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Flying High in Philly
Photo Credit: Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
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Written by Bryan Rubin, Online Sports Editor
After seven months of traveling to other venues, waiting on the tarmac at two in the morning for the bus, and playing in the toughest division in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers’s season came down to one game. At the time the Flyers held on to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers were just one point back in ninth place. And wouldn’t you know it, the two teams were scheduled to play each other in the last game of the regular season. It was winner take all, one game to decide which team would keep its Stanley Cup dreams alive.
In the most pivotal game of the year, Henrik Lundqvist, goalie of the Rangers, did everything he could to keep the Flyers off the board. But in the third period, the Flyers were finally able to crack Lundqvist and tie the game up at 1-1. Philadelphia ended up victorious in a shootout in front of their home crowd to advance to the playoffs, and secure a matchup with the New Jersey Devils.
After splitting the first two games in New Jersey, the Flyers took control of the series behind goalie Brian Boucher. Boucher allowed just three total goals in the final three games of the series as the number seven seeded Flyers upset the Devils four games to one.
Moving on to the second round, the Flyers faced the Bruins, who were also coming off a first round upset. But after destroying one of the best teams in the East, the tides turned. Boston won the first two games at home and then continued the slaughtering of the Flyers with an overtime victory on the road in Game 3 to push the series lead to 3-0. Only two NHL teams have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. Not to be the spoiler or anything, but the Flyers did come back to win the series and make history as the only teams to come back from 3-0 besides the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and ’75 New York Islanders.
And now in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to win the Stanley Cup, the prized possession of the NHL that they haven’t won since 1973. And the only team left in their way in the Eastern Conference is the Montreal Canadiens, the biggest surprise of this year’s postseason and the number eight seed. Through the first two games of the series, Philadelphia has dominated the Habs, shutting them out in games one and two by a combined score of 9-0.
With game three tonight in Montreal, the Flyers are looking to put the series away. Philly is in the opposite position it has been throughout the playoffs. There is no more battling from behind. They are up 2-0 in the series. And with a win tonight, the Flyers would be one more victory away from defying the odds and making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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"No NHL team in history has come back from a 3-0 hole and it looks like the reigning Western Conference Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, will be booking an earlier tee time than usual this year. "
The End of the Red Wings?
Photo Credit: Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images
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Written by Bryan Rubin, Online Sports Editor
As Logan Couture’s shot from the corner beat Jimmy Howard five hole, the crowd at Joe Louis Arena was silent. In Detroit’s attempt to get back into the series after losing two close games in San Jose, they blew a 3-1 third period lead and in theory the series too. No NHL team in history has come back from a 3-0 hole and it looks like the reigning Western Conference Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, will be booking an earlier tee time than usual this year.
From the start of the season, the Red Wings faced a disadvantage. Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, and Jiri Hudler, who combined for 86 regular season goals, were gone. With the emergence of rookies, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Wings were confident they could somewhat fill the holes these playmakers left behind. But injuries plagued Detroit in a way never before. Johan Franzen missed 55 games, Jason Williams 38, Jonathan Ericsson 20, and Thomas Holmstrom 14. And after Chris Osgood, the goalie who led them to two straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances struggled out of the gate, the team turned to rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. After spending five years with the Red Wings AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids Griffins, Howard got more playing time then he ever imagined, starting in 63 of 82 games. In an up-and-down regular season, the Wings who were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in before the Olympic Break soon elevated their game to a whole new level.
Arguably the hottest team in the NHL from late February to the end of the regular season, the Red Wings posted a league best, 16-3-2 record to move all the way up to the fifth seed in the Western Conference. So after the regular season scare, the Wings were ready to make another Stanley Cup run – right? Not exactly.
In a first round matchup with the number four seed and the biggest surprise of the season, the Phoenix Coyotes were rewarded for their historic season with a matchup with the Red Wings. Phoenix came out as if they were the team to beat and escaped Game 1 with a 3-2 victory. In a grueling back-and-forth series, the Wings and Coyotes took it all the way to a Game 7. The experience of the veteran Red Wings proved to be no match for Phoenix in the finale, as Detroit cruised to a 6-1 victory, taking the series and avoiding a first round disappointment.
But it was going to get no easier as the number one seeded, San Jose Sharks, awaited the Wings. Penalties killed Detroit in the first two games as they never could manage to stay out of the box. The Red Wings had no answer for Joe Pavelski in games one or two as he torched Detroit for four goals in the first two games. In Game 2, the Red Wings once again saw a third period lead disappear as San Jose took advantage of Nicklas Lidstrom’s blue-line gaffe as they raced down towards Howard with a three on one and then scored.
Detroit left San Jose empty handed and returned home to save the series. But between the combination of missed scoring chances and Jimmy Howard’s below par performance, the Red Wings watched as the Sharks erased a 3-1 deficit in the third period to inevitably end the game with a 4-3 overtime victory.
Now in a 3-0 hole, the Red Wings’ season is hanging on a thread. Their only chance is to pull some 2004 Boston Red Sox magic in order to save the S.S.S Detroit Disappointment.
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March Madness Time
Photo Credit: www.memeticians.com
Which team will pull off an upset like Western Kentucky did last year?
Written by Bryan Rubin and Ryan Bleecher
The most exciting event in college sports is just days away. The NCAA Basketball tournament, better known as March Madness or The Big Dance, will consist of 64 teams all vying for a national championship. From our sleepers to which team should be on upset alert, we will take you through everything you need to know to fill out your brackets.
Most exciting first round game:
6 Marquette vs 11 Washington
Coming off a lackluster performance in the Big East Tournament Semis, Marquette is a team that is capable of getting it done. Led by Lazar Hayward’s 18.1 points per game, the Golden Eagles are a dangerous six seed. Washington on the other hand won the Pac 10 Tournament and looks to pull off the first round “upset.”
First Round Upset Alert:
After a four year absence from The Dance, the UTEP Miners are back. Point guard, Randy Culpepper can be hard to stop as UTEP comes into the game as one of the hottest teams in the nation. Although Butler has the nation’s longest win streak at 20, the Bulldogs are on upset alert.
The team nobody is talking about:
The Richmond Spiders from the A-10. Playing out of the weak South region, Richmond has a winnable game against St. Mary’s in the first round and can very well upset #2 Villanova in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they would face a beatable Notre Dame or Baylor team.
First #1 seed to be knocked out:
Kentucky received a tough draw in the East Region. In a possible second round match up, the Wildcats would have to play the preseason number one ranked team, Texas. Although the Longhorns fell off the map and out of the Top 25, they have the talent to compete with Kentucky. We’re not saying they will lose, but it is not the easy second round game Kentucky was looking for.
Final Four:
Kansas, Kansas St, Kentucky, Baylor
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Your 2010 Fantasy Baseball Guide: Starting Pitchers
Photo Credit: fanhuddle.com
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Written by Bryan Rubin and Zack Schwartz, Online Sports Editors
With the MLB season just around the corner in early April, fantasy baseball season has officially gotten under way. With thousands of drafts happening each day on Yahoo and ESPN, baseball junkies are assembling their 2010 fantasy team. We are here today to help you with your draft and provide the name’s of players that you might not be familiar with that will earn you big money.
Leading off are the Starting Pitchers.
1. Tim Lincecum is the reigning NL Cy Young Winner and highest rated pitcher on ESPN.com. Lincecum led the NL in strikeouts and won 15 games with an average Giants team. There is no reason to believe why Lincecum’s stats won’t improve this year, especially with his catcher, Bengie Molina, back.
2. Roy Halladay finally got out of Toronto and joined the Phillies this off-season. After winning the Nation League pennant two straight years, Philadelphia just got arguably one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Halladay has won at least 16 games in each of the past three seasons and was a workhorse for the Blue Jays. In Phily, Halladay will get a lot more run support from stars like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins.
3. Felix Hernandez got the deal of a life-time in the offseason: 5 years worth $78 million. What is a 23 year old going to do with $78 million? He will probably upgrade his crib and then prove his worth on the field. Hernandez won 19 games last season for the Seattle Mariners, who were the biggest surprise of the 2009 season. Since the Mariners acquired Cliff Lee in the off-season, Hernandez will have less pressure to be the number one ace in Seattle. Look for a rising star in Hernandez to have a very successful season with the resurging Mariners.
Sleeper:
J.A Haap will enter the season as the Philadelphia Phillies’s fourth man in the rotation. Pitching behind experienced guys like Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, Haap has the potential to be the needle in the haystack you have been looking for. He won 12 games last year including two complete game shutout victories. Ranked a mere 170 on ESPN.com, you can draft J.A Haap late reap the benefits later.
Come back next week as we reveal the must have position players for the 2010 fantasy season.
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USA Shocks Canada 5-3
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times
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Written by Bryan Rubin
Sunday night’s game against Team Canada brought back memories of USA Hockey in its glory days. In the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Team USA defeated the Soviet Union who was at the time the greatest hockey team in the world. The Soviets demolished the NHL All-Stars and asserted their dominance over entire continents. From 1964 to 1992, Russia won 7 gold medals in hockey out of a possible 8. In this year’s Olympics in Vancouver, Team Canada reminds many people of the Soviets that dominated the sport internationally. With arguably the greatest team ever put together, Canada was the obvious favorite to win the gold medal in ice hockey. But after their loss to Team USA, people are starting to think otherwise.
Sidney Crosby, Patrick Marleau, Danny Heatley are just some of the superstars on Team Canada. In the NHL, the three have combined to score 112 goals. Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, and Chris Drury are the faces for Team USA in these Olympics. However, they’ve combined for a mere 56 goals in the NHL, exactly half of Canada’s big three. And with Martin Brodeur, the all-time leader in shutouts and wins for NHL goalies, you would think Canada should have no problem conquering a gold medal. But after a 5-3 loss to USA, maybe it’s time to focus on the team in the red, white and blue.
Canada out shot the Americans 45-23 including 14-4 in the third period yet couldn’t solve the Ryan Miller puzzle. Miller, who plays goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, put on a show that has hockey fans raving across the US. So with the barrage of shots, how did the United States manage to come out victorious and shock the world?
The key to the game was the first goal and establishing momentum early. There is no better way to do this than scoring a goal 41 seconds into the game, which is exactly what Team USA’s oldest player, Brian Rafalski did. He fired a shot from the blue line that got past Brodeur to give the U.S an early lead. Eric Staal answered for the Canadians with a deflection from Brent Seabrook’s shot from the point. Yet USA came right back 22 seconds later when Rafalski once again beat Brodeur into the low corner to regain the lead for the Americans. The two teams exchanged goals after that and the U.S had a 3-2 lead after the second period thanks to USA Captain, Chris Drury’s goal.
In the third, Canada continued their onslaught and controlled the puck for the majority of the period in Team USA’s zone. Yet Ryan Miller made 13 saves in the period to keep USA in the game. Jamie Langenbrunner scored with 13 minutes left to give the U.S a 4-2 lead. However the game was far from over. Canada’s assistant Sidney Crosby cut the lead in half with a redirection through Miller’s pads and into the back of the net. As the clock ran under a minute left in the game, the stadium (filled with mostly Canada fans) were on their feet looking for the tying goal. USA’s Zack Parise single-handedly cleared the puck out of the zone with 40 seconds left and chipped the puck up the ice. In one of the most remarkable plays in USA Hockey history, Vancouver native, Ryan Kessler, dove at a Canadian defenseman who had the puck and with one hand whacked the puck into the net to seal the game 5-3.
It was said that this game was Canada’s Super Bowl and that 80 percent of the entire country watched this game. Canada is the place hockey was founded, and for the U.S to beat them on Canadian soil makes this victory all the merrier.
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"Led by Juniors, Tatiana Coleman and Lexi Zaremba, and sophomore, Sara Ballante, the team is nationally ranked for the first time in school history.""
Lady Bulls Soccer Ranked #8 in Nation
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of West Boca Year Book
West Boca Girls Varsity Soccer Team
Written by Bryan Rubin , Online Sports Editor
The biggest surprise of the school year so far is making a run at a national number one ranking. Although many expected the West Boca Girls Varsity Soccer team to be competitive this season, a number eight national ranking was unexpected. With a record of 17-0, the girls are closing in being the best high school soccer team in the country. Led by Juniors, Tatiana Coleman and Lexi Zaremba, and sophomore, Sara Ballante, the team is nationally ranked for the first time in school history.
Of the fifteen wins this season, the most impressive one was against the #17 team in the country, American Heritage in December. That was Heritage’s only loss this season so far. The Lady Bulls have rolled through their opponents for the majority of the year. They have won games 8-0 three times and 10-0 four times. Unfortunately for Palm Beach Lakes, the Bulls scored 17 goals in their match up which accounted for the largest blowout this season.
With a quality win against Park Vista on the road last night, the team is gearing up for a District Tournament at Spanish River next week. If they can win Districts and Regional’s, West Boca will have its hands full in the State Tournament. Currently, the Bulls are ranked #3 in the state of Florida behind Melbourne High (#1 national and Florida rank) and George Jenkins High (#3 national rank).
“We are determined to be the #1 ranked team and surpass Melbourne,” stated Rachel Sexton, a junior on the team. “We are all really close and as a result, a better team because of our chemistry on and off the field.”
As Districts is right around the corner, the support for the Lady Bulls Varsity Soccer Team is quickly growing. With only one month left in the season, the team looks to bring home the first state soccer championship in West Boca’s six year history.
Follow the updated rankings for the Lady Bulls Soccer Team here: http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/fab50?sportId=10020050&seasonType=2&season=2010&week=6
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