DAHLIN’S MISHAPS LEAD TO SABRES LOSS ON MONDAY
After their morning skate on Monday, Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff made a point to mention how he wanted his defensemen to trust their partner and stay on their own side of the ice. That night, their captain, Rasmus Dahlin, was the prime example of unnecessary defensive positioning, which eventually lost Buffalo the game vs Florida, 5-2.
After coming out on their toes, the Sabres allowed two goals in the first period, both due to poor defensive posture. Bowen Byram got caught in no-man's-land during a Panthers breakout, leading to a two-on-one for Florida and the first goal of the game. Less than a minute later, Dahlin joined Owen Power behind Buffalo’s net, leaving former-Sabre Samson Reinhart alone in front to put the visitors up 2-0.
A power play started the shift of momentum for the Sabres, as Jason Zucker batted in a Tage Thompson rebound to put Buffalo on the board halfway into the game. Less than two minutes after that, a chance off the rush for Dylan Cozens led to Dahlin putting on a show, beating Sergei Bobrovsky blocker side to tie the game at two. At that point, the clear goal was just to get to the third period tied, but alas, Dahlin tracked with the wrong attacking forward on a rush chance for Florida, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen couldn’t come up with a clean save, leaving a rebound to the wide-open Panther waiting at the crease to smack it in, putting Florida up 3-2.
A bad Dahlin penalty, which he later was fined for, put the Panthers on the man-advantage late in the game, and a power play goal killed any chance at Buffalo coming back. The Sabres' loss ended up dropping them below .500 to wrap up their first ten game stretch of the season, 4-5-1.
Buffalo is back in action at KeyBank Center on Friday night vs the New York Islanders.
YANKEES FINALLY BREAK THROUGH IN GAME FOUR OF WORLD SERIES, FORCE GAME FIVE
It took three games and three innings of the World Series, but the New York Yankees offense finally stopped hitting the snooze button and woke up, as they beat the Dodgers eleven to four in an elimination game four last night.
The Dodgers looked unfazed by the cross-country shift of the series, and that was to be expected, since they had just made the same exact trip to New York City in the NLCS against the Mets. Similarly to the NLCS, the Dodgers dominated game three in the Big Apple. On Monday night, Freddie Freeman continued to set the tone for the Fall Classic, belting a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. LA never trailed, despite the shutout-ruining home run from New York’s Alex Verdugo. With a four to two win, The Dodgers took a three-games-to-none lead in the World Series.
Los Angeles had planned on game four being a “bullpen game,” using their relief pitchers inning by inning to piece together the game, long before they were up three-nothing in the series. With the Yankees in an offensive slump, and their backs being against the wall, there was no better time for them to break through, and boy did they ever. After another Freddie Freeman top-of-the-first home run to give LA a 2-0 lead, the Yankees’ bats got to work. In the bottom of the third inning, the bases were loaded for a kid who grew up watching Derek Jeter play shortstop for New York and dreaming of the same for himself. Anthony Volpe delivered his signature Yankee moment, launching a series-altering grand slam to left centerfield, putting NY ahead. As the Yankees added to their lead throughout the night, Volpe ended with a walk and another hit, scoring three of New York’s eleven runs, keeping the series alive.
It’s a rematch between the starting pitchers from the World Series opening game, as Gerrit Cole and Jack Flahrety go head-to-head in game five tonight at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is at 8PM.
TWO PART BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE TONIGHT ON MAIN STREET
Not one, but TWO installments of the Battle of the Bridge will take place tonight, as Canisius hosts Niagara University in Women’s Soccer and Volleyball this evening.
First up, the Griffs take on the Purple Eagles on the soccer pitch at the Demske Sports Complex for the final game of the regular season. While Niagara is eliminated from the Conference playoff picture, Canisius is fighting for seeding with the top teams in the MAAC. With a result tonight, the Golden Griffins can clinch a top three seed. In their last five meetings, the Purple Eagles hold a 3-1-1 edge. Kickoff for that Battle of the Bridge is at 4PM.
Immediately following, the Battle heads indoors, inside the Koessler Athletic Center as the Griffs women’s volleyball team seeks revenge against NU. When the two met on Monteagle Ridge earlier this month, Niagara won the hard-fought battle three sets to one. To add even more drama, Canisius and the Purple Eagles are currently tied with seven conference wins each heading into this match. First serve from Main Street is set for 6:00.
TOP 10 SENIOR CAMPAIGNS FROM THE HS FOOTBALL SEASON IN WNY
Ranked by Class, here's my list of the top ten most impressive seasons put together this fall by graduating high school football players in Western New York.
Monsignor Martin Association *still with one week left in their regular season*
Landon Welka - QB - St. Francis - Leading the Red Raiders with 1,415 yards and 16 Touchdowns passing. Welka also leads St. Francis in rushing with 507 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground.
Section VI Class AA
Jack Eskridge IV - WR/DB - Bennett - Eskridge IV was a key reason for Bennett going unbeaten against WNY opponents. He ended the season with 781 all-purpose yards and 9 all-purpose TDs on offense. Eskridge IV added 175 yards returning kicks and punts for the Tigers, leading Bennett to the top seed in Class AA.
Jack Ciano - WR/DB - Orchard Park - Ciano led all of WNY in receiving yards (854) and touchdowns (15), all hauled in from his twin brother, Brady. Defensively, Jack paced the Quakers with 3 interceptions, including a pick-six vs Jamestown.
Cole Bloomquist - RB/LB - Jamestown - Led all of Section VI in both total tackles (126) and sacks (21). Offensively, Bloomquist added 258 rushing yards and 4 TDs, along with 55 receiving yards.
Section VI Class A
Rocco Pannepinto - QB - Sweet Home - In his third year as starter, Pannepinto finished top 5 in Section VI with 1,653 passing yards, and had the area's best touchdown to interception ratio with 24 passing TDs and just 2 INTs. Pannepinto set the Sweet Home all-time career passing yards record in week 1 vs Orchard Park. He also racked up 225 yards rushing throughout the season, leading Sweet Home to the top seed in Class A.
Bryce Tubin - QB - Clarence - Tubin finished Top 3 in Section VI with 1,784 passing yards on the season, tossing 21 touchdowns for the Red Devils. Tubin displayed his rushing capabilities with 365 rushing yards and 3 scores on the ground.
Section VI Class B
Karter Giboo - RB/LB - Pioneer - Giboo led the Panthers and an undefeated regular season with a team high in rushing yards (762), receiving yards (398), and total tackles (60). He added 8 rushing touchdowns and 7 more receiving, leading Pioneer to the top seed in Class B.
Adam Nunes - RB/DB - South Park - Nunes set a NYSPHSAA record for rushing yards in a game (593) in week three vs Iroquois. He ended the regular season with five straight games with at least 200 yards rushing. Nunes leads all of WNY with 27 rushing TDs.
Section VI Class C
Maddox Isaac - QB - Salamanca - Isaac was nearly perfect as a quarterback, tossing 15 touchdowns and just 1 interception all season for the Warriors. He compiled 914 passing yards and 691 rushing yards, leading Salamanca to a perfect 8-0 record.
Section VI Class D
Tate Catanese - QB - CSP - In his third year as a starter, Catanese led Clymer-Sherman-Panama with 1,378 passing yards, launching 19 touchdowns through the air. He also ran for 312 yards and 5 more scores, leading the Wolfpack to a 6-2 record and the top seed in Class D.
Honorable Mentions
- E’Ryan Lawrence - RB/WR/DB - Bennett (Section VI Class AA)
- John Gang - WR - Lancaster (Section VI Class AA)
- Brady Ciano - QB - Orchard Park (Section VI Class AA)
- Christian Earnst - RB/DB - North Tonawanda (Section VI Class A)
- Deontay Rodgers - WR/DB - Kenmore West (Section VI Class A)
- Michael Sole - RB/DB - Grand Island (Section VI Class B)
- Jaxsyn Moritz - QB - Maryvale (Section VI Class B)
- Jeremiah Shuford - LB/OL - Health Sciences (Section VI Class B)
- Xavier Peters - RB/DE - Salamanca (Section VI Class C)
- Douglas Hunt - RB/D - Cleveland Hill (Section VI Class C)
- Maxx DeYoe - RB/LB - Portville (Section VI Class C)
- Carter Brink - WR/DB - CSP (Section VI Class D)
- Connor Braley - RB/FS - Randolph (Section VI Class D)
