Category: Saturday Sports Slam

Pens cruise past Senators 6-3!!!

By DAN SCIFO, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored twice, Zach Aston-Reese scored his first two NHL goals and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Evgeni Malkin scored his 31st and Kris Letang his fourth for the Penguins, who have won seven of nine and 12 of their last 16. Sidney Crosby, who scored his 400th career goal on Sunday, finished with three assists.
Pittsburgh is riding a nine-game home winning streak, the longest since a franchise-record 13-game run during the 2013-14 season. The Penguins haven’t lost in Pittsburgh since a 4-0 defeat by Carolina on Jan. 4.
Matt Murray stopped 30 shots for Pittsburgh.
Derick Brassard, Colin White and Mike Hoffman all scored for the Senators, who lost for the third time in five games. The Senators dropped to 7-16-4 on the road. They were 22-17-2 away from home last season.
Guentzel scored his 17th on the power play and his 18th in the second period. Aston-Reese scored the first of his career in the second period and added an empty-net goal with 1:05 to play.
Mike Condon made five saves on nine shots before he was pulled after Aston-Reese’s goal. Craig Anderson stopped 17 of 18 shots.
Guentzel, who set a Penguins rookie record with 13 goals in the playoffs, scored 12 goals in his first 27 games this season, but he had just four in his previous 30.
Aston-Reese, a finalist for the 2017 Hobey Baker Award, played in his first NHL game Feb. 3 at New Jersey and recorded his first point at Dallas six days later.
The Penguins opened the scoring with their first power-play goal in five games. Guentzel tipped a Justin Schultz point shot behind Condon for the early lead.
Brassard evened the score at 4:18 of the second period with a blocker-side slap shot from the left faceoff dot.
The Penguins reclaimed the lead for good 52 seconds later with Guentzel’s second goal, a rebound from the top of the crease.
Murray made a sliding stop on Cody Ceci off the rush shortly after Guentzel’s goal, allowing Malkin and Aston-Reese to break it open.
Carl Hagelin pulled Condon out of position when he circled the net. An unsuspecting Condon thought Hagelin still had the puck, but he blindly dished it to Malkin, who dumped a spinning bad-angle backhander into a partially open net.
Aston-Reese made it a 4-1 game 1:20 later. He took a pass from Crosby off the rush and flicked a wrist shot that hit Condon’s glove and went across the line.
NOTES: Crosby and Phil Kessel both have nine-game home point streaks. Kessel’s matches his longest with the team. Malkin has points in five straight home games. … This was Ottawa’s first visit to Pittsburgh since the Penguins’ double-overtime victory in Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. … Senators F Nate Thompson missed his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury. … Pittsburgh scratched D Chad Ruhwedel, D Matt Hunwick and F Teddy Blueger. Forward Alexandre Burrows and defenseman Fredrik Claesson sat for Ottawa.
UP NEXT
Senators: Play two games at home starting Thursday against Buffalo.
Penguins: Continue a three-game homestand Thursday against Los Angeles.
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More NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Boston College tops Pitt 81-58!! Panthers still winless in ACC!!!

Boston College tops Pitt 81-58.

By ALAN SAUNDERS, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Coming into Tuesday’s game at Pittsburgh, Boston College had gone nearly three years without a victory on the road against an Atlantic Coast Conference foe.
The last time the Eagles won a road conference game was March 3, 2015, at Virginia Tech. Starting with the Eagles’ 0-18 season in conference play in 2015-16, they lost 23 straight games against ACC opponents before finding another team down on its luck in the Panthers.
Boston College upended Pitt, 81-58, to end one streak and perpetuate another, as the Panthers lost their 14th straight game in conference play.
“We’re not that team anymore,” Boston College head coach Jim Christian said after the victory. “We’ve been close. We had Virginia to one. We were down 18 at Louisville and cut it to two. We’ve showed signs, but that last step has got to be taken by these guys, together.”
Despite Pitt’s struggles and the lopsided final score, it wasn’t an easy victory for the Eagles (16-10, 6-7 in ACC). Pitt opened up a big lead midway through the first half. The Panthers were ahead by 15 at one point and had Eagles’ star Jerome Robinson off his game and in foul trouble with three early personals.
With Robinson struggling and the hapless Panthers out to a big lead, it would have been easy for the Eagles to accept another defeat, but they instead doubled down on their leading scorer, moving him to the middle of Pitt’s 2-3 zone and working the offense from there.
It worked, as Boston College went on a long run late in the first half that nearly erased the Pitt advantage by halftime. From the 6:42 mark in, the Eagles went on a 16-4 run to close to within two. Early second half, it was more of the same, as the Eagles started with a 9-0 run to take a lead they never relinquished.
“Catching it in the high post, I knew I had the five man on me a lot,” Robinson said. “Once I got a couple easy jump shots in the middle, I got to be able to take it to the paint.”
Robinson led the way with 27 points. Jordan Chatman added 17 points, helped by 5-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.
Freshman guard Parker Stewart had 16 points to lead the Panthers (8-19, 0-14 in ACC).
BIG PICTURE
Boston College: Robinson, the Eagles’ leading scorer, had just two points at the half, but was a big part of the Eagles’ second-half run. After shooting 1 of 6 from the floor before the break, he went 10 of 12 the rest of the way. The ACC’s leading scorer in conference play, Robinson has scored 20 points or more in three straight games and five of his last six.
Pitt: The Panthers entered the game 314th in Division I by averaging just eight offensive rebounds per game. They record just two against the Eagles, while conceding 18, which allowed the Eagles to attempt 66 field goals compared to the Panthers’ 48. Of the two, one was a team rebound after Boston College deflected the ball out of bounds and the other was a long rebound collected by guard Jared Wilson-Frame.
“At some point, our frontcourt guys should be getting an offensive rebound,” Pitt head coach Kevin Stallings said. “You shouldn’t play 20 or 30 minutes and not get an offensive rebound, but I’m just going to say that’s on me. I’ve got to do more in practice to get them there.”
UP NEXT
Boston College: Returns home to host Notre Dame on Saturday. The Eagles are 0-9 against Notre Dame since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC in 2013.
Pitt: Will visit Florida State on Sunday. The Panthers beat the Seminoles in 2017, one of four ACC wins over two seasons for Pitt under Stallings.

2018 High School Basketball Play-off brackets revealed!!!

The W.P.I.A.L 2018 high school basketball playoff brackets were revealed during the annual pairings meeting Tuesday, February 1, 2018 on Beaver County Radio and the Trib Live Network. . Click on the Trib Live logo below to see all of the playoff brackets and then tune into Beaver County Radio on Valentine’s day and we’ll let you know what games will air on Beaver county Radio in the first round.

http://tribhssn.triblive.com/highschool-brackets/

Brad Keselowski dominates The Clash at Daytona after starting last!!!!!!

Keselowski leads 1-2 Team Penske sweep at Daytona
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Brad Keselowski led a 1-2 Team Penske sweep Sunday in the exhibition The Clash at Daytona race that marks the opening of Speedweeks.
The three-car Penske contingent moved to the front of the field and had the race in control as they closed in on the checkered flag. Keselowski had a piece of garbage stuck to the front of his Ford, and that appeared to be his only challenge.
Ryan Blaney pulled out of line from behind Keselowski on the final lap in an attempt to beat his teammate, but he was left alone in the bottom lane at Daytona International Speedway and faded into traffic. Joey Logano didn’t have enough help to mount a challenge on Keselowski and had to settle for second.
Kyle Larson made contact with Jimmie Johnson on the final lap to trigger an accident that allowed Keselowski an easier route to victory lane.
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More AP Auto Racing: https://racing.ap.org

Crosby scores 2, reaches 400 goals in Pens’ 4-1 win

Crosby scores 2, reaches 400 goals in Pens’ 4-1 win.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored twice, including his 400th career goal, to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Bryan Rust snapped a tie with a third-period tally and Riley Sheahan also scored for the Penguins, who have won 12 of their past 17.
Goalie Matt Murray made 33 saves for the Penguins.
Kyle Brodziak scored for St. Louis, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Crosby jammed a shot under the pad of goalie Jake Allen from the side of the net at 3:31 of the second period. He becomes the 95th player in NHL history to reach the 400-goal mark. Crosby is the 25th to have 400 goals with more than 650 assists.
Crosby had been held scoreless in his previous 10 games.
The goal came 21 seconds after Brodziak scored to break a scoreless tie. He converted from close range off a pass from Chris Thorburn.
Rust scored on a breakaway at 1:05 of the third period to give his team a 2-1 lead.
Crosby added an empty-net goal with 2:48 left, his 19th of the season.
St. Louis appeared to take a 2-1 lead just 34 seconds before Rust’s goal on a tally by Paul Stastny, but video replay showed the puck was hit with a high stick.
WELCOME BACK
Pittsburgh RW Ryan Reaves returned to St. Louis for the first time since he was acquired by the Penguins in a trade on June 23, 2017. Reaves, who spent seven season as the Blues enforcer, was given a loud ovation when he came onto the ice for the first time.
NOTES: St. Louis C Paul Stastny played in his 800th NHL game. … Blues goalie Jake Allen started back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 27-29. … Pittsburgh has gone four games without a power-play goal, tying a season high four-game drought from Dec. 11-18. … St. Louis coach Mike Yeo was an assistant for the Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
UP NEXT
Penguins: Host Ottawa on Tuesday.
Blues: Travel to Nashville on Tuesday.
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More NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Defensive Backs Coach, Carnell Lake will not return to Steelers!!!

Carnell Lake will not return as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season. He issued the following statement thru the Pittsburgh Steelers website.

I have decided to return to California to be able to be a part of my youngest son’s last year of high school football.   I want to thank Mr. Art Rooney II and the Rooney family, Coach Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, the coaching staffs I have worked with throughout my time in Pittsburgh, and the entire Steelers organization. It has been a privilege and honor to play and coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I also want to thank all of the players I have coached during my seven years with the team – it truly was an honor to work with them. Finally, I would like to thank Steelers fans for their support and for being the best fans in the NFL during both my time as a player and coach.

 

Penguins ruin Fleury’s homecoming with 5-4 win over Vegas

Penguins ruin Fleury’s homecoming with 5-4 win over Vegas
By DAN SCIFO, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — It was an emotional night for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their beloved former goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury was back in the city where he started his NHL career and spent more than a decade, helping to backstop the Penguins to multiple championships. The Penguins wanted to honor their old friend — and they did — but they also wanted to win.
Third-period goals by Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel ruined Fleury’s homecoming as the Penguins defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 on Tuesday.
“I think it was an important game, and obviously with (Fleury) coming in it added a lot of emotion,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “Once you get out there, you’re trying to win a game and he’s trying to do the same thing.”
Fleury, who won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins — including the last two seasons — returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since Vegas selected him in the expansion draft last summer. Fleury, who stopped 33 shots, beat his former teammates in December in Las Vegas.
“The game was (in Pittsburgh), so it was different,” Fleury said. “It was very weird, but it was a game I’ll remember forever.”
In the first meeting between the teams in Pittsburgh, Malkin gave the Penguins a 4-2 lead with his 30th of the season at 3:09 of the third period. Malkin, who scored in his fifth straight game, became the fifth player in team history to score 30 goals six times.
Kessel extended the lead to 5-2 a little more than three minutes later on a one-touch, backdoor feed from Malkin.
Jake Guentzel, Ryan Reaves and Ian Cole also scored for Pittsburgh, which won for the fifth time in six games.
Matt Murray, Fleury’s former understudy in Pittsburgh, made 21 saves to top his mentor.
William Karlsson scored his 28th of the season on a power play for the Golden Knights. James Neal, who spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, got his 23rd.
Ryan Carpenter and Jonathan Marchessault scored in the third period for Vegas, which nearly rallied from a three-goal deficit. The Western Conference leaders have 20 wins in their last 28 games.
Fleury, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NHL draft, spent 13 seasons in Pittsburgh and set team records for games and minutes played, wins and shutouts.
Murray stepped in when Fleury went down on the eve of the 2016 playoffs. He helped the Penguins to the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup and eventually grabbed the No. 1 job. Fleury waived his no-movement clause before the trade deadline last spring so the Penguins could protect Murray in the expansion draft.
Fleury briefly regained the starting job before leaving Pittsburgh when Murray aggravated an injury during warmups prior to the first game of the playoffs. He won nine games and helped eliminate Columbus and Washington before Murray returned in the third round of the playoffs against Ottawa.
The organization put together a tribute video for Fleury that was shown during a first-period stoppage in play. Fleury stood stoically behind his net and rested his glove on his stick as he took in the highlights. The crowd roared in appreciation and gave a long standing ovation to Fleury, who raised his stick in the air and waved to the fans.
Murray took it all in from the other end.
“Those are always fun to watch and they bring back good memories of the last two years, especially a guy like (Fleury), who was a big part of my development,” Murray said. “He was a really good friend and mentor.”
The crowd gave Fleury his first standing ovation of the night as soon as he hit the ice for pregame warmups. A larger-than-normal crowd of supporters gathered behind the visitors’ goal, many holding handmade signs and cheering each time he took the net.
“We knew it was going to happen,” Murray said. “He’s well-liked and everybody loves (Fleury) for good reason. He deserves every bit of appreciation he gets.”
Fleury tapped Murray on the pads during warmups and the two had a short chat while stretching. At the end of warmups, Fleury skated to the red line and took a shot off the pads from Penguins defenseman Kris Letang to the delight of the crowd.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Fleury said. “In the warmup, I had goosebumps. It’s a night I won’t forget.”
NOTES: Pittsburgh won its season-high eighth straight home game. … Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist is week to week with a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh also scratched defensemen Matt Hunwick and Chad Ruhwedel. … Golden Knights forward Williams Carrier returned to Las Vegas to be evaluated by team doctors. The team also scratched defenseman Jason Garrison.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Complete a three-game road trip Thursday at San Jose.
Penguins: At the Dallas Stars on Friday.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey