The Coffee County Central High School basketball teams welcomed Shelbyville to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Tuesday.  In a district doubleheader you heard here on Thunder Radio, Coffee County grabbed a pair of crucial wins.  The Lady Raiders clipped the Eaglettes 60 to 46 while the Red Raiders ground out a 58 to 50 win. 

In the girls’ game, Shelbyville jumped out to a 6 point lead in the first quarter thanks to their pressure defense.  The Lady Raiders battled back to take a 3 point lead into the halftime break at 24 to 21.  In the 3^rd quarter, Coffee County stretched the lead to double digits and held off the tenacious Eaglettes in the 4^th quarter.  Bella Vinson was the leading scorer for Coffee County as she finished with 16 points.  Chloe Gannon added 15 points and Jalie Ruehling finished with 9 points.  For their spark off the bench in the 2^nd quarter, Chloe Gannon and Kiya Ferrell were named the Stone Fort Mortgage co-players of the game   

In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders raced out to a 16 to 3 lead only to see Shelbyville claw their way back into the game.  The Eagles closed the half on a 13 to 1 run to cut the Raider lead to 5 entering halftime.  In the 2^nd half, the Raiders went on an 11 to 2 run to take control of the contest and kept their composure in a physical 4^th quarter. Jaylon Wooten led the Raiders in scoring with 18 points as he earned the Stone Fort Mortgage player of the game award.  Kyle Farless added 9 points and Hayden Hullett finished with 8 points. 

Coffee County is off on Friday night before hitting the road NEXT Tuesday(14^th) traveling to Lawrence County.  Thunder Radio will be in Lawrenceburg to bring you the broadcast.  Our live coverage begins with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental Pregame Show at 5:50.  Tip-off is set for 6 PM.    

Download the broadcast at: https://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

The Westwood Rockets and Lady Rockets returned to action on Tuesday night in their first contests of the decade.  Traveling to Morrison for a conference doubleheader, Westwood came home with a sweep of the Eagles on the evening.  The Lady Rockets stayed perfect as they outlasted the Lady Eagles 42 to 25 while the Rockets held off a scrappy Morrison team 34 to 30.

In the girls’ game, Westwood needed a strong 4^th quarter to stretch a 7 point lead into the comfortable win.  The Lady Rockets finished with 3 players in double digits led by Remi Benjamin who finished with 13 points.  Keena Seivers netted 12 points while Princess Penaloza added 10 points with all of those coming in the 4^th quarter. 

In the boys’ game, the Rockets went to the locker room at the half leading by 1 point.  In the 3^rd quarter, Westwood used a great defensive effort to stretch the lead to 6 going into the final period.  Westwood was led in scoring by Jayden Carter who had 12 points.  Caiden Warren added 9 points and Jaiden Warren finished with 8.   

Westwood is back at home on Monday when they play host to Boyd Christian School at the Joel Vinson Gym.   Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the action as part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Our live coverage begins with the pregame show at 5:50.  Tip-off is set for 6 PM.   

John Hynes got a good look at his new team during his first game behind the bench on Tuesday night.

The evening ended with a 6-2 score favoring the Boston Bruins over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, a result that ends Nashville’s two-game point streak.

Hired roughly 12 hours earlier as the third head coach in franchise history, it was a whirlwind day for Hynes and the Preds. The bench boss stated at his introductory lunchtime press conference that he wouldn’t implement much ahead of the game, and by the time the night was through, he had made plenty of observations.

“I would say that in tonight’s game there were a lot of ups and downs,” Hynes said. “There were some moments where we played really well and we had some strong identity things that we want to be able to do and then there were some times that we weren’t consistent enough in those areas. I think that’s a big learning lesson coming out of this game. But, I think there are a lot of positives now having been on the bench with the players and gone through a game and seeing the ups and downs.”

It took the NHL’s leading scorer, David Pastrnak, less than two minutes into the contest to put his club up 1-0, and that held into the second where Danton Heinen put the Bruins up by two midway through the middle stanza.

A Predators power play soon followed, and on the 5-on-3 advantage, Filip Forsberg blasted home his team-leading 15th goal of the season to get the home team on the board. Preds Captain Roman Josi assisted on the strike to extend his career-best point streak to 11 games.

Before the second period was out however, Patrice Bergeron capitalized on a Boston man advantage to put the Bruins back up by two, and although Mikael Granlund scored another power-play goal for the Predators, the visitors added three more in the third.

“The first wasn’t good,” Josi said. “They were in the zone a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of offense. I thought in the second we actually played a little better, got some good looks and some good chances. In the third we didn’t have the push we wanted. We’re down 3-1 and you’ve got to have a push. We get scored on quick and then we couldn’t really get it going in the third.”

With his first contest as head coach now complete, Hynes says he’s eager to get to work and find a way for his new team to play to the level they’re capable of achieving. It starts Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s game at Chicago, the first of the final 40 of the regular season.

“There are going to be tactical things that you’re going to do, and any time you teach people, you can’t overwhelm, so it’s got to be very specific things that they can work on and things that are essential that we feel are going to be better,” Hynes said. “Then, we just keep building and building. But the most important thing, I think, is the mentality and how we play for each other, the camaraderie in the room and building the belief in being consistent. I think that will build over time.

“I’m really excited to get back in the rink tomorrow and get better, and then get better the morning of the Chicago game. We’ll be a better team then.”

Just like Hynes, Nashville’s players also still have plenty of belief in themselves – that much is certain. But they also know with the season now over halfway through, time is beginning to turn against them.

“I’m proud of the way the guys competed, but compete isn’t enough in this League, and especially against a team like that,” Preds forward Matt Duchene said. “Lots of games left, but we’ve got to start right away. We’ll obviously make some changes to what we’re doing out there, and we’ll push forward. We have a heck of a hockey team in here, and we know that. Hopefully this is just one of those things that makes us stronger and we end up where we want to be at the end of the day and we look back at this and be grateful for it, but we’ve got some work to do in the meantime.”

Notes:

Matt Duchene returned to the Nashville lineup on Tuesday night after missing the previous two games due to illness. Dante Fabbro, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, missed his third-straight contest.

With their first home game of 2020 complete, the Predators now head back out on the road for three games, and it starts on Thursday night in Chicago (at 7:30 p.m. CT) when they face the Blackhawks.

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Tuesday that the team has named John Hynes as the third head coach in franchise history.

“John Hynes is a bright young coach and great leader who has a track record of both effectively developing young players and successfully motivating veterans,” Poile said. “We love his coaching resume and are confident that he has learned from every stop during his career, and has the best skill set to get the maximum potential out of our team.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join an organization with a history of success, a team with immense talent and a phenomenal fanbase,” Hynes said. “This organization has a strong foundation, from its ownership and executives to the entire front-office staff, and I’m excited to come in and try to maximize this team’s abilities.”

In parts of five NHL seasons – all spent with the New Jersey Devils – Hynes has compiled a 150-159-45 record as a head coach. He was named head coach of the Devils prior to the 2014-15 campaign and led them to a six-point improvement in his first season, finishing with 84 points compared to 78 the season before. Following a 2016-17 season that saw his team finish 28-40-14 (70 points), Hynes engineered a 27-point improvement in 2017-18, the largest in New Jersey history, and led the Devils to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.

During the 2017-18 campaign, Hynes’s Devils finished with a 44-29-9 record (97 points) and featured Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, who tallied a career-high 93 points (39g-54a) in 76 games. He also oversaw the development of 2017’s No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier, helping him record a career-best 52 points (20g-32a) – tied for the sixth-most among NHL rookies – in his first NHL season. For his efforts, Hynes earned the sixth-most votes for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach.

Multiple players across the League have elevated their play under Hynes’s watch in his tenure with the Devils. In addition to helping Hall to an MVP award and Hischier to a spot as one of the NHL’s top young players, Hynes also assisted in the development of forward Kyle Palmieri, who established career highs in goals (30) and points (57) during his first season in New Jersey in 2015-16. Prior to his trade to Anaheim, forward Adam Henrique reached the 50-point mark under Hynes in 2015-16 and followed it up with a 20-goal, 40-point season the year after. Additionally, current Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson posted a career-high 24 points (3g-21a) in 2014-15, Hynes’s first season with the Devils; defenseman Sami Vatanen tallied 28 of his 32 points in 2017-18 under Hynes following a trade from Anaheim; and he helped develop current NHL regulars such as Damon Severson, Miles Wood, Will Butcher and Jesper Bratt.

Before joining the Devils organization, Hynes served as head coach of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for five seasons from 2010-15 and was an assistant coach in 2009-10. Hynes led the Penguins to five consecutive Calder Cup Playoff berths, including back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and earned AHL Coach of the Year honors in 2011. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton allowed the fewest goals in the AHL in four of his five seasons at the helm and Hynes helped develop several players who are making an impact in the NHL today, such as Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust and Toronto’s Kasperi Kapanen.

In between assistant coaching positions at UMass-Lowell (2000-01) and the University of Wisconsin (2002-03), Hynes spent nine seasons on the coaching staff of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, serving as an assistant from 1998-2000 and 2001-02 and as head coach from 2003-09. While with the NTDP, Hynes developed players like Patrick Kane, Jimmy Howard, Phil Kessel, Jimmy Hayes and Jason Zucker while also excelling on the world’s stage, claiming four U-18 World Championship medals – two of them gold (2002 and 2006).

The 44-year-old native of Warwick, R.I., served as head coach of the United States at the 2004 World Junior Championship, where the Americans won Gold for the first time and earned their first medal in the event since 1997.

Hynes began his coaching career at his alma mater of Boston University as an assistant under longtime Terriers head coach Jack Parker in 1997-98. A forward on the Terriers hockey team from 1993-97, he helped lead BU to four consecutive Frozen Four appearances, including an NCAA title in 1995. He was teammates with Predators Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty for three seasons while at Boston University.

Hynes and his wife, Sarah, have three daughters – Sophia, Julia and Anna.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams returned to conference action on Monday night as they visited West Tullahoma.  The Lady Raiders completed the season sweep of the Lady Bobcats with a 50 to 24 win.  The Red Raiders avenged a loss from earlier in the season with a 24 to 23 overtime win.

After a tight 1^st quarter of the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders pulled away in the 2^nd quarter to build a 10 point lead at the half.  A hot shooting 2^nd half allowed Coffee County to put away the Lady Bobcats.  The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Olivia Vinson who had 17 points.  Samantha Kirby scored 13 points while Taylor Anthony added 6 points. 

In the boys’ game, Ethan Hargrove hit a layup with 4 seconds left in overtime to lift the Red Raiders to their 11^th conference win of the season.  West was 5 for 7 at the free throw line in the 4^th quarter to erase a 1 point Raider lead and send the game to overtime.  In the overtime period, Coffee County got 4 points from Hargrove including the game winner.  Hargrove finished with 10 points leading Coffee County.  Cooper Reed finished with 8 points and Jackson Shemwell added 6 points.   

Coffee Middle returns home on Thursday night for the final regular season game of the year as they play host to Warren County.  The night will also be 8^th Grade Night for the basketball teams and the cheerleaders.  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM with the 8^th Grade ceremony taking place between games. 

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Monday that the team has relieved Head Coach Peter Laviolette and Associate Coach Kevin McCarthy of their coaching responsibilities.

“Under the leadership of Peter and Kevin, our organization reached unprecedented heights – from our franchise-altering run to the Stanley Cup Final to a Presidents’ Trophy and our first two Central Division titles,” Poile said. “Their passion for the game, ability to motivate a team and drive to be the best makes this a difficult decision. On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Peter and Kevin for all their contributions to the Nashville Predators over the past five-and-a-half seasons.”

“On and off the ice, the Laviolette and McCarthy families have left an indelible mark on the entire Smashville community,” Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said. “While Peter and Kevin worked to make our team on the ice one of the elite, their wives, Kristen and Rhonda, spearheaded countless charitable endeavors to Nashville that made a lasting impact, changed lives, and for which we owe them a debt of gratitude.”

Laviolette and McCarthy led the Predators to 248 wins from the start of the 2014-15 season to the present date, the sixth-most in the NHL over that span. In 2014-15, the Predators improved by nine wins and 16 points in the standings, with Laviolette and his staff representing the team at the All-Star Game after leading the League in point percentage at the season’s midpoint (.725, 27-9-4 record). He was also a finalist for the 2015 Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach. In the spring of 2017, the Laviolette-led Predators became the third club seeded lowest in its conference to advance to the Stanley Cup Final since the League adopted the conference-based playoff format in 1994. The club followed that up with the best record in franchise history (53-18-11, 117 points), a Presidents’ Trophy and a Central Division title in 2017-18, then made it two Central Division crowns in a row a season ago.

Darwin Barney has been named the manager of the Nashville Sounds as announced today by the Texas Rangers. Barney is set to become the 30th manager in franchise history.

Barney, 34, will be making his professional coaching and managerial debut. The Oregon native played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. He spent time with the Chicago Cubs (2010-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2014-15) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2015-17).

In 2011, Barney finished seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He then went on to win the National League’s Rawlings Gold Glove Award for second basemen in 2012. Barney was a career .246 hitter and played in over 800 Major League games.

Barney was a standout shortstop at Oregon State University from 2005-07 where he helped the Beavers win back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007. Barney was named to several collegiate award lists, including the 2007 All-College World Series Team.

Joining Barney’s staff in Nashville for the 2020 season will be pitching coach Greg Hibbard, hitting coach Chase Lambin, coach Tyler Graham, athletic trainer Carlos Olivas and strength and conditioning coach Al Sandoval.

Hibbard, 55, will serve as Nashville’s pitching coach. The former hurler pitched in parts of six seasons in the big leagues and compiled a 57-50 career mark. Hibbard won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons from 1990-93, including a career-high 15 wins with the Cubs in 1993. He spent time with the Chicago White Sox (1989-92), Chicago Cubs (1993) and Seattle Mariners (1994).

The Tennessee resident joins the Nashville staff after spending two years in the same capacity with Double-A Frisco. He joined the Texas organization in 2016 and was the pitching coach with Triple-A Round Rock in 2017 and 2016. Prior to joining the Rangers, he spent 13 seasons as a pitching coach in the Cleveland Indians farm system.

Lambin, 40, will be the Sounds hitting coach in 2020. The Texas native played 13 seasons at the minor league level. He was drafted by the New York Mets in 2002 and spent time in the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals organizations.

The 2020 season is Lambin’s sixth in the Texas organization. He spent the 2019 campaign as the hitting coach for Advanced-A Down East. He previously served as the hitting coach for Single-A Hickory in 2018, Short-Season Spokane in 2017 and the Arizona League Rangers in 2016. He first joined the Rangers as a member of the Spokane coaching staff in 2015.

Graham, 35, will serve as a Nashville coach in 2020. He reached the big leagues in 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and played parts of eight seasons in the minor leagues.

The 2020 season is Graham’s first with the Rangers. He spent the last three years as the Director of Player Development with the Oregon State Beavers, his alma mater.

Olivas, 42, enters his second consecutive season as athletic trainer for the Sounds. The New Mexico native spent three seasons in the same role for Triple-A Round Rock from 2016-18.

Prior to his time in Round Rock, Olivas spent the previous five seasons with Double-A Frisco, where he was named Texas League Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) in 2012 and 2013. Olivas spent eight seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization prior to joining the Texas organization in 2009.

Olivas graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2000 with a B.S. in athletic training.

Sandoval, 34, enters his second consecutive season as strength and conditioning coach for the Sounds. He was named the 2019 Pacific Coast League Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

The Colorado native spent the 2018 season in the same role with Triple-A Round Rock. Prior to his one season in Round Rock, Sandoval spent the 2017 season with Advanced-A Down East. Before joining the Texas organization in December 2016, Sandoval spent five seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization, including three seasons (2014-16) as the Club’s minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. Sandoval began his baseball career in the Colorado Rockies organization, working as a strength coach from 2008-11.

Sandoval is a 2008 graduate of Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner for the Thunderwolves baseball team.

The 2020 season begins on Thursday, April 9 when the Sounds host the Iowa Cubs. 2020 season ticket memberships are on sale through the Nashville Sounds ticket office. For more information on membership packages, call 615-690-4487, or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.