UConn’s Breanna Stewart Selected as Finalist for the 2014 Naismith Trophy

James R. Naismith Women's College Player of the Year

STORRS, Conn. – Sophomore forward Breanna Stewart has been selected as one of four finalists for the 2014 Naismith Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top collegiate basketball player, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.  The fan voting component of the award’s selection process will begin next week.

Stewart is joined by Notre Dame’s Kayla McBride, Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike and Baylor’s Odyssey Sims.

The finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy, which determined that the player performances throughout the 2013-14 regular season stood out among a host of great women’s basketball players. The 2014 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded to one of these four finalists on April 7, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn.

For the 10th consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the player of their choice and help determine the 2014 Naismith Trophy winner. Beginning March 24 and running through April 5 fans can cast their vote through the online and mobile optimized site www.NaismithVote.com. The fan vote represents 25 percent of the selection process – the largest fan impact of any collegiate basketball award.

Stewart, who was recently selected as the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and the espnW National Player of the Year, is leading the top-ranked Huskies at 19.7 points per game and is second on the squad at 8.1 rebounds per contest.  She ranks in the league’s top-10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, blocks and free throw percentage.

The North Syracuse, N.Y. native was honored as the 2014 American Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.7 points per game en route to leading UConn to the inaugural title.  The 2013-14 American Conference Preseason Player of the Year has been selected as the USBWA National Player of the Week and is also a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award.

Five Huskies have won the Naismith Trophy, including Rebecca Lobo (1995), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003), Maya Moore (2009 and 2011) and Tina Charles (2010).

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UConn’s Geno Auriemma Among Four Finalists for Naismith College Coach of the Year Award

Atlanta – University of Connecticut women’s basketball head coach has been selected as a finalist for the 2014 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday, March 19.  Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw, North Carolina State’s Wes Moore and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley join Auriemma as finalists for the honor.

UConn HuskiesThe four finalists were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy, which based its criteria on the coaches’ performances to this point in the 2013-14 women’s college basketball season.

Auriemma, who has led the Huskies to eight national championships in his 29 years at UConn, is a five-time WBCA National Coach of the Year and has won the AP Coach of the Year honor on seven occasions.  The 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Auriemma has been selected as the conference coach of the year 11 times.

The Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Award will be announced during the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Nashville.

“These four finalists have turned in some of the most impressive coaching jobs in college basketball this season, especially considering the challenges each has had to overcome. They set the standard of exemplary leadership, and we commend them for the tremendous seasons thus far,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

ABOUT THE FINALISTS:
Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut: He has led the Huskies to a 34-0 mark and a No. 1 seed entering the NCAA tournament. This is the sixth time that UConn will enter the NCAA Tournament without a loss. The team won both the regular season and conference championships in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference. Auriemma, who has won the Naismith Award on six previous occasions, was named the conference coach of the year.

Muffet McGraw, University of Notre Dame: After losing a four-time All-America point guard and joining a new conference, all McGraw did this season was lead the Irish to its best start and longest winning streak in school history (32-0). They finished with a perfect 19-0 record in ACC play, winning both the conference regular season and tournament titles – the first ACC school ever to win the league title in its first season in the conference. She was the unanimous choice as ACC Coach of the Year, the sixth time in her career she’s been a conference Coach of the Year, and second year in a row (also BIG EAST in 2013). McGraw has won the Naismith Coach of the Year award twice, including in 2013.

Wes Moore, North Carolina State University: Led NC State to a 21-3 start, the school’s best beginning since the 1981-82 season, en route to a 25-7 regular season record. The 16th-ranked Wolfpack (25-7) spent 11 straight weeks in the AP and Coaches top-25 polls, and won 10 games over top-100 RPI team. In his first season at the helm, Moore led the Pack to the NCAA women’s tournament for the first time in four years.

Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina: A unanimous selection for SEC Coach of the Year by the media, the three-time Olympian guided South Carolina (27-4, 14-2) to its first SEC championship with a record 14 conference wins. The Gamecocks also landed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. South Carolina’s 26 regular-season victories are a school record and include four wins against nationally ranked teams with three of those coming on the road. The Gamecocks were ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation, the highest mark since January 1982.

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UConn’s Breanna Stewart Appears on Cover of Sports Illustrated

STORRS, Conn. – American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Breanna Stewart will appear on one of six regional covers of the Sports Illustrated NCAA Tournament Preview edition, which will hit newsstands this week.  The North Syracuse, N.Y. native who was recently tabbed as the espnW National Player of the Year, is also profiled in a piece by SI’s Emma Carmichael.

Stewart’s appearance marks the eighth time UConn women’s basketball has been represented on the cover of SI.  Other regional covers feature Michigan State’s Gary Harris, Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, Florida’s Casey Prather, Arizona’s Nick Johnson and Wichita State’s Tekele Cotton.

The following is a preview of the magazine’s profile of Stewart;  Carmichael profiles UConn women’s basketball star Breanna Stewart, the 6’4″ sophomore who can score from every place on the floor and draws similarities to the NBA’s Kevin Durant.” Writes Carmichael: “What makes Stewart special isn’t difficult to qualify – she has averaged 19.7 points this season and scored 1,000 in just 63 games, the second fastest to reach that mark in school history. But there’s something else: Stewart is a new prototype for women’s hoops.” (Page 56) Her skill set includes much more than the average post player which is why Stewart is considered a new prototype in women’s college basketball. Says Stewart, “The fact that they expect me to do so many different things means [coach Geno Auriemma] can get on me for not doing so many different things if I don’t do them,” Stewart says with a laugh.  “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” (Page 60)

The truth is Stewart still has a postseason run and two full years with the Huskies to hone her skills on both sides of the court. Thus far, the Huskies have outscored opponents by 35.7 points, the highest average margin of victory in NCAA history for both men and women, largely in part to Stewart’s prowess. When asked about her future, Stewart said, “I envision leaving Connecticut with four national championships. I couldn’t expect anything else.” (Page 61)

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Red Sox Foundation to Host Welcome Home Party at the House of Blues April 4

The Red Sox Foundation will once again host the annual ‘Welcome Home Party’ presented by HP Hood on April 4 at the House of Blues. The event will take place immediately following the 2:05 p.m. home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Tickets for the charitable fundraiser are on sale now at redsox.com/welcomehome.

Boston Red SoxAttending the event will be members of the 2014 Red Sox team and coaching staff, as well as owners and members of the front office. Proceeds from the event benefit the Red Sox Foundation’s donations and programs benefitting the families of New England.

This year’s fundraiser will have a game show format with players and is emceed by Emmy award nominated actor Mike O’Malley and Red Sox Alumni Kevin Millar.

In addition to HP Hood, other companies supporting the event include Bank of America, Cross Insurance, CVS, Amgen, Suffolk Construction, Ernst & Young, and Sapient Nitro.

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Nicholls Returns to Greenville

HARTFORD, March 18, 2014:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forward Josh Nicholls from the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Hartford Wolf PackNicholls, a rookie out of the Western Hockey League, had played two games with the Wolf Pack since being summoned from Greenville on Saturday.  All told in AHL action on the year, Nicholls is scoreless with nine shots on goal in six games.

In 51 ECHL games with Greenville, Nicholls has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points, along with 14 penalty minutes.  Nicholls is currently riding a ten-game ECHL point-scoring streak, with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points over that span.

Nicholls, who was a seventh-round selection (182nd overall) by Toronto in the 2010 NHL Draft, was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 5, 2013.

The Wolf Pack are next in action tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 19, hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 7:00 PM game at the XL Center.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is this Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

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Wolf Pack Sign Forward Nick Latta to ATO

HARTFORD, March 18, 2014:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack has signed forward Nick Latta to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement.

Hartford Wolf PackLatta, a 6-1, 195-pound native of Peiting, Germany, was the co-leading goal-scorer for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting this season, denting the net 38 times in 65 games.  The 20-year-old Latta also added 28 assists for 66 points, which ranked third among Sting skaters, and his 87 penalty minutes were fourth-most on the team.

In four OHL seasons with Sarnia, Latta totaled 68 goals and 52 assists for 120 points, along with 204 PIM.

The Wolf Pack are next in action tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 19, hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 7:00 PM game at the XL Center.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is this Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

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Red Sox Announce More 2014 Spring Training Cuts

FORT MYERS, FL – Prior to this afternoon’s game against St. Louis, the Boston Red Sox announced the following roster moves:

Boston Red SoxRight-handed pitcher Allen Webster and catcher Christian Vazquez were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Shortstop Deven Marrero was reassigned to minor league camp.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcements.

With today’s moves, the Red Sox now have 43 players in big league camp, including 33 players from the 40-man roster, and 10 non-roster invitees.

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Baby Bruins Get Past Wolf Pack 3-2 In OT

Providence, RI, March 16, 2014 – Alexander Khohkhlachev’s power-play goal at 2:21 of overtime gave the Providence Bruins a 3-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack Sunday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence.

Hartford Wolf PackIt was the first overtime loss of the season for the Wolf Pack (26-29-0-7, 59 pts.), who battled back from an early 2-0 deficit with goals by Micheal Haley and Jesper Fast, with Fast tying the game in the last minute of regulation.

“Once again, we didn’t start the way we wanted, but like we’ve shown a lot the past while here, we’re resilient and we’ve got some character,” Haley said.  “It was a (standings) point we needed.”

Seth Griffith had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, and Matt Lindblad also scored.  Niklas Svedberg made 27 saves to get the win.  Dov Grumet-Morris stopped 36 shots for the Wolf Pack.

Two early goals-against put the Wolf Pack behind the eight ball in the first period.  Lindblad opened the scoring only 21 seconds into the game, firing from the right-wing side off of a feed from Anthony Camara.

Griffith then made it a 2-0 Providence advantage at 3:38, on the game’s first power play.  Near the top of the circles, Griffith had a shot blocked right back to him and blasted away again, and the second shot cleanly beat Grumet-Morris.

Nothing else got by Grumet-Morris for the rest of regulation time, though, and the Wolf Pack started their comeback at the 10:22 mark of the second period.  That was when Haley scored from right on top of Svedberg, after Darroll Powe worked the puck into the middle from Svedberg’s right.

The Bruins nearly made the 2-1 advantage stand up for a regulation win, but the Wolf Pack pulled Grumet-Morris for a faceoff in the Providence end with 1:01 left, and Fast got Hartford even with 53.9 seconds on the clock.  Aaron Johnson unloaded a shot from the left point, which Ryan Bourque deflected to Fast below the left faceoff dot, and Fast one-timed it in off of Svedberg.

Johnson was penalized for hooking at 1:51 of overtime, however, and the Bruins capitalized for the winning goal.  J.T. Miller had the puck knocked away at the Providence blue line on a shorthanded rush, and Griffith and Khokhlachev broke two-on-one.  Griffith carried down the right side and sent a perfect feed to Khokhlachev, who put it high into the net behind Grumet-Morris.

The Wolf Pack’s next action is on home ice this Wednesday, March 19, a 7:00 PM contest against Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Providence Bruins 3 (OT)
Sunday, March 16, 2014 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center

Hartford 0 1 1 0 – 2
Providence 2 0 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Providence, Lindblad 8 (Camara), 0:21. 2, Providence, Griffith 19 (Cunningham, Trotman), 3:38 (PP). Penalties-Haley Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 2:12; Robins Pro (fighting), 2:12; Knight Pro (tripping), 8:46; Lindberg Hfd (tripping), 13:56; Cunningham Pro (holding the stick), 15:17; Powe Hfd (boarding), 17:53; Haley Hfd (fighting), 20:00; Robins Pro (slashing, fighting), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Haley 6 (Powe, Beach), 10:22. Penalties-Cunningham Pro (hooking), 6:59; Stamler Hfd (interference), 10:50; Robins Pro (interference, boarding), 16:04.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Fast 13 (Johnson, Syvret), 19:06. Penalties-Haley Hfd (hooking), 12:31; Casto Pro (delay of game), 16:42.

OT Period-5, Providence, Khokhlachev 19 (Griffith, Spooner), 2:21 (PP). Penalties-Johnson Hfd (hooking), 1:51.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 9-12-7-1-29. Providence 14-9-12-4-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 7; Providence 2 / 6.
Goalies-Hartford, Grumet-Morris 14-13-5 (39 shots-36 saves). Providence, Svedberg 21-14-3 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-8,699
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48), Trevor Hanson (47).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Kevin Keenan (22).

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Gigantic SOX & Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview – Day 7 – Winners/Awards

I hope you enjoyed the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB preview.  Over the last week we gave you a team by team look at the key players, new faces, potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, possible starting lineups and rotations as well as a quick summary.

2014 SOX & Dawgs MLB Winners/Awards PreviewThis preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research. 

I’d like to thank my proofreader Linda for all her help in going through this looking for my multitude of errors, your effort was much appreciated.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the upcoming season.

After previewing all six divisions today is the day we look at the big winners and managers who could be in trouble in 2014.  You can check out all the division previews by following the links.

Sunday: NL West

Monday: AL West

Tuesday: NL Central

Wednesday: AL Central

Thursday: NL East

Friday: AL East

Play Ball!

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Managers on the Hot Seat

In the final day of the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview, with a little help from Ian, we reveal our playoff picks.  This includes the World Series winner and the major Award winners for 2014 but first let’s take a quick look at what managers are in dire straits as we begin the new season.

Toronto’s John Gibbons was brought back in 2013 for a second go around with the Blue Jays.  In his first stint he was 305-305.  Last year they were supposed to be the class of the division and the injuries hit, the team didn’t play well and they finished last in the AL East at 74-88 clearly the worst year as a manager Gibbons has ever had.  I was shocked when they brought him back but they did it with Cito Gaston as well maybe when they can Gibbons they’ll bring back Buck Martinez.

Terry Collins of the New York Mets finds his name on this list for the third time in three seasons.  That’s because Collins who got a two-year extension at the end of 2013 was given a one-year mandate.  That leaves him as a lame duck manager with not a lot of talent in the lineup.

Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke is manager to watch on the firing line in 2014.  Roenicke is signed through 2014 with a team option for 2015 and when a manager is in the one and an option area of his contract that’s the time he generally starts to wonder if he is going to remain.  It’s easy for the team to let him go they just don’t exercise the option year in his contract.  In his three previous years the team win total has decreased each season.  From 96 to 83 to 74 as their place in the NL Central went from 1st to 3rd to 4th in that span.  Another sub .500 season or one that isn’t projecting out to one, say in August, will lead to a change.

Texas’ Ron Washington will find his part of the bench warmer then usual in the Texas heat if the Rangers fail to contend.  Washington who is well liked by his players tends to burn out his position players by playing them too much and mismanages his pitching staff.  Despite two World Series appearances and a wild card berth in the last four years it could all be over in Arlington.  The last two seasons have seen Washington’s Rangers choke away the AL West title at the end.  In 2012 they saved face and earned the wild card, in 2013 they were able to get a Game 163 but lost.  Both seasons they were surefire playoff teams and the window has closed in Texas. I was stunned they brought him back for 2014 and I think he could be gone by the break but then again in late February they extended him through 2015.  Texas has gone from a perennial World Series contender to a franchise of total front office dysfunction right now.

Like Roenicke, Arizona’s Kirk Gibson is in the final year of his contract plus an option for 2015 and would be very easy to push out the door at any point this season or after.  After a wildly successful first season that saw a NL West title with 94 wins he has seen the team struggle to 81-81 records the last two seasons.  Like with most managers at this point in their relationship with the team they have to show they belong and in this case I think Gibby needs his team to make a serious run at a playoff spot.

2014 Projected Winners

Now here are the Sox & Dawgs picks for the 2014 playoffs and the major award winners:

Steve:

AL East: Boston Red Sox (2)

AL Central: Detroit Tigers (1)

AL West: Oakland A’s (3)

AL Wild Cards: Tampa Bay Rays (4) and Kansas City Royals (5)

Ian:

AL East: Boston Red Sox (3)

AL Central: Detroit Tigers (1)

AL West: Oakland A’s (2)

AL Wild Card: New York Yankees (4) and Tampa Bay Rays (5)

Steve:

NL East: Washington Nationals (3)

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals (2)

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Pirates (4) and San Francisco Giants (5)

Ian:

NL East: Washington Nationals (2)

NL Central: Pittsburgh Pirates (3)

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals (4) and Atlanta Braves (5)

Steve:

AL Play in Game: Kansas City over Tampa Bay

NL Play in Game: Pittsburgh over San Francisco

Ian:

AL Play in Game: New York over Tampa Bay

NL Play in Game: Atlanta over St. Louis

Steve:

AL Division Series: Detroit over Kansas City 3-1; Boston over Oakland 3-2

NL Division Series: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh 3-1; St. Louis over Washington 3-1

Ian:

AL Division Series: Detroit over New York 3-2; Boston over Oakland 3-1

NL Division Series: Los Angeles over St. Louis 3-2; Pittsburgh over Washington 3-2

Steve:

AL Championship Series: Detroit over Boston 4-2

NL Championship Series: Los Angeles over St. Louis 4-3

Ian:

AL Championship Series: Detroit over Boston 4-3

NL Championship Series: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh 4-1

Steve:

World Series Champion: Los Angeles over Detroit 4-2

Ian:

World Series Champion: Detroit over Los Angeles 4-2

2014 Projected Award Winners

Steve:

AL MVP: 1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

NL MVP: C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

Ian:

AL MVP: CF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

NL MVP: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Steve:

AL Cy Young Winner: SP Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

NL Cy Young Winner: SP Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

Ian:

AL Cy Young Winner: SP Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers

NL Cy Young Winner: SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Steve:

AL Rookie of the Year: SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

NL Rookie of the Year: 2B Alexander Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ian:

AL Rookie of the Year: SP Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees

NL Rookie of the Year: OF Oscar Tavaras, St. Louis Cardinals

Steve:

AL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals

NL Manager of the Year: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants

Ian:

AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates

All that’s left now is to play the games, smell the grass and enjoy being a fan of a terrific sport and hopefully you see your team succeed in 2014.

Here are the season opening games for each team. I listed the Dodgers and Diamondbacks a second time because they actually open a week earlier in Sydney Australia:

All the games listed below are available on MLB.TV, AtBat14 and SiriusXM Radio in addition to any local TV availability and team radio network.

Date Time (ET) Visitor Home Notes
March 22 4 am Dodgers Diamondbacks in Sydney Australia
March 23 10 pm Dodgers Diamondbacks in Sydney Australia
 
March 30 8:05p Dodgers Padres ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
 
March 31 1:05p Cubs Pirates ESPN
                1:08p Royals Tigers  
1:10p Nationals Mets  
2:05p Phillies Rangers  
2:10p Braves Brewers  
3:05p Red Sox Orioles ESPN 2
4:10p Blue Jays Rays  
4:10p White Sox Twins  
4:10p Cardinals Reds ESPN
7:10p Rockies Marlins ESPN 2
9:40p Giants Diamondbacks  
10:05p Indians A's  
10:05p Mariners Angels ESPN 2
 
April 1 7:10p Yankees Astros MLBN

 

Albany Devils Shutout Wolf Pack, 2-0

Albany, NY, March 15, 2014 – Scott Wedgewood made 23 saves Saturday night at the Times Union Center, to backstop the Albany Devils to a 2-0 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Hartford Wolf PackHarri Pesonen and Rod Pelley scored the Devil goals.  Dov Grumet-Morris made 20 saves for the Wolf Pack.

After a scoreless first period in which the two teams held each other to only four shots apiece, the Devils dominated the second period territorially, outshooting the Wolf Pack 11-3 and not allowing the visitors a shot until the 18:30 mark.

Albany was only able to get one goal in period, though, and it came at 7:05.  Grumet-Morris stopped a shot from the right-wing side by Tim Sestito, but the puck dropped into the goal crease behind Grumet-Morris.  Pesonen was the first to see it, and he easily banged it into the net before Grumet-Morris could react.

The Wolf Pack dictated most of the play in the third and had a 16-7 shots advantage, but Pelley got a key insurance goal for the Devils with 6:11 left.  David Wohlberg made a strong rush into the Wolf Pack zone and cut to the front of the net.  Grumet-Morris sprawled down, and Wohlberg reached around the Wolf Pack goaltender and poked the puck loose for Pelley.  Pelley jammed the puck into the net just as the cage was knocked loose behind Grumet-Morris and the Wolf Pack argued that the goal should be disallowed.  After checking the video replay, though, referee Geno Binda ruled that it was a good goal and the Wolf Pack were down by two.

The Wolf Pack finish a three-game weekend Sunday afternoon in Providence, taking on the Bruins in a 3:05 PM game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence.  All of the action of that battle can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The Wolf Pack’s next home game is this Wednesday, March 19, a 7:00 PM contest against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

Hartford Wolf Pack 0 at Albany Devils 2
Saturday, March 15, 2014 – Times Union Center

Hartford 0 0 0 – 0
Albany 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Tedenby Alb (bench minor – too many men), 0:38; Haley Hfd (roughing), 8:58; Sestito Alb (roughing), 8:58; Allen Hfd (holding), 14:48.

2nd Period-1, Albany, Pesonen 11 (Sestito), 7:05. Penalties-Stamler Hfd (fighting), 2:56; McKelvie Alb (fighting), 2:56.

3rd Period-2, Albany, Pelley 12 (Wohlberg, McPherson), 13:49. Penalties-Whitney Alb (hooking), 1:42; Tedenby Alb (goaltender interference), 15:36; Syvret Hfd (hooking), 19:09.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 4-3-16-23. Albany 4-11-7-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 3; Albany 0 / 2.
Goalies-Hartford, Grumet-Morris 14-12-5 (22 shots-20 saves). Albany, Wedgewood 10-12-3 (23 shots-23 saves).
A-4,415
Referees-Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Jim Harper (59), John Everett (82).

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