All former Westwood Junior High and Westwood Middle School basketball players and cheerleaders are invited out for the 1st Annual Alumni Game. The game will be held on Tuesday, October 24th at the Joel Vinson Gym at Westwood. The game will tip off at 6 PM and team shirts will be provided for all participants.
For signups, or more information, contact Christina Norman-Young at 931-247-2506 or Amy Jones at 931-273-5780. All proceeds will go to benefit the Westwood Lady Rockets basketball team. Tickets will be available at the door.
Samuel Girard got his first, and the home team rolled from there.
Four unanswered goals for the Nashville Predators were more than enough to defeat the Dallas Stars by a 4-1 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The victory gives the Preds their first win streak of the young season, having won two in a row to push their record to 2-2-0.
The Predators called the win their “most complete contest of the season” thus far, limiting the Stars’ quality chances, while capitalizing on those of their own at the right time.
“I thought we got better as the game went on,” Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “The first period – it’s not that we weren’t ready to play or didn’t want to do the right things – the puck didn’t sit our way, it didn’t bounce our way. It looked out of sort a bit. But, fighting through that in the second and third, we managed the puck a bit better which helped us manage the game.”
The Predators found themselves down 1-0 after the first 20 minutes, but a few bounces coupled with an even better effort in the middle frame saw defenseman Samuel Girard score his first NHL goal before Filip Forsberg tallied on the power play for his fourth of the season.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne shut the door on Dallas the rest of the way and Viktor Arvidsson potted his second of the campaign and then P.K. Subban iced it into an empty net.
From here, the Predators travel to Chicago, a building that hasn’t been kind to them in recent memory – except in the 2017 postseason. When talking about the meeting with the Hawks, Rinne couldn’t help but grin at the thought of the next showdown at the United Center.
“It’s a good confidence booster,” Rinne said of the win. “We are .500 right now, and we’re building up more solid games together. That’s our goal, to improve every game. The big word has been ‘consistency’ from the past couple of years, and that’s what we’ve really tried to improve and really tried to focus on. Now we’re going to Chicago next, and it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Feels Like the First Time:
Samuel Girard recorded an assist in his first NHL game on Tuesday night, but that was just the warmup.
The rookie blueliner fired home his first NHL goal and added another helper in Thursday’s 4-1 win over Dallas, giving him three points in his first two career outings. The normally soft-spoken Girard let out a burst of pure elation after taking a feed from P.K. Subban and watching his slap shot fly into the cage, a moment he’ll undoubtedly never forget.
“It was kind of weird to score and afterward get hugged by Subban,” Girard, who is still having some of those ‘pinch me’ moments, said. “It was a nice pass by Subban, he brought all the players to him, just made a good pass, and I just put the puck in the net.”
As if his coach and teammates weren’t already impressed by his training camp, or his preseason outings, or his first NHL game, the raving continued on Thursday night.
“When I think about myself when I was 19, there is no way I could’ve played in this league,” Rinne said. “Guys seem to be more ready the younger they are and they seem to play like men. [Girard] seemed like a veteran player out there.”
Girard also had plenty of responsibility on Thursday as a first-period injury to fellow defenseman Yannick Weber forced Girard and his mates to take on extra minutes. The Quebec native ended up skating a total of 21:25, including 3:45 on the power play, to go along with four shots on goal. Not bad for a teenager who was drafted just two summers ago and is now shining under the bright lights of Broadway.
“He’s able to make plays that are clean plays,” Laviolette said of Girard. “As we were watching through training camp, we’re watching him defend to see if he can handle it. So far, at every turn he has. He’s played against some big lines and some big players. He’s smart, he closes quick. He has a really good stick defensively. He manages his game really well.”
Notes:
Captain Roman Josi missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day. Forward Colton Sissons returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury with Miikka Salomaki coming out in his place.
Laviolette did not have an update on defenseman Yannick Weber’s status postgame. Weber left the game in the first period after taking a high hit from Martin Hanzal and did not return.
With a goal against the Stars, Filip Forsberg now has four tallies in four games this season. It took him until the 31-game mark last season to score his fourth, and he still ended up with 31 by season’s end.
With the first home stand of the season complete, the Preds now head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday night. It’s the first meeting between the two clubs since the Preds swept the Hawks in Round One of the 2017 Playoffs. Nashville then returns home to host Colorado on Tuesday night.
The Coffee County Red Raiders will welcome Riverdale to Carden-Jarrell Field on Friday and the focus will be on more than just football. The Red Raiders are hosting Pink Out Night on Friday with the goal of raising money and awareness for Breast Cancer. The event is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, and all money goes to the Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition. The TBCC has a specific Coffee County account which ensures the money returns to residents of Coffee County.
T-shirts designed for Friday night’s event were available from the high school’s Coffee County FBLA chapter in order to raise money. FBLA has announced all shirts are sold out.
This is the 4th season that Coffee County has participated. Kick-off will be at 7 PM, Thunder Radio begins live coverage with the Friday Night Thunder pregame show at 6.
Three members of the Westwood football team and 2 members of the Coffee County Middle School football team were recently selected to the all-conference teams for their respective conferences. Coffee Middle competes in the Central Tennessee Conference who announced their all-conference team at Saturday’s conference championship. Westwood Middle competes in the Duck River Valley Conference and the Rocket all-conference selections were announced on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show by Chad Dyer, head coach for Westwood.
Westwood 8th graders Xavier Garcia and Derek Scott, along with 7th grader Connor Heaton were selected to the first team All-DRVC team. Garcia was a beast on the defensive line for the Rockets and also a starter in the offensive front 5. Scott was also a member of the offensive and defensive lines. Heaton lined up at the wingback position for the Rocket offense as he was among the team leaders in yards and touchdowns. Heaton was also a starter on defense as a safety.
For the Red Raiders, Kelby Walker and Connor Shemwell were named to the first team All-CTC team. Both players are 8th graders for the Red Raiders. Walker was among the team leaders in rushing and receiving from his running back position. Shemwell was the Red Raiders quarterback and also played linebacker on defense.
The Westwood Rockets basketball teams welcome everyone to the Joel Vinson Gym on Thursday night for their Blue/White scrimmage games. Both teams will split up and match up in a pair of scrimmage games and the public is invited to come out and get an early glimpse of the teams. The Lady Rockets will tip off first at 6 PM with the boys to follow. Westwood will open their season on Tuesday when they play host to Fayetteville. Tipoff is set for 6 PM at the Joel Vinson Gym.
Facing wet and muddy conditions, the Coffee County soccer team slogged their way to a 4 to 2 win over Columbia on Tuesday night in the opening round of the District 8AAA tournament. The Lady Raiders were forced to match goals with the Lady Lions in the first 20 minutes before taking charge in the final 60 minutes for the win. Coffee County tied the match in the 16th minute and the Lady Raider defense kept the Columbia offense contained in the final three fourths of the match.
Columbia got on the board first in the 11th minute on a free kick from just outside the 18 yard box. The Lady Raiders tied it in the 14th minute on a Jessica Barrera goal off an assist from Emilee Roberson. But Columbia answered right back less than a minute later. Sam Ellison tied the match in the 16th minute on an unassisted goal. From that point forward, the Lady Raider defense took over.
Coffee County limited Columbia to 5 shots in the final 60 minutes. Roberson added the game winner on an unassisted goal in the 31st minute as she banged home a deflected free kick off the foot of Jenna Garretson. Leading 3 to 2 entering the second half, Allie Amado reentered the game after an injury to add an insurance goal in the 47th minute. Coffee County outshot Columbia 25 to 8 to claim the win.
The Lady Raiders now advance to Thursday’s District finals where they will play host to Lincoln County at the Raider Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM behind the Raider Academy. Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.
The Lady Raider volleyball season came to a close on Tuesday night as Coffee County fell to Blackman in 3 sets in the Region 4AAA semifinals. Coffee County, making their 6th straight region tournament appearance, had trouble with their hitting consistency against the taller Lady Blaze as they continued to look for the program’s first region win. Coffee County lost by set scores of 9-25, 13-25 and 10-25.
The 4 seniors for Coffee County closed out their career with a good final match. Senior Odalis Garcia led the team in aces with 2 and kills with 5. Senior Tyana Fenton added 3 kills and led the team in digs with 12. She was followed closely by seniors Alliyah Williams with 4 digs and senior Alexis Baker who had 3 digs. Amanda Mukai led Coffee County with 6 assists and added a block. Freshman Lexi Bryan added a block.
Coach Andrew Taylor will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the season. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday morning from 10 to 11 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln in Manchester. The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.
The Temple Baptist Christian School volleyball team hosted their final home match of the year on Tuesday as they welcomed Dogwood Christian into E.C. Bailey Gym. The Lady Eagles swept the visitors from Tunnel Hill, Georgia in 3 sets in a varsity only contest. The Lady Eagles won by set scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-20.
Rachel Butler led the team in kills with 7 and digs with 7. Brooke Clark had the only ace for Temple. Lauren Davis and Lexie Stewart each finished with 7 assists. The Temple varsity team will wrap up their season on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Louisville, Kentucky to take part in the Landmark Christian Tournament.
Hitting the road for the second night in a row, the Coffee County Middle School 6th grade basketball teams took on White County on Tuesday night in Sparta. Coming off a pair of wins on Monday night, the Raider teams could not duplicate the feat against the always tough Warrior squads. The Lady Raiders fell 36 to 11 while the Red Raiders were defeated 49 to 26.
In the girls’ game, following a close first half, White County outscored the Lady Raiders 15 to 3 in the 3rd quarter to put the game out of reach. The Lady Raiders were held to 1 field goal in the second half as their record drops to 1 and 1 on the year. Marissa Medina led Coffee County in scoring with 4 points.
In the boys’ contest, White County used a 17 to 2 scoring advantage in the 4th quarter to power away for the win on their home floor. Coffee County was led in scoring by Ethan Hargrove who had 10 points. Brendon Sheppard added 5 points for the Red Raiders.
The next action for the 6th graders is Monday. The Red Raiders travel to Tullahoma to take on the West Tullahoma. This will be a boys’ only contest and will begin at 6 PM. Both teams return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Decherd to take on North Franklin. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.
New Preds banners to hang at Bridgestone Arena [Photo by Nashville Predators]
Well, that’s one way to do it.
After giving up five consecutive goals to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Nashville Predators scored three unanswered of their own to win their home opener by a 6-5 final at Bridgestone Arena.
Two power-play markers in the final 1:27 of regulation from Scott Hartnell and Filip Forsberg gave Nashville their first win of the young season, and after the Predators raised their Western Conference Championship banner to the rafters, it couldn’t have come on a more opportune occasion.
“It was exciting to see that the fans got what they paid for tonight,” Hartnell said. “It was a great start to the game; up 3-0. That game should be shut down at that point. Some sloppy play led to them taking over the game and you’re not going to come back like that against a lot of teams in this League, but we were able to do it tonight with some big power play goals at the end.”
“It was a huge game for us,” Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “Good start to the game, then let it slip a little bit, and then a huge comeback. I feel like we’ve done that many times, but it’s a pretty hard way to play. Emotionally and everything, it was a big win for us.”
Scott Hartnell said the day before Nashville’s home opener he was hoping to hear Tim McGraw a few times. He got his wish on six occasions.
Two of those goals came off of his very own stick – including one to tie the game at five – giving him three in his first three outings of the season. In what was something of comeback for the veteran forward, a second chance with his original team, saying he’s making the most of it thus far would be an understatement. And although it’s early, Hartnell has already shown exactly what he can bring to this club night after night.
“He’s been awesome, he really has,” Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Hartnell. “Tonight, he worked and worked. Took a bad penalty and he apologized for it right away, he knew it was a bad penalty. But you can’t question his heart or what he’s doing out here. He looked really good in training camp, he looks in shape and ready to play and wants to contribute and that’s exactly what I saw tonight.”
A full two-minute, 5-on-3 advantage isn’t necessarily considered in the game plan, but that’s exactly what the Predators got on Thursday night.
They took advantage when Hartnell deposited a rebound past Brian Elliott to knot the game at 5-5 late in regulation. But then, Flyers Head Coach Dave Hakstol challenged the play for offside.
If successful, the goal gets wiped out and the Flyers still have a chance. If the opposite occurs, not only is the game tied, but Philadelphia takes a delay of game penalty to keep Nashville on the 5-on-3.
Bet you can guess what happened.
Forsberg scored Nashville’s sixth and final goal moments later, giving the Preds two points and sending the Flyers home with nothing.
“We practice the 5-on-3 a lot, we just practiced it in the last practice yesterday,” Laviolette said. “We just ran through the motions. The six [players] is a bonus; getting the extra guy out there to help in the front of the net and help retrieve rebounds. I think our guys did a really good job.”
Defenseman Samuel Girard made his NHL debut on Tuesday night, skating in 18:52 of time on ice and looking like he belonged at this level throughout the evening. He also collected his first NHL point, a secondary assist on Filip Forsberg’s first goal of the third period.
He may only be 19 years of age, but Girard is already showing what he can do at this level. A few solo laps during warm-ups courtesy of his teammates as a rite of initiation set the tone, and from there came the first of what is likely many stellar outings in the years to come.
“He was very impressive and fun to watch,” Rinne said of Girard. “He played with a lot of confidence, and you couldn’t tell it was his first game the way he was very poised and the decisions he made. He looked guys off, spun around with the puck, and made good first passes. I’m very happy for him, I’m sure he was nervous, but he didn’t show it. I was very impressed.”
“He showed so much poise from start to finish,” Laviolette said of Girard. “I think there’s things he’s going to learn; the game becomes quicker, the defenses become quicker, and the guys you have to defend become quicker. But you have to give him a lot of credit because he showed up and played a pretty good game tonight.”
The Predators players gathered on one end of the ice, turned their heads skyward and reminisced about the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs one final time.
With the help of current Captain Roman Josi and former Captain Mike Fisher, the Western Conference Championship banner was revealed prior to Thursday’s home opener in Nashville, an emotional moment for the franchise, the first script of its kind to hang from the rafters.
Notes:
Josi and forward Colton Sissons missed Tuesday’s game with lower-body injuries and both are considered day-to-day.
Kevin Fiala returned to the Nashville lineup after missing Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh with an upper-body injury.
Nashville has now won all four home openers under Head Coach Peter Laviolette and have now been victorious in eight of their last 11 home openers overall.
The Predators close out their two-game home stand on Thursday night against Dallas before heading to Chicago for their first meeting with the Blackhawks since last spring’s sweep; that meeting comes on Saturday.
All former Westwood Junior High and Westwood Middle School basketball players and cheerleaders are invited out for the 1st Annual Alumni Game. The game will be held on Tuesday, October 24th at the Joel Vinson Gym at Westwood. The game will tip off at 6 PM and team shirts will be provided for all participants.
