Category: Sports

The Vancouver Canucks scored three times in the third period as they came back to defeat the Nashville Predators by a 5-3 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.

It’s just the second regulation loss at home for the Predators this season, as they finish the month of November with a 10-3-1 record, tied for the second-most wins in a single month in franchise history. And although the big picture is a positive one, it didn’t make Thursday’s result any easier to take.

“We had our looks and it didn’t go in for us,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “I don’t think that we stopped playing, I just don’t think that we played very well defensively. I thought that we gave up too much… We gave up too much in the second and in the third. When you have a 3-2 lead going into the third, you can continue to push, but you have to do it inside of some structure. I thought that we lost the structure and they gained a lot of opportunities from it. We need to play better defense.”

After a scoreless first period, Nashville struck first when Craig Smith potted his ninth of the season by beating goaltender Anders Nilsson. Vancouver quickly tied it, but Filip Forsberg came right back and scored his team-leading 13th of the season and eighth on the power play for a 2-1 advantage. Loui Eriksson gave the Canucks their second goal of the night in the latter half of the second stanza, but less than three minutes later, Nick Bonino scored against one of his former clubs to give the Preds a lead headed into the intermission.

Forsberg’s goal on the power play marked the 12th-straight home game the Preds have converted this season – setting a franchise record.

The Predators had ample opportunities to score their fourth as the third period began, but they hit the post twice and then saw a puck come inches from crossing the goal line before the Canucks stormed back. Daniel Sedin recorded his 1,000th career point when he tied the game at three, and then Brock Boeser scored his second of the night to give Vancouver the first and only lead they’d need.

“We’re in this position in the standings for a reason,” Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said. “We show up every night to play hard, but it’s hard when you just have those lapses. In the second period, I don’t think we did a good job at managing the puck and extended our shifts. We have to manage the puck better. They capitalized when we made mistakes, though, so you have to give them credit.”

After a stellar November, the Predators will enter the month of the December by hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, their first visit to Nashville since falling in the Western Conference Final, a chance for the home team to start a new streak against a rival.

“It’s a disappointing night for us,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “We know we have to be a lot better. We want to play to a certain standard every game, and we definitely didn’t do that tonight, so it’s obviously disappointing for us. We have to make sure we show up on Saturday.”

Notes:

Prior to Thursday’s game, defenseman Ryan Ellis joined the Preds on the ice for their morning skate as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. It was the first time Ellis has participated with his teammates this season.

The Predators finish the month of November with a 10-3-1 record, the 10th time in franchise history – and first time since February 2015 – the team has won at least 10 games in a month. The Preds have now won 10 games in the month of November three times (also: 2006 and 2014).

Nashville’s four-game homestand continues on Saturday night as they host the Anaheim Ducks at Bridgestone Arena before wrapping up against Boston on Monday.

The Coffee County swim team traveled to LaVergne on Monday for a tri-meet with Oakland and LaVergne.  Facing an always tough LaVergne team, along with the 7 time Rutherford County champion Oakland teams, Coffee County’s swimmers looked to lower their times from their seeding times posted earlier this year.

For the Lady Raiders, Kaylee Williams(7 seconds) and Emily Williams(5 seconds) lowered their times in the 200M freestyle.  In the 50M freestyle, Kylee Boyd(2.2 seconds), Cale Hays(4 seconds), Patience Drigger(3 seconds) and Therese Roecken(1 second) cut time over their season’s best performances.  Lacey West trimmed more than a half second off her season best time in the 100M freestyle while Therese Roecken was 7 seconds faster and Cale Hays was nearly 9 seconds faster.  In the 100M backstroke, Anna O’Connor dropped her season best time by .58 seconds.   Emily Williams knocked more than 3 seconds off her best time and Aly Hutchings clipped almost 5 seconds in the 100M breaststroke.  The Lady Raider 400M freestyle relay team of E’Meilia Walker, Nicole Whitt, Andi Clutter and Lacey West lowered their season best mark by almost 15 seconds.

For the Red Raiders, Jack Beachboard lowered his time by more than 3 seconds and Jase Rice clipped 50 seconds off his time in the 200M IM.  In the 50M freestyle, Terrance Claybourne(15.8 seconds), Terreal Clayboure(1.1 second) and Tristan Sons(19 seconds) all lowered their season best times.   In the 100M freestyle, John Michal lowered his season best time by more than a second, Ben Davis was 11 seconds faster, William Tobitt was almost 3 tenths of a second faster and Riley Bellamy was almost 2 seconds faster.  Riley Bellamy was 5 seconds faster in the 100M breaststroke.  The 400M freestyle team of Jase Rice, John Michal, Ben Davis and Jack Beachboard were 15 seconds faster than their season best time.

The swimmers will hit the water again on Thursday, December 7^th when they travel back to LaVergne for a meet with LaVergne and Oakland.  The first race is set to begin at 6 PM.

The Motlow State Lady Bucks look to make a move up the TCCAA conference standings when they host a pair of rivals this weekend at Copperweld Arena. Cleveland State will visit Friday night, with Chattanooga State providing the opposition Saturday.

The Lady Bucks (1-6, 0-3) are coming off a holiday road trip that they hope to quickly put behind them. Motlow traveled to Jacksonville and lost a 66-50 decision to Florida State College last Wednesday. They followed that with a trip to Americus, Ga., over the weekend, falling to South Georgia Tech 72-53 on Saturday and Central Georgia Tech 68-64 Sunday.

Both Cleveland State and Chattanooga State are 1-3 in TCCAA play, giving the Lady Bucks a real opportunity to get back into the conference race. The Lady Bucks and Lady Cougars will tip off at 5:30 p.m. Friday, while the women’s game begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free both days, and the men’s teams will play after the women both Friday and Saturday.

Motlow has started well in most every game this season, but the second half has not been kind to the Lady Bucks. That trend held true in two of their three games last week, including the contest against Florida State College. After leading 11-10 at the end of the first quarter and being tied 20-20 with 2:30 to play in the half, the Lady Bucks trailed 28-24 at intermission. FSCJ led 50-41 after three quarters and pulled away for the final 16-point margin.

Joy Porter and Janna Lewis led the Lady Bucks with nine points each, while Miranda Boutwell scored eight and Tajah Clark had seven. Lewis led the rebounding for Motlow will seven, with Porter, Jasmine Williams, Brianna Jones and Jewel Ledbetter each adding five boards. Clark dished out six assists and had five steals and Lynshawn Ebron added two assists and a pair of steals.

Saturday afternoon in Americus, the Lady Bucks trailed South Georgia Tech 20-15 after one quarter but fought their way back to take a 35-34 lead at halftime. The bottom fell out after the intermission though, with SGT outscoring Motlow 20-6 to take a 54-41 lead into the final quarter.

The Lady Bucks have struggled shooting the ball this season, connecting on only 27.4 percent of their shots in Jacksonville and 25.5 percent against SGT, including 6-18 from behind the three-point line, although they did make 20-26 free throws on Saturday.

Lewis was the top scorer with 19 points, including 11-14 free throws made, and also led the Lady Bucks with six rebounds. Ledbetter scored eight points and had five rebounds, and Clark, Ebron and Chantel Maxwell each scored six points.

Shooting woes again plagued Motlow on Sunday, especially in the first half when the Lady Bucks hit only 24.1 percent of their shots and trailed 45-21 at intermission. Motlow fought back though, closing the gap to 55-44 after three quarters. Despite outscoring CGT by seven in the fourth, the Lady Bucks had dug themselves too deep of a hole to overcome.

Lewis and Maxwell each scored 15 points to lead Motlow, with Lewis adding six rebounds and a pair of assists. Porter scored nine points with nine rebounds and five blocked shots, and Boutwell had nine points and six boards. Clark also scored nine and added two rebounds and two steals. Motlow shot 33.3 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range.

Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.

It’s a question with a rather obvious answer: Would you rather spend more time watching the Predators and eating your hot chicken or standing in line?

With the idea of constant improvement to the guest experience at Bridgestone Arena in mind, Smashville Self Serve kiosks will be making their debut on Thursday night when the Preds host the Vancouver Canucks.

The goal with the new point-of-sale stations is simple: allow fans to spend more time doing anything else, other than standing in line while waiting for a delicious offering.

“This is an innovative idea where you take the longest process and the most boring part of the food and beverage experience, and you completely revamp it,” Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena President and CEO Sean Henry said. “Now, the physical concession stand can be dedicated to higher quality, better displays, faster turnarounds and more unique items.”

Six new touchscreen, self-serve kiosks have been installed at the Hot Chicken station at Section 109 in Bridgestone Arena.
Six new touchscreen, self-serve kiosks have been installed at the Hot Chicken station at Section 109 in Bridgestone Arena. Nashville Predators

The stations are being unveiled on a trial run and will be available at three different areas around the arena to start. The Hot Chicken Stand outside of Section 109 on the main concourse and the Ole Mole Nacho Stand near the SoBro Entrance of the building will feature tablet-style ordering stations. On the Upper Level, the Hunt Brothers Pizza stand outside of Section 310 will feature six full-size, touch-screen kiosks available.

In each location, fans will be able to order every menu item available at the respective station by simply selecting their items from the touch-screen devices. Once the order is complete, fans will swipe their credit card to complete the transaction before receiving a printed ticket to confirm their order for pickup at the counter.

“We want our fans to be able to experience everything Bridgestone Arena has to offer, while spending minimal time standing in a concession line,” Delaware North General Manager John DonVito said. “For example, during an intermission, fans may have to make a choice of do I go to the bathroom, do I go to the concessions or do I enjoy another experience? We don’t want fans to have to choose, we want them to be able to do all three in the allotted amount of time.”

A view of the self-serve kiosks at the Hunt Brothers Pizza station outside of Section 310 at Bridgestone Arena.
A view of the self-serve kiosks at the Hunt Brothers Pizza station outside of Section 310 at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville Predators

Henry and his staff realize that, as with all new technology, there may be glitches to start. But the eventual goal is to begin adding these kiosks throughout the arena, offering fans greater quantities of ordering points, which will in turn will produce a better experience on a nightly basis.

“It’s not perfect, but because of the type of fans we have with their input, it will be in pretty short order,” Henry said.

Fans are welcome and encouraged to test out the kiosks and provide feedback by tweeting @SMASHVILLE_FnB or reaching out to their ticket representatives via phone or email

The Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams of Coffee County CHS traveled to Fayetteville on Tuesday night for a non-conference doubleheader with the Tigers of Fayetteville City.  The Lady Raiders ran their record to 5 and 0 with a 63 to 26 win.  The Red Raiders won their 4^th straight game with a thrilling 60 to 56 win in double overtime.

The Lady Raiders never trailed as they captured their first win of the year under the mercy rule.  Coach Joe Pat Cope was able to play all of his players as Coffee County opened a lead in the first 2 minutes and coasted to the win.  Bella Vinson had the hot hand in the first half as she scored 20 points by intermission and finished with 22 on the night.  Junior Abby Morgan played her first complete game of the year as she has recovered from a torn ACL which occurred in February and a broken arm in September.  Morgan finished with 13 points as she was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Jacey Vaughn added 11 points for Coffee County.

The Red Raiders rallied from deficits in the 4^th quarter and the first overtime period to capture a thrilling win.  Tied at 51 entering the second overtime, the Raiders never trailed in the decisive period as some great defense and clutch free throw shooting carried the Raiders to the win.  Garrett Booth led the Raiders in scoring with 20 points, including 7 in the 2 overtime periods to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Darius Rozier finished the night with 11 points and had a huge blocked shot to send the game to a 2nd overtime period.  DeAaron Rozier added 9 points and Harley Hunshaw chipped in 8 in the win.

Coffee County returns home on Friday when they open district play against Lawrence County.  The girl’s game will get underway at 6 PM.  Thunder Radio will begin live coverage with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental Pregame Show at 5:50.

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

The Temple Baptist Christian School varsity and junior varsity teams traveled to Hixson on Tuesday for a doubleheader with Berean Academy.  Playing their first games since the Thanksgiving holidays, the Eagles dropped both contests.  The junior varsity fell 40 to 22 while the varsity fell 56 to 22.

In the JV game, despite playing Berean tight in the 2^nd half, Temple fell behind 25 to 11 at the half and could not make up ground in the final 12 minutes.  Isaiah Baker was the leading scorer for Temple’s JV as he had 10 points.  Alex Gloden added 8 points while Joey Lacy and Colton Summers each chipped in 2 points.

In the varsity game, the Eagles were held to 1 point in the opening quarter and 8 points in the first half in the loss.  Cody Swayze led the Eagles in scoring with 14 points.  Mich Gloden added 3 points and David Tran and Colton Summers each added 2 points.

The Eagles return home on Friday night when they play host to Shenandoah Baptist Academy of Cleveland.  The JV game will tip off at 5 PM with the varsity contest to follow.  Coach Jeff Stewart and members of the Eagles team will be guests on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard LIVE each Saturday morning from 10 to 11 here on Thunder Radio.  The Coffee Coaches Show begins its 3^rd year of being broadcast each Saturday from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.

Filip Forsberg, Austin Watson and Roman Josi scored, and goaltender Pekka Rinne won his fifth consecutive start in a 3-2 win for the Nashville Predators against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

The Predators (15-6-3) are 10-1-1 in their past 12 games.

Rinne made 37 saves.

Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma scored for the Blackhawks (12-9-3), who are 6-5-2 on the road.

Forsberg gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 3:16 of the first period on a rebound of his own shot. He took the original shot from the slot, got to the rebound and beat Blackhawks goaltender Anton Forsberg for his 12th goal.

Wingels tied the game 1-1 at 5:10. Forward Alex DeBrincat skated the puck around the net and found Wingels for his second goal.

Watson made it 2-1 at 3:48 of the second period on a redirection. Defenseman Matt Irwin took the shot from the point, and Watson sent it past Forsberg for his third goal.

Josi extended the lead to 3-1 lead at 2:32 of the third period on a slap shot on the power play from the left face-off circle. His shot went off Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook and beat Forsberg on the glove side for his sixth goal.

Bouma brought the Blackhawks within 3-2 at 9:38. He received a pass from John Hayden and scored his second goal on a shot through traffic.

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane had his point streak end at seven games.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams returned to conference play on Monday night in Decherd as they took on North Franklin.  In a pair of hard fought games, Coffee County came home with a conference spilt.  The Lady Raiders battled to a hard fought 32 to 29 win while the Red Raiders dropped a 45 to 21 decision.

Despite racing out to an 8 to 0 lead, the Lady Raiders had to fight to the final possession for the 3 point win.  North had a 3 point shot with 5 seconds to play that would not fall as Coffee County improved to 8 and 1 on the year.  Alyssa McClanahan led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 11 points.  Marley Perry added 10 points and Alivia Reel chipped in 4 points.

The Red Raiders were outscored 24 to 10 in the second half as they fell to the Gators.  With Coffee trailing by 10 at the half, North held Coffee Middle to 4 points in the 3^rd quarter.  Coffee Middle was led in scoring by Connor Shemwell who had 8 points.  Hayden Garr added 6 points and Phineas Rollman added 3.

Coffee Middle returns home on Thursday when they welcome West Tullahoma to the CCMS Gym.  The girl’s game will get underway at 6 PM.

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

 

The Westwood Middle School basketball team welcomed Liberty to the Joel Vinson Gym on Monday night. Coming off a pair of wins at Liberty earlier in the year, Westwood was looking for the season sweep.  The Lady Rockets won by a final score of 33 to 24 while the Rockets won 47 to 28.

The Lady Rockets used a good half court defense, especially in 2^nd and 3^rd quarters, to power to their 7^th win on the season.  After being tied at 6 after 1 quarter, Westwood outscored Liberty 12 to 6 in the 2nd quarter to take a lead they would not surrender.   Elizabeth Brown was the leading scorer for Westwood as she finished with 14 points, including 12 in the 1^st half.  Haidyn Campbell added 6 points and Kennedy Young finished with 5 points.

The Rockets seized control in the final 3 minutes of the first quarter as they powered to the win and their 7^th win of the year as well.  John Dobson led Westwood in scoring with 18 points with 10 of those coming in the 2^nd half.  Trent Thompson added 14 points, including 12 in the first half.  Will Partin added 9 points.

Westwood travels to Moore County on Thursday night for an important matchup with conference rival Moore County.  The girl’s game will get underway at 6 PM at Moore County High School.

By John Glennon – TitansOnline.com

One by one, the Titans are knocking down the divisional roadblocks that have stifled their progress for so long.

When the Titans won at Jacksonville in the second week of the season, it marked the team’s first AFC South road victory since 2013.

When the Titans downed Indianapolis last month in Nashville, it brought an end the Colts’ 11-game overall winning streak against them.

And when the Titans rallied past the Colts 20-16 on Sunday, it marked the end of yet another ugly streak. The Titans won for the first time in their last 10 trips to Indianapolis, a stretch that extended back to 2007, the year before Lucas Oil Field came into existence.

So as difficult as it might have been to believe when the Titans trailed 16-6 in the third quarter – and couldn’t seem to move the football at all – they’ve now taken another big step toward their goal of winning the division.

They’re 3-1 in the AFC South, with two divisional home games remaining – next Sunday against Houston and on Dec. 31 against Jacksonville.

No one ever said progress had to be pretty.

“This time of year, all these games are very important,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “You want to win the division? You’ve got to win division games, and you’ve got to win them on the road.”

The Titans won this game in large part because they found success playing Titans-style football just in the nick of time.

Up until the Titans’ second-to-last drive of the game, they struggled to produce holes in the running attack, and struggled to find them when the holes were there.

The result at that point? A total of 15 carries for just 22 yards.

But as Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie mentioned earlier in the week, he likes to stay patient with the running attack, figuring the combination of his offensive line and the two backs will eventually make a difference.

That’s exactly what happened in the late going.

All of a sudden, Henry ripped off chunks of 10 yards, seven yards, 14 yards and nine yards, guiding the Titans on a nine-play, 77-yard touchdown drive.

“Everybody was blocking in front of me,” Henry said. “The offensive line did a great job the second half – tight ends, everyone, just a great job blocking. Everybody just did their job. That’s what we said in the huddle. `Do your job and plays are there to be made.’ That’s what we did.”

One series later, the Titans took over in the perfect four-minute situation, in possession of both the lead and the football. They never returned either to the Colts, mashing out another nine-play, 64-yard drive that lasted until the final whistle.

All but eight of those yards came on the ground, meaning Tennessee piled up 70 of its 92 rushing yards on its last two drives.

“It felt great to be able to hold the ball and run effectively,” Henry said. “We knew we just had to stay patient, keep believing in the gameplan. We knew it would open up, and when it did, we got the win.”

Does the Titans’ fifth win in the team’s last six games mean all is well for this club?

It does not.

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, for instance, must find a way to return to the efficient, largely error-free style that made him so successful in his first two seasons. Mariota posted a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 45 to 19 in his first two years, but that ratio stands at nine touchdowns to 12 interceptions this season.

There’s little doubt part of the problem is a lack of chemistry with receivers like Eric Decker, Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor, all of whom are in their first season with the Titans. In addition, Mariota, Decker and Davis all missed significant chunks of the offseason and or training camp, time that could have been spent working out the kinks.

But in the big picture, let’s remember for a moment how long it’s been that this team has wandered in the wilderness.

The Titans haven’t made the playoffs since 2008, recording just two winning seasons over the past eight years.

So as concerning as some of the Titans’ flaws may yet be, take a moment and soak in the progress made record-wise over the past two years. The Titans have now won seven of their first 11 games for the first time since that memorable 2008 season.

Winning the AFC South is still very much in this team’s hands, especially given the victory in Jacksonville earlier this year. The Titans haven’t captured the division title since Chris Johnson, Keith Bulluck and company did so in 2008.

But you can bet that’s the next streak this team would love to smash.