Category: Sports

Goals from Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg weren’t enough for the Nashville Predators as they fell, 4-2, to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

The result sees Nashville’s five-game point streak come to a close, resulting in their third regulation loss of the season and only New York’s second win.

The Predators had their chances on the afternoon, outshooting the Rangers 25-15, including a 13-5 advantage in the final 40 minutes, but Nashville was unable to convert on their chances when they had them.

“You work to get the opportunities, and I thought we did, they didn’t go for us tonight,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “But the effort was there, the guys played a pretty good game.”

In the first, a couple of defensive mistakes by the Preds created a breakaway and an in-tight one-timer for the Rangers, with New York picking up two goals on the corresponding plays.

First, Jesper Fast collected his first of the season on a juicy rebound after Juuse Saros stopped Kevin Hayes’s breakaway bid. Five minutes later, Chris Kreider fired home a shot from the low slot for a 2-0 Rangers lead after the first period.

The second frame began with speed and results for the Preds. Nashville took a territorial advantage to open the period and Ekholm slapped a puck past Henrik Lundqvist to cut the visitor’s deficit to 2-1 only 1:44 in.

After Kevin Hayes put the Rangers back up by two, Preds center Ryan Johansen one-armed a pass to Roman Josi, whose shot was deflected by Forsberg and made things 3-2 through 40 minutes.

Nashville did all they could to even the score in the third period, putting nine shots and a slew of chances at the Rangers’ net, but the Blueshirts iced it with an empty-netter before regulation was out.

Captain Roman Josi pointed to an 0-for-5 mark on the man advantage as a downfall for the Preds on the day, something one of the League’s best power plays will aim to correct.

“I thought they came out stronger, but in the second and third, we were the better team out there,” Josi said. “We had a lot of chances, especially in the third, but it’s just a matter of executing on the power play… We had a lot of chances and we have to get a goal there.”

Laviolette saw further improvement in his team’s game through the afternoon as he has all season, but the final result was a product of the Rangers taking advantage of their opportunities and the Predators not doing so enough.

“We’re in the collecting points business, so today we collected zero,” Laviolette said. “But it’s early, our game has gotten better every game. [Today] was no different, we just didn’t get the results.”

Notes:

Center Nick Bonino was placed on Injured Reserve on Friday. Winger Pontus Aberg and defensemen Anthony Bitetto and Samuel Girard were scratched for Saturday’s contest.

With a goal and an assist, Filip Forsberg became the first Nashville skater to reach double digits in points this season (6g-5a-11pts).

Up next for Nashville is another quick stop at home to host Jaromir Jagr and the Calgary Flames (on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. CT).

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

The Coffee County elementary basketball league begins league play for the 2017-18 season on Saturday at the Coffee County Middle School.  7 elementary schools from the Coffee County and Manchester City school systems are entered this season.

Regular season games will begin on October 21^st and continue every Saturday until December 9^th.  The league will take off on Thanksgiving weekend on November 25^th.  After Saturday’s games at CCMS, the rest of the season schedule will take place at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym at CHS.

Postseason tournament play begins on January 6^th with the semifinals scheduled for January 13^th.  The league will hold its championship and consolation games on January 20^th.   The regular season schedule is as follows:

Click to enlarge and print

Cooper Reed of CCMS basketball

The Coffee County Middle School 6^th grade basketball teams hosted East Tullahoma on Thursday night for their 2017 home opener.  The Lady Raiders secured a season sweep over the Lady Panthers with a win by the score of 28 to 9.  The Red Raiders completed the sweep by a final score of 28 to 17.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders held East to 2 first half points on their way to the decisive win.  The Lady Raider defense held the Lady Panthers scoreless in the first quarter and to 1 point in the 4^th quarter to run their record to 3 and 1.  Samantha Kirby led Coffee County in scoring with 7 points.  Kara Wheeler added 6 points and Marissa Medina netted 5.

In the boys’ game, it was a 13 point 3rd quarter that lifted the Red Raiders from a 4 point halftime deficit to a 4 point lead entering the final 6 minutes.  The Red Raider defense held East to 3 points in the 4^th quarter to grab their second win of the year.  Cooper Reed led the Raiders in scoring with 13 points.  Ethan Hargrove added 7 points and Jackson Shemwell chipped in 6.

The 6^th grade cagers are back in action on Friday night when they travel to McMinnville for a 6 PM doubleheader.  The games will be played at Warren County Middle School.

Pekka Rinne made 28 saves, and Colton Sissons scored in the third period to lift the Nashville Predators to a 1-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.

The Predators (4-2-1) have at least a point in five straight games (4-0-1).

It was Rinne’s first shutout of the season and Nashville’s first road win (1-2-1).

Michal Neuvirth made 23 saves for Philadelphia (4-3-0), which lost for the first time in three games.

It was the second time the Predators defeated the Flyers in 10 days, following a 6-5 victory in Nashville on Oct. 10. Sissons didn’t play in that game because of a lower-body injury.

Forward Kevin Fiala pulled the puck out of traffic in front of the Predators net and broke out of the zone. He got into the high slot and chipped a pass to Sissons, who settled it and beat Neuvirth with a shot to the far side, between the goalie’s right arm and body, for his second goal.

The Predators and Flyers each entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the NHL on the power play.

Nashville, which was tied for third (28.6 percent), went 0-for-2. Philadelphia, which was seventh (26.9 percent) after going 4-for-11 in its previous three games, went 0-for-5 with seven shots on goal. The Flyers didn’t get a shot after Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson was called for slashing with 1:06 remaining in the third period.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

1st National Bank and Thunder Radio will once again combine forces this fall and winter to continue to highlight more and more local athletes. The highly acclaimed 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series returns for its 2nd season of middle school basketball coverage.  Thunder Radio and First National Bank will bring you a series of 10 Westwood Middle School and Coffee County Middle School basketball games beginning on October 23rd and continuing into January. Thunder Radio’s Lucky Knott will bring his 35 years of experience to these broadcasts that you can hear exclusively here on Manchester’s only hometown radio station. Lucky, a veteran of sports broadcasting who has experience in broadcasting sports from preps to professionals, will provide unparalleled coverage for middle school basketball.  The tentative schedule is as follows:

*Subject to revision [Click to enlarge and print]

Anastasia Wellington scored the golden goal on a penalty kick in the second overtime Saturday to give the Motlow Lady Bucks a thrilling 2-1 victory over Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia.

Motlow (5-7-1) almost pulled off the weekend sweep before losing a close 2-1 contest to Polk State College on the same field at Andrew on Sunday.

The Lady Bucks have two games remaining in the regular season. Friday evening at 4:30 p.m., Motlow will host the Martin Methodist College JV at Smyrna High School in Smyrna. The final regular season game is Oct. 23, with Motlow traveling to Martin Methodist College in Pulaski.

Shelby Grow got the Lady Bucks on the scoreboard first Saturday with a goal at the 22-minute mark to give Motlow at 1-0 lead against Andrew College. The home team tied the score 1-1 at 43 minutes and the two teams entered the half tied at one.

Neither team could push across a goal in the final 45 minutes of regulation and the first 10 minute overtime period. It appeared as if the game would finish in a tie before Wellington drew the penalty and nailed the kick with three minutes remaining.

Playing on back-to-back days, the Lady Bucks fought through fatigue on Sunday and gave Polk State College all they could handle. Polk jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a goal at the seven-minute mark and the half ended tied at one.

Early in the second half, Motlow’s Paige Loveless drove a free kick into the back on the net to tie the score at 1-1 at the 48-minute mark. The Lady Bucks held their ground for the next 30 minutes before Polk State scored the game winner at the 78-minute mark.

At 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, the Nashville Sounds Foundation will host its annual “Suites-N-Treats” event for underprivileged and special needs children at First Tennessee Park.

Suites-N-Treats is an event that provides underprivileged and special needs children in the greater Nashville area with the opportunity to trick or treat in a safe and unique environment. There will also be activities set up for the participants, which include decorating their own trick or treat bags, making picture frames, enjoying complimentary food/drink (donated by Centerplate and Coca-Cola), and the opportunity to meet Sounds mascot Booster and take pictures with him.

This is a private event for children who have previously received an invitation through one of the participating non-profit organizations.

Suites-N-Treats offers a terrific opportunity for media coverage. All media planning on attending the event should enter through the First Tennessee Park Club Level entry doors (entrance behind home plate). It is recommended media arrive for the first hour of the event.

WHO: Underprivileged and special needs children

WHAT: Unique and safe trick-or-treating opportunity provided by Nashville Sounds suite holders and front office staff members

WHEN: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 25

WHERE: Club Level at First Tennessee Park
(Enter at Club & Suites Entrance glass door near ticket office at ballpark entrance on Junior Gilliam Way)

The mission of the Nashville Sounds Foundation is to utilize baseball to positively impact communities throughout Middle Tennessee by emphasizing the importance of social responsibility, education, and the power of sport to transform lives. For more information on the Nashville Sounds Foundation and its initiatives, please visit www.nashvillesounds.com and click on the Community tab.

For more information, contact Mark Meyers, MarkM@nashvillesounds.com, 615-515-1152.

CHS Soccer seniors(left to right) Vanessa Pedrosa, Maddie Creek, Ashley Woods, Maggie Lashlee and Anadelia Barrera.

The Coffee County soccer season came to a close in Murfreesboro on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Region 4AAA tournament.  Coffee County dropped a 3 to 1 decision to Siegel on the Lady Stars home pitch.  The Lady Stars outshot the Lady Raiders and led in time of possession.  Siegel also was more physical as they dominated the play in the midfield.

Siegel scored 2 goals in the 25^th minute to take a 2 nil lead into the half.  The Stars added a goal 4 minutes in the second half to make it 3 to 0.  Coffee County answered in the 56^th minute with a goal from Allie Amado to make it 3 to 1 but could not generate any more offense.  The Lady Raiders were held to only 8 shots on frame as Amado had 4 of those.  Jenna Garretson added the assist for Coffee County.   The loss ended the season for the Lady Raiders as they finished as the District 8AAA regular season champions and an overall record of 10-4-2.

Download the broadcast at: www.WMSRradio.com/downloads

The Westwood Rockets opened the 2017 basketball season on Tuesday night at the Joel Vinson Gym.  The Rockets and Lady Rockets welcomed Fayetteville to town for a conference doubleheader.  The Lady Rockets opened the season with a 37 to 25 win while the Rockets fell 32 to 29.

In the girl’s game, Westwood outscored the Lady Tigers 15 to 5 in the 2^nd quarter to ease away to the win.  The Lady Rockets were 9 of 10 from the free throw line.  Elizabeth Brown led Westwood in scoring as she had 14 points including 2 three pointers.  Kasen Holt, Alex Nelson and Kennedy Young all chipped in 6 points.

The Rockets saw Fayetteville jump out to a 14 to 2 lead after 1 quarter.  The Rockets fought and clawed their way back to cut the deficit to 2 before running out of time.  Trent Thompson led Westwood in scoring with 15 points, including 11 in the second half.  Brady Nugent added 8 points.

Westwood is back in action on Monday when they play host to Cascade.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you live play by play as part of the Hometown Sports Series.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM with Thunder Radio’s live coverage beginning with the pregame show at 5:50.

Samantha Kirby of CCMS basketball

The Coffee County Middle School 6^th grade basketball team traveled to Decherd on Tuesday night for a doubleheader with North Franklin.  The Lady Raiders were pushed to overtime before winning 34 to 30.  The Red Raiders dropped a 40 to 35 decision.

Trailing by 2 at the half, the Lady Raiders tied the game in the 3^rd quarter and ended the game in regulation tied at 26.  In the overtime period, Coffee County held North to just 4 free throws as they outscored the Lady Gators 8 to 4.  Samantha Kirby led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 9 points, including 3 in overtime.  Marissa Medina and Remi Benjamin added 8 points apiece.

Despite a 17 point second quarter for Coffee County, the Red Raiders saw North outscore them 10 to 5 in the 4^th quarter to capture the win.  Ethan Hargrove led the Raiders in scoring with 12 points.  Cooper Reed added 8 points and Jackson Shemwell netted 7.

The home opener for the 6th graders will be on Thursday night when Coffee County welcomes East Tullahoma to the CCMS gym.  The girls’ game will get underway at 6 PM.