate Nico Hischier scored a shorthanded goal as the Devils (13-2-1) are one of the hottest road teams in the NHL.

#5 Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon skated for the first time since his Dec 5 upper body injury. MacKinnon practiced at the morning skate on Friday and might get into Saturday’s line up against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Join Matt Harrington for the NHL podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda shut out on home ice against the Firebirds 4-0

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Patrick Sieloff battles for the puck.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- Continuing their home stand the Barracuda dropped another one in front of their fans this time against the Coachella Valley Firebird by a final of 4-0.

The Barracuda got off to a good start in the game with a couple good chances against Coachella Valley goalie Christopher Gibson. However the goalie held his own long enough for the Firebirds to get his team in the game.

With the momentum carrying the other way 16:49 into the first period Ville Petman scored his seventh goal of the season to get the Firebirds on the board. Both Austin Poganski and Carsen Twarynski assisted on the goal.

That ended up being all the scoring in the first with the shots finishing at the end of the first in favor of Coachella Valley 16-8.

The second period got off to a quiet start with the first major play of the period coming 10:42 in when Alexander True took a cross-checking penalty.

San Jose was given a great opportunity though when John Hayden took a delay of game penalty for batting the puck with his hand on the face-off. Giving the Barracuda a five-on-three.

Coachella’s penalty kill rose to the challenge and killed off what could have been a huge momentum swing for San Jose.

Then in the dying moments of the period John Hayden made up for his penalty by scoring his tenth goal of the season with both Kole Lind and Alexander True assisting on the play.

The score at the end of the second finished 2-0 in favor of the Firebirds with the shots also in favor of Coachella Valley at 28-18.

Heading into the third the Barracuda needed a big push on offense but got off to a rough start as just over five minutes in Danil Gushchin took a slashing penalty.

San Jose’s penalty kill also was just as strong on the night killing off the penalty and every other penalty they took on the night.

With the score still close the Barracuda pulled Aaron Dell to try to equalize the score.

Jesper Froden had other plans though as he scored on the empty net to get his 15th goal of the season. Tye Kartye got the lone assist on the goal.

San Jose pulled Dell again and this time Hayden scored on the unguarded cage getting his second goal on the night. Both True and Lind assisted on the goal.

The shots at the end of the game favored the Firebirds 37-24.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Ville Petman 2nd: Christopher Gibson 3rd: Aaron Dell

“I liked our start tonight I thought we came out we were ready to play. Took some penalties and they got a little momentum they found their game a little bit and I felt they controlled the play after that,” Barracuda head coach John McCarthy commented after the game.

The Barracuda’s next game will be at home tomorrow at 3 p.m. against these same Firebirds.

Warriors In A Gritty Win Over Portland 118-112

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Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) gestures after 3-point basket during the first half  at Chase Center San Francisco on Fri Dec 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors In A Gritty Win Over Portland 118-112

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (19-18) took on the Portland Trail Blazers (18-17) at Chase looking for their fourth straight win in a row at home. They have been playing lights out despite being short-handed.

Jordan Poole has been spectacular along with Klay Thompson, and Donte Devincenzo has made some amazing strides. The Warriors have beaten some very good teams in the past four games and they meet another one tonight. As the Warriors battled this one out for a 118-112 win over the Blazers.

The Warriors had a brilliant first quarter taking an early 9-0 lead and with under three minutes left in the opening quarter had stretched out that lead to 18, 33-15. Jordan Poole and Thompson had a great quarter giving their team a 41-25 lead after the first 12 minutes. It was an explosive start for the Warriors to open the game this way.

It was just a matter of time before the Trail Blazers turned their slow start around. They erased an 18 point Warrior lead and at the half Golden State was leading by four points 60-56. The Warriors played some sloppy basketball in the final minutes of the half letting Portland take the momentum away from them. The Trail Blazers won the second quarter 31-19.

Poole had 22 points in the first half, his seventh game shooting for 20 or more in a half. Thompson had 15 points and Ty Jerome had nine off the bench including a last second 47 foot shot to end the first quarter.

Portland’s Damien Lilliard got off to a slow start but more than made up for it shooting for 19 points. It was just a matter fo time before he got going and the Warriors would have to contain him in the second half.

Early in the third quarter Portland took their first lead of the game 64-63. It was short-lived when Thompson answered with a triple. This game would start to trade leads but the momentum had clearly turned around in favor of Portland. The Warriors defense had to step it up. They were allowing far too many offensive rebounds.

Second chance points was the difference in this game and it was clearly in favor of Portland. The Trail Blazers continued to accumulate offensive rebounds. They led after three quarters 96-88 winning the quarter 40-28. The Warriors would have to stage a comeback if they wanted to keep they’re winning streak intact.

The Trail Blazers continued to lead in the fourth quarter. Getting stops against Portland was like pulling teeth. It was painful to watch. The Warriors finally started to make some stops erasing an 11 point Portland lead. Golden State trailed by a single point 110-109 with 2:37 left in the game.

The Warriors went crazy in the final two minutes of the game. The crowd at Chase was thunderous and the Trail Blazers began to make mistakes partially due to the noise.

Portland had a couple of turnovers and with 22 seconds on the clock Divincenzo hit a monster three to take a 118-112 lead. They finished the game on a 16-2 run in an unlikely win keeping their win streak intact. They are now 16-2 at home.

Poole and Thompson shot for over 70 points in this game. Poole had 41 and Thompson with 31 in an amazing effort.

The Warriors will get the weekend off before taking on the Atlanta Hawks at Chase. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Kings just get by Jazz 126-125; Huerter supplies offense scores 30

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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) is defended by Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) in the first quarter at Golden 1 Arena Sacramento on Fri Dec 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night after a day off on Thursday. The Kings were coming off a split in a two-game series with the Denver Nuggets, where the Kings won the second game of the back-to-back. On Friday, the Kings welcomed in the Utah Jazz for a 7 PM PST matchup. The Kings managed to squeak by the Jazz 126-125 at home. 

In the first quarter, the Kings came out with good energy. However, they were a little sloppy on the defensive end. The Kings received several ticky-tac fouls that hurt them in the first quarter. One of those fouls was a flagrant penalty one foul against KZ Okpala. Yet, the Kings still managed to outscore the Jazz 30-27 in the first quarter. Domantas Sabonis started the Kings early with nine points.

In the second quarter, not much changed. Neither team went on any big runs. The Kings three point advantage they entered the quarter with would remain the same headed into halftime. The Kings and Jazz each scored 30 points in the second quarter to send the game to halftime, with the Kings leading 60-57.

It was a disappointing quarter for the Kings; just a minute before the conclusion, they had as much as an eight-point lead. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings in the first half with 13 points. Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 13 points.

In the third quarter, the game remained tight. The Kings and Jazz couldn’t figure each other out enough to go on a large run. The Kings scored 31 points, while the Jazz could only score 30. It wasn’t much of a lead increase, but the Kings would take it. The Kings would go into the final quarter leading the game 91-87. Could they finish what they started and wrap up the win? 

In the fourth quarter, the Kings managed to finish off the win against the Jazz. Granted, it was by the thinnest of margins, as the final was 126-125. In the final quarter, the Jazz outscored the Kings 38-35. The Sacramento faithful got what they wanted, as it was a playoff atmosphere in Golden 1 Center.

In defeat, Lauri Markkanen was on fire scoring 36 points and nearly leading the Jazz to victory. For the Kings, Kevin Huerter led the way with 30 points and a clutch three-pointer which would be the difference. De’Aaron Fox also came up big with 11 points in the fourth.

All that to say, Domantas Sabonis continues to be the MVP of the Kings. Domas, while injured, put up 28 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who improved to 19-15 on the season. 

Up Next: The Kings head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies at 5 PM on Sunday, Jan 1st.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks open three game road trip in Dallas Saturday

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San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) looks toward the puck in front of Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, the San Jose Sharks held a 3-1 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers until collapsing in the third period this loss being the Sharks fifth out of their last six games.

#2 Despite the loss the Sharks Erik Karlsson picked up his 11th straight point and Thomas Hertl scored two goals.

#3 One of the big concerns for Sharks head coach David Quinn is closing games he said during practice this week that the Sharks simply need to put the pucks in the net as they came up a goal short on Thursday night 4-3 in overtime.

#4 Talk about Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen who allowed four goals and saved 22 in the loss. Was this a matter of Kahkonen was having an off night or he just didn’t get enough defense up front from the skaters?

#5 Sharks embark on a three game road trip starting in Dallas Saturday at 5:00 PM. The Stars (22-9-6) beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in their last game on Thursday night. Stars are in first in the Western Conference and are 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcast heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah stifles Cal, hold Bears to season-low points in 58-43 win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The Cal Bears losing streak has been laid to rest. But another menace has surfaced: Pac-12 defenses.

Utah came to Haas Pavilion on Thursday with two missions: get a win in the wake of a pair of frustrating losses and a commitment to lean heavily on their defense in the process.

Missions accomplished.

“The bright side is we held them to 43 points,” Utah coach Craig Smith said of the Utes 58-43 win over Cal. “That is hard to do. I don’t care who you play when you play. To do that, that is hard. Defense travels, so super excited about that.”

Utah held the Bears to 34 percent shooting from the floor and that combined with a holiday-dented crowd of fewer than 2,000 made for a quiet night in Berkeley.

The Bears welcomed super senior transfer DeJuan Clayton to their rotation but got little in return. Clayton showed his rust and the significance of having just two practices in missing eight of his ten shots. With Clayton, Cal’s plodding attack changed little as they struggled to create separation from Utah’s attentive defenders. That standstill was best reflected in Cal’s underwhelming total of four assists on the evening.

“We didn’t help each other offensively,” coach Mark Fox said. “Defensively, we did okay.”

“We got some pretty good looks, especially in the paint,” said Kuany Kuany, who led Cal with 12 points. “We didn’t convert, and we can do better.”

The Bears trailed 27-18 at the break then found some disruptive defense of their own to climb within 33-31 with 13:40 remaining. But the Utes steadied and cruised from that point, leading by as many as 16 with 1:37 to go.

“That first media timeout wasn’t pretty in our huddle, but to the credit of our guys, they showed self-awareness,” Smith said. “Nobody was pointing fingers. They manned up to it and figured it out.”

Cal’s leading scorers, Devin Askew and Lars Thiemann, suffered the worst. Askew returned from missing Cal’s first win over Texas-Arlington and wasn’t right, taking just three shots and scoring seven points. Thiemann was hounded by the Utes’ big front line, missing six of his eight shots before fouling out late.

The Bears fell to 0-3 in Pac-12 play and will now look to getting their initial conference win against Colorado on Saturday.

“If we can get healthy and whole, I think we can make some headway,” Fox said, “but we’re going to have to grow up.”

.

Stanford Loses In Final Seconds to Colorado 73-70

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Stanford guard Michael Jones, left, vies for the ball against Colorado forward Tristan da Silva during the second half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Dec 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

Stanford Loses In Final Seconds to Colorado 73-70

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the Stanford Cardinal (5-7) took on the Colorado Buffaloes (8-5) at Maples Pavilion. Colorado is back at full strength with Luke O’Brien and Lawson Lovering returning to the rotation. The Cardinal are struggling and took full advantage of a long holiday break trying to come up with a game plan that will bring them more success.

The Cardinal got to rest and reorganize getting ready for the next 18 Pac 12 Conference games. If Stanford wants to make a run for the NCAA Tournament they have the challenge of winning at least 14 of those games if not even more. The Cardinal have not played in a March Madness since 2014. They lost in the last few seconds of Thursday’s contest 73-70 to the Buffaloes to start the two game homestand.

Colorado took an early lead in the first half. They led at one time 17-8. The Cardinal came roaring back to pull to within one point 17-16 with 10:30 left in the half. Stanford took their first lead 19-17 when Spencer Jones hit a shot from downtown. Stanford had momentum going leading 28-21 before letting the Buffaloes back in the game.

With under five minutes left in the opening half Colorado had tied the game at 28. The Cardinal had eight turnovers which hurt them. The Cardinal were using their size to punish Colorado on the glass. This put tremendous pressure on the Buffaloes. After the slow start the Cardinal had really turned this game around. The pace of this game had turned up a notch in the closing minutes. After the first 20 minutes of play Stanford led 37-33.

In the first half both teams were shooting over 50% on the floor. Spencer Jones had 17 points in the half and was three of six from beyond the arc. KJ Simpson had 13 points for the Buffaloes.

With under four minutes left in the game the Cardinal had held onto the lead the entire second half. They had cashed in on a couple of Colorado turnovers. With 3:45 left on the clock Stanford led 68-64. With a lot of time in the second half this was still anybody’s game.

This was a one point game more often than not in the final minutes. With 2:04 left Colorado took their first lead of the second half 69-68. At 0.28 seconds remaining Stanford was clinging to a 70-69 lead. The Buffaloes took the lead 71-70 and Stanford had 0:17 to win this game.

The Cardinal would foul sending Colorado to the line. Stanford had led for the majority of the game but when push came to shove they could not finish. Colorado comes away with the win.

Stanford’s Spencer Jones finished with 25 points. KJ Simpson had an amazing game with 31 points for the Buffaloes. This game went right down to the wire but Colorado had just enough to power past the Cardinal.

On Saturday Dec 31st the Stanford Cardinal will host Utah. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

Flyers slip past Sharks 4-3 in OT; San Jose drops 5th game in six tries

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San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson (65) gets congratulated by teammates after picking up his 11th consecutive point in as many games played. This one coming against the Philadelphia Flyers at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 29, 2022 (@SanJoseSharks photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, December 29, 2021

Tony DeAngelo scored the tie-breaking goal for Philadelphia in overtime Thursday, lifting the Flyers past San Jose 4-3 at SAP Center.

DeAngelo’s seventh goal of the season was assisted by Ivan Provorov and Owen Tippett at 1:10 of the extra period, beating Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.

It was the first overtime win of the season for Philadelphia (12-17-7, 31 points), San Jose, sporting their California Golden Seals tribute throwback jerseys, slipped to 11-19-7, 29.

The Flyers scored twice in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit. Kevin Labanc’s tally put San Jose up 3-1 52 seconds into the period, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson. But Tippett scored for Philadelphia at 5:57, and Travis Konecny’s 17th goal of the season – and second of the game – was the equalizer at 17:55.

Hertl gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at 8:29 of the second period with his second goal of the game, from Timo Meier and Logan Couture.

Hertl opened the scoring at 9:38 of the first period. Konecny scored for Philadelphia to tie the game at 1-1 at 10:25.

Kahkonen turned away 22 of the Flyers’ 25 shots on goal. Samuel Ersson stopped 25 of 28 San Jose shots.

The Sharks hit the road Saturday for a 5 p.m. PST game in Dallas against the Stars.