Sports – Page 635 – North Platte Post Archive

Nebraska Turkey Permits to be Available Jan. 13

Posted on January 7, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says spring turkey hunting permits will be available starting next week.

Each permit lets a hunter kill one male or bearded female turkey with bow and arrow in the archery season or with a shotgun in the shotgun season. A person may buy up to three spring turkey permits.

Archery season for youths and adults opens March 25. Shotgun season opens April 5 for youths and April 12 for adults. All seasons close May 31.

Permits may be bought online at OutdoorNebraska.org.

McMurphy Named Forward of the Week

Posted on January 7, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – After two road wins over Sioux Falls, veteran Storm forward Ryan McMurphy was named forward of the week by the USHL league office on Monday afternoon.

McMurphy scored three goals and added an assist over the weekend, as Tri-City ran their win streak to three over the Stampede.

The 19-year-old now has six goals and three assists in 26 games this season.

McMurphy got his team off to a fast start on Friday night, scoring the opening goal of the game on a pass from linemate Kyle Eastman at 7:58 of the first period.

After picking up an assist on a goal by Eastman in the middle frame, McMurphy sealed a win for Tri-City in the third, scoring his first career shorthanded goal on a pass from Austin Poganski.

It was the first multi-goal performance of McMurphy’s USHL career.

The following night, the native of Broken Arrow, Okla. tied the game at 2-2 late in the first period, scoring a goal on a rebound after an initial shot from defenseman Jalen Schulz had been saved. The forward had patience with the puck, moving it to his right before lifting it into the open net.

The nine points have already surpassed McMurphy’s mark of eight (two goals, six assists) in 58 games a year ago.

McMurphy’s award is the fourth time a Storm player has been honored by the league this season, as Jacob Johansson was named goaltender of the week on Oct. 7 before Joel L’Esperance won back-to-back awards as forward of the week on Dec. 9 and 16.

The Storm will now shift their focus to a midweek game in Omaha against the Lancers this Wednesday night.

Tri-City will return home for a pair of weekend games against Omaha and Sioux Falls on Jan. 10 and 11. The Lancers will be in Kearney for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Friday night, while Sioux Falls returns for a 7:05 start on Saturday.

MCC and NPCC to Live Stream Sporting Events

Posted on January 6, 2014

Coaches Aid and ASBN are excited to announce a new 2014 partnership with the Mid-Plains Community College system with colleges located in west-central and southwest Nebraska.

As a result of the partnership, Coaches Aid and MPCC will be live streaming more than 60 games for North Platte Community College and McCook Community College featuring their men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s softball teams. The games will be broadcast live with commentators, multiple camera angles, graphics and features.

See attachments for more detail and a list of McCook and North Platte sporting events. Please note, not all games will be streamed.

Storm Win 6-4, Sweep Stampede

Posted on January 5, 2014January 6, 2014

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Tri-City Storm (11-17-2) scored three goals in the second period and held on to win their third consecutive game over the Sioux Falls Stampede (20-9-2) by a final score of 6-4 on Saturday night at the Sioux Falls Arena.

Austin Poganski led the charge, scoring twice, and the Storm got four other goals from Ryan McMurphy, Chase Berger, Dan Labosky and Christian Horn.

Tri-City started quickly, led by Poganski, who scored 56 seconds into the first period to give the Storm a 1-0 lead. Poganski took a pass from Nolan Aibel, then scored on his own rebound. With the assist, Aibel notched his first USHL point in his tenth game.

The Stampede scored twice in 20 seconds later in the opening frame to take a 2-1 lead, but Tri-City responded to tie things back up when Ryan McMurphy found a rebound in front of the net and scored his third goal of the weekend. The initial shot came from defenseman Jalen Schulz, and McMurphy scored his sixth of the season to knot things up going into the locker room.

Despite a tied score, Tri-City had the advantage in shots on goal in the opening frame, 16-5.

The Storm dominated the second period, scoring three goals and taking a 5-2 lead. For the second consecutive frame, Poganski scored in the first minute to get things started. His second of the game and ninth of the season came on the power play, as the forward found a puck at the side of the net and beat goaltender David Jacobson. Assists on the goal went to Garrett Cecere and Horn.

34 seconds later, Berger scored his second in as many games after taking a pass from linemate Patrick Curry. That prompted the Stampede to pull Jacobson from the game in favor of backup Arthur Brey.

Minutes later, the Storm scored their sixth shorthanded goal of the year when Daniel Labosky picked up a loose puck in the Sioux Falls end and beat Brey to make it 5-2.

Sioux Falls were determined to climb back in the game in the third period, but the Storm held strong and were able to finish off the victory.

An insurance tally by Horn came in handy as the Stampede were pelting Tri-City netminder Jacob Johansson. Garrett Gamez started the play by winning a battle in the corner and getting the puck to his center Joel L’Esperance. L’Esperance moved behind the net and put a pass right on Horn’s stick in front. It is the fourth consecutive game with a goal for the Plymouth, Minn. native, and it gave the Storm enough room to seal the win.

Johansson won his tenth game of the season, making 23 saves on 27 shots.

The Storm will now shift their focus to a midweek game in Omaha against the Lancers this Wednesday night.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Chris Wilkie, Joey DiBenedetto and Nick Hutchison, along with defenseman Cutler Martin…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Tri-City – Austin Poganski (Nolan Aibel) 0:56
Sioux Falls – Keith Burchett (Daniel Fritz, Louis Nanne) 8:25
Sioux Falls – Dennis Kravchenko (C.J. Franklin, Bo Pellah) 8:45

Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy (Jalen Schulz) 11:45

2nd Period

Tri-City – Austin Poganski (power play) (Garrett Cecere, Christian Horn) 0:47
Tri-City – Chase Berger (Patrick Curry) 1:21
Tri-City – Daniel Labosky (shorthanded) (unassisted) 5:04

3rd Period

Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin (power play) (Bo Pellah, Zeb Knutson) 2:16
Tri-City – Christian Horn (Joel L’Esperance, Garrett Gamez) 7:08
Sioux Falls – Zeb Knutson (Dennis Kravchenko) 9:48

PENALTIES

1st Period
Sioux Falls – Jason Stephanik – (Slashing), 2 min, 5:25
Sioux Falls – Griffen Molino – (Slashing), 2 min, 13:31
Sioux Falls – Dakota Joshua – (Tripping), 2 min, 19:58

2nd Period
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Elbowing), 2 min, 3:56
Sioux Falls – R.J. Majkozak – (Holding), 2 min, 9:34
Sioux Falls – Joe Schuldt – (Kneeing), 2 min, 12:22
Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (Slashing), 2 min, 12:41
Tri-City – Christian Horn – (Slashing), 2 min, 15:09
Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (Hooking), 2 min, 19:27

3rd Period
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 1:42
Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Kneeing), 2 min, 3:05
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Slashing), 2 min, 7:38
Sioux Falls – R.J. Majkozak – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 11:15
Sioux Falls – R.J. Majkozak – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 11:15
Sioux Falls – Louis Nanne – (Interference), 2 min, 12:38
Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy – (Slashing), 2 min, 18:54
Sioux Falls – Bo Pellah – (Interference), 2 min, 19:37

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/8

Sioux Falls – 1/7

Shots

Tri-City: 16, 11, 5 = Total: 32

Sioux Falls: 5, 6, 16 = Total: 27

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 23/27

Sioux Falls – David Jacobson – 14/18, Arthur Brey – 12/14

Huskers Fall at No. 3 Ohio State, 84-53

Posted on January 4, 2014January 6, 2014

Columbus – Despite Leslee Smith’s third double-double of the season, the Huskers fell at No. 3 Ohio State, 84-53, Saturday afternoon at Value City Arena.

Smith had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his first start of the season, but a 7-0 Buckeye run to end the first half proved costly, as Nebraska fell to 8-6 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten play.

Nebraska was within 33-30 after a Shavon Shields basket with 2:28 left in the half, but Aaron Craft’s 3-pointer started a 7-0 spurt to close the half to give Ohio State (15-0, 2-0 B1G) a 10-point halftime lead.

Craft finished with nine points, four assists and three steals, as the Buckeyes put five players in double figures and shot 54 percent in the win. Amedeo Della Valle came off the bench to lead OSU with 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Marc Loving added 13 off the bench for the Buckeyes.

Terran Petteway joined Smith in double figures with 13 points, but Nebraska shot 38 percent, including just 9-fo-28 after halftime as Ohio State pulled away late. OSU also forced 13 Husker turnovers, leading to 17 Buckeye points.

Nebraska went on an early 8-2 run behind the shooting of Ray Gallegos. The senior, who was held scoreless at Iowa, drained a pair of 3-pointers, the second gave the Huskers an 8-6 lead with 15:17 left in the half. With the score tied at 10, baskets from Shields and Petteway staked the Huskers a four-point lead at 14-10 with 12:55 left in the half.

Ohio State came right back, as two Sam Thompson jumpers started a 9-1 Buckeye run, as Della Valle’s 3-pointer gave the Buckeyes a four-point lead and forced a timeout. Nebraska evened the contest on baskets from Smith and Tai Webster, but a 3-point play from Marc Loving and a 3-pointer from LaQuinton Ross sparked an 8-0 Buckeye run as OSU took a 27-19 lead after a Craft steal and layup.

The Huskers would roar back, as Webster’s 3-pointer started 7-2 Husker spurt, as the visitors got to within 29-26 after a Petteway driving basket. Nebraska would stay close, as Shields’ basket with 2:28 made it 33-30, but that would be the Huskers’ final basket of the half.

Nebraska got off to a quick start offensively in the second half, scoring on three of its first four possessions, cutting the 10-point lead to 44-36 after a Petteway jumper, but on Ohio State’s next possession, Craft hit a long jumper to beat the shot clock to spark a 10-0 Buckeye run. Ross then hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 54-36 and forced a Husker timeout.

Trailing 56-36, Biggs started the Huskers on a run, scoring six points as Nebraska cut the lead to 58-44 after a pair of Biggs jumpers, as he finished with nine points off the bench.

That would be as close as Nebraska would get, as a driving basket by Craft and a 3-pointer by Della Valle quickly pushed the lead back to 19 and Ohio State remained in control the rest of the night.

The Huskers return to action on Thursday night, hosting Michigan at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. and will be carried on the Husker Sports Network and televised on ESPN2.

Dawgs Boys and Girls Play For GNAC Title (Updated Bracket)

Posted on January 4, 2014

The North Platte Bulldogs boys and girls basketball teams both advanced to the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game, following their wins on Friday.

The North Platte boys basketball team played the night cap of the four semifinal games played Friday between both the boys and girls brackets in Scottsbluff. The second-seeded Dawgs trailed to the third-seeded Scottsbluff Bearcats by as many as eight points throughout the first half before Kade Erickson hit a buzzer-beating shot to end the second quarter with North Platte trailing 33-31.

The Dawgs came out firing in the second half to take the lead early in the third quarter en route to a 69-67 win over Scottsbluff to advance to the GNAC Championship game on Saturday. Erickson led the way with 27 points for North Platte and Drew Callaghan scored 21 despite fouling out with just less than three minutes left. Shane Mauch was a third player in double-figures with 11 for the Bulldogs.

North Platte advances to play No.1 seeded Norfolk. The Panthers beat Kearney 68-57 in the semis and have an 8-0 record. The Dawgs have now won four in a row and are 5-3 on the season. The game is schedule to tip-off at 4:15 CT and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1410.

The third-seeded Lady Dawgs pulled off the upset over the second-seeded Kearney Lady Bearcats 53-50 in overtime. Allison Sawyer scored a career-high 27 points in the game, including a three-pointer with one second left that sent the game to overtime. Sawyer hit five threes in the game to help North Platte run its winning streak to six games.

The 7-1 Lady Dawgs advance to play No. 1 seeded Norfolk int he GNAC Championship game on Saturday. The Panthers beat Columbus in the semis 46-41 to improve to 6-2 on the year and advance to the championship. The game tips off at 2:30 CT and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 with the pre game show starting at 2:15.

The boys and girls brackets can be seen below and the times listed are mountain standard time.

Tri-City Outworks Stampede For 5-1 Win

Posted on January 4, 2014

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Tri-City Storm (10-17-2) took an early lead and never let up, defeating the Sioux Falls Stampede (20-8-2) 5-1 at the Sioux Falls Arena on Friday night.

Ryan McMurphy scored the Storm’s first and fifth goals to up his season total to five, while Kyle Eastman notched his first goal of the season and goaltender Jacob Johansson made 31 saves in the win.

Tri-City controlled the play in the first period and were rewarded for their efforts, scoring two goals in just 28 seconds to take an early 2-0 lead.

First, Eastman controlled a puck in the offensive zone and left a perfect pass on the doorstep for his linemate McMurphy to bury. Thomas Aldworth picked up the second assist on the first tally of the night.

Then it was Christian Horn who doubled the lead on the game’s next shift taking a pass from forward Garrett Gamez and using a Stampede defenseman as a screen to fire the puck past Sioux Falls goaltender Arthur Brey. This time it was defenseman Kevin Kerr who was credited with the second assist, his fourth helper of the season.

The Storm scored again in the middle frame to make it 3-0 when Eastman found a loose rebound in front of the net and was able to push it home. Patrick Curry and McMurphy got assists after a hard-working shift in which Eastman was rewarded with his first tally of the year in the team’s first game of 2014.

Storm forward Chase Berger made it 4-0 Tri-City early on in the third when he found a rebound in front of the net after a Jalen Schulz shot. The goal gave Tri-City total control of the game, Berger’s fifth tally of the season.

After the Stampede got on the board later in the third on a goal by Keith Burchett, the Storm found themselves killing a penalty when Tory Dello was whistled for boarding.

During the penalty kill, the Storm forwards got pressure on the forecheck in the Stampede end. Austin Poganski won a batte and dropped the puck off for an oncoming McMurphy, who fired a slapshot into the upper left hand corner of the net to extend the lead to 5-1.

The goal was the fifth shorthanded tally for the Storm this season and put the game out of reach for the Stampede.

Johansson got his ninth win of the season and continued his brilliance in between the pipes as Tri-City outshot Sioux Falls 35-32.

The two teams will play again tomorrow night in Sioux Falls at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Chris Wilkie, Joey DiBenedetto and Nick Hutchison, along with defenseman Cutler Martin…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy (Kyle Eastman, Thomas Aldworth) 7:58
Tri-City – Christian Horn (Garrett Gamez, Kevin Kerr) 8:26

2nd Period

Tri-City – Kyle Eastman (Patrick Curry, Ryan McMurphy) 5:40

3rd Period

Tri-City – Chase Berger (Jalen Schulz) 3:33
Sioux Falls – Keith Burchett (Zeb Knutson, C.J. Franklin) 8:16
Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy (shorthanded) (Austin Poganski) 10:12

PENALTIES

1st Period
Sioux Falls – Daniel Fritz – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 11:12
Tri-City – Thomas Aldworth – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 16:55
Tri-City – Thomas Aldworth – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 16:55

2nd Period
Tri-City – Christian Horn – (Hooking), 2 min, 1:09
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (High Sticking), 2 min, 8:52
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Interference), 2 min, 13:13
Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 17:25
Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 2 min, 17:25

3rd Period

Tri-City – Garrett Gamez – (High Sticking), 2 min, 0:56
Sioux Falls – Griffen Molino – (Hooking), 2 min, 1:11
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Boarding), 2 min, 9:37
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin – (Interference), 2 min, 15:14

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/4

Sioux Falls – 0/6

Shots

Tri-City: 12, 11, 12 = Total: 35

Sioux Falls: 11, 12, 9 = Total: 32

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 31/32

Sioux Falls – Arthur Brey – 30/35

Huskers Surge Past Cowboys, 26-12

Posted on January 4, 2014

Lincoln, Neb. – Trailing Wyoming 9-12, the No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team (6-0) won the final five matches of the dual en route to a 26-12 triumph over the Cowboys at the Devaney Center on Friday night.

Ranked wrestlers Jake Sueflohn (149), James Green (157), Austin Wilson (165), Robert Kokesh (174) and TJ Dudley (184) all earned victories during the Huskers’ closing run.

No. 6 Sueflohn tied the dual at 12 following his 4-0 decision over Brandon Richardson. After a first-period takedown for the junior from Watertown, Wis., Sueflohn added a second-period escape before an additional point for riding time.

No. 4 Green improved to 19-0 on the season after notching a 5-1 decision over No. 20 Andy McCulley on Friday night. Following a scoreless first period, Green earned a reversal in the second period and tacked on a takedown in the third period with a point for riding time.

At 165 pounds, No. 14 Wilson struck first against Wyoming’s Dakota Friesth to take a 3-0 lead into the third period. Friesth responded with a takedown to cut the lead to 3-2 before a stalling penalty gave Wilson a 4-2 advantage. Wilson, a sophomore, earned a riding time point to win by a 5-2 margin.

No. 4 Kokesh dominated from start to finish in a 19-4 technical fall over the Cowboys’ Jace Jensen. Kokesh earned six takedowns in the match en route to his third technical fall of the season.

In the final match of the dual, No. 16 Dudley battled Benjamin Stroh back and forth before emerging with a 9-6 victory. Dudley trailed 0-2 in the first period before a last-second takedown gave him a 3-2 lead. The pair traded reversals in the second period before a late nearfall for Dudley. Nursing a 7-4 lead in the third period, Dudley chose down and earned a pair of escapes for the final result.

Nebraska collected victories in two of the first five matches, with Collin Jensen (HWT) and Colton McCrystal (133) adding points for the Huskers.

After Spencer Johnson (197) fell by a 4-3 decision in the opening match of the dual, Jensen responded with an 8-3 triumph over Leland Pfeifer. Jensen earned two takedowns in the first period and added a third in the final period before notching a riding time point at the finish.

No. 10 Tim Lambert (125) fell in a back-and-forth match against No. 8 Tyler Cox, 3-1, before McCrystal won by forfeit at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Ben Morgan was pinned by Cole Mendenhall in 6:11.

The Huskers return to the Devaney Center next weekend for two duals. On Friday night, Nebraska hosts Big Ten foe Indiana at 7 p.m., before Saturday night’s showdown against Penn at 6 p.m. The Penn dual will be part of Nebraska’s “Tumble and Rumble” event with the women’s gymnastics team. Both matchups will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network.

Suh, David Named First-Team AP All-Pro

Posted on January 3, 2014

Nebraska greats Lavonte David and Ndamukong Suh were each chosen by the Associated Press as All-Pro first-team selections on Friday.

The former Blackshirts were among a group of 25 players to earn first-team All-Pro honors on Friday. Nebraska was one of only four schools with two or more first-team selections, including Texas and Tennessee with three each and Wisconsin who also had two selections. Nebraska was the only school with a pair of first-team defensive players.

In his fourth season with the Detroit Lions, Suh earned All-Pro honors for the third time. He was also a first-team selection in 2010, while earning second-team accolades in 2012. This season, Suh made 49 tackles including 5.5 sacks for the Lions.

In his second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, David has emerged as one of the league’s most complete defenders. David ranked sixth in the NFL in tackles with 144, including 106 solo tackles and six sacks. David also had five interceptions, the second-most among all linebackers in the NFL and his 15 passes defended ranked fourth among linebackers.

David and Suh were both standout defensive performers for Nebraska under Head Coach Bo Pelini. Suh was the Associated Press Player of the Year in 2009 and won the Lombardi, Outland, Nagurski and Bednarik awards while finishing fourth in the Heisman voting. David was the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2011, while finishing his career with 285 tackles to rank fourth in school history.

Romero Allocated to Seattle Reign FC for 2014 Season

Posted on January 3, 2014

Chicago – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced the allocation of Nebraska soccer All-American Ari Romero to the Seattle Reign FC for the 2014 NWSL season. A total of 50 allocated National Team players will be participating in the upcoming season with 26 Americans, 16 Canadians and eight Mexicans.

Former NU soccer student-athletes Karina LeBlanc and Selenia Iacchelli were also allocated to the Portland Thorns FC and the Western New York Flash, respectively.

In 2013, Romero became the 12th Husker All-American and claimed Nebraska’s 18th NSCAA All-America award in school history after her senior season where NU collected a pair of Big Ten titles and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

From Jan. 3-6, the NWSL will have a league-wide “trade period” during which all NWSL teams may make trades throughout the four days. However, teams will not be allowed to waive players currently on their roster until after the NWSL Expansion Draft.

The Surprise, Ariz. native became a stalwart at center back for the Huskers throughout her career and flourished in her final season with the Scarlet and Cream. The NSCAA All-Region First Team honoree and Big Ten Defender of the Year displayed a tireless work ethic as she worked every second of the final 15 matches on her way to averaging more than 91 minutes per match in 2013.

U.S. Soccer is subsidizing the salaries of 26 players, while the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federation of Mexican Football will do the same for 16 and eight players, respectively.