Majicjack Franchise Terminated By WPS

Women's Professional Soccer terminated the Majicjack franchise based in Boca Raton on Thursday. League officials had conflicts with team owner and Majicjack founder/owner Dan Borislow since he purchased the franchise earlier this year. Borislow moved the team from Washington D.C. to South Florida prior to the 2011 season and played their home games at Florida Atlantic University. Borislow and his organization then violated many rules and standards instituted by league. They included no implementation of a team website and blatantly ignoring orders from the WPS Commissioner and Board of Governors. Players from the United States national soccer team that played at the Womens World Cup in Germany were part of the team. They included forward Abby Wambach, midfielders Shannon Boxx and Megan Rapinoe, defenders Christie Rampone and Becky Sauerbrunn and goalkeeper Hope Solo. The Majicjack finished in third place in the regular season standings. They won at home in the first round 3-1 over the Boston Breakers, however they lost to the Philadelphia Independence 2-0 in the second round on the road. The Majicjack players will be placed in a supplemental draft in the near future.

One Year Of The Big O At WMEN

Orlando Alzugaray, otherwise known at The Big O, celebrated his one-year anniversary as the afternoon drive host at WMEN on Wednesday. Since his arrival, the station increased its audience share over the past year and during the summer became the most listened to sports format radio station in Palm Beach County defeating WEFL, which held the top spot that featured Evan Cohen for the past six years. Alzugaray had been a staple with WQAM since the mid-1990's both as a sports reporter and later as a weekday talk host. You might wonder why The Big O made the switch to WMEN. He was reassigned from middays to late mornings when WQAM picked up former Miami Hurricane wide receiver Michael Irvin in July 2010. By early September, Alzugaray was demoted to the evening shift from late mornings when the station signed former Heisman Trophy winner and Hurricanes quarterback Gino Torretta. After two weeks working nights, he gave his resignation to WQAM management without a job waiting for him. He signed a deal with WMEN several days later, however WQAM prohibited his new station to allow The Big O on the airwaves for one month. Alzugaray finally began his new afternoon drive show in late October 2010 and he has changed the landscape of local sports talk radio for the better over the past year.

Former Dwyer Players Transfer From Florida

Two former Dwyer Panthers announced Wednesday that they would transfer from the University of Florida. Wide receiver Robert Clark and tight end Gerald Christian, both true sophomores, were mentioned by Gators head football coach Will Muschamp of leaving the school. Clark mainly played on the special teams unit this season and had seven catches for 69 yards and one touchdown in 2010. Christian was able to make four catches for 72 yards and scored one touchdown in 2011. Both players were with Dwyer when they won the Florida Class 5A state championship in 2009. Two former Palm Beach County high school players also left the Gators earlier this year. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins and wide receiver Chris Dunkley, both previously with Pahokee, transferred from the University of Florida prior to the season.

Dolphins Blow 15-Point 4th Quarter Lead

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos were able to overcome a 15-point deficit with under three minutes left in regulation to shock the Miami Dolphins in overtime 18-15 at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday. No team had done this feat in the NFL since 1983. Among the many circumstances of this game was that the Miami Dolphins organization honored Tim Tebow prior to the contest. He won the NCAA national championship with Florida in 2008 and a Florida Class 4A championship with Nease in 2005 on the same football field. Miami(0-6) have now lost 12 of their last 13 home games and nine consecutive games dating back to last season. In terms of scoring, the Dolphins got 38-yard and 36-yard field goals from Dan Carpenter in the second quarter. Miami extended the lead six seconds into the fourth quarter on a 16-yard catch by Anthony Fasano followed seven minutes later with a Carpenter 43-yard field goal. Denver then pulled off a miracle comeback. Tebow found Demaryius Thomas with a five-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 left. The Broncos then recovered the onside kick on the ensuing play. Daniel Fells caught a three-yard pass for a score with 17 seconds remaining. Tebow pulled off a two-point conversion with a run through the right side of the line to tie the game 15-15. Matt Prater capped the victory with a game-winning 52-yard field goal seven minutes into overtime. Just three plays earlier, former Miami Hurricane D.J. Williams created a turnover and forced Matt Moore to fumble the ball. Tebow pulled off his third second-half comeback in his lifetime on the field off Dan Marino Boulevard.

Panthers Get By Habs

The Florida Panthers were able to capitalize on the worst home start ever in the long-storied history of the Montreal Canadiens franchise. The Cats beat the Habs 2-1 on Monday night at the Bell Center. Montreal had entered this game losing their first three home games this season. Eric Cole, who scored his first goal as a Montreal Canadien, was in the low slot when he redirected a top zone shot from Raphael Diaz by Jacob Markstrom on the Canadiens first power play at 3:08 of the first. Florida came back with a score on their first power play in the game. A loose scramble for the puck in the crease area was put in by Tomas Fleischmann, his second goal this season, on an assist in front by Kris Versteeg with just over four minutes left. Neither team scored in the second period. At 5:02 of the third, Scottie Upshall picked up his first goal as a Florida Panther on a tip-in from a left point shot by Dmitry Kulikov. Markstrom, who made 40 saves for his second career win, made several great saves in the final minute on a six-on-four Montreal power play.

WAXY Weekend Changes

In a staff meeting on Friday, WAXY-AM announced that they would make changes to their weekend lineup. The station was eliminating all local sports updates as of next weekend in favor of ESPN Radio programming. In addition, all part-time staff members would no longer do weekend sports talk shows and continue as weekday update anchors, producers and fill-in reporters. Brokered specialty weekend shows that included Craig Mish and Brendan Tobin will stay on the schedule. Talking Hardball with Warren Cromartie finished its final show of the season on Saturday and is uncertain if it will return in 2012.

Panthers Beat Islanders

Following the trade of David Booth to the Vancouver Canucks, the Florida Panthers snapped a two-game losing streak and defeated the New York Islanders 4-2 on Saturday night at the Bank Atlantic Center. The Islanders picked up a power play goal just 1:01 into the game as Mark Streit(1) blasted a top-zone slap shot through traffic for a 1-0 lead. Tomas Kopecky missed on a penalty shot at 2:39 after being hooked from behind by Andrew MacDonald. Kris Versteeg tied the game at 14:39, his fourth goal of the season, as he followed up his initial shot from the right circle with a rebound shot in the low slot area. In the second period, Florida took their first lead 2-1 at 13:39 when Shawn Matthias went around Streit in the right corner and found Matt Bradley(1) for a backhand goal in the crease area. New York responded and tied the game one minute later at the start of their second power play. John Taveres(6) won a face-off in the left circle that went back to Streit at the blue line, and his shot was redirected by Tavares in the slot area. Tim Kennedy scored his first goal of the season which gave the Panthers the eventual lead at 4:00 of the third period as he and Matthias performed a give-and-go cycle play around Mark Eaton to the side of the Islanders net. Former Panther Michael Grabner almost tied the game on a breakaway at 11:59 but his forehand shot was stopped by Jacob Markstrom, who picked up his first career NHL win. New York failed to convert on a 5-on-3 power play in the last three minutes of the game. Matthias(1) came out of the penalty box behind the Islanders defense and put in an open-net goal from a lead pass up the right wing boards by Tomas Fleischmann at 19:36. The Panthers begin a three-game road trip on Monday in Montreal.

Booth Traded To Vancouver Canucks

Twenty minutes prior to tonight's game against the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon traded left wing David Booth, center Steven Reinprecht and 2013 third-round pick, previously acquired from the Canucks, to Vancouver for right wing Mikael Samuelsson and left wing Marco Sturm. Booth, who was the Panthers second-round draft pick in 2004, played 309 games with 87 goals, 80 assists and 167 points. He had only one assist in six games with the club in 2011-12. Reinprecht was assigned to the Panthers AHL affiliate prior to the start of this season. He had been put on waivers by Florida several times over the past year. The Panthers picked up Samuelsson, who has played in three Stanley Cup Finals during his NHL career, and won the championship in 2008-09 with the Detroit Red Wings. He had one goal and two assists in six games with Vancouver this season along with recording 314 points during his NHL career in 621 games. Sturm was scoreless in six games with the Canucks this season. He's scored 239 goals with 243 assists in 897 games while in the NHL. According to Tallon, the Florida Panthers received two veteran players with a load of playoff experience and show a tremendous amount of character.

Dwyer Stops Atlantic

The two top teams in District 7A-13 battled it out for first place as the Dwyer Panthers got a 14-0 shutout win over the Atlantic Eagles in Delray Beach on Friday night. Unlike last year's non-district scoring shootout, it was a major surprise that both teams were held scoreless in the first three quarters. Atlantic(5-2,3-1) had a chance to score with 1:34 left in the first quarter, but A.J. Puente's pass from the Panthers one-yard line was intercepted by Clay Meister. Dwyer's Bobby Puyol had a 27-yard field goal blocked by Gerald Fulton with over three minutes remaining in the first half. Following a three-and-out late in the second quarter, Panthers punt return Julius Whigham turned the ball over on a fumble. The Eagles were unable to capitalize as Nick Privitera missed a 47-yard field goal wide left to end the first half. Dwyer(6-1, 4-0) recovered a punt early in the fourth quarter when an arcing ball hit the right leg of Trinity Fordham. Six plays later, Faton Bauta scored on a one-yard run with 8:03 left to break the tie. Atlantic then lost the ball on a fourth-and-one from their own 29. Bauta rushed in from 13 yards out three plays later. Both teams play district foes next Friday as Dwyer continues their six-game winning streak and hosts Lake Worth. Atlantic travels to Royal Palm Beach with a runner-up playoff spot on the line.

Sabres Shut Out Panthers

The Florida Panthers returned home after a short two-game road trip against the Southeast Division and were defeated by the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Thursday night at the Bank Atlantic Center. The game was scoreless after one period. Buffalo got the lead 2:33 into the second period. Keaton Ellerby's clearing pass out of the Panthers zone was stopped at the blue line by Tyler Myers. He found Jason Pominville at the top of the right circle, who followed with a slap shot that was redirected in the crease by Tomas Vanek while screening Jose Theodore on the play. The Sabres again capitalized on an attempted clear-out pass by Ellerby. Ville Leino stopped the puck on the left-wing boards, skated through the left circle, backhanded a pass across the low slot, then Pomanville put in a one-time at 16:56. Vanek scored his second goal of the game, sixth of the season, on the power play with 2:29 left. Vanek scored his second goal of the game, his sixth this season, on the power play with 2:29 left in the game. He got a cross-ice feed from Pominville, then teed up a slap shot from the right inner circle. Ryan Miller picked up his 23rd shutout of his career. The Panthers best chance to score happened 13:52 into the first period when Kris Versteeg blasted a 20-foot shot from the slot. Florida hosts the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

Panthers Impress After Two Weeks

The Florida Panthers began the first two weeks of the 2011-12 season differently than they have in other seasons since the NHL lockout winning three of their first four games. The team opened up the season with four of their first five games on the road. Jose Theodore, who was acquired as a free agent during the off-season, made 27 saves and picked up a 2-0 shutout over the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum. Stephen Weiss and Jason Garrison scored goals in that game. Three nights later, the Panthers came up short in Pittsburgh falling to the Penguins 4-2. Free agent pickups Marcel Goc and Tomas Fleischmann both got their first goals in a Panthers uniform. The team returned home to the newly renovated Bank Atlantic Center(lower bowl red seats) where team revealed and played in their new red uniforms. Success showed with the new jerseys as they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in a shootout. Florida went 2-for-6 on the power play and got goals with the man advantage from new arrivals Ed Jovanovski and Kris Versteeg. Jovanovski, who was nicknamed Jovocop, played for the Florida Panthers from his rookie season in 1995-96 until 1998-99 when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Pavel Bure. The Panthers finished the home-and-home series two nights later in Tampa and defeated the Lightning 7-4. Five different players put the puck in the net for the team. They inclued Weiss, Versteeg(2 PPG), Tomas Kopecky, Sean Bergenheim(SHG) and Garrison. The Cats power play was spectacular going 5-for-9. The Panthers were shut down the following night 3-0 in Washington D.C. against the Capitals.

FAU Falls In New Stadium Opener

After ten years of playing college football, Florida Atlantic University hosted and played their first on-campus stadium game in their history. FAU fell to Western Kentucky 20-0 on Saturday afternoon. The team had played all their home games over the past ten years at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The Owls opened their first five games on the road this season and were winless. Coach Howard Schnellenberger's team seemed lackluster throughout the entire game. They gave up two field goals in the first half and two touchdowns in the second half. Although their record dropped to 0-6, the Owls will host Middle Tennessee State in another Sunbelt Conference contest next Saturday night.

Palm Beach County Blowouts In Week 7

Most of the Palm Beach County high school football teams played on Friday night with the exception of Atlantic, American Heritage-Delray and Olympic Heights. In a major surprise, many of the games were lopsided. There were 16 high school games played in Palm Beach County and 13 of them were decided by over 17 points. Only one game had a seven-point or less scoring difference(Summit Christian 21, Coral Springs 20 in overtime). Ten games were decided by more than 25 points. With district play being given more attention from week 8 through week 10, hopefully games in Palm Beach County will be more competitive.

Blanche Ely Wins On Second Half Attack

Blanche Ely high school celebrated their 60th homecoming with a 28-10 over their northeast Broward County rivals Deerfield Beach. The Bucks got the only points in the first quarter as Oscar Rosales hit a 27-yard field goal. The Ely Tigers took the lead just four minutes into the second quarter as quarterback Tyquan Fields scored from one yard out. Deerfield Beach(1-5) got to the Tigers five-yard line with six seconds left in the half, however the clock ran out on an incomplete passing play. The Bucks retook the lead 10-7 in the third quarter as Brandon Powell raced in from 56 yards out. Blanche Ely(5-1) then scored on their next possessions in the second half. Fields found Avery Johnson on a 19-yard pass followed by a Darren Allen run from 12 yards away. The Tigers added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Blanche Ely faces District 7A-14 rival Northeast on the road next Saturday night. Deerfield Beach hosts Piper in an 8A-11 battle on Friday.

Undefeated Coral Springs Beats Cardinal Gibbons

It was a battle between two unbeaten teams in Broward County as the Coral Springs Colts edged the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs 28-23 on Friday night. The Colts begin a season at 6-0 for the first time ever. It was the third night home game played at The Furnace by Gibbons in their 51-year history. Both teams scored touchdowns early to make it 7-7 at halftime. Coral Springs struck with 8:50 left in third quarter as Jared Joyner scored on a 50-yard run to break the tie. The Colts then recovered the ball on the ensuring kickoff. One play later, Evan Lassiter found Dion Witty on the left side of the end zone with a 23-yard pass. A two-point conversion gave Coral Springs a 22-7 lead. Chiefs kicker Kevin McLaughlin put through a 26-yard field goal four minutes later. Cardinal Gibbons closed the gap to 22-17 on a three-yard run by Marcus Dixon with 9:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Colts responded on their first play of their next possession as Witty broke through several tackles on a 75-yard catch. The Chiefs got one final score with forty seconds left as Chase Bender connected with Dixon from 40 yards out. Cardinal Gibbons visits Dillard next Friday for the first time ever as both teams are on top of District 5A-15. Coral Springs, who currently lead District 11-8A, travel to South Plantation.

Glades Central Escapes Boca Raton

After playing an erratic first half of football, the Glades Central Raiders put things together in the second half and defeated the Boca Raton Bobcats 23-7. Following a scoreless first quarter, Bobcats linebacker Leon King returned a 37-yard interception off a screen play for a score at 10:47. On the first play of their next possession, the Raiders had a 64-yard run by William Likely negated by an illegal shift. Later in the drive, Boca Raton(1-4) safety Cedric Bryant made an interception at the one-yard line on a third-and-goal at the Bobcats ten. On the next play, Raiders linebacker Dominique Gibson sacked Bobcats quarterback Kevin Anderson in the end zone for a safety to close the deficit to 7-2 with 4:37 left in the half. Likely fumbled the ball after a reception in the final minute at the Bobcats two-yard line. Glades Central(4-0) had better focus in the second half. They got a 35-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Jamie Wilson from quarterback Tanner Redish at 4:54 of the third quarter and took their first lead 9-7. The Raiders scored on their next two drives in the fourth quarter and increased their lead to 23-7. Likely caught a 62-yard pass from Redish at 11:34 followed by a Wilson 20-yard catch with 9:15 left in the game. District play begins next week for both teams as undefeated Glades Central travels to Suncoast next Friday while Boca Raton visits John I. Leonard next Thursday.