Saturday, November 29, 2014

Panthers Come Back On Senators

     The Florida Panthers were able to get two goals in the third period and came back to beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Friday night at BB&T Center. The Cats have won two straight, tied Ottawa for ninth place in the Eastern Conference and stand one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot.
     Ottawa(10-8-4) scored first at 5:04 of the first period as Chris O'Neil put in the loose puck from the crease. Dylan Olsen matched it 47 seconds later for his first goal of the season as he took a shot from long range through traffic. The Sens regained the lead with the only goal of the second period at 2:41 as Cody Ceci scored his first in the campaign.
     The third period belonged to Florida(9-6-6) as they evened the contest 34 seconds into the frame. Brad Boyes had the puck in the left corner and backhanded a pass to Sean Bergenheim at the left circle dot and blasted a slapshot over the right shoulder of Craig Anderson. It was the third tally this year for Bergenheim.
     The Panthers got a 3-2 lead at 7:31 of the third. Vincent Trocheck carried the puck through the left circle a one-handed a pass to the crease area. Jimmy Hayes smacked it in from close range for his fifth goal of the season to give the Cats their first lead of the game. The Panthers outshot the Senators 18-4 in the third and 46-24 overall.

St Thomas Aquinas Pounds Royal Palm Beach

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders had no problems in their 52-7 rout over the Royal Palm Beach Wildcats in a Class 7A regional final at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. They will host East Lake, who was a state semifinalist in 2013 and defeated Fort Myers 40-7, next week.
     STA was eliminated in the same round last year when they lost on the road to eventual FHSAA Class 7A champion Dwyer. The Wildcats still have not won a regional final game in their school's history.
     Royal Palm Beach(11-2) showed signs of being nervous in the first half on the big stage. Things began to break apart for them on the third play of their opening drive. Quarterback Toddy Centeio fumbled the ball on a run and it was recovered by defensive end Nicholas Bosa.
     Two plays later, running back Jordan Scarlett ripped through the right side for a 24-yard touchdown run just 49 seconds into the game to give St. Thomas Aquinas(12-1) a 7-0 margin.
     The Wildcats had to punt on their next possession. James Oliphant bobbled the catch, picked up the ball and ran it 74 yards for a score at 9:10. However, it was negated due to a holding penalty.
     That did not stop the Raiders as Scarlett would rush through the middle, avoided several tacklers downfield, cut back to the right side and scored from 55 yards away to give Aquinas a 14-point cushion.
     RPB had their best opportunity to score in the first half on their next possession. They had a 4th-and-3 from the Raiders 10 when Centeio threw a dump pass to the right side toward the first down marker, but wide receiver Da'von Brown dropped the ball to end the drive. Aquinas responded on their next drive as they capped it off on a 42-yard field goal by Christopher Kirtley with 14 seconds left in the first quarter for a 17-0 lead.
     In the second quarter, St. Thomas Aquinas regained the ball when defensive back Rashard Causey intercepted a pass and returned it 57 yards to the Wildcats five-yard line. Quarterback Jake Rizzo would score from one yard out two plays later as he went up the middle on a sneak to make it 24-0 at 8:39.
     Running back Deltron Sands added to the rout with 4:44 remaining in the first half with a carry around the left end and down the sideline from 12 yards away. He had a 92-yard touchdown run not allowed earlier in the quarter due to a holding penalty downfield.
     St. Thomas Aquinas poured it on in the last couple of minutes of the first half. Scarlett made it 38-0 with 2:01 remaining in the second quarter on a two-yard burst up the middle. Defensive back Claudeny Jeudy would intercept a screen pass to the left side on the Wildcats next drive. The Raiders struck again on the next play when Rizzo connected with wide receiver Jawuan Harris on a 36-yard reception and extended their lead to 45-0 with 21 seconds to go.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Panthers Blank Hurricanes

     The Florida Panthers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night and pulled out a 1-0 combined shutout at BB&T Center. The Cats are now three points out from a playoff spot in their last game prior to Thanksgiving Day. The Hurricanes were on their third game of a four-game road trip.
     It only took 21 seconds into the first period for Florida(8-6-6) to strike as their top line buzzed around the Hurricanes cage. Jonathan Huberdeau sent a pass from the end wall off the leg of Brandon Pirri at the top of the crease and Nick Bjugstad smacked a shot off Cam Ward for the goal. It was Bjugstad's fourth goal in four games and his sixth in six games. The Cats outshot their opponent 15-4 in the first 18 1/2 minutes of the contest.
     After making a save on a backhand shot from close range by Victor Rask six minutes into the second period, Roberto Luongo had to leave the game due to an injury with 9:38 left in the frame and was replaced by Al Montoya. He had stopped 11 shots at that point.
     Carolina(6-12-3) was unable to get the puck by Montoya in the third, although they outshot the Cats 17-5 in the final period.

Royal Palm Beach At St Thomas Aquinas Preview

     It is an anticipated Class 7A matchup as the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders host the Royal Palm Beach Wildcats in a regional final at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. Both schools come into this game with momentum.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(11-1) were undefeated in District 15-7A and breezed by the competition in their division. The only exception was a nationally televised defeat to Don Bosco Prep 24-7 in a neutral site game in West Point, New York during their second game. The Raiders are currently on a ten-game win streak. They had an opening week victory over the defending Class 5A champion American Heritage 38-7 at Sun Life Stadium and a win at Miramar 20-12 during their third game.   
     The Raiders have outscored their last nine opponents, which included two playoff opponents, 465-20 and compiled six shutouts. They won a regional quarterfinal over Mater Academy Charter 57-0 and dropped their top district rival Plantation 38-6 in a regional semifinal last week. STA have appeared in a regional final every year since 2004.
     Aquinas comes in with a balanced offensive attack. Running back Jordan Scarlett is expected to get the bulk of the carries from the backfield. Deltron Sands and Khambrel St. Hubert can run the ball when necessary. Jake Rizzo is their quarterback and he can throw the ball to any part of the field. He has a strong wide receiver core with Davante Peete, Sam Bruce and Jawuan Harris.
     Royal Palm Beach(11-1) missed the postseason last year and have lost just three games in the last two seasons. They finished on top of the competitive District 13-7A ahead of defending Class 7A champion Dwyer, Atlantic, West Boca Raton and Lake Worth. The only loss in 2014 for the Wildcats was at Dwyer as they fell 47-24. They currently sit on a seven-game win streak in which they have outscored their opponents 269-60 in that span.
     The Wildcats have never advanced beyond the regional final in school history. They had two playoff games at home and handled Fort Lauderdale 30-7 in the regional quarterfinal along with Atlantic in the 28-7 in the regional semifinal.
     The main emphasis on the RPB offense will be quarterback Toddy Centeio. He can throw the ball and on occasion run the ball out of the pocket. They have a duel threat at running back with Charles Perry and Shamar Jackson as both players have speed to break open on a carry. Demarcus Holloway is an additional asset to their running game. Expect wide receivers Derick Python and Marlon Eugene to make their share of receptions from Centeio.

Miami Ratings November 2014

     104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM remained ahead as the top sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region for the 15th consecutive month. It was a good month as all three local radio stations in the area improved with their ratings.
     November is the time of the year where 104.3 The Ticket usually begins to generate better ratings and that was no surprise this month as they went from a 1.5 to a 1.8. The main reason for it was the start of the NBA regular season for the Miami Heat, even with the loss of LeBron James from the roster.
     Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM saw some improvement during the month of November as they went from a 0.9 to a 1.0. They have seen stability from their weekday lineup in the last couple of months which will go a long way. Evening host Alex Donno has gained some audience since becoming the new studio host of the Florida Panthers Radio Network.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM did something that they had not done in 13 months as they increased for the second straight ratings period from a 0.3 to a 0.4 in November. The replacement of Jay Mohr for Rich Eisen in the midday shift certainly helped the station along with the optimism of Miami Dolphins football.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Heat Fall To Warriors

     The Miami Heat lost their momentum prior to the Thanksgiving break as they were beat by the Golden State Warriors 114-97 on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat, who extended their television deal with Sun Sports today, played without Dwyane Wade for the seventh straight game. They will have a long five-day break and play in New York against the Knicks on Sunday.
     The Warriors, who continued their best start in their franchise's 69-year history, matched the Houston Rockets with the best road record this season in the NBA at 6-1.
     Miami(8-7) scored their most points in any quarter this season as they led 36-30 after the first. They finished the period on a 22-11 spurt with Mario Chalmers leading the way with 13 points.
     The Heat began the second on an 18-8 run to go up 54-38 with 5:56 left in the first half. Golden State(11-2) chopped into the deficit and were down by just one point at halftime 62-61. Chris Bosh had 17 points at the half for the Heat while Stephen Curry had 18 for the Warriors.
     Neither team led by more than seven points in the third as the Heat trailed 91-86 at the end of the quarter. Miami was up 95-93 with 7:24 remaining in the fourth until Golden State dropped down 14 consecutive points to lead by 107-95 with 2:49 left.

Miami Heat Extend Television Deal

     The Miami Heat have extended their exclusive local television rights with Sun Sports. The Heat have broadcast their games on Sun Sports since the middle of the 2004-05 season. They had been on their previous namesake Sunshine Network as their primary cable television home from 1992-93 until during the 2004-05 season. 
     The team had their cable broadcasts on SportsChannel Florida from their inaugural season in 1988-89 until 1991-92. Miami was once on free television in the first 16 seasons of the franchise. They had their games on WBFS-TV Channel 33 from 1988-89 to 1998-99 and from 2000-01 to 2003-04. WAMI-TV Channel 69 had their games as the only over-the-air channel in 1999-2000. WFOR-TV Channel 4, a sister station of WBFS-TV, added several games from 2000-01 until 2003-04.
     Their will be no change in on-air personnel. Eric Reid will continue as the television play-by-play announcer. He has been broadcasting the club since their inception in 1988-89. Reid, an Ithaca College grad, started as a game analyst alongside Sam Smith in the first three seasons of a television and radio simulcast. He has been the television play-by-play guy for the team since 1991-92. Tony Fiorentino remains as the game analyst where he has held that role since the 2004-05 season. Jason Jackson stays as their main studio host and sideline reporter. Jackson, a former WSVN-TV Channel 7 sports anchor during the mid 1990s, has been with the Heat telecasts since the 2003-04 season.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Wild Rip Panthers

     After a four-game road trip against Western Conference opponents, the Florida Panthers returned home and fell to the Minnesota Wild 4-1 at BB&T Center on Monday night. The Cats have lost two straight home games while the Wild have won five of their last six games.
     Minnesota(12-8-0) put up two goals in the first period and never looked back. They scored 5:58 into the game when Mikko Koivu sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing to Jason Zucker in the right circle and let go a one-time shot by Roberto Luongo. Nino Neiderreiter made it 2-0 with 2:17 left in the first when he put in a shot from close range following a Panthers turnover.
     In the second period, Shawn Thornton tallied his first goal with Florida(7-6-6). Dmitry Kulikov flinged the puck from the blue line and Thornton redirected it in the slot area past Niklas Backstrom at 5:34.
     The Wild regained their two-goal cushion with 2:41 to go as Zucker skated toward the left of the crease and lifted a backhand shot over Lunogo's glove and into the roof of the Panthers cage. Koivu was again credited with the only assist on another Minnesota goal.
     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with two minutes left in the third period, but Zach Parise put the biscuit into an open net at 18:31. 

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Predators Hold Off Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a four-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night. The Cats overcame a two-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation to gain at least one point.
     The Panthers return home for Thanksgiving week and will face another Western Conference foe in the Minnesota Wild on Monday night to begin a three-game stint in Sunrise.
     Neither club scored in the opening period as the Cats were held to three shots during the first 19 minutes and four shots during the stanza.
     Nashville(13-5-2) scored the first goal of the game with 1:34 left in the second period as Colin Wilson tallied his third goal of the season. Former Panther Matt Cullen added to the Predators lead with a goal at 13:01 of the third period.
     Rocco Grimaldi got his first NHL goal on a snap shot from the left circle with 42.6 seconds left in regulation to bring Florida(7-5-6) within one goal. Brian Campbell lifted a blind backhand shot toward the net from the right circle to set up the play.
     The Panthers shocked everyone with 29 seconds to go as they evened the contest at 2-2. Nick Bjugstad fired a shot from the right wing which went through Pekka Rinne to send it into overtime.
     Filip Forsberg connected with the only goal in the shootout on the fourth attempt by the Predators. Roberto Luongo was able to make 48 saves in net for the Panthers.

Second Round High School Football Recap

     Second round FHSAA playoff games were played on Friday night throughout South Florida. There was no let up from the tri-county region that had six champions in the eight classifications during 2013.
    The surprise this year has been the Wellington Wolverines in Class 8A led by quarterback Shannon Patrick, who transferred from Forest Hill. They got by the Palm Beach Gardens Gators, a state semifinalist last season, 16-10 and made the regional final game for the first time in school history. Next week Wellington will travel down to Flanagan, who edged Monarch 26-20 in overtime.
     St. Thomas Aquinas hosted their district rival the Plantation Colonels for the third consecutive year in a Class 7A regional semifinals. It ended up being the same result as the Raiders rolled 38-6. Aquinas has reached the regional final every season since 2004 and will host the Royal Palm Beach Wildcats next week.
     Two newcomers to the postseason from District 13-7A met on Friday night in Palm Beach County as RPB defeated Atlantic 28-7. The district was represented by eventual Class 7A champion Dwyer and West Boca Raton last year.
     The Miami Central Rockets look to capture their third consecutive Class 6A championship and fourth in five seasons. They had no problems on the road as they beat the Hallandale Chargers 35-19. They have to take a long trip to Palm Bay and challenge Heritage in the regional final.
     The defending Class 5A champions had an easy game at home in Plantation as the American Heritage Patriots pounded Lely 43-13. They will stay at home next Friday and face Island Coast.
     Booker T. Washington, the defending national champions and Class 4A state champs, gave up the first seven points to the Glades Central Raiders in their regional final, however they came back with 35 unanswered points to win 35-7. The Tornadoes head north to Cocoa next week for a state semifinal game.
     In Class 3A, the American Heritage Stallions were on the road and got by Westminister Christian 23-7. They will visit Clearwater Central Catholic next Friday.
     Jupiter Christian head coach Bill Powers coached his final high school football game as his team fell to their longtime district rival the Glades Day Gators 41-0. Glades Day will host Indian Rocks Christian in a state semifinal next week in Belle Glade.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Panthers Down Sharks

     For the second time in over one week, the Florida Panthers defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday night at SAP Center. The Cats, who rolled over the Sharks 4-1 last week in Sunrise, leave California after three games and finish the road trip in Nashville on Saturday. The Sharks had played 16 of their first 21 games on the road prior to this game.
     Florida(7-5-5) scored on their first shift just 24 seconds into the game. Dmitry Kulikov fired a slapshot from the right point and Nick Bjugstad redirected it from the right circle by Antti Niemi.
     Logan Couture evened the contest for San Jose(10-9-3) at 6:19 on the power play for his eighth goal of the season. Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau were credited with assists on the goal.
     The Panthers regained the lead with 2:37 left in the second on the power play when Bjugstad blasted a shot from the top left circle on a fine feed by Eric Gudbranson at the blue line. Jonathan Huberdeau picked up his second assist on the play. It was the fourth straight game that the Cats have scored at least once with the man advantage.
     The Sharks had the opportunity to tie it with 6:53 to go in the third period on a penalty shot. Marleau skated on net, went to the forehand shot and Roberto Luongo made a diving blocker save. He improved his career record on penalty shots to 24 saves on 27 attempts.
     Marleau would get redemption and score with 33.1 second left in regulation when San Jose had an extra skater on the ice. Joe Thornton fed the puck from the right corner to Marleau in the low right circle and he snapped a shot by the blocker of Luongo to tie it at 2-2.
     There was no scoring in overtime and the game went into a shootout. Couture made the second attempt for the Sharks with a forehand shot between Luongo's legs. Jussi Jokinen matched it for Florida with a wrist shot by the stick side of Niemi. Bjugstad, who had his third career two-goal game, got the game winner on the Panthers third attempt as he fired a shot over Niemi's glove.

Clippers Rout Heat

       It was a game to be forgotten by the Miami Heat as they were blown away by the Los Angeles Clippers 110-93 on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have lost four of their last five games. The Clippers are on their second game of a seven-game road trip.
     Los Angeles(7-4) roared out to a 31-11 spurt in the first ten minutes of the contest and were up 39-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Clippers continued their large lead during the second quarter as Miami(6-6) trailed 58-40 at halftime.
     The Heat were able to get within 14 points at 65-51 with 8:48 left in the third quarter, however the Clippers went on a 10-2 run to squash that and were ahead 88-66 as they headed into the final quarter. Both teams rested their starters for most of the fourth quarter and brought in their reserves off the bench.
     Chris Bosh carried the Heat with a team-high 28 points along with seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Luol Deng and Mario Chalmers contributed 13 points each while Shabazz Napier got 17 points. Chris Paul had 26 points and 12 assists in 33 minutes for Los Angeles. Blake Griffin knocked in 26 points and compiled seven rebounds.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Stanley Cup Champion Kings Beat Panthers

     The Florida Panthers faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings and lost 5-2 on Tuesday night at Staples Center. The Cats entered this game having scored 17 times in their last four games.
     Former Kings player and current Panthers captain Willie Mitchell received his Stanley Cup ring several hours prior to the game. Mitchell helped Los Angeles win two Stanley Cup titles in his three seasons he played there. He signed as a free agent with Florida during the summer.
     In the second period, Los Angeles(10-5-4) got a goal from a surprising source as Matt Greene redirected a pass in the low right circle by Roberto Luongo for a 1-0 lead at 4:32. Brayden McNabb fed him a cross-ice pass from above the left circle for his first goal this year.
     The Kings added to their margin on the power play at 9:46. Jamie McBain passed the puck from the right wing to Dwight King on the icing line. He guided it to Jeff Carter and he fired a one-time slapshot from the right circle dot for his seventh goal this season.
     The windfall continued in the second against Florida(6-5-5) as the Kings scored on another power play with 5:42 left in the period. Jake Muzzin put a wrist shot from the left point into the crease area where Marian Gaborik attempted a shot. After the initial save by Luongo, Gaborik went to the backhand and found the twine in the back of the Panthers cage.
     Robyn Regehr capped things with eight seconds to go for his first goal as he ripped a shot from the top left circle for a Los Angeles four-game gap. Luongo was pulled from net after two periods and was replaced by Al Montoya.
     The Cats broke the shutout on the power play just 2:01 into the third period. After a scramble in front for the puck, Jimmy Hayes scored with a wrist shot from the top of the crease. Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad picked up assists on the play.
     Florida continued their momentum at 6:05 to cut the deficit down to 4-2. Vincent Trocheck put a wrist shot on net from the top left circle which was saved by Jonathan Quick and Jokinen scored on the rebound for his second goal this season. Trocheck extended his point streak to five games.
     The Kings added their third power play goal of the contest with 3:11 left in regulation as their captain Dustin Brown tried to thread a pass across the crease, however it went through Montoya and into the net.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Strikers Lose Soccer Bowl To San Antonio

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers made their first appearance in the modern Soccer Bowl on Saturday night at Toyota Field and were defeated by the San Antonio Scorpions 2-1 for the NASL championship. Both clubs were vying for their first league title. The Strikers, who had their eight-game winning streak snapped, once played in the Soccer Bowl back in 1980 during the old North American Soccer League and lost to the New York Cosmos 3-0.
     Neither team was unable to score during the first half. San Antonio came through with two goals in the middle of the second half. Rafael Castillo struck a bicycle kick during the 70th minute. Billy Forbes gave the Scorpions a two-goal lead on a breakaway in the 75th minute.
     The Strikers responded quickly during the 79th minute to knocked the margin down to 2-1. Walter Ramirez pulled off a give-and-go with Mark Anderson and finished the play with a blast into the top half of the net.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Islanders Skate By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a three-game homestand with a 4-3 shootout defeat to the New York Islanders at BB&T Center on Friday night. The Islanders increased their winning streak to five games while the Cats lost for the fourth time in five games.
     Roberto Luongo made 30 saves and moved to fifth all-time in NHL history with 22,213 saves in his career. He passed former Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck for that honor.
     In the first period, Florida(5-4-5) put in the only goal. Vincent Trocheck was at the left icing line and threaded a pass to the slot area where Jimmy Hayes scored his third goal of the season at 12;57. He now holds a three-game goal streak.
     The goal snapped a shutout streak for the Islanders over the last four games. They needed 18:03 in the first period to tie the franchise record of 199:14, but they fell short by 5:06. Jaroslav Halak recorded two straight shutouts for the Isles entering this contest.
     Luongo made his 15th save of the game 3:04 into the second period to climb above the Beezer for fifth all-time in NHL saves. He was drafted and once played for the Islanders back in 1999-2000.
     New York(11-5-0) evened it up 1-1 at 13:04 when John Tavares snapped a wrist shot from the right circle by the left glove of Luongo for his seventh goal in this campaign. Kyle Okposo fed him a cross-ice pass from the low left circle.
     The Islanders kept the momentum and took their first lead at 15:08. Thomas Hickey was in his own left corner of the defensive zone and connected a long lead pass to Ryan Strome just short of the Panthers blue line. He came in alone on a breakaway and scored.
     The Isles extended their lead to 3-1 just 3:57 into the third period. Johnny Boychuk fired a slapshot from the right point that was stopped by Luongo at the top of the crease. The rebound leaked out and Nicolay Kulemin placed a forehand shot into the net.
     The Cats were two seconds into a brief power play when they chopped the margin to 3-2 with 10:02 remaining. Jussi Jokinen crossed into the Islanders zone and dropped the puck to Brian Campbell. He skated to the left-circle dot and nailed a wrist shot over the left shoulder of Halak.
     Florida tied it at 3-3 with 2:35 to go as Panthers rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad took a slapshot from the right point. It went in and out of Halak's left glove and landed inside the Islanders cage.
     The game went into a shootout and New York converted on their first attempt when Frans Nielsen scored on the backhand by Luongo. Jonatthan Huberdeau matched it as he did a zig-zag move to get the puck by Halak. Okposo clinched the victory on the Islanders second attempt as he rallied in a forehand shot.

Boynton Beach At Miami Central Preview

     It will be a rematch from last year as the Boynton Beach Tigers travel down to Miami and challenge the Central Rockets on Friday night at Traz Powell Stadium in a FHSAA Class 6A regional quarterfinal. The Rockets defeated the Tigers 55-37 last year on the way to their second consecutive state championship and third in the last four seasons.
     Boynton Beach(9-1) had a chance to win the District 15-6A title two weeks ago, however they fell to the Chargers in Hallandale and took the runner-up spot for the second straight year.
     Lamar Jackson is at quarterback for the Tigers as he will execute their offense. Wide receivers Donte Sylencieux and Dieuly Aristilde are expected to be his main targets to throw the ball to downfield. Boynton Beach can have a slew of running backs rushing the ball with Zaire Ivory, Chauncey Mason, Zander Bernard and Jordan Galvan.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Joe Raineri Interim WMEN Afternoon Host

     Joe Raineri has been plugged in as an interim afternoon host at 640 Sports WMEN-AM. He takes over for Steve White who was suspended after just two weeks on the job as the new afternoon host when he broke business policies.
     The afternoon drive spot in the weekday lineup has been in flux since Orlando Alzugaray left the station in late August after a four-year stint to join Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. Jon Linder stepped in as the interim afternoon host for almost two months until October 17.
     Raineri has been previously heard as a disc jockey in South Florida. He was once the morning host at 97.9 WRMF-FM in West Palm Beach.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Pacers Get By Heat

     The Miami Heat were defeated by the Indiana Pacers 81-75 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. Both teams had faced each other during the NBA playoffs in the last three years, which included a Heat series win in six games over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals last season.
     Miami(5-3) put in the first five points of the contest and were up 26-24 after one quarter. The Heat expanded their lead to nine points during the second quarter and lead 42-41 at halftime.
     The Heat franchise held a halftime ceremony on the induction of Alonzo Mourning into the Basketball Hall of Fame which occurred in August. The banner with his retired number 33 had a Basketball Hall of Fame 2014 stripe added to the bottom of it.
     The game stayed close in the third quarter and Indiana(3-6) got up 63-58 at the end of the period. Miami was down 72-65 with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter and scored seven straight points to tie it at 72-72.
     Both clubs were tied at 75-75 then the Pacers scored the last six points of the game. Chris Copeland put in the go-ahead basket on a running shot in the lane with 41.8 seconds remaining. Donald Sloan and Roy Hibbert both made two free throws down the stretch.
     Only two Heat players scored in double digits. Dwyane Wade scored 20 points in 35 minutes and Shawne Williams nailed 15 points. Chris Bosh and Norris Cole both contributed nine. Miami was outrebounded 53-28 during the game. Copeland had 17 points for Indiana while Hibbert compiled a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Panthers Attack Sharks

     The Florida Panthers hosted the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at BB&T Center and beat them easily 4-1. The Cats snapped a three-game winless streak while the Sharks played their third game of a long seven-game road trip.
     The Panthers waited until the middle of the first period to score as they tallied twice in less than two minutes. Jimmy Hayes got the first goal for Florida(5-4-4) at 10:56 in the slot area for his second this year. Jussi Jokinen had the puck in the left corner and centered to Vincent Trocheck at the edge of the left circle and he redirected it to a wide open Hayes in front.
     Aleksander Barkov added to the gap as he scored on a close range shot against Antti Niemi at 12:18 for his second goal this season with assists from Scottie Upshall and Tomas Kopecky.
     The Cats extended their lead to a three-goal cushion during the second period at 6:37. Aaron Ekblad fired a slapshot from the right point in which Niemi made the initial save. Derek MacKenzie swept in the long rebound for his second tally this season.
     Early in the third period, San Jose(8-7-2) gave up another goal at 3:01. Shawn Thornton carried the puck through the left circle and sent a cross-ice pass to Tomas Fleischmann in the low slot area where he scored on a wrist shot to make it 4-0.
     The Sharks finally got on the scoreboard with 9:25 left in regulation as Joe Thornton got his fifth goal of the season. Brent Burns pounded a slap shot from the right point which was batted in the air by Roberto Luongo and Thornton poked in the loose puck into the Panthers cage. Thornton, a longtime Panther nemesis, compiled his tenth goal and 29th point in 34 career games against Florida.
 

Monday, November 10, 2014

NASL Soccer Bowl On Local Radio

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will be playing in the 2014 Soccer Bowl for the NASL championship on Saturday night against the Scorpions in San Antonio. The team won their NASL semifinal game at Minnesota United this past weekend.
     It will be the first appearance for the rebranded Strikers franchise in the modern Soccer Bowl. Fort Lauderdale was in the North American Soccer League championship game one previous time when they fell to the New York Cosmos 3-0 in 1980 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.
     A statement was made on Monday that SoFloRadio.com will broadcast the Soccer Bowl on its website. It will be the first time that the organization will announce a Strikers game on the road. SoFloRadio.com has held the streaming rights of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for the last two years. Bruce Silverman will be the play-by-play announcer for the game.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Bruins Edge Panthers

     The Florida Panthers fell to the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night at TD Garden. It was the seventh straight game that the Cats had compiled at least one point. The Bruins defeated the Panthers for the ninth consecutive time.
     There was no scoring until the second period of the contest. Florida(4-2-4) scored at 4:04 as Jussi Jokinen put in a one-time shot from the slot area by Tuukka Rask for his first goal as a member of the Panthers. Brad Boyes set up the play with a square pass from the edge of the left circle.
     It did not take long for Boston(8-6-0) to tie it up as they made it 1-1 at 7:29 when Patrice Bergeron tallied his second goal of the season.
     The B's dominated overtime as the puck was mostly in the Panthers defensive zone. Dougie Hamilton picked up a loose puck at center ice and passed ahead to Brad Marchand at the blue line. He skated around Dylan Olsen and snapped a forehand shot over the right shoulder of Roberto Luongo at 3:27 for the Bruins victory.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Miami Ratings October 2014

     It remained the same for the 14th straight month as 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM was the top sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. They had their smallest margin of victory in the previous month during the year-long period.
     The wait at 104.3 The Ticket finally ended as the Miami Heat returned to the station with several preseason games. They climbed from a 1.3 in September to a 1.5 for the ratings victory.
     Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM had their momentum stopped after one month as they went from a 1.2 to a 0.9. A bad beginning by the Miami Hurricanes football team against Atlantic Coast Conference competition did not help matters and the Florida Panthers had their usual slow October start of the season.
     After eight consecutive months of staying flat at a 0.2, Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM went up to a 0.3 in October. The good start by the Miami Dolphins and not having any more Miami Marlins game broadcasts this year had put that station on the plus side.

Panthers Handle Flyers

     The Florida Panthers came very close to a shutout as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Saturday night at BB&T Center. The Cats earned a point for the sixth consecutive game. It was the only appearance for the Flyers in Sunrise this season.
     Willie Mitchell, the new captain of the Panthers, tallied his first goal with his new club at 9:07 of the first period. Jussi Jokinen sent the puck from the low left wing to Mitchell at the left point. He blasted a slapshot through traffic that went by Steve Mason for a Florida(4-2-3) 1-0 lead.
     They extended their lead during the third period on the power play with 4:22 left in regulation as Aaron Ekblad scored his first career NHL goal. He pounded a shot from the top of the zone following a feed from Brian Campbell on the right point.   
     Roberto Luongo fell short of claiming the shutout until 7.4 seconds to go as Philadelphia(4-5-2) found the twine. The Flyers had an extra skater on the ice when there was a scramble in the crease for the puck. Vincent Lecavalier, who was to the right side of the Panthers crease, flipped a shot between Luongo and the near post for his second goal this season.