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SoFi Stadium to Host 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship

By
Brianne Ingram
-

Inglewood, CA – The College Football Playoff (CFP) hosted a press conference on Tuesday to announce that the Los Angeles area will host the National Championship game on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Chairman of the Los Angeles College Football Playoff National Championship Host Committee James Rishwain stated how this event will be a win for the city of Los Angeles.

“Los Angeles is a city that has always attracted major things. When we have major things here in Los Angeles, they are splendid. They are spectacular. We know that social and economic impact will come from major sporting events and this win will be no different.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts were both in attendance.

SoFi Stadium most recently hosted Super Bowl LVI 2022 earlier this year on February 13.

“As Super Bowl LVI showed two months ago Inglewood is built to grow, inspire, and support the best and brightest talents on earth in sports, entertainment and beyond,” said Mayor Butts. “Next season’s National Championship marks another chapter and an exciting new era for Inglewood, and we’re excited to continue the domino effect of economic and philanthropic benefits that the Super Bowl kick started in February.”

The CFP Championship trophy was on display as media members took photos of and with the handsome hardware.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 10: Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart celebrates following the CFP National Championship college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan. 10, 2022 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Joe Robbins/Image of Sport)

A slew of fan events and activities are slated to take place leading up to the Championship game from January 7-9, 2023, in and around the city of Los Angeles.

The CFP Foundation and the LA Host Committee are working together to support K-12 education as part of the Community Impact Initiatives.

“College football also has the potential to change and to move people’s lives who aren’t on the field,” said Mayor Garcetti. “And I want to thank you for the work that you are going to be doing in the community because that is so important in our schools. Not every kid can be a champion, but every kid can learn those championship characteristics. Those things that will help him or her do better in school, be more fully developed as a human being, and see his or her potential out there as well.”

Kraken handle Senators in 4-2 win

By
Charles Hamaker
-

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken defeated the Ottawa Senators by a score of four to two. Three of Seattle’s four goals came from players that were not on the roster prior to the NHL trade deadline on March 21st. Outside of a two-minute burst that saw the Senators score two goals, the Senators failed to challenge Seattle netminder Chris Driedger. Interestingly enough, Driedger is the only player on the Kraken roster to have played for Ottawa.

As mentioned previously, the Kraken had some post-NHL trade deadline additions play a big role in their victory. Victor Rask, acquired by trade from the Minnesota Wild, was the first star of the night with a goal and assist. Daniel Sprong scored on a power play in the first period to start the scoring. Matty Beniers, Seattle’s No. 2 overall pick in the past draft, scored his second ever goal, recording his third point in as many games played. The team shipped out six of their players at the trade deadline, and got two in return, those two being Rask and Sprong. Those two players would speak on how they have fit in since being acquired, in the post-game press conference.

“Obviously, it’s nice to get to know everyone. I try to keep my confidence up all the time, I know what I can do on the ice, just trying to be confident out there. I felt like I had a lot of puck touches throughout game, and the more you touch the puck, the more confident you’ll be,” Rask reflected on not only his game tonight, but also fitting in since joining Seattle.

“I think I felt really good off of the bat, I think that it was nice to start on the road there, connect with the guys, and play on that long road trip. When you get traded, there’s a lot that goes through your head, especially when you go cross country. I think I’ve been fitting in pretty well, getting good opportunities, good scoring chances. They haven’t been going in for a bit, but tonight I found the back of the net,” Sprong would state regarding his fit with the Kraken.

An area to address in this game was Seattle’s early second period. After a first period that saw Seattle dominate the offensive attack and harass Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg, the Senators scored two goals in a span of two minutes and four seconds. Seattle played well defensively and was able to dominate the physical aspect of the game, in exception to that early second frame stretch. The first goal was a sloppy play off of a rebounded shot. Kraken netminder Chris Driedger made the initial save, but Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was able to poke the puck just enough under Driedger’s pads to squirm in for a goal. The following goal by Ottawa came off of a Nick Holden slapshot, as he was left wide open in the right face-off zone. Some traffic in front of net made the shot more difficult for Driedger, and just like that the Senators had the lead. Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol discussed that stretch, post-game.

“We gave them two easy plays; I’m just being honest. We gave them two pucks: a puck in the neutral zone, in the back of our net, and we gave them another puck on a breakout that got out of the zone, it turned around and came right back in the zone cause we didn’t take care of it and make a good play with it on the breakout, and it’s in the back of our net in fifteen seconds. That’s what happened to give them the momentum,” Hakstol stated as he reflected on the period.

With the win, Seattle moves to a 25-44-6 record in their inaugural season. The next contest for the Kraken comes on Wednesday, April 20th against the Colorado Avalanche on NHL green night. The Avalanche boast the most wins (55) in the National Hockey League to this point, and are loaded with talent. The contest will be a 7PM PST puck drop.

Matty Beniers scores first NHL goal in Kraken overtime shootout win over New Jersey

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken defeated the New Jersey Devils in an overtime shootout at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle’s No. 2 overall draft pick Matty Beniers, scored his first NHL goal in the second period to give Seattle the lead. The Kraken were caught leaving Devils players wide open on the three goals that they allowed, but ultimately were able to force overtime. Seattle’s Ryan Donato was the only Kraken player to score in the shootout, but goaltender Philipp Grubauer made three saves to shut the door on the Devils.

Seattle’s third goal on the night was scored by Matty Beniers. It was Beniers first goal in his young NHL career and his second point, in his second game. With the goal, Beniers joins teammates Jordan Eberle (2010), Jared McCann (2015), and Ryan Donato (2018) as the only Kraken players to score in their first-ever NHL home game. Since joining Seattle, Beniers has made an immediate impact and brings excitement to an inaugural team that has struggled throughout the year. Beniers would describe how the game went for him in the post-game press conference.

“Just a really fun night, getting the win was awesome, having family here was great… kinda lucky goal for me, you don’t get many of those where they’re just popping, bouncing in the crease and you can just bat them in. It was a great feeling, I just kind of jumped into Canner’s arms after,” Beniers reflected on the win, and his first career goal.

Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News

The major issue in this game was Seattle leaving Devil’s skaters wide open on several occasions, resulting in three goals for New Jersey. The Kraken defense left players open streaking to the net, in front of the net, and on odd man rushes. This is nothing new for Seattle, a team that has had defensive miscues in nearly every single game during their inaugural season. Despite these issues, the Kraken penalty kill stood tall in this game. Seattle held New Jersey scoreless on the Devils three power play opportunities.

Another bright spot for Seattle was getting offense from their defenseman. Seattle’s other two goals in regulation came from defenders Carson Soucy and Will Borgen. Borgen was able to score a one-timer from the faceoff circle, and Soucy got an excellent pass right as he skated towards net for a wrist shot goal. With a team that has struggled many times to find offense and goal scoring as a whole, getting production from your defenseman is a welcome surprise. Since the trade deadline, Soucy and Borgen have seen their level of play improve significantly. Soucy spoke about his play after the game.

“Trying to grow as a hockey player, learning opportunities like joining the rush. Not always leading the rush when I used to, kinda getting taken away, but rather trusting out forwards and trusting that they’ll find the open play, the open space, and the open ice. I think as I’ve grown as a player, I’m doing a better job of that, just trying to be an option for our forwards, but it helps when you’re playing with good players who find you, too,” Soucy reflected.

The Kraken will get a day off before their next contest, which is against the Ottawa Senators. This matchup will take place at Climate Pledge Arena, with a puck drop of 7PM PST. Young forward Brady

Tkachuk and the Senators will play Seattle for the second time in history. In their first matchup, the Senators withstood a three goal Kraken comeback to win in overtime.

BUCKS drop one to THIEVES

By
Gary Greenbaum
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Photo by Rashad Griffin

   Traveling to San Diego for a game is always a crap shoot. A few weeks ago we traveled down to San Diego with a “light” squad and beat a strong Beachcomber squad in one of our best games of the year. Yesterday’s squad was even lighter as we took the field with thirteen guys without our stud FOGO and without several strong players at multiple positions. Eric and I considered what would be the first forfeit in the Buck’s 16 year existence. But the thirteen led by Alex Jessup, Dustin Doty and Brett Tietjen cried NO so let the game begin!

 The Buck’s took the field with Ron Fernando in the goal and second half goalie Brad Brandenburg graciously offering to play out of position at midfield to give some of our middies a break. Both teams moved the ball around for in the fast paced turnover free first five minutes of the game but the Thieves finally struck at the 14:40 mark giving them a 1-0 lead. But at the 12:50 mark Alex Dixon at “X” found Brett Tietjen off the left pipe and Brett sent a worm burner to the back of the net. Three minutes later Sean Kane found Brett free again and the Hills squad took their first lead of the game. Thieves answered at the 5:10 mark to tie the score but Joe Woody would have none of it and fed Steve Brandenburg to put the Bucks back up 3-2. But the Thieves had a clean win on the ensuing faceoff and tied the score to end the quarter. Bucks keeper Ron Fernando collected five saves in the quarter while Sean Kane had a takeaway and the Bucks only has two turnovers enabling the game to stay close.

The Thieves led off quarter number two with an outside shot at the 17:06 mark to take the lead but once again the Bucks answered with a man up goal by Alex Dixon on a feed from Bret Tietjen tying the score at 4-4. 40 Thieves took a two goal lead at the 7:10 mark with an inside curl off the right pipe and an outside rocket but Alex Dixon brought the Bucks within one goal on his own crease curl off the left pipe. The Thieves answered with 4:20 remaining and took a 7-5 lead into halftime. The Thieves took six out of the seven faceoffs but Ron Fernando continued his outstanding play in the net garnering eight saves in the quarter. Once again the Bucks were careful with the ball with only two turnovers in the quarter. The Thieves were getting their shots from outside but the Buck netminder kept the Bucks in the game.

Both teams slowed down in the third quarter with the Thieves scoring at the 14:47 mark and again with 12:31 remaining. Mike Delabar found Joe Woody cutting to the crease at the 7:10 mark and Joe didn’t disappoint closing out the quarter with the Bucks trailing 9-6. Ron Fernando had six more saves in the quarter and the Bucks cut their turnovers down to one keeping them very much in the game.

But the physical toll on the Bucks was noticeable. After yielding the net to Ron Fernando so he could help out with middy relief Brad Brandenburg was physically done….not from his many runs at the midfield but from a couple questionable helmet to helmet hits that were missed by the officials. But the Hills squad played on. They made the trip to win a game and they were still playing hard. Once again the Thieves jumped out to two quick goals but at the 11:30 mark Mike Delabar drove from the midfield towards the goal and put one by the Thieves keeper to bring the deficit down to four. But the Thieves scored two quick ones to take a 13-7 lead. Delabar went solo for another score with 6:10 left but the Thieves answered walking away with a 14-8 victory keeping them undefeated while the Bucks were alone in third place for another week.

Every single guy played his heart out. Mark Bell took most of the faceoffs trying to turn them into ground ball contests. Curran Sullivan followed around his Thieves matchup like he was his next meal. Brett Tietjen ran the offence making sure to keep the pace at a winnable level and Alex Jessup and Dustin Doty were fearless on both ends of the field. And I can’t leave out a play that happened right in front of me by the box. Sean Kane was chasing an errant Buck pass that was headed to the sideline. He dove under the Thieves player that had a step on him and “raked” the ball forward to a Bucks player. He saved the possession and the Hills squad rewarded him with a score. That was just one example how everyone played and why I was so proud of this team yesterday.

The league shuts down next Sunday for Easter. The Bucks will host the San Diego Lacrosse Club the following week at Culver City High School at 3:330. It should be a great game as the Bucks will be looking for revenge after the San Diego squad took them down in the SCLAX 2021 Championship.

Kraken can’t stand the heat in loss to Flames

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken lost to the Pacific Division leading
Calgary Flames, 3 – 1 in their April 9th matchup. On the day
where the Kraken held their pride night, things started out hot. After
the Flames scored just under four minutes in, the Kraken answered
with a goal of their own a minute later. Calgary took hold of the game
with two unanswered goals, and never looked back.


The Kraken power play negatively factored into this loss, as Seattle
simply couldn’t do anything with the advantage play. Seattle went zero
for five on the power play in the loss, and even had a five on three
advantage in the second period. Seattle has had issues with their
power play unit all season, and it isn’t something that has been fixed.
The Kraken sit at 29th in the league, and it often seems more like a
hinderance as opposed to any real advantage. Seattle head coach
Dave Hakstol spoke about the unit’s performance in the post-game
press conference.

Photo by Maddy Grassy / fi360 News


“Our power play was good, other than the fact that we didn’t cash in
tonight. Their goaltender became the difference in the second half of
that hockey game, especially on specialty teams. Our execution was
good, we had good looks… he made saves through traffic. He was the
difference in those situations,” Hakstol would state, referring to Flames
goaltender Jacob Markstrom.


Perhaps the lone bright spot in the loss was Karson Kuhlman’s
response goal five minutes into the game. Kuhlman has been a2
bundle of energy all season for Seattle, and his play as of late has
been a positive. Kuhlman, who was claimed off of waivers by the
Kraken back on January 17th, has now recorded three points in
Seattle’s last two home games. Kuhlman is currently set to become a
restricted free agent this offseason, and his play only makes a case
for him to be brought back in some capacity. The young forward would
reflect on his play in the post-game press conference.


“Sitting out whenever you’re injured, watching the game a little bit is
helpful from time to time. We did a good job rehabbing, and I’ve been
feeling more comfortable by the day,” Kuhlman would remark.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News


This loss was your classic example of how the Kraken have looked for
the majority of their inaugural season. A poor power play, an offensive
attack that has a tough time finding ways to score, and an inability to
answer goals. Seattle has been able to turn that around for a solid part
of this latter half of the season, but not for sustained periods of time. In
their quest to establish an identity in the last month of the season,
Seattle will have the chance to do so against some good teams, many
of them headed to the playoffs. Hopefully the Kraken can find a way to
establish their identity and play spoiler to some playoff teams before
the inaugural season ends.


The Kraken will play their first home and home series ever as their
next matchup is against these Calgary Flames, but on the road. On
April 12th, Seattle will take on Johnny Gaudreau and the Flames at the
Scotiabank Saddledome with a 6PM PST puck drop.

Kraken use timely goals and great goaltending to beat Stars

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken toppled the potentially playoff
bound Dallas Stars with a four to one win. The Kraken led for the
entirety of the game after a Jared McCann shorthanded goal three
minutes in, and never looked back. The Stars looked sluggish out of
the gate, and their third period goal was too little too late. With the
Kraken win, Dallas will lose their wild card spot temporarily and
Seattle stays out of the bottom spot in the Western Conference.


The Kraken offensive pressure was tremendous for the majority of the
game. Seattle made sure that the Stars wouldn’t be able to come into
Climate Pledge Arena and dictate the pace. The Kraken dominated
shots the first two periods, and really did not give Dallas any room to
breathe. Although Seattle was only able to score once heading into
the final period, the flood gates opened up in the final frame as the
Kraken hung three on Dallas to slam the door. Alternate captain Yanni
Gourde reflected on Seattle’s approach and how the game went
overall.

Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News


“We knew that they were coming into a back-to-back game, so it was
very important for us to have a good start and set the tone for the rest
of the game… We need to be comfortable with a one goal lead, be
poised with the puck, doing the right thing and making the right plays…
We gotta keep building as a team, this is a step forward,” the veteran
forward remarked.


The other major factor in Seattle’s win was goaltender Chris
Driedger’s play, with some help from the penalty kill. Despite the
Kraken conceding three penalties, the Stars could not get anything
going on advantage play. While the penalty kill did a great job, Chris
Driedger was fantastic between the pipes for Seattle. Glove save,
blocker save, kick save, you name it. Driedger was on fire tonight, just
a few days after head coach Dave Hakstol remarked that the team
needed “leadership” as he announced that Philipp Grubauer was
starting in net for the April 1st matchup against Las Vegas. Driedger reflected on his last few outings in the post-game press conference.


“It feels good to win, a couple little tweaks and getting some
confidence, doing my thing in there has been a lot of fun. What an
effort by the guys tonight, fun to watch… I felt like earlier in the year
we may be scared, maybe timid to play with the lead. Tonight, we
were a confident hockey team. Things have been going our way lately,
playing better hockey and competing no matter what the score is,”
Driedger reflected.


Despite the losses to Las Vegas, the Kraken have looked like a better
team in the past few weeks. Seattle has been building on things and
playing with confidence, something that the players have stated needs
to be done. The team’s resilience is still there, as it has been all
season, but a more consistent offensive presence and an ability to
play with a lead have developed. Head coach Dave Hakstol had a fun
statement on the approach for this final month of the season.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News


“It’s a busy month, we’ve got a long month in front of us. Let’s try and
have some fun, play our asses off, win hockey games and have some
fun together while we do all of those things,” Hakstol said.


The Kraken’s next contest is Wednesday, April 6th on the road against
the St. Louis Blues with a 5PM PST puck drop. Young centerman
Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues, currently sitting at third in the Central
Division and fourth in the Western Conference. The matchup will be
broadcast on ROOT sports for those in the Washington region, and
ESPN+ for anyone outside of it.

Sloppy play dooms Kraken in loss to Golden Knights

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken fell to the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the second game in a row, this time losing two to five. The Golden Knights were able to capitalize off of Seattle’s characteristic defensive mistakes for the first three goals, adding two empty netters late. With Las Vegas’ win, the Golden Knights completed the four-game season series sweep over the Kraken.

The Kraken were their same old selves in the first few periods, giving up goals off of defensive miscues that continue to happen late in the season. Jamie Oleksiak falling down and losing the puck in the Seattle defensive zone, getting caught in a shift change, and letting a puck squirm under Philipp Grubauer’s pad accounted for Vegas’ non-empty net goals. This poor defensive showing came after a quote from head coach Dave Hakstol, stating that he wanted leadership in the goalkeeper position. This seemed like an obvious dig at Chris Driedger, who started in the March 30th loss to Las Vegas. Here is what Hakstol said the morning of the April 1st loss to the Golden Knights.

Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News

“Grubi’s game has been consistent, Driedg’s played well. We’re looking at creating as much of a competitive situation as possible. Driedg’s has played well the last couple games, had our team come away with a win, there would’ve been strong consideration for him to go three in a row… we’re gonna need leadership in that position, and Grubi will be the man that gets the opportunity to do that for his teammates,” Hakstol stated when asked about his decision to put

Grubauer in net following back-to-back solid starts from Chris Driedger.

One of the few positives notes that came from this game was Kole Lind scoring his first ever NHL goal. After eleven years trying to reach the professional level, and not scoring in his rookie year, Lind notched his first career goal with 1:38 left to play in the final period. Lind fired a one-timer from the faceoff circle with traffic in front of Logan Thompson, and the puck found the top corner of the net. Lind reflected on his journey to this moment, and how the moment felt to him.

“Obviously, it’s been a wild ride for me. From the beginning of pro hockey, I struggled and getting drafted here was a big opportunity here. To finally get one is a big sigh of relief. The win is the most important thing, but it is a very big sigh of relief… there’s not really words to describe it. Lots of guys say that they blackout, I remember every moment. It was unreal,” Lind reflected.

The Kraken had an opportunity to throw a wrench into the Golden Knights’ playoff chase, as Las Vegas sits just one point above the Dallas Stars for the second wild card in the Western Conference. With what the players have said about wanting to establish an identity and playing for the fans, they did not necessarily show that in the last two losses. Seattle looked sloppy and overall, like the bad team that they have been all year. It is somewhat redeeming to know that Seattle pushed the Golden Knights in a few periods over the past two games, but spoiling Vegas’ playoff hopes would have been very satisfying.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle will get its next opportunity to get back in the win column when the team takes on the Dallas Stars on Sunday, April 3rd. Veteran forwards Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson lead Dallas as they

pursue the aforementioned playoff spot that Las Vegas currently holds. Puck drop is at 6PM PST and the game will be broadcast on ROOT sports.

Kraken eliminated from playoffs with loss to Golden Knights

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken took on the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the first time at Climate Pledge Arena this season, losing zero to three. The loss meant that the Kraken were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Seattle failed to play spoiler, as the Golden Knights are holding on for their playoff lives. Las Vegas sits just one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

LV Knights vs Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

Seattle came out of the gates hot, putting four quality scoring chances on Las Vegas’ rookie goaltender Logan Thompson. Thompson stayed grounded, denying Seattle not only in the first period, but all game. Logan Thompson recorded his first shutout of the year, and of his career. The Kraken were stymied offensively, fresh off of a six-goal performance in their win against the Los Angeles Kings on March 28th. Seattle’s leading scorer and point leader, Jared McCann, failed to even record a shot on goal. Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol spoke on his team’s offensive performance in the post-game press conference.

“We didn’t generate very much, especially in the second half of the game. The second period is the difference in this hockey game… we didn’t take care of the puck. Turnovers lead to transition; they spent a lot of time in our offensive zone… we gotta be stronger and better with the puck. That’s where it starts and finishes,” Hakstol reflected.

The goal that opened this game up was scored by Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, who spent 5 WHL seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Theodore, right after Seattle’s lone power play of the night had ended, leapt out of the penalty box and was left wide open. Las Vegas forward Jonas Rondbjerg would lead him with a pass, and Shea Theodore shot top shelf to beat Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger. Driedger reflected on not only this game, but the last few weeks.

LV Knights vs Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

“I’ve been feeling pretty good lately, added a couple things to my pregame routine, took a couple things out. Switched things around a little bit, and felt good the last two… That’s a good team over there, I think we just need to regroup and come back at them on Friday. I’ve been talking to a mental coach/sports psychologist for the last few weeks. Going back to basics, talking about some strategies on how I’m thinking… I feel calm, and like myself,” Driedger stated.

As stated by Driedger, this season has not gone the way that most players and fans had envisioned it would. It has been talked about previously, how Seattle’s defensive issues and expansion draft have overall set this team up for inaugural season failure. With that said, the fact that head coach Dave Hakstol has kept this team competitive all season is something to note. Acquiring the draft capital at the trade deadline, having cap space in the upcoming free agency, and pairing second overall pick Matty Beniers with another top pick this summer gives Seattle the tools to fight for a playoff spot next season. The mindset for the rest of this season should be to enjoy the ride, because this Kraken team seems to always make things interesting.

LV Knights vs Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

Seattle’s next contest is Friday, April 1st against the Las Vegas Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena. Puck drop for the rematch of tonight’s game is at 7PM PST. Jonathan Marchessault and the Golden

Knights will look to keep their playoff spot in hand as Seattle, with nothing to lose, aims to play spoiler.

LV Knights vs Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

Acura Long Beach Grand Prix Media Day

By
Brianne Ingram
-
Photo by Brandon Bashir / fi360 News

Long Beach, CA – The Acura Long Beach Grand Prix hosted a media day on Tuesday as press members enjoyed pace car rides, drifting rides, and IndyCar rides from professional drivers around the track to preview the three-day race weekend event that is scheduled on April 8-10 in downtown Long Beach.

“The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is now in its 47th edition and it’s a weekend of entertainment and fun,” said President of the Grand Prix of Long Beach Jim Michaelian. “There’s always something we hope they’ll find attractive and that’s the reason why we’ve been so successful for all of these years.”

Photo by Brandon Bashir / fi360 News

Professional drivers such as NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Colton Herta and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver Ryan Eversley were in attendance giving rides around the speedway.

Eversley has been racing for 22 years and this is his eight time on the Grand Prix.

“For me racing in front of a crowd this big is absolutely awesome,” said Eversley. “We don’t normally see this many people at a race. It’s a historic event that has been here for about 47 years. To be a part of the title sponsor is also pretty neat. Racing for Acura in their backyard here in California in front of 180,000 people that’s really awesome.”

President Michaelian described the activities that guests can expect during the three-day weekend event.

“It happens to feature six races. There’s IndyCars, there’s sports cars, there’s trucks, there’s drifting, there’s historic cars, and there’s a variety of things. In addition to that, we have a fun zone for young people to come out and drive little electric go-karts. We have a huge lifestyle expo. We have a concert on Saturday night with the Royal Machines. All of that is included in the price of the ticket. So, when you come out here, you’d be prepared to be entertained for the whole weekend long.”

Radio personality Big Boy made an appearance and experienced some professional rides down the lanes.

“I didn’t know what to expect to tell you the truth,” said Big Boy. “It was more of just the speed and not knowing what I was about to get into. I really enjoyed it. It was great.”

Photo by Brandon Bashir / fi360 News

Long Beach native MMA Bellator Featherweight Undefeated Champion A.J. McKee expressed how exciting it was for him partaking in the behind-the-scenes action.

“The most exciting part for me is the whole experience all together. Being able to hop in a car and go on a run. I’m a Long Beach native so, I grew up in the city always watching the F1 guys and the drifters. I used to live in that building right there [gesture]. So, just being able to be here on hand and get to experience the backstage and the preparation that goes into the event. It’s just like a fight. People don’t get to see what goes into making all of the magic happen so being able to experience this firsthand is just phenomenal. Obviously, I got a need for speed myself. I’m like a kid in a candy shop right now. I’ve been smiling all day. My cheeks hurt and I’m just embracing it and enjoying it all.”

There will be no COVID restrictions for this event as a result of the lifting of mask protocols and the State of California lifting the vaccination requirement for indoor “mega-events” on April 1.

“What better place to come to in the springtime to Long Beach on the waterfront,” said President Michaelian. “There’s lots of history here. It’s a fun place to go to. We always associate this date with spring break, and vacations and people coming out and having fun. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing here on April 8-10.”

For more information on the Acura Long Beach Grand Prix click here https://gplb.com/.

BUCKS WIN OVER RAYS

By
Gary Greenbaum
-
Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

Beverly Hills, CA – Looking for their second consecutive win against a South Division team the Beverly Hills Lacrosse Club Bucks took to the field hosting the San Diego Rays. The Rays had already beaten the Beachcomber squad and played the Westside Express very close so the Hills squad knew they were going to be in for a very competitive game. But as the teams took the field for the opening faceoff you could see that the visiting Rays were low on numbers while the Beverly Hills squad was present in full force.

The game plan for the Bucks was to repeat last week’s performance when they played a very deliberate offensive set, kept their spacing and balanced the scoring….and the Bucks did just that. The teams traded possessions and turnovers for the first four minutes until Steve Brandenburg went behind the back with a cross crease feed to Will McCance who wasted no time putting the ball in the back of the net at the 15:23 mark. Joe followed three minutes later with an unassisted goal and the Bucks were up 2-0. At the 12:03 mark Slamm’n Sammy Edwards, the Buck’s speedy middy took a ground ball off the ensuing faceoff and fed Steve Brandenburg for the score. With less than three to play in the quarter Steve Brandenburg fed a cutting Eli Lasda from “X” and the Bucks held a 4-0 lead at the end of one. As usual Jared Jacobs was dominant going 4/5 at the “X” and Steve Brandenburg was involved in three out of the four scoring plays. Keeper Ron Fernando garnered five saves and the Hills squad went 8/10 clearing the ball. J D Johnson and Riley Lasda each had a takeaway. On the other side, with only one extra player on the sidelines you could see that the Rays were wearing down.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

Halfway through the second quarter former Harvard middy Nick Smith returned to his dodging form as he cut and spun through three Ray’s defenders and uncorked a monster shot from about 15 yards out to make it a 5-0 game. George Pertessis followed with a solo rocket at the 9:10 mark and Slamm’n Sammy Edwards went lefty from outside to push the score up to 7-0 in favor of the home team. Nick Smith ended the first half scoring with a cross field feed to LSM Dustin Doty who didn’t waste the opportunity and gave the Bucks an 8-0 lead going into the half. Once again Jared dominated the faceoffs and netminder Ron Fernando closed the door on the Rays with three more saves. The Buck’s defense starting with the close poles and extending out to the middy defenders like Alex Jessup was sting staying on the Rays players hands throughout the quarter. Mark Bell, A J Hoffman and Johnny Brasko each had a takeaway during the quarter.

But the big halftime story was not the score. You had a Buck team with 12 guys on the sidelines and a Ray’s team that had quality players on the field but no reserves. Both teams wanted a more competitive game so they decided to even up the numbers as the Bucks sent six players to play with the Rays.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

 Brad Brandenburg went into the cage for the Hill’s squad. Joe Woody started off the second half scoring with a feed to Nick Smith. Will McCance then found George Pertessis curling off the crease and the Bucks were up 10-0. The next two scores came from the Rays but both were by Buck starters…..Sean Kane and Sammy Edwards. The quarter ended with a Beverly Hills 10-2 lead. Buck keeper had four saves in the quarter and for the first time this season Buck faceoff specialist Jared Jacobs was held under 50% at the “X”. Grant Firestone, the voice of LAX had a takeaway while fellow defender A J Hoffman garnered two as the stingy Buck’s defense refused to fold.

With the game in hand the Beverly Hills squad slowed down the game. Eli Lasda put one in from outside and George Pertessis finished up the scoring going solo after a takeaway on the other end. The final score was 12-2 in favor of the Bucks. The Bucks will host the Venice Lacrosse Club next Sunday at 3:30 before they travel back down to San Diego the following week to take on the league leading 40 Thieves Lacrosse Club.

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