Tri-City Storm goaltender Phoenix Copley made his college decision official yesterday, committing to play at Michigan Tech University. Copley becomes the first Storm player to choose a college during the regular season. He is the ninth Storm player who has committed to play college hockey after their career in Tri-City. In his first season in the United States Hockey League, Copley is the number one goaltender for the Storm, and has posted a 3.49 goals against average and a 3-8 record so far this year. He was the USHL Reebok co-Goaltender of the Week in the first week of the season. The struggling Storm take a seven-game losing streak on the road this weekend. Friday night, they’re in Muskegon to take on the Lumberjacks. Saturday night, they travel to Ann Arbor to play the Team USA Under 18 Selects.
Category: Sports
Irish Lose Heartbreaker, 14-13
Just as last year, the St. Patrick’s Irish’s goal of playing in a state championship football game fell one game shy. The Irish fell to Kearney Catholic 14-13 at Knights of Columbus Field last night. The Stars returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown but Andrew Vinton’s second-quarter rushing touchdown tied the score, and Sean Ryan’s 37 yard field goal as time expired in the first half sent the Irish to the locker room with a 10-7 lead. Ryan would add another field goal from the same distance on the second play of the fourth quarter to extend the Irish’s lead to six, but the Stars scored on the ensuing drive and took the lead with the extra point with 8:18 left. St. Pat’s would have two more drives, but failed to earn a first down. The Irish end their season with a 10-2 record, with both losses coming to Kearney Catholic.
Husker Offense Prepares For Rejuvenated Michigan Defense
Nebraska hasn’t played Michigan in football since the 2005 Alamo Bowl, where the Huskers pulled out a frantic 32-28 victory. Saturday, the sixteenth-ranked Huskers and eighteenth-ranked Wolverines meet at fabled Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Michigan defense has made a quantum leap this season and ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense. Husker offensive coordinator Tim Beck knows taking care of the ball and finishing drives will be vital. “They’re physical, like all the teams are. Mike Martin is a terrific defensive lineman. It’s going to be a great challenge for our offensive line,” Beck said. “They’re very well coached. They have a good scheme. It’s going to be another tough challenge for us, no question about it. They’re a good red zone defense. They keep you out of the end zone. We’ve got to come to play. We’ve got to hold onto the football and get turnovers. That’s going to be key to the ball game.” Kickoff on Saturday in Ann Arbor is set for 11 AM.
Husker Women Rout Mississippi Valley State
The Husker women’s basketball team improved their record to 2-0 with an easy 99-53 victory over Mississippi Valley State last night at the Devaney Center. Jordan Hooper showed the way for the Huskers with 25 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Lindsey Moore also posted a double-double, scoring 18 points and handing out 11 assists. Freshmen Rebecca Woodberry and Brandi Jeffrey also scored in double figures with 12 points apiece. The Huskers shot the lights out from three-point range, hitting on 14 of their 26 attempts from distance. They held the Devilettes to just 32 percent shooting from the field and won the rebounding battle 49-33. The Huskers return to the court on Friday night, when they welcome USC to the Devaney Center.
Irish Host Stars With Trip To Lincoln On The Line (Listen Live on ESPN Radio 1410)
The St. Patrick’s Irish are one step away from a trip to Memorial Stadium and the fifth state championship game in school history. But standing in their way tonight is the only team that has beaten them all season. The Irish get a rematch against Kearney Catholic tonight in a Class C2 state semifinal at Knights of Columbus Field. In the second game of the regular season for both teams, Kearney Catholic topped St. Pat’s 24-10 in Kearney, holding the Irish to their lowest offensive output of the season and scoring more points than any other Irish opponent. The Stars have never been this far in the football playoffs in school history. The Irish and Stars kick off at 6 PM tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 will have all of the action, with the Kwik Stop pregame show getting underway at 5:30.
Huskers Need Two OT To Outlast Trojans
The Nebraska men’s basketball team passed an early season road test. The Huskers topped USC 64-61 in two overtimes last night in Los Angeles. With the score tied at 49 in the final seconds of regulation, the Trojans’ Dewayne Dedmon missed an open jump shot, sending the game to the extra session. Nebraska’s Toney McCray hit a pair of free throws with two seconds left to send the game to a second OT. In that period, USC cut a 62-56 Husker lead down to one with eight seconds left, but Bo Spencer hit two free throws and a last-second three-pointer rimmed out to give the Huskers the victory. Spencer scored 22 points to lead the Huskers in the win. The 2-0 Huskers return to action Sunday afternoon when they welcome Rhode Island to the Devaney Center. Tip-off is set for 1 PM.
Huskers Begin Preparations For Final Road Game At Michigan
The sixteenth-ranked Husker football team needs to win out to have any chance to share a division title and make the Big Ten Championship game. Their penultimate game of the season won’t be easy, as they travel to Ann Arbor to take on eighteenth-ranked Michigan. Husker defensive coordinator Carl Pelini talked after yesterday’s practice about the challenges of slowing the Wolverines offense, led by dynamic quarterback Denard Robinson. “Running quarterbacks cause problems for everybody,” Pelini said. “They take away your man advantage. Just do the math. You always defend opponents 11 against 10, but when the quarterback is involved in the run game it is 11 on 11. It is harder to get the extra guy to the tackle. We have to look at creative ways to defend him.” The Huskers make their first trip to Michigan Stadium since 1962 this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 AM.
Huskers Make Slight Leap In Polls After Win At Penn State
Despite going on the road and beating an 8-1 team, there wasn’t much upward movement for Nebraska in the newly released college football polls. The Huskers moved up two spots to 17th in the AP Poll and one spot to 16th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Nebraska now sits 16th in the BCS rankings, one spot below a Michigan State team that the Huskers blew out in Lincoln three weeks ago. The Huskers kept their hopes of a Big Ten Legends Division title alive with a 17-14 win at Penn State on Saturday. Their win over the previously 12th ranked Nittany Lions was the first win against a team ranked so highly since beating second-ranked Washington in Seattle in 1997. This Saturday the Huskers head to the ‘Big House’ to take on 18th-ranked Michigan. Kickoff time has been set for 11 AM.
Broncos Hold Off Chiefs At Arrowhead
The Denver Broncos remained one game off the pace in the AFC West after a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium yesterday afternoon. Tim Tebow rushed for a touchdown and threw for another in the win. The TD pass was one of only two completions for Tebow on the afternoon on only eight attempts. The Broncos ran the ball 55 times for 244 yards and were able to move the ball consistently, building a 10-0 first half lead and sealing the game with Tebow’s 56-yard scoring strike to Eric Decker in the fourth quarter. The Broncos have won three of their last four games and are 4-5 on the season, a game behind Oakland in the divisional race. They have a short week this week, as they play Thursday night at home against the New York Jets.
Storm’s Seventh Straight Loss A Stunner
The losing ways of the Tri-City Storm continue, and their seventh straight defeat was surely the most painful. The Storm allowed two power-play goals in the final minute and lost to the Lincoln Stars 6-5 at the Viaero Events Center in Kearney last night. JD Peterson’s goal at four minutes of the third period gave the Storm a 5-3 lead, but the Stars got back within a goal with just over three and a half minutes to play. In the final minute after a Storm penalty, the Stars scored with 46 seconds left to tie the game, and then Teemu Tiitanen’s goal with four seconds left gave the Stars a stunning come-from-behind victory. Soren Jonzzon was the offensive catalyst for Tri-City, assisting on four of his team’s five goals. The Storm play road contests at Muskegon this Friday night and at the Team USA Selects on Saturday.