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Kraken hold on to beat Sharks in 3-2 thriller

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 news

Seattle, WA – In front of an electric crowd at Climate Pledge Arena, the Seattle Kraken would win their second game in a row. The Kraken would defeat the San Jose Sharks by a score of three to two behind Carson Soucy’s two goal performance, as San Jose would join Buffalo as the only teams to lose to Seattle twice this season. Seattle would pick up another win, this time against a divisional opponent, in the first night of a back-to-back.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

The performance of the night would come from defensemen Carson Soucy, who would record his first ever multigoal NHL game. Soucy would score two goals, both coming in the second period to give Seattle lead after an early Sharks goal by Tomas Hertl. In Soucy’s 16 minutes of ice time, he would record a 3 +/- and be the clear candidate for the player of the game. With tonight’s two goals, Soucy is one goal off of his career high for goals in a season. The defenseman would reflect on it post game, as well as his overall performance.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting to have this many at this point in the season. Just trying to create when I can, trying to be smart when I’m jumping in the rush, shooting pucks when I can. I think that we responded well, and that’s a big part of our group moving forward, is how we respond after an early goal.”

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Something to work on in the January 20th win over San Jose would be the overall sloppiness that the team showed, especially in the third period. Similar to what we have seen throughout the season, the Sharks were able to score just 38 seconds into the opening period as Tomas Hertl took advantage of a turnover near Seattle’s goal. In the final period, the Kraken drew four penalties, including a call for too many men on the ice. While San Jose would score on one of those power plays, the Seattle power kill would do their job on the other opportunities. That gritty play against the fourth-place team in the Pacific division would get Seattle their second win in a row. Head coach Dave Hakstol would reflect on the win and the play of his team.

“The consistency in our game wasn’t there, we slept walked through that first period. Credit to our guys to be able to work our way back into this game, that is not an easy thing to do. We have talked about how hard it is to play from behind in this league before. Wins come in all shapes and forms, in this one we had our ups and downs. I give our guys a lot of credit for stepping up in the second and third periods and to find a way to get it done when we weren’t at our best,” Hakstol would remark.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

While it is obvious that this team has a lot to work on still, these back-to-back wins show promise that the team is improving after seemingly not knowing how to do so. Seattle had the issues right in front of their face that needed fixing, but as captain Mark Giordano remarked prior in the season, the team kept finding new ways to lose. In the past two wins against Chicago and San Jose, the Kraken have seen good goaltending, creative offense, and mostly good defensive performances to get tough gritty wins. This could be the start of the turnaround, if the team continues to adjust and clean up their issues as they have in these past two contests.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle will play the second game of their back-to-back on January 21st, against the St. Louis Blues with a 7PM PST puck drop.

Kraken beat Blackhawks in shootout to snap losing streak

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Seattle Kraken were able to snap their losing streak at nine games as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout. The contest was tight throughout, but the Kraken were able to tie it up in the third period to send the game to overtime. In the shootout, Kraken goaltender Philip Grubauer made two huge saves to set up the winning goal, scored by Joonas Donskoi.

A positive from today’s game would be that the Kraken’s fight to stay in games paid off for the first time in ten contests, as Seattle was finally able to pull through and finish a team off. The win against the Blackhawks would be the first victory after trailing going into the third period this season. Ryan Donato would score the game tying goal with 2:02 left in the final period, setting up a dramatic finish. Donato would speak on the win, with a smile on his face.

“It’s very relieving. Sometimes when things get tough, you kinda forget what it’s like to have good things happen. Tonight, things are great, hopefully we can get some steam off of that and keep it rolling,” Donato would remark when asked about how it feels to not only win, but to also have a key impact on the win. In addition to the game tying goal, Donato would score one of the two Kraken penalty shots.

The other positive in this game would be an individual feat. Joonas Donskoi would finally break through and score for the first time this season, putting away the winning penalty in the shootout. Donskoi would score in his 38th appearance this season, but the timing of his

first goal was impeccable. After the game, Donskoi would reflect on the moment.

“That felt really good. The will of this team, everybody wanted to win and now we’re trying to build a winning streak. It’s a massive win. When you keep losing games, it gets frustrating. At times during that streak, it felt like no matter how hard we tried, we weren’t able to get wins. It’s a little bit of a relief and I am sure that we are going to get some energy from this moving forward,” Donskoi would reflect.

As stated by Donskoi, this was a big win for the team. Already in a frustrating season, the Kraken losing streak only made matters even more difficult for a group that is still trying to figure things out. Similar to the loss to the Kings, this game was played tight with tough defense and limited offensive opportunities. These sorts of games are what was predicted for Seattle with the way that the roster was made up. Tough, gritty games that saw good defensive performances, good goaltending, and scoring with a little help. If the team keeps this formula going, with a consistently improving power play, the Kraken should see continued success.

The Kraken get their chance to build off their positive momentum in their next game on Thursday, January 20th against the San Jose Sharks with a 7PM PST puck drop.

Kraken losing streak extends to nine with tight loss to Kings

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – The Kraken would see their losing streak extend to nine
games as the LA Kings would beat Seattle in a tight three to one
game. LA got their first two goals off of rebounds that Kraken
goaltender Chris Driedger got the initial save on, but the Kings had
someone in perfect position to tip in. Seattle would get a powerplay
opportunity in the final few minutes with an opportunity to tie, but the
Kraken could not put a real shot on Kings goaltender Cal Petersen.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

A positive to take from this game would be the Kraken continuing their
positive momentum on the powerplay. The powerplay was a major
struggle for the Kraken earlier in the season, but since then the team
has crawled into 18th in the league in power play percentage. Seattle
was able to draw four power plays and get eight power play minutes
out of the Kings, converting once. Marcus Johansson would tap in a
rebound off of a slapshot by Calle Jarnkrok to put Seattle on the board
in the second period. That goal would mean that the Kraken have
scored a power play goal in four consecutive games.

The main negative to look at in the loss would be rebound control. If
the first two goals that LA scored had been controlled rebounds off of
saves, we may be looking at a Kraken win instead of a ninth straight
loss. On the other hand, Driedger made good efforts to make that
initial save on both shots. The Kraken defensemen need to be better
at denying opponents from having copious amounts of free space
around their goalie. Outside of the rebound control, the Kraken did a
great job of minimizing turnovers around the net and most of the2
defensive miscues that we have grown accustomed to seeing from
them. Goaltender Chris Driedger would talk about the loss.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News


“It’s really frustrating being in our situation right now, we’re trying to
get a win… I definitely thought that my game could have been better…
You can never be satisfied; we just need to get to work and get out of
this. Something’s gotta change here, it’s completely unacceptable to
drop nine in a row, there’s no other way to put it.”


The main takeaway from this game would be what captain Mark
Giordano said after the December 31st loss to the Calgary Flames:
This team continues to find new ways to lose. The majority of the
games that Seattle has lost have had bad turnovers, poor passing,
and poor defensive marking in addition to a few others here and there.
The Kraken were able to limit those factors to an extent, enough so
that this game was tight and close with the exception of those rebound
goals. The inaugural season woes roll on, and this group of players
continues to search for ways to right the proverbial ship.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

“This is the kind of hockey game that we knew it would be… we
needed to be a little bit more consistent through our lineup. Frustration
isn’t a part of me. I see the areas where we could get a little bit more
out of our group, we could give a little bit more. Until things turn,
offense starts to come a lit bit easier, we’re gonna have to give a little
bit more. Find that extra puck, get that extra rebound.”

Seattle looks to end their nine-game losing streak in their next contest
on Monday, January 17th against the Chicago Blackhawks with a 2PM
puck drop at Climate Pledge arena.

Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News

UCLA Bounces Back Against Oregon State 81-65

By
Brianne Ingram
-
Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

Westwood, CA – After suffering a tough loss on Thursday against Oregon, the No. 3 UCLA Bruins (11-2) tightened up their defense and were able to bounce back to a solid 81-65 win against the Oregon State Beavers (3-13) on Saturday night.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

“I thought we fought a lot harder as the game went on defensively. Our energy and our effort started disrupting their flow. That was the difference for us. With our execution we got 40 points in the paint and 21 free throws. So, you get 61 on layups and free throws you’re going to win,” said UCLA head coach Mick Cronin.

Johnny Juzang led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Juzang stated what it took for his team to refocus during practice for tonight’s contest.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

“We definitely refocused. Made sure we were prepared to win. We were working on the little things and intensity. We were working on being disruptive. I think that was a good adjustment for us.”

UCLA went up 53-39 around the 16-minute mark in the second half and didn’t look back.

After shooting 50% (13-26 FGs) from the field and 50% (4-8 3-PTs) from three-point range in the first half, Oregon State cooled off and shot just 38.8% (12-31) from the field and 33.3% (4-12 3-PTs) from three in the second half.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was out with a swollen ankle.

In Jaquez’s absence, Jaylen Clark filled in and dropped 11 points.

Clark commented on playing in his first career start for the Bruins.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

“I just saw it as an opportunity. What happened to Jaime was unfortunate. But it gave me an opportunity to go out there and show what I can do. I really just wanted to make the most out of it.”

Over the previous four seasons, UCLA has recorded a 4-3 record against Oregon State which included a 3-0 record in Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA goes on the road to take on the Utah Utes on Thursday, January 20th at 8 p.m.

Oregon Upsets UCLA 84-81 in OT

By
Brianne Ingram
-
Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

Westwood, CA – The unranked Oregon Ducks (10-6) pulled off an impressive upset against the No. 3 UCLA Bruins (10-2) in an 84-81 overtime victory on Thursday evening.

Both teams were trading baskets in overtime and were tied at 79 with 2:48 minutes left to go.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

Even with no fans in the audience, the suspense could be cut with a knife.

A jumper by Jacob Young put Oregon out in front 81-79 at the 2:30 mark.

Young then hit another bucket in the clutch to give his team a four-point lead 83-79 with 24 seconds to go.

Oregon’s Will Richardson was fouled on a fast break and hit one of two free throws to go up 84-81 with nine seconds left in the game.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

UCLA had two three-point opportunities to tie it and send it into double overtime but couldn’t connect.

“We did not play well,” said UCLA head coach Mick Cronin. “Shot selection, ball security, defense, none of the above. Somehow, we made enough shots to stay in the game. The only bright spot is Peyton Watson’s effort. His eight rebounds.”

Young ran the show for Oregon with 23 points and shot 11-18 from the field.

Oregon held their own against UCLA in the first half and trailed by only five points 35-30 going into halftime.

The Ducks struggled from beyond the arc in the first half and went 1-9 on 11% from the three.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

At the top of the second half, Oregon came out swinging and tied the game at 35 with back-to-back buckets within a span of 50 seconds.

“Defensively, to come out in the second half and have four deflections and give up 52% and 62% in overtime is just an abomination. It’s an abomination. It’s embarrassing. I’ll fix it though or I’ll get new players,” said Cronin.

The Ducks made up for their abysmal three-point shooting in the first half by knocking them down in the second half to go 5-9 with 55.6% from distance.

UCLA struggled to get settled offensively.

Active hands by Oregon frustrated the UCLA offense allowing them to take over the lead.

“We weren’t prepared. It’s my fault. It’s my job. We didn’t play defense. We didn’t take care of the ball. Even when we started sharing the ball, then all of a sudden, we started taking terrible shots,” said Cronin.

Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News

Oregon’s largest lead was nine and they went on an 11-0 run to lead 46-37 at the 16.07 mark in the second half.

“What happens in this game you are either humble and hungry like they were trying to pull off the so-called upset, or you’re arrogant without cause because we’ve won nothing. We’re arrogant without cause. Even if we would have won, I would have felt the same way,” said Cronin.

Oregon head coach Dana Altman reached his 700 career wins milestone with this victory.

UCLA has won four of its last five home games against Oregon. 

“I tell our guys that people that make it in life whether it’s sports or basketball, you’ve got two things, urgency and pride. I think the other team had both tonight. They played with a lot of pride and they had a sense of urgency and you see what happened,” said Cronin.

UCLA guard Jules Bernard shared how his team plans to learn from this game and how they plan to prepare for Saturday’s matchup against Oregon State.

“Obviously, we have to learn from our mistakes this game. We’re not done. We know we played poorly today. We’re definitely going to study and realize what we did wrong in this game and implement it into practice tomorrow and come into Saturday with our heads high looking to get a win for our team.”

UCLA hosts Oregon State on Saturday, January 15th, at 7:30 p.m.

Georgia gets sweet revenge beating Alabama to be CFP Champions

By
Jevone Moore
-
Photo by Shawn Barney / MarinMedia

Indianapolis, IN- The new kings of college football is the Georgia Bulldogs defeating Alabama 33-18 at Lucas Oil Stadium for sweet revenge.  

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.
(Joe Robbins/Image of Sport)

Georgia quarterback Bennett started off the game little shaky retrieving his own unforced fumble on the opening series that resulted in a punt. He finished with two touchdowns and 224 yards completing 17-26 passes.   

“I knew when I fumble the ball, I was not going to lose this game,” said Bennett “Everybody doing their job.”  

On a free play due to Alabama jumping offside allowed Bennett throws a rocket to Adonai Mitchell for a 40-yard touchdown reception and regains the lead to never look back with 19-18 lead with 8:09 left in the game.

Alabama gave it one last shot down 26-18 and 1:09 left 3rd & 10 from the 44-yard line, Young was intercepted by Kelee Ringo #5 freshman who took it back for a touchdown. This pick six sealed the victory for Georgia and Smart.

Zamir White the Jr running back scored the team first touchdown of the game which could be seen as the door that was kicked open for more. Georgia took 13-9 lead late in the 3rd quarter.

Both defenses kept bending but also added just enough resistance to keep each other out the endzone. The first three scores in the game were all field goals with Alabama holding 6-3 lead in the 2nd quarter.

“No 2 defense in the Red Zone all year,” said Smart “We going to stop in the Red Zone that can’t run it, they would have to throw it.”

Young finally made a big play hitting tight end Cameron Latu on a 61-yard completion bomb to set up anther field goal with 9-3 lead.

Photo by Shawn Barney / MarinMedia

After forcing the running game, Bennett connected on play action pass to receiver George Pickens for 52 yards and the game longest play from scrimmage. In the 1st quarter for Georgia.

Young had a tough time trying to fend off the Georgia pressure and waiting for one of his young receivers to step up when the lights were bright.

Coming into the game Alabama was without receiver John Metchie #8 and lost Jameson Williams #1 left the game earlier with an injury. Young was waiting for anybody to step up for him, tight end Latu caught his lone touchdown.

Georgia defense stepped up keeping after Alabama all night, keeping them out of the end zone and only allowing 4 field goals in the first half was enough for a victory.  

Photo by Shawn Barney / MarinMedia

The Georgia Bulldogs with take the CFP Championship back to Georgia!

The rematch for No 1 in college football – Dawgs or Bama

By
Jevone Moore
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Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) celebrate with the Cotton Bowl Trophy in an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati Bearcats in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec, 31, 2021. (Mario Terrana/Image of Sport)

Indianapolis, IN – It all comes down to one game for the trophy at Lucas Oil Stadium for the College Football National Championship 2022. The SEC is under the bright lights feature No 3 Georgia Bulldogs vs No 1 Alabama Tide for the crown.

These two teams faced off in the SEC Championship with Alabama defeating Georgia 41-24 which allowed Nick Saban the opportunity to win his 8th National Championship in 13 years.

Georgia bounced back taking down Michigan Wolverines 34-11 in the semi-final played in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Stetson Bennett took the lead throwing 3 touchdowns for 313 yards on 20/30 competitions.

“The goal was to have a successful program,” said Smart “And the state
of Georgia and the high school coaches and the support you get in the state of Georgia for football.”

The Bulldogs defense stepped up keeping Michigan to only 328 yards of total offense with less then 100 yards rushing. The Dawgs led by defensive lineman Jordan Davis who will be playing on Sundays soon.

Alabama Crimson Tide defensive players DJ Dale (94), Byron Young (47), and Will Anderson Jr. (31) celebrate a play in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec, 31, 2021. (Mario Terrana/Image of Sport)

CFP National Championship history shows that Saban record is 25-1 verses his formal assistants. Georgia coach Kirby Smart who once was on his staff goes after the chance to beat his mentor. In Smart last four meetings vs Saban has not be favorable yet.

Saban now has 20 coaches that are head coaches today which shows how strong he builds his programs and develops great players and coaches.

” I think my definition of a successful season would be that every player in the organization, every player on the team would actually maximize his full
potential,” said Saban “I think the biggest challenge in playing
Georgia, they have, one, a tremendous front seven.”

Alabama 2021 Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young from California will have to opportunity to use his arm against a weaker secondary of Georgia.

Coming here, I understood the rich quarterback history,” said Young, “It’s all for all of us, it’s all about — it’s all about the game on Monday.”

A championship for Young would be a great way to cap off a history making season as a starter. In the Cotton Bowl he threw 3 touchdowns to advance to big dance.

After midnight on Monday college football will crown its 2022 champion will it be Alabama or Georgia? Most don’t care they just want to see a good game and not a blow out, Let the Best team WIN!

Revenge or Dominance

Kansas State, Thompson dominate shorthanded LSU in Texas Bowl

By
Garrett Jones
-
Texas Bowl 2022 (Photo by Mollie Mayfield fi360 News)

HOUSTON, TX — Skylar Thompson threw touchdowns as Kansas State defeated a depleted LSU 42-20 at NRG Stadium in the 2022 Texas Bowl Tuesday night.

Photo by Mollie Mayfield / fi360 News

The Wildcats came in at full strength and never looked back after taking an early lead on a Thompson passing touchdown to Malik Knowles in the first. Playing his final game, Thompson thrived in high-pressure situations. The senior started 7-7 on third down passing attempts, and tossed two early touchdown passes.


Thompson, who was named game MVP, was quick to credit his teammates after the win.

“I wouldn’t be standing here without our offensive line. Our receivers, tight ends all made plays,” Thompson said. “I love this team, I love this university- I’m a Wildcat through and through- I’ll be a Wildcat the rest of my life.

LSU entered the game as seven-point underdogs—but that might have been generous in hindsight. Due to injuries, positive COVID tests, player opt outs, and a slew of transfers, Tigers entered the matchup with just 38 scholarship players available — none which were quarterbacks. Normally, FBS schools dress 55 to 70 such players.

Photo by Mollie Mayfield / fi360 News

Freshman quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, likely LSU’s starter next season, would’ve burned his redshirt season if he played in Tuesday’s game, so wide receiver Jontre Kirklin made his first career start under center.

Kansas State took advantage and dominated time of possession in the game- holding the ball nearly 12 of 15 first quarter minutes- and extended that as the game progressed. It also recorded an 18-play, 9-minute drive in the second quarter- which set a bowl record. This put pressure on Kirklin and the LSU offense to attempt lower-percentage plays in hopes of putting any points on the board.

“Skylar Thompson is pretty special,” head coach Chris Klieman said postgame. “I absolutely love that young man. This senior class has been phenomenal. We finished (this season) out the way we wanted to.”

Photo by Mollie Mayfield / fi360 News


Running back Deuce Vaughan scored four total touchdowns- three on the ground and one through the air- to set a Kansas State bowl record.

The win marks Kansas State’s second in the Texas Bowl- which was cancelled due to COVID-19 last year-  and first since 2016. The Wildcats also appeared in the first ever iteration of the game in 2006- a loss for Rutgers

As for next year, Brian Kelly takes over as head coach of LSU with the Tigers’ next game. The loss sent the Tigers to a 6-7 record for the first time since 1999- the year before the program hired Nick Saban. Kelly was in attendance for Tuesday’s game and was interviewed on the ESPN broadcast in the second quarter- awkwardly, while Kirklin threw an interception.

Texas Bowl 2022
(Photo by Mollie Mayfield / fi360 News)

There are high hopes and an immediate expectation to win for Kelly- who inherits a program that just two seasons prior went 15-0 with a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020.

The barebones roster and disappointing result reflects the nature of the rebuild Kelly is taking on, but for Kansas State- the bowl win represents the positive trend of the program under Kleimann.

Photo by Mollie Mayfield / fi360 News

LSU opens its season against Florida State on Sep. 4 in New Orleans, while Kansas State gets things going in 2022 against South Dakota.

Ohio State comes back to defeat Utah on a record-setting night

By
Eric Ramos
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PASADENA, CA -JANAUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (35) and Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) hold the trophy afterThe Rose Bowl college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on January 01, 2022, at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud led the Buckeyes down the field to Utah’s 2-yard line with just under two minutes left in the game. 

PASADENA, CA -JANAUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during The Rose Bowl college football game. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Noah Ruggles kicked the game-winning field with nine seconds left to give No. 6 Ohio State a 48-45 win over No. 11 Utah on Saturday in the 108th edition of the Rose Bowl. 

The Buckeyes offense put on a show with a Rose Bowl record 683 total yards. Stroud’s 573 yards passing are a school record and he also threw a record-tying six touchdown passes. 

“Every game I go out there, I try to do my best and make sure I prepare the right way and do the right things because you never know what can happen in the game,” Stroud said. “My job is to lead the team, lead our offense, and I’ve got to watch; I have to do everything I need to do to lead our offense on the field.”

PASADENA, CA -JANAUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) catches the ball during The Rose Bowl. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba set a bowl game record with 347 receiving yards and caught a school record 15 passes with three touchdowns. 

“Got to give thanks to Coach and C.J., of course, for giving me opportunities,” Smith-Njigba said. “I just try to take in every moment every time the ball’s in the air. I feel like I did that today.”

After forcing Ohio State to go three and out on its opening possession, Rising hit Britain Covey for a 19-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Utah took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter when Rising connected with Long Beach native Micah Bernard on a 12-yard touchdown. Bernard was able to keep one foot in bounds for the score. 

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches the ball during
The Rose Bowl.(Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Ohio State marched down the field with a 10-play, 76-yard drive that was capped by a Stroud 25-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. on fourth and one. Utah responded with a 6-yard touchdown run by Tavion Thomas to extend the lead 21-7 in the second quarter. 

Stroud started to heat up after he hit Smith-Njigba in stride down the left sideline for a 50-yard touchdown to cut the lead 21-14. Covey returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for the score and gave Utah a two-touchdown lead with 8:17 left in the second quarter.

Stroud comes back and throws a dime to Smith-Njigba, who outruns the defense for a 52-yard touchdown. Ohio State trailed 28-21. Not to be out done, Rising keeps the ball on fourth and one, breaks a couple tackles on his way to a 62-yard touchdown run. 

Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) catches the ball and Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Tyreke Smith (11) during The Rose Bowl. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Utah went into halftime with a 35-21 lead. Utah’s 35 points are tied for the most ever scored in the first half of a Rose Bowl. It’s the highest-scoring first half in the game’s history. 

Ohio State was driving down the field when Stroud was intercepted in the end zone by Clark Phillips. On the following drive, Utah fumbled a fake punt and Ohio State recovered. 

The Buckeyes scored two plays later when Stroud found Harrison Jr. in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown. Ohio State trailed by a touchdown. 

After trading field goals, the Utes took a 38-31 lead into the fourth quarter. Stroud tossed another touchdown pass to Harrison Jr. and the game was tied 38-38. 

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) catches the ball during The Rose Bowl college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on January 01, 2022, at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Smith-Njigba gave the Buckeyes its first lead of the game with his third touchdown catch of the night. Utah stormed back with backup quarterback Bryson Barnes who was in for an injured Rising. 

Barnes led the Utes down the field and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid to tie it 45-45 with 1:54 remaining in the game. 

PASADENA, CA -JANAUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) and Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrate in the end zone during The Rose Bowl college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on January 01, 2022, at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

“I’m just very proud of the coaching staff, the players, and the leaders of this team for playing the way we did, especially in the second half, and winning this game,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “We were shorthanded, and there were some guys who weren’t here today. For us to respond the way we did at halftime and to come out and play in the second half says a lot about the character of this team to win this game.”

Kraken losing streak extends to five with loss to Canucks at home

By
Charles Hamaker
-

Seattle, WA – In the second meeting of their young rivalry, the Seattle Kraken would fall to the Vancouver Canucks by a score of five to two. Vancouver would score three of their five total goals off of Kraken turnovers, a bad habit that Seattle desperately needs to ditch as we enter the new year. As the losing streak continues for the Kraken, what captain Mark Giordano said after the loss to Calgary rings true again; Seattle continues to find new ways to lose hockey games.

A positive to note for Seattle in the loss would be that they were able to create two goals off of creating chaos in front of the opposing goaltender. On the two Kraken goals, scored by Will Borgen and Calle Jarnkrok, Seattle was able to obstruct Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko’s view perfectly. In Seattle’s case, creating goals like this will more than likely be a necessity as their lack of consistent goal scorers is clear in addition to playing in a division with great goaltenders, including Demko of the Canucks. Head coach Dave Hakstol spoke on the screen in front of goal by Ryan Donato on Will Borgen’s goal, which would be Borgen’s first in the NHL.

“The net front play is just a big piece of his game, he’s always there. He’s very competitive in getting to those areas, he had a couple good opportunities throughout the game,” Hakstol said. He spoke mostly of Donato, who had come off of the COVID list prior to this game.

The obvious negative would be the defensive lapses, and at this point in the season it just seems like it’s one of a few issues that the Kraken continue to make every game. This games defensive mistake for Seattle would be turnovers around the net. Outside of giving the puck up in the most crucial area defensively, the Seattle defensive men played pretty well with a few exceptions. With that being said, turning over the puck anywhere near your net is extremely dangerous and Vancouver took advantage of it three times. Both head coach Dave Hakstol and defenseman Adam Larsson had thoughts on the defensive issues in the January 1st contest.

When asked about allowing goals after Seattle had scored for the third straight game, Adam Larsson stated “Trust me, we’re trying not to get scored on. It’s a hard league, something we really need to figure out, it’s been an issue for us. We have talked about it; we expect the push. I don’t know, it’s frustrating but at the same time we have had some answers for those goals too. So, it goes both ways.”

Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol had a different thought on the turnovers and response goals that the Kraken committed, saying “I don’t think that was our issue tonight, obviously they got the fourth one tonight, but that’s pretty low down on our list on the defensive issues that I look at defensively.”

No matter what way you look at things, the Kraken have a litany of defensive issues. They have been present all season, in exception to a seven-game stretch that saw Seattle beat three of the top teams in the league as well as the Edmonton Oilers. A factor that would instantly change the defensively play would be better chemistry and or communication within this team. That will likely not be a reality until later in the season or even next year, which is common with an

expansion franchise. There are too many small mistakes that come with Seattle’s players not knowing each other well enough, and that is common in expansion teams.

The Kraken will look to break their losing streak in their next game, January 6th against the Ottawa Senators with a 7PM PST puck drop at Climate Pledge Arena.

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