Sports – Page 508 – North Platte Post Archive

Storm Players Hopeful During NHL Draft Weekend

Posted on June 25, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – The 2014 NHL Draft will take place this weekend in Philadelphia and there are many Storm players, past and present, that are hoping to hear their name called.

A total of eight players with ties to the organization were listed on the NHL’s Central Scouting Final Rankings in April.

The draft will be held at the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Philadelphia Flyers, on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28.

Headlining the list of draft hopefuls is forward Austin Poganski, of St. Cloud, Minn. Ranked No. 100 on the list of North American skaters, Poganski excelled during 2013-14 in his first USHL season, scoring 19 goals and 12 assists in 55 games.

15 of Poganski’s points came on the power play, including 11 goals, which was fourth-best in the league. The forward’s three short-handed goals were also tied for fourth in the USHL. Before he makes the jump to professional hockey, Poganski is committed to play at the University of North Dakota.

The other forward from Tri-City’s roster last season appearing on the rankings list is Chris Wilkie, of Omaha, Neb.

Wilkie, who led the Storm in scoring with 36 points a season ago, comes in at No. 207 on the North American skater list. The Nebraska native also led the team with 168 shots on goal last season.

Also committed to North Dakota, Wilkie plans on returning to Kearney next season and participated in tryout camp with the team in Las Vegas a week ago.

Tri-City has also acquired two new skaters with NHL potential, both of whom were undrafted in last month’s USHL Draft, but made the team’s roster for next season during tryout camp.

Forward Sam Lafferty, of Hollidaysburg, Penn. is ranked No. 184 on the North American skater list, while defenseman Mattias Goransson of Sweden is No. 107 out of European skaters.

Lafferty played at Deerfield Academy Prep School in Massachusetts last year and is committed to play collegiately at Brown University. Goransson represented Brynas Jr. a season ago, and is a sizeable force, standing 6 feet 4 inches tall with a weight of 187 pounds according to the NHL Central Scouting measurements.

The Storm plan to release their full 30-man training camp roster to the public in early July.

Tri-City also has the rights to three netminders who were ranked on the North American goalie list.

Hayden Lavigne, who saw 27 games of action last year with the Storm, is ranked No. 26, while Phase II draft picks Blake Weyrick and Alec Dillon are No. 11 and 13 respectively.

Lavigne, a Brampton, Ont. native, plans on returning to Kearney for a second season this fall. He is committed to play for the University of Michigan.

Weyrick, who played for the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) during the last two seasons, hails from Ojai, Calif. The goaltender measures 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs 203 pounds.

A second round pick by the Storm last month, Dillon spent the 2013-14 season with his hometown team, the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Dillon is committed to play college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). His measurements are also impressive, at 6 feet 5 inches and 168 pounds.

Former Storm forward Jason Cotton has also made the Central Scouting list, after a successful season with the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. In 50 games, Cotton put up 59 points on 23 goals and 36 assists.

Cotton played in 45 games with Tri-City during the 2012-13 season. He is listed as No. 162 on the North American skater ranks. The forward is committed to Northeastern University.

The first round of the 2014 NHL Draft will be held on Friday and broadcast live on NBCSN, with coverage starting at 6 p.m. CST. Rounds 2-7 will be completed Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. CST, and shown live on NHL Network.

Stay tuned to stormhockey.com and be sure to follow the Storm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for updates from Philadelphia throughout the NHL Draft this weekend.

Rockies Bring Up LHP Flande to Start vs. Cardinals

Posted on June 25, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have brought up left-hander Yohan Flande from Triple-A Colorado Springs to make a start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Flande got the nod to make his major league debut on Wednesday. The Rockies also placed right-handed Christian Bergman on the 60-day disabled list with a fractured left wrist.

Flande is the seventh Rockies player to make his major league debut this season, and is the fourth starting pitcher in 19 days to debut with Colorado.

The 28-year-old Flande was 2-9 with a 4.42 ERA in 14 appearances — 13 starts — with the Sky Sox this season.

Bergman broke his wrist on a line drive against Milwaukee on Friday. Initial X-rays showed no damage, but an MRI taken Monday revealed the fracture.

Bergman is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA in three starts for the Rockies.

NFL Agrees to Remove Cap on Concussion Damages

Posted on June 25, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NFL has agreed to remove a cap on concussion-related damages after a judge questioned whether a proposed settlement provided enough money to cover retired players.

A revised settlement agreement filed Wednesday also eliminates a provision that barred anyone who gets concussion damages from the NFL from suing the NCAA or other amateur football leagues.

U.S. District Judge Anita Brody had denied preliminary approval of the deal in January that set a $675 million cap on damages, because she worried the money could run out sooner than expected. The settlement is designed to last at least 65 years and cover retirees who develop Lou Gehrig’s disease and other neurological problems.

More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions.

Rockies End 7-Game Slide with 10-5 Win over Cards

Posted on June 24, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Justin Morneau hit a three-run homer and drove in six runs as the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 on Tuesday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Jorge De La Rosa (7-6) allowed five runs, four earned, in seven innings. He is the first Rockies starter to earn a win since June 12.

Nick Greenwood (1-1) pitched 1 2-3 innings in relief of starter Shelby Miller, who left in the third with back tightness. Greenwood surrendered Morneau’s homer on a hanging slider in the fourth.

Morneau had an RBI single in the first and a two-run single in the seventh that gave Colorado some breathing room.

The Rockies finished with 17 hits one night after managing just three when they were shut out at home for the first time in nearly a year.

First Nationals get Shutout by Kearney, Winning Streak Snapped

Posted on June 24, 2014

The North Platte First Nationals got shutout by Kearney 7-0 on Tuesday in Kearney.

Kearney had a balanced approach at the plate by getting nine hits from seven different players and Peyton Pocock pitched masterfully from the mound. Pocock pitched the complete game shutout and gave up just four hits while striking out three batters. Kearney scored two runs in each of the second and third innings and three runs in the fifth to comprise all of the game’s runs.

North Platte (20-11) managed just four hits in the game. Alec Wesslund led the way by going 1-3 with a double. Dalton Pflughaupt took the loss on the mound for the First Nationals. He gave up seven runs on eight hits in four and one-third innings. Pflughaupt also struck out three batters and walked two. Darian Allberry pitched the final one and two-third innings and gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

North Platte won’t have very much time to think about the loss that snapped its 10-game winning streak. The First Nationals return to Bill Wood Field Wednesday night to host Overton in a Junior-Senior doubleheader. The Juniors play at 5:30 pm and the Seniors first pitch is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

Virginia Beats Vandy 7-2, Forces a Game 3 at CWS

Posted on June 24, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brandon Waddell limited Vanderbilt to five hits in his first nine-inning complete game, Virginia knocked out first-round draft pick Tyler Beede in the seventh, and the Cavaliers evened the College World Series finals with a 7-2 victory Tuesday night.

Each team will be playing for its first national title in baseball in the winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Virginia (53-15) forced the third game after Vanderbilt (50-21) rode a nine-run third inning to a 9-8 victory in the opener.

Waddell (10-3), who pitched a solid seven innings with no decision against TCU a week ago, was even better against the Commodores. He didn’t allow a hit in the fifth through eighth innings and retired 12 in a row before he issued a walk with two outs in the ninth.

His first official complete game came in a six-inning, rain-shortened game against Monmouth in March.

Kershaw Pitches Dodgers to 2-0 Win over Royals

Posted on June 24, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw followed his first career no-hitter with eight marvelous innings, Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier drove in a run apiece and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Kershaw (8-2) allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight. The two-time Cy Young winner hasn’t allowed a run in 21 1-3 innings, spanning his near-perfect game against Colorado on Wednesday — the only runner occurred on an error — and his previous start against Arizona.

Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.

Danny Duffy (4-7) dueled admirably with Kershaw for six innings, allowing one run on four hits and four walks. But the left-hander was done in by a high pitch count, needing a season-high 105, and was eventually lifted to protect his surgically repaired shoulder.

MLB Adjusts Plate-Blocking Rule on Force Plays

Posted on June 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has adjusted the new rule regarding catchers blocking the plate, saying it won’t be called on force plays at home.

The tweak came Tuesday, a week after a disputed play in Pittsburgh. Upon review, a call was overturned and a Cincinnati runner was ruled safe when it was determined that Pirates catcher Russell Martin obstructed the path to the plate.

MLB put in rule 7.13 this year trying to cut down on collisions at home. The rule provided runners a clear lane home, but the change came after Martin was called for obstruction with his foot on the plate on a force play.

Force plays at the plate can still be reviewed by video replay. But an umpire’s judgment on whether there was interference or obstruction on those plays cannot be challenged.

Rockies’ Bergman Scratched from Start

Posted on June 24, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies scratched right-hander Christian Bergman from his scheduled start on Wednesday after an exam revealed a fracture in his glove hand.

Bergman was struck on his left hand by a line drive last Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The fracture was confirmed by the team’s medical staff after the swelling in his hand subsided.

The Rockies previously lost starters Brett Anderson and Jordan Lyles to the disabled list because of hand fractures.

While the Rockies had not yet formalized the move, manager Walt Weiss said the team planned to call up Yohan Flande from their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs to start Wednesday’s game against St. Louis.

Flande, making his major league debut, will be the 12th pitcher to start a game for the Rockies this season, most in the big leagues.

He will be opposed by Marco Gonzales, who also will be making his major league debut. Gonzales was the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick last year.

Royals Activate LHP Chen, Send Collins to Omaha

Posted on June 24, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have activated left-hander Bruce Chen from the 60-day disabled list and sent him to the bullpen in a long relief role.

To clear roster space before Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Royals optioned reliever Tim Collins to Triple-A Omaha and designated fellow left-hander Donnie Joseph for assignment.

Chen began the season in the Kansas City rotation before landing on the DL with a bulging disk in his back. He made four minor league rehab starts, three at Omaha, and struck out 11 over 5 1-3 innings last weekend against Albuquerque.

The veteran left-hander, who has worked out of the bullpen in the past, has not appeared in a big league game since April 24. He is 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA on the season.