Sunday, October 31, 2021

Bills Squeeze By Dolphins

     The Buffalo Bills knocked down the Miami Dolphins 26-11 on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. The Dolphins are now 4 1/2 games behind the Bills for first place in the AFC East Division. 
     Buffalo(5-2) moved out to 3-0 lead with 3:52 remaining in the first quarter. Tyler Bass ended up nailing a long 57-yard field goal. 
     Miami(1-7) equaled it 3-3 at 8:10 in the second quarter. Jason Sanders was able to boot a 51-yard field goal. There would be more scoring in the second half of play. 
     In the third quarter, the Bills pulled ahead 10-3  with 3:55 to go. Quarterback Josh Allen tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabriel Davis on the right side of the end zone. 
     It became a 14-point margin for Buffalo at the 13:29 mark of the fourth quarter. Allen fired a 19-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Stefon Diggs on the left hash marks. 
     The Dolphins stayed close with 9:43 left in the fourth. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa pushed in from one yard away. The Fins got the two-point conversion on a Tagovailoa pass to tight end Mike Gesicki to make it 17-11. 
     The fourth quarter was capped by the Bills. Bass kicked a 39-yard field at 3:33. Allen later raced in from seven yards out with 1:14 remaining. 

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Bruins Stop Panthers Winning Streak

     The Boston Bruins ended the Florida Panthers eight-game winning streak with a 3-2 shootout win at TD Garden on Saturday night. The Panthers continued their point streak to the begin the 2021-22 regular season at nine games. Spencer Knight did not get the victory for the first time in seven NHL regular season appearances. 
     Both teams honored former player Jimmy Hayes prior to the start of the contest. There was a tribute, nameplate jerseys during the pre-skate session and a moment of silence for him. 
     Boston(4-3-0) went out in front 1-0 with 42 seconds remaining in the first period. Charlie Coyle got his third tally of the campaign on a wrist shot from the left-circle dot. 
     In the second period, Florida(8-0-1) tied it up 47 seconds into the frame. Anthony Duclair compiled his sixth goal of the year on assists from Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad. He dashed from the right circle to the low slot and snapped a shot past Linus Ullmark. 
     Both clubs scored on the power play during the third period. Aleksander Barkov gave the Panthers their only lead of the games at the 7:49 mark on a one-time slap shot from right circle. Jonathan Huberdeau and Ekblad were credited with assists on the play. 
     The Bruins evened it 2-2 with 6:25 to go in third when Charlie McAvoy found the net as he lifted a wrist from the right of the crease for his first goal this season. The B's converted on the only shot in the shootout during their third attempt as Coyle slid the puck by Knight with a forehand shot. 

Heat Rout Grizzlies

     The Miami Heat pounded the Memphis Grizzlies 129-103 at FedEx Forum on Saturday night. The Heat had a double-digit lead for more than three quarters of the games.
     Miami(5-1) scored the first eight points of the contest and had a 38-22 advantage after one quarter. Memphis(3-3) slightly cut it down to 67-54 by halftime. The Heat extended the lead to 102-79 at the end of three quarter and cruised by in the final frame. 
     Jimmy Butler put together a team-high 27 points and seven assists for Miami. Tyler Herro was able to contribute 22 points. Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson both scored 15 points each. Ja Morant and De'Anthony Melton both shared the team-high with 20 points for the Grizzlies. 

Hurricanes Upset Pittsburgh

     The Miami Hurricanes surprised the Pittsburgh Panthers 38-34 at Heinz Field on Saturday. The Panthers entered the contest as the 17th ranked team by the Associated Press. 

New York City FC Eliminates Inter Miami CF

     New York City FC outscored Inter Miami CF 3-1 on Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami CF have lost two straight games and were eliminated from postseason contention. NYCFC clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot. 
     In the first half, New York City FC got the only goal. Valentin Castellanos blasted a long right-footed shot from 22 yards in the 33rd minute. 
     Inter Miami CF tied it up 1-1 in the 56th minute. They took a corner kick from the left side and Nico Figal put in a half-volley shot with his right foot from six yards away. Figal scored his first goal with Inter Miami CF in his 46th appearance with the team. 
     The tie would not last long as NYCFC pulled ahead 2-1 in the 60th minute as Castellanos came in on a breakaway and scored from 14 yards out and now leads Major League Soccer in goals. New York City FC made it a two-goal gap during the 83rd minute when Talles Magno placed a 16-yard shot with his right foot.    

Friday, October 29, 2021

Deerfield Beach Topples Boca Raton

     The Deerfield Beach Bucks made the short five-mile trip up I-95 and blanked the Boca Raton Bobcats 40-0 on Friday night. Deerfield Beach clinched the District 13-8A title with the victory. The Bucks captured their sixth consecutive district championship. 
     Boca Raton(7-2, 4-1) was not in it from the start. The Bucks jumped out to a 6-0 lead when running back Jaziun Patterson sprinted up the middle on a 34-yard touchdown with 5:55 left in the first quarter. Following an  
     Deerfield Beach(7-2, 5-0) safety Stephen Landers Jr. made an interception within the first minute of the second, Patterson capped the drive as he went through the right side of the line from four yards away into the end zone at the 10:42 mark. Patterson rumbled from 49 yards out untouched through the middle of the field with 4:22 remaining in the second for a 19-0 lead. 
     The Bucks scored again at 5:54 of the third quarter for a 26-point margin. Quarterback Luke Collins connected a six-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Joseph Kennerly on the front right side of the end zone. 
     Later in the second half, Deerfield Beach put up more points. Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins made a one-handed catch in the back right corner of the zone on a six-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Michael Merdinger. 

Panthers Roll By Red Wings

     The Florida Panthers extended their winning streak to eight games as they knocked off the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night. It was the Panthers first game played since head coach Joel Quenneville resigned and was replaced by interim head coach Andrew Brunette. 
     The Panthers continue their short two-game road swing on Saturday at the Boston Bruins. There will be a tribute to former Panthers and Bruins player Jimmy Hayes prior to that contest. 
     The first period belonged to Florida(8-0-0) as they dashed out to a 2-0 lead. Eetu Luostarinen gave them a 1-0 lead at the 8:43 mark as he deflected a shot from the inner left circle. Alekander Barkov poked in  a goal from the left of the crease on an assist from Anthony Duclair with 1:11 to go in the first. 
     Detroit(4-2-2) made a comeback to even it up 2-2. Sam Gagner picked up his second tally of the year on a redirection from the inner right circle at 2:15 of the second period. Pius Suter chalked up his first goal of the season deflecting the puck from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky with 2:41 remaining in the third period. 
     The Panthers got the victory at the 3:29 mark of overtime. Jonathan Huberdeau connected a diagonal pass from above the left circle. Barkov raced in and scooped a backhand shot from the edge of the crease past Alex Nedeljkovic for his second goal of the contest and third goal of the campaign. It was Barkov's 35th game-winning goal with Florida and puts him one behind Olli Jokinen for the franchise record. 

Heat Easily Beat Hornets

     The Miami Heat handled the Charlotte Hornets 114-99 at FTX Arena on Friday night. The Heat will play in Memphis tomorrow. 
     Miami(4-1) rolled out to a 33-22 lead at the end of one quarter and expanded it to 64-46 at the end of the first half. Charlotte(4-2) slowly cut it to 84-75 after three quarters, however the Heat regained momentum in the final quarter. 
     Jimmy Butler chalked up a double-double with a game-high 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for a double-double. Bam Adebayo piled up big numbers with 26 points and 19 rebounds. Tyler Herro was able to contribute 26 points. 
      The Hornets got a team-high 23 points from Gordon Hayward. Miles Bridges ended up with 22 points along with eight rebounds. 

Houston Texans Promote Cre'Von LeBlanc

     Defensive back Cre'Von LeBlanc has been by the Houston Texans from their practice squad to their 53-man roster. LeBlanc is expected to take the field for them on Sunday. 
     LeBlanc was playing for a roster spot to remain on the Miami Dolphins team. He was released by the club on August 31. 
     He does have local roots in Palm Beach County. LeBlanc played high school football with the Glades Central Raiders and college football with the Florida Atlantic University Owls. 

Palm Beach County Blowouts

     There were several high school football games in Palm Beach County on Thursday night. The west Boynton Beach contests unfortunately were not competitive and were blowouts. 
     The Park Vista Cobras(6-2) hosted and blanked the John I. Leonard Lancers 35-0. The Cobras stopped a two-game losing streak after winning their first five games of the regular season. John I. Leonard(1-8) have lost eight consecutive games since wining their season opener.  
     The Somerset Academy Canyons Cougars(3-5) walloped the Palm Glades Prep Academy Eagles 55-0 at home on Thursday night. The Canyons fell in their first four games of the regular season and prevailed in three of their last four contests. It was their fifth home night game since the school installed overhead field lights and new field turf prior to the campaign. Palm Beach Prep Academy(0-9) has not won a game in the 2021 season. 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Joel Quenneville Resigns From Florida Panthers

     Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville has resigned. It is due the sexual abuse incident involving a Chicago Blackhawks player as a victim that occurred during the 2009-10 NHL season. The Blackhawks eventually won their first of three Stanley Cups that June. 
     Quenneville had coached the Florida Panthers for the past three seasons and guided them to two straight postseason appearances. The club began the 2021-22 regular season with their best start in franchise history winning seven consecutive games. 
     Andrew Brunette is expected to be named the interim head coach of the club. He has been an assistant coach of the Florida Panthers since the 2019-20 season. 

Tyler Herron Passes Away

     Former local high school pitcher Tyler Herron has passed away at the age of 35. Herron never pitched in the major leagues. He was part of the World Baseball Classic with Israel in 2017. 
     Herron played high school baseball with the Wellington Wolverines. He participated in minor league baseball and independent baseball from 2005 until 2021. He did pitch locally with the Palm Beach Cardinals in 2005 and had a 2-2 record with a 2.70 earned run average in 12 games. 

Miami Sports Weekday Podcasts

     There has been a change by sports fans and consumers to get sports information. A big explosion of Miami weekday sports podcasts has occurred since the start of the calendar year. It is new competition against the six sports talk format radio stations, 15 local television stations and three local newspapers in the South Florida region. 
     The Dan Le Bartard and Friends Podcast Network launched in 2018 while Le Batard, Stugotz, Roy Bellamy, Mike Ruiz Ryan, Billy Gil, Chris Cote and Allyson Turner worked at ESPN. Numerous podcasts have been added which includes South Beach Sessions, Stupodity, The Shipping Container, Mystery Crate and Greg Cote Show over the last couple of years. Le Bartard and his crew left ESPN on January 4 and he formed Meadowlark Media later that month. Their main podcast of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz has a one-hour local sports hour followed by a couple hours of national sports. 
     The Big O Orlando Alzugaray has operated a weekday podcast at 10 AM since June 15. The time span for his podcast has usually run for up to four hours. Alzugaray restarted podcasting after Onside Radio disbanded back in June. 
     Another Onside Radio alumnus has also gone into daily podcasts during weekdays. Alex Donno added duties hosting a weekday podcast with Five Reasons Sports Network in July. It is a three-hour podcast that started at noon and was shifted to 3PM on October 11. Donno continues as a podcast co-host with Larry Blustein on University of Miami athletics and co-hosts an Inter Milan podcast. He rejoined 560 WQAM as the Miami Dolphins postgame host in September. 
     Five Reasons Sports Network also recently added Jeff DeForrest along with sidekick Mike Lubitz on October 18 for a two-hour morning podcast at 7AM. DeForrest ended an 11-year tenure with 940 WINZ-AM on September 21.
     One of the most unknown weekday sports podcasts locally is Clock Blockers on the Miami Sports Music Podcast Network with Stephen Daniels. The podcast starts at 8:30AM. 

Willie Snead IV Goes To Carolina

     Former Glades Central Raiders football player Willie Snead IV is off to the Carolina Panthers. He has been added to the Panthers practice squad. 
     Snead asked for his release from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday. He made three catches for 32 yards in three contests this season. 
     He spent his first three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Snead then was with the Baltimore Ravens from 2018 until 2020. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Heat Rip By Nets

     The Miami Heat held off the Brooklyn Nets 106-93 at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. Both clubs are considered two of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference this season. 
     Miami(3-1) scored 12 straight points near the end of the opening frame and had a 29-22 advantage at the end of one quarter. Brooklyn(2-3) went on an 22-8 run to finish off the the second quarter and led 51-49 at halftime. The Heat put up 14 consecutive points during the third quarter and pulled ahead 81-74. 
     Jimmy Butler compiled 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Bam Adebayo fell short of a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds. P.J. Tucker added 15 points while Tyler Herro had 14 points. Dewayne Dedmon contributed 14 points along with nine rebounds. 
     Kevin Durant led the Nets with 21 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. James Harden placed 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Joe Harris was able to drain in 15 points for Brooklyn. 

Panthers Down Bruins

     The Florida Panthers remained undefeated with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers still have the best record in the National Hockey League and have won 13 consecutive regular season games. 
     The Panthers are the 14th team in NHL history to win their first seven games to begin a regular season. 
Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad played in his 500th NHL game. 
     Boston(3-2-0) moved out to a 1-0 lead with 9:23 left in the first period. Jack Studnicka poked the puck from Gustav Forsling in the left corner. Charlie Coyle backhanded it from the end wall for a centering pass. It was a double deflection off Sergei Bobrovsky's stick and Owen Tippett into the cage for the score.
     Florida(7-0-0) tied it up 1-1 with 5:44 to go in the first. Sam Reinhart backhanded it from the right corner and Mason Marchment placed a snap shot from the right circle past Linus Ullmark for his first goal of the campaign. Reinhart increased his point streak to five games. Forsling was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 
     In the second period, the Panthers took a 2-1 lead at the 2:06 mark. Forsling made a clearing pass from his own zone and Reinhart carried the puck into the Bruins zone to the right corner. He made a centering pass and Eutu Luostarinen tapped the puck in from the blue paint for his first tally of the year. 
     The Cats expanded it to 3-1 with 7:20 remaining in the third period. Anthony Duclair skated in from the right circle and snapped a shot from the crease area. Tippett added an empty-net goal from the center-ice circle with 25.4 seconds left to make it 4-1. 

Inter Miami CF Bounced By Atlanta United FC

     Inter Miami CF fell to Atlanta United FC 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday night. The defeat ended a two-game winning streak for Inter Miami CF. 
     In the first half, Inter Miami CF made it 1-0 in the 32nd minute. Gonzalo Higuain buried a penalty kick with a right-footed shot into the low left corner of the cage. 
     Atlanta United FC would tie it up 1-1 during the 59th minute. Luiz Araujo blasted a direct kick in the middle of the field with his left foot from 20 yards out. It became 2-1 for Atlanta United FC in the 73rd minute when Josef Martinez scored on a right-footed shot from 15 yards away. 

Jimmy Hayes Tribute On Saturday

     There will be a pregame tribute, nameplate jerseys and a moment of silence for former Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins right wing Jimmy Hayes when both teams face each other on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston. Both clubs coincidentally are playing each other tonight at FLA Live Arena. It will be the Bruins only appearance in South Florida during the 2021-22 season.
     Hayes, a Boston native, played for the Florida Panthers for two seasons.  He was in 125 contests and compiled 30 goals along with 23 assists. Hayes was traded by the Panthers to the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2015 and participated there for two campaigns. 

Miguel Rojas Gets Extension

     Miami Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas has agreed to an extension through the 2023 season. It is a two-year deal which amounts to $10 million. 
     Rojas has been on the Marlins roster since the 2015 campaign and was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-player trade. He had nine home runs, 48 runs batted in, 13 stolen bases, .265 batting average and .713 OPS last season. 

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Raiders Release Willie Snead IV

     The Las Vegas Raiders have released wide receiver Willie Snead IV. He played in three games this season with the Raiders and compiled three pass receptions for 32 receiving yards.
     His first three seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints from 2015 to 2017. Snead then was with the Baltimore Ravens from 2018 to 2020. He signed a one-year deal with the Raiders on March 26. 
     Snead played his freshman year of high school football with the Glades Central Raiders and then moved to Michigan. He went to college at Ball State. 

Miami Dolphins Add Duke Johnson

     Former local high school and college football running back Duke Johnson has signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins. He has been assigned to the practice squad. 
     He has not yet participated in a 2021 regular season contest. Johnson did join the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in September. 
     Johnson played with the Miami Norland Vikings and captured a FHSAA Class 5A state championship in 2011. He landed at the University of Miami and was with the Hurricanes for three years where he compiled 3,519 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Johnson spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two seasons with the Houston Texans in his NFL career. 

WQAM And The Ticket Schedule Changes

     The two Audacy sports talk format radio stations in Miami, 560 WQAM-AM and Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, have changed their weekday scheduling lineups on Tuesday. One of their stations also changed their branding name. 
     WQAM has changed their brand and slogan from 560 The Joe to AM 560 Sports WQAM. The brand name had been used there since August 2019. 
     They also tweaked their weekday schedule as Jonathan Zaslow moves over his midday show from The Ticket to WQAM. He replaces the CBS Sports Radio Network block with Bill Reiter and Jim Rome, who have been on that station since the start of September. 
     The Joe Rose Show with Zach Krantz in mornings along with Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder in afternoons remain in place at WQAM. Miami Dolphins, University of Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers radio game broadcasts will continue there. The station will still carry CBS Sports Radio in late nights, overnights and weekends. 
     790 The Ticket will also implement a new weekday lineup. Brendan Tobin and Leroy Hoard will continue to co-host the morning show. BetQL Daily will be added in late morning while Jim Rome will air from noon to 3PM. Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder loses one hour of their afternoon show that they had since August 2019. 
     The Ticket continues to be the flagship station of Miami Heat radio broadcasts. BetQL Network will air weekdays from 6PM to 11PM. CBS Sports Radio Network will still be piped in during late nights, overnights and weekends. 

Courtney Fallon Back In Miami

     Former local television sportscaster Courtney Fallon has returned to Miami. She has joined the Miami Heat radio broadcast team and will be part of their new Miami Heat Audio Experience venture. 
     Fallon, a University of Maryland grad, was a weekend sports anchor and weekday sports reporter for NBC 6 WTVJ-TV Channel 6 in Miami from August 2012 until August 2014. 
     She moved to become the sideline reporter for Army football games at CBS Sports Network in 2014. Fallon was a sports host on Sportsnet New York from July 2015 to September 2015. Fallon became a sportscaster at WFXT-TV in Boston from 2015 to 2016 and later joined NFL Network as a national reporter in July 2016. She shifted to the New York Giants Post Game Live studio host position at MSG Networks in September 2017. 
     Fallon returned to Boston several years ago rejoining WEEI-FM. She started as a fill-in host in November 2019, added podcast hosting duties in December 2019 and became the Friday evening co-host in January 2020. Fallon has recently been the Bad Signal podcast creative director. 
     She began in broadcasting as an intern at SiriusXM Radio and WTEM-AM in Washington D.C. Fallon then worked in Boston as a news writer at WHDH-TV and a sports anchor at WBZ-FM. She was a weekend sports anchor and sports reporter at WLNE-TV in Providence prior to her first arrival in Miami. 

Monday, October 25, 2021

Heat Handle Magic

     The Miami Heat knocked off the Orlando Magic 107-90 at FTX Arena on Monday night. The Heat, who came off a one-game road trip to Indiana, have four games over their next six days. 
     Miami(2-1) went on a 17-2 spurt during the opening frame to go up 21-9 and had a 27-15 advantage after one quarter. The Heat stayed in front 57-44 by halftime. Orlando(1-3) started off the second half on an 18-11 run and trailed 81-70 at the end of three quarters. 
     Jimmy Butler led the Heat with a game-high 36 points. Bam Adebayo added a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Markieff Morris came off the bench with 16 points and Tyler Herro dropped in 13 points. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs both had a team-high 15 points each for the Magic. 

Panthers Drive By Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers took the Arizona Coyotes 5-3 on Monday night at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers continued their best start of a regular season in franchise history with their sixth straight victory. The Coyotes shifted over from the Pacific Division to the Central Division for the 2021-22 season.
     The Panthers became the 25th team in NHL history to start a season 6-0-0. The last club to accomplish it was the Montreal Canadiens in 2015-16. 
     Arizona(0-5-1) scored on their first shot of the contest with 2:17 left in the first period. Nick Schmaltz sent a lead pass from his own defensive zone up the middle to Clayton Keller in the neutral zone. Keller opened up on a breakaway, went through the slot area and placed in a forehand shot by Spencer Knight for his third goal of the campaign. It was the first time this season that the Panthers did not put in the first goal of a game and second time they allowed a goal in the opening frame. 
     Florida(6-0-0) came back and tied it 1-1 on a power-play goal with 18.8 seconds remaining. Brandon Montour smashed a one-time shot from the top of the zone which was saved by Carter Hutton. Sam Reinhart tapped a pass across the crease and Joe Thornton guided the puck from the edge of the blue paint into the net for his first goal in a Panthers uniform. Thornton scored his 426th career goal and is now one point behind Paul Coffey for 13th all-time in career points. Reinhart was able to pick up his 300th NHL point. The Cats outshot the Yotes 11-1 during the first period. 
     In the second period, the Panthers extended their lead to 2-1 at the six-minute mark. Patric Hornqvist made a cross-corner pass from the left point. Montour snapped a shot from the low right circle that was stopped by Karel Vejmelka. Frank Vatrano collected his first tally of the year as he lifted the puck from the top of the blue paint. Knight made his first save 28 minutes into the contest. 
     The Cats made it 3-1 with 9:41 to go in the second on the power play. Johnathan Huberdeau angled a pass from the left wing to Aaron Ekblad on left point. He fired a slap shot for his third goal of the season. Sam Bennett was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 
     It became 4-1 for the Panthers at 6:54 of the third period. Owen Tippett poked the puck away from Shayne Gostisbehere at the Coyotes blue line. Huberdeau went on a two-on-zero breakaway, passed to Bennett, received a return pass and steered it into the cage from the left of the crease for his third goal this season. 
     Arizona scored two goals in a 34-second span and closed it to 4-3. Liam O'Brien found the net on a wrist shot from the low right circle with 8:03 to go. Phil Kessel skated on goal, deked around Knight and slide in the puck from the crease area with 7:29 left. Both players got their first goals of the year. 
     Florida ended the scare during the final minute of the contest. Anthony Duclair scored an empty-net goal from just inside the Coyotes blue line with 38.9 seconds remaining. It was the second time this season that he put the puck into an empty net to cap the contest. 

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Falcons Outscore Dolphins

     The Atlanta Falcons barely beat the Miami Dolphins 30-28 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins have lost six consecutive games since their season-opening contest against the New England Patriots. The Fins have dropped to 0-3 at home this season. 

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Hurricanes Get By North Carolina State

     The Miami Hurricanes held off the North Carolina State Wolfpack 31-30 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. Miami has prevailed in two of their last four home games. 
     The Hurricanes picked up their first Atlantic Coast Conference victory this year. The Canes are now 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. 

Panthers Step Over Flyers

     The Florida Panthers overcame the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night. Florida is off to one of their best regular season starts in franchise history with five consecutive wins. The Panthers had a short one-game road trip and will host the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night. 
     Florida(5-0-0) scored with three minutes remaining in the opening period. Jonathan Huberdeau scored on a power-play goal past Carter Hart. 
     In the second period, Philadelphia(2-1-1) overtook them with two goals on special teams for a 2-1 lead. Claude Giroux lit the lamp with a power-play goal at the 4:23 mark for his third goal this season while Cat Atkinson hustled with an unassisted goal by Sergei Bobrovsky at 10:53 for his fourth goal of the year. The Cats evened it up 2-2  with 27 seconds to go on a tally by Owen Tippett. 
     The third period ended up belonging to the Panthers. Huberdeau broke the tie as he scored a shorthanded goal at the 7:53 mark for his second goal and third point of the contest. Sam Reinhart broke the tie on an empty-net goal with 1:12 remaining in the third. 

Pacers Speed By Heat

     The Indiana Pacers raced by the Miami Heat 102-91 in their home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night. It was the first time that the Heat were on the road during the 2021-22 regular season.
     Indiana(1-2) rolled out to a 24-21 lead after the first quarter and led 56-46 at halftime. It was a low-scoring third quarter as Miami(1-1) outscored their opponent 17-8 in the frame and trailed 64-63.       
     Both teams were tied at 86-86 at the end of the fourth quarter and the contest went into overtime. The Pacers rocketed out to an 11-2 run to begin the extra session and picked up the victory. 
     Miami ended up with a pair of double-doubles. Tyler Herro had 30 points and 10 rebounds while Bam Adebayo added 17 points and 16 rebounds. Jimmy Butler contributed 19 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals. Duncan Robinson was able to place in 14 points. 
     Indiana had a balanced order of scoring in their lineup. Chris Duarte got a team-high 19 points and Domantas Sabonis compiled a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon and Oshae Brissett both drained in 18 points each for the Pacers. 

Inter Miami CF Blasts FC Cincinnati

     Inter Miami CF powered by FC Cincinnati 5-1 on Saturday night at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami CF has won two straight contests following six consecutive defeats.
     In the first half, Inter Miami CF jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Federico Higuain got a goal during the sixth minute of play. FC Cincinnati tied it up 1-1 in the 21st minute with a tally by Bryan Vazquez. 
     Inter Miami CF was able to reclaim the lead early in the second half. Gonzalo Higuain found the net with a goal in the 53rd minute. The team continued the barrage of goals from Indiana Vassilev in the 69th minute along with Lewis Morgan in the 74th minute and 81st minute.

Cardinal Gibbons Defeats Venice

     The defending FHSAA Class 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs slipped by the Venice Indians 28-22 at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice on Saturday. It was the first meeting ever between both schools. The Indians snapped a seven-game winning streak and had not lost a game since the FHSAA Class 7A regional final contest against St. Thomas Aquinas last year. 
     In the first quarter, Cardinal Gibbons(6-2) went up 7-0 with 3:29 to go. Running back Kamari Moulton rushed in from 23 yards away. 
     Venice(7-1) tied it 7-7 at 4:14 of the second quarter. Quarterback Ryan Browne connected a 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Omari Hayes in the middle of the field. 
     The Chiefs regained the lead 14-7 with 53 seconds remaining in the second. Running back Willie Reed scored on an 11-yard touchdown run. 
     The Indians closed it to 14-13 at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter. Browne pulled off a delayed run for a four-yard score. Venice tried to take their first lead in the contest, however they failed on a two-point conversion. 
     Cardinal Gibbons made it 21-13 just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Dylan Rizk found wide receiver Elisha Edwards on a 45-yard pass play.  
     Venice cut the deficit at 7:35 of the fourth to make it 21-19. Wide receiver Jayshon Platt caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Browne. 
     It became 28-19 for the Chiefs with 6:15 left. Rizk tossed a swing pass and wide receiver Davon Kiser sprinted for a 76-yard touchdown. 
     The Indians tried to stay in the game with 4:43 to go in the fourth. Kirill Kotov was able to boot a 34-yard field goal and they trailed 28-22. 

Dave Tomlinson On Seattle Kraken Radio

     Former Florida Panthers center Dave Tomlinson is the new radio game analyst of the Seattle Kraken. He will work his first game broadcast on Saturday night when the Kraken play their first regular season home opener in franchise history. 
     Tomlinson was with and played for the Florida Panthers during the 1994-95 regular season. He ended up with no goals and no assists in five games. Tomlinson never reached the National Hockey League again after that campaign. 
     He entered the broadcasting industry following his playing career in 2006. Tomlinson did work as a Vancouver sports talk host on CKST-AM and as the Vancouver Canucks radio game analyst. 

Friday, October 22, 2021

St. Thomas Aquinas Survives Dillard

     Two of the top Broward County high schools faced each other on Friday night as the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders defeated the Dillard Panthers 23-13 at Brian Piccolo Stadium. The Raiders have won eight of the nine meetings in this local rivalry. 
     Dillard(7-1) moved ahead 7-0 at the 7:05 mark of the first quarter. Quarterback Armani Norcius found wide receiver Edward Louis wide open in the middle of the end zone. 
     It was tied up 7-7 by St. Thomas Aquinas(8-1) at 8:28 of the second quarter. Running back Anthony Hankerson rushed through the right side of the line from two yards out. STA then got a safety on a bad high punt snap by the Panthers with 5:15 to go and they led 9-7. 
     The Raiders continued their momentum and scored with 11 seconds left in first half. Hankerson raced around the right end and reached the end zone from two yards away for a 16-7 lead. 
     In the third quarter, the Panthers closed the gap to 16-13 with 4:50 remaining. Norcius angled a pass to the right hash marks, wide receiver Devaughn Mortimer caught it and sprinted down the right sideline for a 90-yard touchdown. 
     St. Thomas Aquinas expanded their lead to 23-13 with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. A Dillard field goal was blocked and Conrad Hussey returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. 

Lake Worth Blanks John I. Leonard

     The Lake Worth Trojans hosted and shut out the John I. Leonard Lancers 14-0 at Bill Harvey Stadium on Friday night. Both schools entered the contest with a combined one victory. 
     Lake Worth(1-6) found the end zone in the first quarter and were able to get the two-point conversion for a 8-0 lead. John I. Leonard(1-7) surrendered another touchdown in the third quarter when running back Angel Rodriguez rushed up the middle from seven yards away. 

American Heritage Dominates Boynton Beach

     The American Heritage Patriots made a rare trip from Plantation to Palm Beach County and routed the Boynton Beach Tigers 56-0 on Friday night. It is believed to be the first time that both schools met in the regular season. Both teams have mainly played in different FHSAA classifications over the past two decades. 
     American Heritage(4-3) was able to go up 35-0 by halftime against Boynton Beach(5-3). Patriots running back Mark Fletcher and quarterback Blake Murphy both had touchdown runs in the first quarter. A running clock was implemented during the second half.

Allison Williams Joins The Daily Wire

     Former South Florida television sportscaster Allison Williams has joined The Daily Wire. The organization is headed by talk show host Ben Shapiro. 
     Williams, a 2006 University of Miami grad, recently exited her position at ESPN due to their COVID-19 mandate on employees. She worked mainly as a sideline reporter for college football games and college basketball contests. 
     She had worked at ESPN for a decade. Williams previously was a sportscaster with Comcast Sports Southeast and Fox Sports Florida. 

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Heat Knock Out Bucks

     The Miami Heat began their 34th season in the National Basketball Association with a 137-95 victory over the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at FTX Arena on Thursday night. It was the widest margin the Heat even had for an opening night win. 
     The Heat won their seventh consecutive home season-opening contest. The last time they fell was in their 2007 season opener. Miami is 15-7 all-time when starting the regular season at home. 
     It was the second time that the Heat faced the defending NBA champions on opening night. They beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-94 back in 2011 between the two NBA finalists.
      Miami(1-0) ripped out to a 25-point lead during the first quarter and had a 40-17 advantage at the end of the frame. The Heat continued the momentum and were up 72-43 at halftime. Milwaukee(1-1) could not cut the deficit and trailed 105-69 after three quarters. 
     Tyler Herro scored a team-high 27 points for Miami while Jimmy Butler added 21 points. Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 15 points and 10 rebounds. 

Panthers Roll By Avalanche

     The Florida Panthers pushed by the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 at FLA Live Arena on Thursday night. The Panthers have their best regular season start after four games in franchise history. Sergei Bobrovksy collected his 300th NHL victory. 
     Florida(4-0-0) raced out to a 1-0 lead with 5:28 left in the first period. Mason Marchment prevented an icing and got to the puck on the end wall. He centered it to the top of the crease and Sam Reinhart scored his first goal in a Panthers uniform. Anton Lundell chalked up his second assist of the campaign on the play. 
     Colorado(1-3-0) tied it up 1-1 with 54 seconds to go in the first. Mikko Rantanen scored from close range by Bobrovsky on assists from Samuel Girard and Nathan McKinnon. 
     In the second period, the Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 on the power play at the 9:04 mark. Jonathan Huberdeau passed it out of the offensive zone and Aaron Ekblad sent the puck from the center-ice circle to the right side. Sam Bennett dashed to the middle and then snapped a shot from the high slot for his fourth goal of the season. 
     The Cats made it 3-1 with 46.1 seconds left in the second. Carter Verhaeghe stole the puck from Gabriel Landeskog on the right-wing boards, skated to the middle of the zone and put in a wrist shot from the slot area by Jonas Johansson. Lundell got an empty-net goal with 1:13 remaining in the third period. 

Seminole Ridge Outlasts Park Vista

     The Seminole Ridge Hawks outscored the Park Vista Cobras 10-7 on Thursday night in Loxahatchee. The Hawks extended their winning streak to four games while the Cobras lost their second straight contest. 
     Seminole Ridge(7-1) was able to got on the scoreboard first with 1:02 remaining in the opening quarter. Hayden Gray connected with a 27-yard field goal. 
     Park Vista(5-2) took a 7-3 lead with 4:23 to go in the second quarter. Running back Jordan Clemons plunged up the middle from one yard out. 
     The Hawks reclaimed the lead 10-7 at the 8:38 mark of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Will Rimes sneaked the ball in from one yard away. The Cobras missed a 46-yard field goal from Carson Sapashe with 3.4 seconds left in the fourth to tie the contest. 

Miami Heat On NBA 75th Anniversary Team

     Several former Miami Heat players were named on the National Basketball Association 75th Anniversary Team. The list consists of the 75 best NBA players in league history.
     Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Ray Allen and Gary Payton was selected to the team. Wade led the Miami Heat to their three NBA championships in 2006, 2012 and 2013. James was part of the Big Three in the early 2010s and captured two NBA titles. 
     O'Neal was with the Heat in the mid-2000s and helped the franchise win their first NBA title in 2006. Allen joined the Heat in 2012-13 and won a NBA championship. 
     Payton was part of the 2006 championship squad. Former Miami Heat minority owner Billy Cunningham along with current scout Bob McAdoo were also on that list. 

Florida Atlantic University Moving To AAC

     Florida Atlantic University officials announced on Thursday that the school's athletic program will be moving into the American Athletic Conference. The Owls will be exiting Conference USA where they have been since 2013. FAU had previously been in the Sun Belt Conference from 2005 until 2013. 
     FAU will not be the only school leaving Conference USA. They will go along with Rice, Charlotte, UAB, North Texas and UTSA. Three current schools in the AAC are leaving for the Big 12. 

Miller And Moulton Back At Beasley Media

     Longtime Southwest Florida sports talk radio hosts David Moulton and Mark Miller returned to Beasley Media on Monday. Their new morning program is syndicated statewide by Florida Sports Network on ESPN Southwest Florida 770 WBCN-AM in Fort Myers and Money Talk 1010 WHFS-AM in Tampa. Both Moulton and Miller are now part of the local WBCN-AM lineup that includes an afternoon program with Craig Shemon and Pete Sheppard. 
     Moulton and Miller have hosted a sports show together since 2006. Their show began at Beasley Media on 770 WWCN-AM in the afternoon shift. They were then simulcasted on WWCN-FM and eventually moved to middays. Moulton and Miller landed at WFSX-AM as morning co-hosts in 2017 and lasted until August 2021. 
     Miller is the former radio play-by-play announcer of the Florida Everblades in the ECHL. Moulton is currently the radio voice of Florida Gulf Coast University sports. He has also worked as a sports columnist for The News-Press and a sports anchor at WVZN-TV.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Tennessee Titans Pick Up Bobby Hart

     Former Cardinal Gibbons and St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman Bobby Hart has been signed by the Tennessee Titans and will be placed on their roster. He was on the Buffalo Bills practice squad. 
     Hart played 33 games with the New York Giants from 2015 to 2017 and 46 contests with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2018 to 2020. He did join the Miami Dolphins practice squad back on September 7. 

Inter Miami CF Snaps Losing Streak

     Inter Miami CF snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over Toronto FC on Wednesday night at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami CF had their biggest scoring output in a contest since they compiled three goals against Toronto FC in the same venue back on August 21. 
     In the first half, Inter Miami CF struck quickly during the 10th minute. A bad clearing pass by the Toronto FC goalkeeper Alex Bono was intercepted by Federico Higuain and he was able to put in a right-foot shot from 14 yards away. 
     It became 2-0 for Inter Miami CF in the 45th minute of play. They performed a set piece on a left-side corner kick and Christian Makoun fired a left-footed shot in the middle of the penalty area from nine yards into the bottom right corner of the net. 
     Inter Miami CF increased it to a three-goal margin in the 61st minute. The team took a corner kick from the left side and Toronto FC defender Eriq Zavaleta ended up with an own goal on a header from five yards out.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Panthers Crown Lightning

     The Florida Panthers beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 at Amalie Arena on Tuesday night. It was a rematch of their first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs back in May which the Lightning won four games to two. The Panthers participated in their first road contest of the 2021-22 regular season. 
     Florida(3-0-0) broke the scoreless tie at the 6:12 mark of the second period just one second after the power play ended. Anton Lundell won the faceoff in the left circle and Sam Reinhart sent a cross-ice pass. Brandon Montour put in a snap shot from the right circle past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Lundell collected his first career point with the secondary assist while Reinhart got his first point in a Panthers uniform. 
     In the third period, Tampa Bay(2-2-0) tied it up 1-1 at 2:36. Jan Rutta angled the puck from the top of the zone to Victor Hedman on the left wing. He connected a cross-ice pass and Brayden Point fired a slap shot from above the right circle by Spencer Knight. Hedman picked up his sixth assist of the campaign. 
     The Panthers would regain the lead 64 seconds later to make it 2-1. Carter Verhaeghe slid the loose puck through the crease area and Aleksander Barkov shoveled it in from the right of the crease. 
     It became 3-1 for Florida with 13:19 remaining in the third. Lundell scored his first NHL goal with a one-time shot from the right circle. Assists were credited to Reinhart and Mason Marchment. 
     Anthony Duclair placed in a backhand shot into an empty net with 2:06 left for a 4-1 advantage. Duclair has found the net in each of the first three Panthers games of the season. 

Miami Heat Television Announcers

     The Miami Heat open up the 2021-22 regular season Thursday night as they host the Milwaukee Bucks. Bally Sports Florida has the exclusive regional television rights again for the club. 
     Eric Reid, an Ithaca College grad, will work his 34th season on television calling the Miami Heat telecasts. He has been with the organization since their inception in 1988-89. He started the first three seasons of the franchise as a  game analyst, simulcasted on radio and television, working with Sam Smith. Reid was elevated to the television voice of the team in 1991-92. 
     John Crotty is back as the television game analyst. He has been a Heat broadcaster either on radio or television since the 2004-05 season. 
     Jason Jackson, who was named the new Miami Heat English language radio play-by-play announcer in September, will pull off double duty. He will be the studio host for the television pregame and halftime shows when the Miami Heat play home games at FTX Arena in Miami. 
     Will Manso and Kristen Hewitt will have bigger roles as sideline reporters and take over for Jackson. Bally Sports Florida will use Manso and Hewitt as studio hosts for road contests as they have in recent seasons. 
     Ron Rothstein will work again as a studio analyst for Miami Heat home games. Heat radio game analyst Ruth Riley Hunter will be in the studio as an analyst for road games. 

Lamar Miller Joins New Orleans Saints

     Former local running back Lamar Miller has signed a deal with the New Orleans Saints. He will be assigned to their practice squad. Miller re-upped with the Washington Football Team in March and was released by them in August. 
     Miller played high school football with Miami Killian and college football with the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins and participated in 61 games from 2012 until 2015. His best season with the Dolphins was in 2014 with 1,099 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. 

Monday, October 18, 2021

New York Giants Sign Benardrick McKinney

     The New York Giants have inked linebacker Benardrick McKinney. He will be placed on the team's practice squad. 
     McKinney participated in the Miami Dolphins training camp earlier this year. He was acquired by the Dolphins from the Houston Texans on March 17 and released by the club on August 29. McKinney has six NFL seasons under his belt with the Texans from 2015 to 2020.

Allison Williams Leaving ESPN

     Former local television sportscaster Allison Williams is leaving ESPN. She will not comply to the company's guidelines that employees are required to get vaccinations for COVID-19. She already announced in early September that she would step back from being a sideline reporter for college football games this season. 
     Williams had worked at ESPN for a decade. She previously had sportscasting stints with Comcast Sports Southeast and Fox Sports Florida prior to her arrival at ESPN. 

Miami Heat Radio Announcers

     The Miami Heat Radio Network will have one of their biggest changes in their English language radio broadcasts when the 2021-22 regular season begins on Thursday night. Miami Heat game broadcasts can be heard on the flagship station Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in Miami and ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM in West Palm Beach. 
     Jason Jackson begins his reign as the new radio play-by-play announcer for the club. Mike Inglis recently retired back in September following a 23-season tenure on the local radio airwaves. Ruth Riley Hunter comes back as the game analyst for home contests. 
     Both of their studio co-hosts Tommy Tighe and Jonathan Zaslow return to the Miami Heat Radio Network. Tighe took over for Jeremy Marks-Peltz in January 2010. Zaslow was added to the broadcasting crew just prior to the 2010-11 season. 

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Jaguars Top Dolphins In London

     Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his return to the lineup after missing the last three games as the Dolphins were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on Sunday. The Jaguars snapped a 20-game losing streak which was the second longest all-time in NFL history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the NFL record 26-game losing streak from 1976 to 1977. 
     It was a league-record eighth game that the Jaguars had participated in London. The Jags played seven previous contests at Wembley Stadium from 2013 to 2019 and now have a 4-4 record in that city. 
     Tagovailoa and Jaguars starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence met for the first time in an National Football League contest. Lawrence's Clemson Tigers defeated Tagovailoa's Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 for the CFP National Championship during the 2018 season. 
     In the first quarter, Miami(1-5) scored on their first possession. Tagovailoa threw a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who went on a slant pattern through the left hash marks. 
     Jacksonville(1-5) converted their first field goal of the season after six contests. Matthew Wright booted a 40-yard field goal with 3:54 remaining in the first. 
     The Dolphins were able to expand it to 10-3 just 45 seconds into the second quarter. Jason Sanders was able to kick a 33-yard field goal. He later added a 24-yard field goal with 5:38 to go in the second for a 13-3 advantage. 
     The Jaguars closed it to 13-10 with 0:40 left in the second. Lawrence fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. on the right side of the end zone. 
     Jacksonville scored on the opening drive of the third quarter at the 12:29 mark to take their first lead of the contest 17-13. Running back James  Robinson busted in through the right side of the line from one yard out. 
     After the Jaguars were stopped at the Dolphins nine-yard line on a fourth down, the Fins marched down the field and scored. Waddle caught a two-yard swing pass from Tagovailoa on the left side to give them a 20-17 lead with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter. 
     It was tied by Jacksonville with 3:40 to go in the fourth. Wright nailed a career-high, 54-yard field goal. Wright then kicked a 53-yard field goal with no time remaining in the game to give them a 23-20 victory. 

Saturday, October 16, 2021

St. Thomas Aquinas Pays Back Cardinal Gibbons

     The defending FHSAA Class 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders gained revenge on the defending FHSAA Class 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs 39-14 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton on Saturday night. The Chiefs finally defeated the Raiders 17-10 last year, which was their first meeting in this Broward County rivalry since 2010.
     St. Thomas Aquinas(7-1) was able to make it 6-0 at the 7:48 mark of the first quarter. Running back Anthony Hankerson went off-left tackle on a four-yard touchdown run. 
     The Raiders expanded it to 12-0 with 2:39 remaining in the first. Quarterback Zion Turner found wide receiver Camden Brown behind the Chiefs secondary on a 52-yard pass play. 
     STA increased it to a 19-point margin when running back Gemari Sands angled toward the left sideline and scored on a run from 32 yards away at 11:50 of the second quarter. 
     Cardinal Gibbons(5-2) got on the scoreboard with 8:35 left in the second quarter and trailed 19-7. Running back Kamari Moulton sprinted up the middle from five yards out for a touchdown. . 
     The Raiders responded with another score for a 26-7 lead with nine seconds to go in the first half. Turner rolled out to his left and connected a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brown in the back left corner of the end zone. 
     The Chiefs kept up with the pace during the third quarter. They cut the deficit to 26-14 with 6:22 left as Moulton reached the end zone for his second touchdown run in the contest. 
     St. Thomas Aquinas extended their lead to 32-14.at the 11:20 mark of the fourth quarter when Turner tossed a four-yard screen pass to Sands on the left side. It became 39-14 for the Raiders with 8:54 remaining as Sands went around the right end and down the right sideline for a 65-yard touchdown run. 

Sam Bennett Hat Trick Gets Panthers Over Islanders

     Sam Bennett scored his second career hat trick  as the Florida Panthers outscored the New York Islanders 5-1 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday night. It was a renewal of this rivalry in which both teams have faced each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice in the last six seasons. 
     In the first period, Florida(2-0-0) got up 1-0. Gustav Forsling passed from the top of the zone to Radko Gudas above the right circle. Ilya Sorokin made a blocker save, however Bennett tapped in the rebound from the edge of the blue paint at the 9:10 mark. 
     The Panthers made it 2-0 on another tally by Bennett at 3:48 of the second period as he circled around the cage and made a wraparound forehand shot. Jonathan Huberdeau collected his 500th NHL point on the play with the primary assist. 
     It became 3-0 for the Cats with 1:03 left in the second. MacKenzie Weegar sent a long lead pass through the neutral zone to Anthony Duclair at the Islanders blue line and he scored on a breakaway with a backhand shot. Duclair now has a two-game goal streak. 
     New York(0-2-0) picked up their only goal of the contest on the power play at the 3:30 mark of the third period. Weegar coughed up the puck on the end wall and Oliver Wahlstrom snapped a shot from the low slot area by Sergei Bobrovsky. 
     Bennett placed his third goal of the game for the hat trick with 10:21 remaining in the third. He carried the puck from his own defensive zone to the high slot scored on a snap shot. Matt Kiersted chalked up his first NHL point with an assist. 
     Florida capped the scoring with 7:38 to go in the final frame. Aleksander Barkov got a tally as he charged through the slot area and scored on a flick shot from the crease. He has three points in the first two contests of the 2021-22 campaign. 

Hurricanes Edged By North Carolina

     The Miami Hurricanes were defeated by the North Carolina Tar Heels 45-42 at Kenan Stadium on Saturday. The Hurricanes came off a two-week break since they fell at home to Virginia. 
     Miami fell to 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 2-4 overall. North Carolina moved to 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. 

Inter Miami CF Downfall Continues

     The Columbus Crew blanked Inter Miami CF 4-0 on Saturday night at Lower.com Field. Inter Miami CF continued their skid as they have lost six consecutive games. 
     Inter Miami CF have been shut out in four straight games. The team has been outscored 16-1 in their last six contests. 
      Columbus stepped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Gyasi Zardes in the 39th minute and Pedro Santos in the 44th minute. Zardes struck again for the Crew during the 64th minute and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez added a tally in the 83rd minute. 

Friday, October 15, 2021

Cardinal Newman Closes Out Clewiston

     The Cardinal Newman Crusaders held off the Clewiston Tigers 19-14 on Friday night at Sam Budnyk Field in West Palm Beach. It was a rare matchup between both high schools. 
     After a scoreless opening quarter, Cardinal Newman(5-2) took a 3-0 lead at the 10:32 mark of the second quarter. They were able to get a 29-yard field goal from Andrew MacMillan. 
     The Tigers answered back less than one minute later. Running back Johnny Crawford III sprinted down the right hash marks and scored from 78 yards away for a 7-3 advantage. 
     Former Glades Central and current Clewiston(4-1) starting quarterback Zo'Marion Harper would give them an 11-point margin late in the first half. He fired a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chauncy Cobb on the right side of the end zone. 
     The Crusaders pulled off a comeback during the second half. Running back Tovani Mizell raced around the left end and reached the end zone from four yards out at 9:03 of the third quarter. MacMillan added a 28-yard field goal with 2:38 remaining in the third and they trailed 14-13. 
     Cardinal Newman regained the lead in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Davi Belfort scooted through the left side of the line for a three-yard touchdown run to give them a 19-14 lead.

Michael Frolik Off To Europe

     Former Florida Panthers left wing Michael Frolik is heading to play hockey in Europe. He has signed a two-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland. 
     Frolik was selected tenth overall in the 2006 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers. He played three seasons with the club and compiled 117 points in 213 games. 
     He also had stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. Frolik captures a Stanley Cup title with the Blackhawks in 2012-13. 

Heat Take Down Celtics

     The Miami Heat completed the preseason with a 121-100 win against the Boston Celtics at FTX Arena on Friday night. The Heat finished with a 5-1 preseason record. Miami will host the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night to begin the 2021-22 regular season.
     Boston started off great and led 34-28 at the end of the first quarter. Miami came back and pulled ahead 59-55 by halftime. The Heat remained ahead  87-81 after three quarters and then outscored the Celtics 34-19 in the final quarter.
     Tyler Herro dropped in a game-high 29 points for Miami while Jimmy Butler added 25 points. Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points for Boston. 

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Glades Central Barely Defeats Dwyer

     The Glades Central Raiders knocked off the Dwyer Panthers 14-13 at Effie C. Grear Field in Belle Glade on Thursday night. The rivalry continues between the two Palm Beach County high schools that have usually been competitive over the past 15 years. 
     The first two quarters belonged to Dwyer(4-3). They were able to compile 13 points during the first half of play. 
     Glades Central(4-3) closed it to 13-8 on a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 5:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Robert Luckas made a one-handed catch near the top right corner of the end zone on a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Garrison Kepley.
     The game would come down to the final couple of minutes. Raiders running back Everic Morgan busted through the middle from seven yards away with 2:21 left in the contest for a 14-13 lead. 

Panthers Win Season Opener Over Penguins

     The Florida Panthers began the 2021-22 campaign with a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at FLA Live Arena on Thursday night. Joe Thornton and Sam Reinhart made their debuts with the Florida Panthers. 
     Florida(1-0-0) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 9:17 mark  of the first period. Aleksander Barkov won the faceoff in the right circle. Carter Verhaeghe skated with the puck to the right wing and he snapped a shot that sailed by Casey DeSmith. 
     In the second period, the Panthers expanded it to 2-0 at 3:57. Jeff Carter had a shot from above the top left circle blocked by the left leg of Gustav Forsling. Frank Vatrano carried the puck out of the zone and connected a lead pass to Anthony Duclair. His backhand shot attempt was poked away by DeSmith, however it went off Mark Friedman in the crease and into the cage. 
     Pittsburgh(1-0-1) cut the deficit on the power play to 2-1 with 8:15 left in the second. John Marino pushed the puck from his own defensive zone. Dominik Simon made a square pass from the right-wing boards and Danton Heinen scored on a wrist shot from the right circle past Sergei Bobrovsky.  
     It was evened by the Penguins 2-2 on another power-play tally with 1:02 remaining in the frame as Jeff Carter collected his 400th NHL goal. Kris Letang dropped the puck to Kasperi Kapanen and he raced through the neutral zone to the Panthers blue line. Carter skated down the right wing, fired a shot from an acute angle and it deflected off Aaron Ekblad's stick into the top shelf of the net. 
     The Pens would two goals in a 30-second span and go in front during the third period. Jake Guentzel fired a shot from the right of the crease which was stopped. He gathered the rebound on the end wall, centered a pass and it went off the right shin of MacKenzie Weegar for a goal at 8:01. 
They extended it to 4-2 on a goal from blue paint by Evan Rodrigues. Jason Zucker and Friedman were credited with assists on the play. 
     The Cats scored with 6:31 left to make it 4-3. Ekblad scored on unassisted goal when he scrambled for the puck in the low slot and put in a wrist shot into a half-empty net. 
     It was tied by Florida 4-4 with 4:53 to go. Ekblad picked up his second goal of the contest with a backhand shot from the slot area on assists from Owen Tippett and Jonathan Huberdeau. 
     Florida would end the game in overtime at the 1:37 mark. Aleksander Barkov made a cross-ice pass from the right wing and Verhaeghe ripped in a snap shot from the inner left circle for the game-winning goal and his second goal of the game. 

Hawks Move By Heat

     The Miami Heat were beaten by the Atlanta Hawks 127-92 on Thursday night at State Farm Arena. The Heat lost for the first time in the preseason and moved their record to 4-1. They finish the preseason at home on Friday night against the Boston Celtics. 
     Atlanta rocketed out to a 33-17 after one quarter against their division rivals. They extended it to a huge 67-43 lead by halftime. Miami was unable to get any traction and trailed 97-72 at the end of three quarters. 

Jeff DeForrest Joins Five Reasons Sports Network

     Longtime South Florida sports talk radio host Jeff DeForrest and on-air sidekick/producer Mike Lubitz will be joining Five Reasons Sports Network to host a morning show podcast. It will also be seen on Eye On Channel. DeForrest will launch his new show on October 18. 
     DeForrest recently finished a stint with 940 WINZ-AM on September 21. His program was simulcasted on Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM in West Palm Beach. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Oilers Ink Colton Sceviour

     The Edmonton Oilers have signed right wing Colton Sceviour to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000. He agreed to a professional tryout with the club on September 15. 
     Sceviour played last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, after being acquired with Mike Matheson for Patrick Hornqvist, and had 10 points in 46 contests. He played in four seasons for the Florida Panthers and compiled 31 goals along with 48 assists in 284 games. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Thomas Drance Gets Radio Show

     Former Florida Panthers vice president of communications and public relations Thomas Drance has been named a co-host of a radio show at Sportsnet 650 CISL-AM in Vancouver. It will be called the Canucks Hour and air on weekday late mornings beginning on October 18. 
     Drance was in the Florida Panthers public relations department from January 2017 to July 2019. He joined The Athletic Vancouver and has been a Vancouver Canucks beat reporter since September 2019. 

Nikita Gusev Leaves For KHL

     Former Florida Panthers left wing Nikita Gusev has left the National Hockey League and joined the KHL. He has signed a deal with SKA St. Petersburg for the 2021-22 season. Gusev did sign a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs back on September 18. 
     Gusev played for two seasons with the New Jersey Devils. He joined the Florida Panthers as a free agent on April 11 and compiled two goals and three assists in 11 games. 

Florida Panthers Season Opening Roster

     The Florida Panthers have announced their 2021-22 season opening roster. The Panthers roster consists of 23 players. Their first regular season game is on Thursday as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
     The club will carry 14 forwards. It includes Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Anthony Duclair, Joe Thornton, Patric Hornqvist, Carter Verhaeghe, Frank Vatrano, Anton Lundell, Mason Marchment, Owen Tippett, Ryan Lomberg and Eetu Luostarinen
     The team will start with seven defensemen. They are Aaron Ekblad, Radko Gudas, MacKenzie Weegar, Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, Markus Nutivaara and Olli Juolevi. The goalies are Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight. 
     Two of the players on the club have been placed on injured reserve to begin the campaign. Forward Noel Acciari and defenseman Kevin Connauton were placed on that list. 

Todd Hollandsworth Exits Marlins Television Broadcasts

     Miami Marlins television game analyst Todd Hollandsworth will not be returning to the Bally Sports Florida broadcast booth for the 2022 season. He was hired in December 2016 and became the Marlins television game analyst on Fox Sports Florida in 2017. 
     Hollandsworth was part the Florida Marlins championship team back in 2003 during his only season with the club. He was a baseball studio analyst for Comcast Sportsnet Chicago from 2009 until 2016. 

Monday, October 11, 2021

Heat Squeeze By Hornets

     The Miami Heat got by the Charlotte Hornets 104-103 at FTX Arena on Monday night. The Heat have been victorious in all four of their preseason contests. 
     Miami had a 27-24 edge at the end of one quarter, however Charlotte surpassed them with a 14-3 spurt at the end of the second quarter and led 53-47 at halftime. The Hornets stayed ahead 78-77 after three quarters. The Heat scored the last 13 points in the final 3:37 of the fourth quarter to win the game. Javonte Smart made a field goal and a free throw with 7.8 seconds left to give them a 104-103 lead. 
     Bam Adebayo led Miami with a team-high 18 points and Kyle Lowry added 15 points. Miles Bridges compiled a double-double for Charlotte with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. 

Florida Panthers And Miami Heat Home Conflicts

     The Florida Panthers and the Miami Heat will have home games on the same night for their upcoming regular seasons. There are 13 conflicts between both teams in 2021-22. The least amount that both teams had in a season since the 2004-05 NHL lockout was in 2019-20 which was six scheduled days. 
     The first time it will happen for the 2021-22 campaign is on October 21 when the Miami Heat have their season opener against the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks while the Florida Panthers host the Colorado Avalanche. Other occasions will include October 25, November 4, November 6, November 18, December 23, January 14, January 15 and January 29 in the first half of the season. 
     The Florida Panthers will have a three-week break due to NHL players involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics. The beginning of the second half of the regular season will have both clubs playing on the same day at different times on February 26. The Panthers host the Edmonton Oilers at 12:30 while the San Antonio Spurs visit the Heat at 8:00. Both teams will play the same night on March 5, April 5 and April 8, 

Brian Boyle Signing With Penguins

     Former Florida Panthers center Brian Boyle will sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is a one-year contract worth $750,000. 
     Boyle has played for seven National Hockey League clubs in 13 seasons from 2007 to 2020. He last participated in the NHL with the Florida Panthers in 2019-20 and compiled 15 points in 39 games.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Panthers Acquire Olli Juolevi

     The Florida Panthers have acquired defenseman Olli Juolevi from the Vancouver Canucks. The Cats will send forward Juho Lammikko and defenseman Noah Juulsen in return. 
     Juolevi was selected by the Vancouver Canucks fifth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He finally reached the National Hockey League last season as he compiled two goals and one assist in 23 games. 
     Lammikko spent two of the last three seasons with Florida and chalked up four goals and seven assists in 84 contests. Juulsen was with the Panthers in 2020-21 and had no points in four games. 

Buccaneers Stomp Dolphins

     The Tampa Bay Buccaneers smashed the Miami Dolphins 45-17 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns. 
     The Fins got on the scoreboard just under four minutes into the contest. Jason Sanders was able to kick a 23-yard field goal. 
     Tampa Bay(4-1) responded back with a score and led 7-3 at the 7:04 mark. Brady found St. Thomas Aquinas grad and running back Giovanni Bernard in the middle of the field on a 10-yard touchdown. 
     Miami(1-4) reclaimed the lead 10-7 with 3:16 left in the first. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett tossed the ball to the left sideline and running back Myles Gaskin stormed in from 24 yards out. 
     The second quarter belonged to the Bucs as they compiled 17 points. Ryan Sucoop booted a 42-yard field goal 54 seconds into the frame. 
     Brady found wide receiver Antonio Brown on the left hash marks and he sprinted 62 yards into the end zone at 11:01. The same connection worked again when Brown received a four-yard touchdown pass from Brady in the center of the end zone with 1:48 to go in the second for a 24-10 advantage. 
     The Dolphins got the only score during the third quarter at the 6:56 mark. Brissett made a swing pass to the left side and Gaskin reached the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. 
     The Bucs piled it in the fourth quarter with three more touchdowns. Running back Leonard Fournette raced in from five yards away as he rushed through the right side at 14:57. 
     Wide receiver Mike Evans caught a 34-yard touchdown pass near the right sideline from Brady with 11:49 remaining. Brady completed the scoring as he connected a 22-yard touchdown pass to Evans in the middle of the field with 8:57 remaining and a 45-17 lead. 

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Lightning Sneak By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers finished the preseason with a 5-2 record. The Cats will open the 2021-22 campaign at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. 
     Neither team was able to score in the first period. The Panthers had numerous shooting opportunities and outshot the Bolts 18-9 in the opening frame.
     Florida broke the scoreless tie at the 4:51 mark of the second period. Owen Tippett tapped the puck in the slot area and Jonathan Huberdeau pushed to the left point. Kevin Connauton blasted a slap shot from above the top left circle for his second goal of the preseason. Tippett picked up his team-high seventh preseason point. 
     Tampa Bay evened it up at 7:31of the second. Steven Stamkos passed from the right wing and Alex Killorn scored on a wrist shot from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal of the preseason campaign. Anthony Cirelli received a secondary assist on the play. 
     The Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 just 27 seconds later. Aleksander Barkov chipped the puck from the right corner to Carter Verhaeghe on the end wall. He fed a pass to the middle and Sam Reinhart snapped a shot from the slot area past Andrei Vasilevskiy for his second preseason goal. 
     In the third period, the Lightning tied it 2-2 exactly one minute in. Ondrej Palat passed it from the right wing to Erik Cernak on the right point. He dragged it to the top of the zone and fired a slap shot. Bobrovsky made the initial save, however Brayden Point flipped in the rebound from the front of the crease for his club-high sixth point of the postseason. 
     The Bolts scored on a power-play goal with 7:56 remaining in the third period. There was a scramble for the loose puck in the blue paint and Pat Maroon pushed it in. 
     It became 4-2 for Tampa Bay with 5:59 left in the third on another power-play tally. Palat centered the puck from the right-wing boards and Maroon shoveled in a backhand shot from right circle into the top portion of the cage. 

New York Red Bulls Drop Inter Miami CF

     Inter Miami CF lost to the New York Red Bulls 1-0 Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on Saturday night. Inter Miami CF have been blanked four times during their five-game losing streak and outscored 12-1. 
     In the first half, the New York Red Bulls got out to a 1-0 lead. They intercepted an outlet pass in the middle of the field and Patryk Klimala put in a tally with his left foot from 15 yards away during the 25th minute. 

Friday, October 8, 2021

Boca Raton Challenges Dwyer

     Former district rivals from the 2000s battled it out between the Boca Raton Bobcats and the Dwyer Panthers on Friday night at Blum Stadium. The contest was stopped at the start of the third quarter due to a weather delay. 
     Boca Raton picked up the only scoring during the first half of play. The Bobcats got a 42-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead. 

Palm Beach Central Battles Park Vista

     The Palm Beach Central Broncos were ahead of the Park Vista Cobras 21-7 in West Palm Beach on Friday night when the contest was stopped due to a weather delay midway through the second quarter. The game involved the only two undefeated large schools in the Palm Beach County area. 
     Park Vista got out to a 7-0 lead at 9:22 mark of the first quarter. Running back Jordan Clemons went off-left guard and into the end zone from one yard out.  
     Palm Beach Central tied it up 7-7 with 4:13 left in the first. Former Park Vista running back Markel King burned his former team as he charged through the left side of the line and scored from 40 yards away. 
     In the second quarter, the Broncos pulled ahead 13-7 at 11:46. Quarterback Ahmad Haston threw a bubble screen to the right side and wide receiver Aldorson Estinvil sprinted up the middle of the field for a 67-yard touchdown. 
     Palm Beach Central expanded it to 21-7 with 5:01 remaining in the second. King busted up the middle and down the left hash marks on an 87-yard touchdown run. Haston found wide receiver Javorian Wimberly in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion. 

Heat Move By Spurs

     The Miami Heat handled the San Antonio Spurs 109-105 on Friday night  at AT&T Center. The Heat remained undefeated in the preseason after three games. 
     Miami had a 24-17 advantage after the first quarter and were up 54-45 at halftime. San Antonio cut it down to 78-77 after three quarters. The Heat outscored the Spurs 11-5 in the final two minutes of the contest. 
     Max Strus collected a game-high 28 points for Miami while Tyler Herro added 26 points. Keldon Johnson put up a team-high 23 points for San Antonio. 

Aleksander Barkov Signs Contract Extension

     The Florida Panthers have signed center Aleksander Barkov to a contract extension. It is an eight-year deal worth $80 million and will last through the 2029-30 season. 
     Barkov, the current Selke Trophy winner and Panthers captain, was drafted by the team second overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. He has played with Florida for the past eight seasons.
     He has compiled 181 goals and 284 assists for the Panthers in 529 regular season games. Barkov has led the team to three postseason appearances which includes getting into the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the previous two seasons. He is second all-time in Florida Panthers franchise history in goals, assists and points. Barkov is first in team history with a plus/minus of +44. 

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Heat Blast Rockets

     The Miami Heat upended the Houston Rockets 113-106 at Toyota Center on Thursday night.  It was the second preseason contest for Miami. The Heat continue their preseason road trip on Friday at the San Antonio Spurs. 
     Miami got out to a 34-26 lead after one quarter and stayed ahead 62-48 at halftime. Houston could not keep up and trailed 91-70 at the end of the three quarters. The Rockets were able to cut the deficit down to five points 109-104 with 1:11 left in the fourth. 
     Tyler Herro fell short of a double-double for the Heat with 24 points and nine rebounds. Duncan Robinson dropped in 20 points while Bam Adebayo added 15 points. Jalen Green had a team-high 20 points for Houston.

Lightning Cover Panthers

     The Tampa Bay Lightning triumphed over the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Thursday night at Amalie Arena. The Panthers lost their first preseason contest after winning their opening five games. Both clubs will conclude the preseason schedule against each other on Saturday night in Sunrise.
     There was no scoring in the first period by both clubs. Anthony Cirelli gave the Bolts a 1-0 lead at the 3:25 mark of the second. 
     Florida evened it up 1-1 at 9:49 of the second period. Joe Thornton scored his first goal in a Panthers uniform. 
     Tampa Bay capped the frame to make it 3-1. Lightning newcomer Corey Perry put in goals with 9:39 left and 2:24 remaining. 
     The Lightning extended their lead to 5-1 during the third period. Steven Stamkos found the net with two power-play goals 20 seconds and 46 seconds into the third. 
     The Panthers cut the deficit to 5-2 with 7:41 to go. Owen Tippett compiled his third goal of the preseason. Pat Maroon wrapped it up for Tampa Bay on a tally with 1:12 left. 

West Palm Beach Ratings September 2021

     The ratings were issued for sports talk format radio stations in the West Palm Beach region. The time span went from the third week of August until the second week of September. 
     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM stayed at a 0.3 in the period. The New York Yankees went through a stretch losing 15 of 23 games and battled to stay in the American League wild-card race. Florida Atlantic University football returned to their airwaves. 
     Sports Talk 1230 The Zone WBZT-FM remained at a 0.0 for the month and the 18th time in the last 19 months. It will be the final complete month that the radio station simulcasts Jeff DeForrest in morning drive. The Miami Marlins were just about eliminated from getting into the postseason. 

Florida Panthers Television Announcers

     The Florida Panthers will return the same on-air talent on their telecasts for the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. Bally Sports Florida has the local television broadcast rights for their games. They will broadcast 74 regular season contests this season. 
     Steve Goldstein will be back as the television voice of the club. He has been been the Panthers television play-by-play announcer since October 2007. Goldstein previously held the posts of radio studio host from 1997 until 2004 and radio play-by-play announcer from 2004 to 2007. 
     Randy Moller will be in his third season as the television game analyst. He did television work as a studio analyst and rinkside reporter for Fox Sports Florida from 2015 to 2019. Moller was the Florida Panthers radio play-by-play announcer from 2007-08 to 2014-15 and prior to that was the Panthers radio analyst from 1996-97 to 2006-07. 
     Craig Minervini and Jessica Blaylock will share hosting duties on Florida Panthers telecasts. Minervini first became the Panthers studio host in the 2003-04 season. Blaylock joined the Panthers broadcast team in 2015. 
     Katie Gaus will work as a rinkside reporter and digital reporter. She will begin her third season with the club. 
     Former Florida Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski and one-time NHL defenseman Jeff Chychrun will share the studio analyst role for Florida Panthers televised games. They are both entering their third NHL campaigns.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Florida Panthers Radio Announcers

     The Florida Panthers Radio Network have their radio announcers in place for the 2021-22 season. The entire radio broadcasting crew is familiar to the South Florida audience. 
     Doug Plagens returns to the microphone for his seventh season as the Panthers radio voice. Only Randy Moller and Chris Moore have announced radio play-by-play of the club more than him. Plagens is seven regular season games behind Moore, who announced 460 regular season contests. 
     Former Florida Panthers left wing Bill Lindsay is also back as game analyst for all their home games for the seventh straight season. He had a previous stint on the Florida Panthers Radio Network in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
     Kevin Rogers will be their studio host for their radio broadcasts. It is his second stint at the position. He held it from September 2010 until April 2014 and from November 2015 to the present time. 
     The Florida Panthers Radio Network will consist of several radio stations. 560 The Joe WQAM-AM in Miami will again be the flagship station. They have been the flagship station of the Florida Panthers Radio Network since September 2010. The two other radio stations on the network are Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM in West Palm Beach and Thunder Country 100.3 WCTH-FM in the Florida Keys. 

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Panthers Fight Off Lightning In Orlando

     The Florida Panthers pushed by the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 at Amway Center in Orlando on Tuesday night in a preseason contest. Both teams will meet three times in a five-day period. 
     Florida took a 1-0 lead at the 5:30 mark of the first period. Frank Vatrano got his fourth goal on the preseason on assists from Mason Marchment and Aaron Ekblad. 
     In the second period, Tampa Bay evened it up with 3:20 left. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare lifted a wrist shot from low left circle over the left shoulder of Spencer Knight. Pat Maroon was credited with an assist on the play. 
     The Panthers regained the lead at 2:23 of the third period.  Owen Tippett stole the puck at the red line, skated in on a breakaway and snapped a shot by Andrei Vasilevskiy. 
     The Cats added another tally for a 3-1 lead at 9:12 of the third. Tippett collected his second goal of the contest with assists going to Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett. 
     The Lightning added an extra attacker and scored on the power play with 1:15 remaining. Mikhail Sergachev blasted a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone on a feed by Taylor Raddysh from the top left circle. 

Cody Parkey Inks With Saints

     Cody Parkey has signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints. Parkey once played high school football with the Jupiter Warriors and went on to attend Auburn University. 
     He was recently with the Cleveland Browns. Parkey had numerous stints in his seven-season NFL career which included stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears Tennessee Titans and two stints with the Cleveland Browns. 

Miami Ratings September 2021

     The ratings were released for Miami/Fort Lauderdale sports talk format radio stations. The time span went from the third week of August to the second week of September.      
     560 The Joe WQAM-AM remained at a 0.7 in the month. The Miami Dolphins regular season began while the University of Miami Hurricanes football team started off badly losing two of their first three games. WQAM replaced ESPN Radio after two years on their airwaves with CBS Sports Radio. It aired during the weekday midday shift with Jim Rome, evenings, overnights and weekends. Alex Donno returned to WQAM as a Miami Dolphins postgame studio host. 
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM rose from a 0.6 to a 0.7 in the period. They continue to be the flagship radio station of the Miami Heat. Mike Ingles announced his retirement as the radio play-by-play announcer of the Miami Heat after 23 seasons and was replaced by Jason Jackson. 
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM moved up from at a 0.1 to a 0.2. It was the final complete month for Miami Sports 940 with all the tremendous drastic changes at that radio station. They were about to implement their new brand Fox Sports 940 Miami. In addition, it was the last complete period for Jeff DeForrest on the morning show and The Greek in the mid-afternoon shift. The Miami Marlins were almost eliminated from postseason contention. 

Dolphins Trade Jakeem Grant

     The Miami Dolphins have traded wide receiver Jakeem Grant to the Chicago Bears. The Dolphins will receive back a 2023 sixth-round draft pick. 
     Grant has played in 70 games for Miami during the past six seasons. He had 91 pass receptions for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns.  

Heat Open Preseason Over Hawks

     The Miami Heat opened up the 2021-22 preseason schedule with a 125-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena on Monday night. Kyle Lowry made his playing debut with the club. 
     Miami had a 33-32 edge after one quarter and were up 74-58 at halftime. The Heat outscored Atlanta in the third and fourth qaurters. 
     Tyler Herro led the Heat with 26 points in 26 minutes of play. Bam Adebayo and Max Strus both had 14 points each. Lowry contributed five points and seven assists in 14 minutes. Trae Young, John Collins and Danilo Gallinari all scored 14 points each for the Hawks. 

Monday, October 4, 2021

Marlins 2022 MLB Draft Order

     The 2021 regular season ended on Sunday. Regular season records from worst to the best determined the draft order of all 30 clubs in the first round for the upcoming 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.
     The Miami Marlins finished with a 67-95 for the 2021 campaign for the sixth worst record in the majors. They will have the sixth overall selection in the first round of the MLB Draft next year. 

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Portland Timbers Topple Inter Miami CF

     The Portland Timbers pushed by Inter Miami CF 1-0 on Sunday at Providence Park. It was the first time that Inter Miami CF played in a contest on the west coast since their Major League Soccer franchise regular season debut at Los Angeles Football Club on March 1, 2020.
     Inter Miami CF have lost four straight games and been outscored 11-1 in those contests. They have been held scoreless in three of their last four games. 
     Portland got the only goal during the second half. Jaroslaw Niezgoda scored on a header from close range into the bottom right corner of the cage in the 83rd minute. 

Marlins Win Season Finale Over Phillies

     The Miami Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 in their home finale at loanDepot park on Sunday. The Marlins completed the 2021 season with a losing record for the 11th time in the last 12 years. The exception was last year when they reached the expanded postseason with a National League wild-card spot. 
     Miami(67-95) charged out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. EddyAlvarez tripled to deep right field for Brian Miller to score. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a base hit into center field and Alvarez reached home. 
     Philadelphia(82-80) responded quickly in the top of the second. Freddy Galvis belted a solo home run to right field on a 1-2 pitch for his 14th homer of the year. 
     The Fish reclaimed a two-run margin in the bottom of the second. Steve Okert grounded into a double play and Nick Cortes crossed the plate. 
     The Phillies tied the contest 3-3 in the third inning. Andrew McCutchen pounded a two-run homer to left field on a 0-2 count with Bryce Harper aboard. It was the 27th home run of the season for McCutchen. 
     The Marlins moved ahead once again in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-4. Fortes smacked a two-run home run to left-center field on a 1-1 pitch. Deven Marrero was on base and scored in front of him on the play. It was the fourth career homer for Fortes. 
     In the eighth inning, Philadelphia cut it to 5-4. Brad Miller knocked in Travis Jankowski on a single into left field. 

Colts Run By Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins lost to the Indianapolis Colts 27-17 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins starting quarterback and Dwyer High School grad Jacoby Brissett faced his former team. 

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Canadiens Claim Sam Montembeault

     The Montreal Canadiens have claimed goalie Sam Montembeault off waivers from the Florida Panthers. The Panthers also placed forward Zac Dalpe and defenseman Noah Juulsen on the waiver wire, however they were not claimed by any National Hockey League club. 
     Montembeault was taken in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with Florida during the 2018-19 season. He had a 9-8-3 record with the team over two seasons and participated in 25 games. Montembeault helped the Cats reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2019-20. He did not play in one contest last season with the Panthers and spent the entire campaign with Syracuse in the American Hockey League. 

Panthers Make Training Camp Cuts

     The Florida Panthers made several player cuts to their 2021-22 training camp roster. The number of players now left on the Panthers roster is 31. 
     The Panthers listed forwards Serron Noel, Cole Schwindt, Grigori Denisenko, Aleksi Heponiemi, Karch Bachman, Henry Bowlby, Logan Hutsko and Justin Nachbaur. They also included defenseman Max Gildon and goalie Evan Fitzpatrick. Most of them are expected to be assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate in Charlotte. 

Marlins Sail By Phillies

     The Miami Marlins got a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night at loanDepot park. Both teams will play their final game of the regular season on Sunday. 
     Miami(66-95) picked up all their runs during the bottom of the third. Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a three-run homer to right field on a 1-0 pitch for his 18th home run of the campaign. Jesus Lozardo and Miguel Rojas scored in front of him on the play.  
     In the fifth inning, Philadelphia(82-79) scored their only run in the contest. Matt Vierling singled into left field and Freddy Glavis crossed the plate. 

Friday, October 1, 2021

American Heritage Gets By Cardinal Gibbons

     Two current FHSAA state champions and former district rivals faced each other on Friday night. The defending Class 5A state champion American Heritage Patriots edged the defending Class 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs 23-20 at Dr. Bud Tight Field. 
     American Heritage(2-2) started the scoring during the second quarter with a Julian Ramirez field goal. They extended it to 10-0 with 3:34 to go in the second when running back Mark Fletcher blasted up the middle from one yard away. 
     Cardinal Gibbons(4-1) put up some points prior to the end of the first half and were down 10-3. Adrien Alfieri was able to nail a 26-yard field goal. 
     The Pats got a 32-yard field goal from Ramirez with 2:44 left the third quarter. The Chiefs closed it to 13-10 just 18 seconds later as running back Kamari Moulton rushed through the left side of the line and sprinted into the end zone from 67 yards out. 
     The Patriots answered back 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. Fletcher busted in on a five-yard touchdown off-left tackle for a 20-10 advantage. 
     Cardinal Gibbons took a chance on a 4th-and-goal at the one-yard line and were successful. Moulton went around the left end to score with 7:28 left in fourth and they trailed 20-17. 
     The Chiefs drove the ball deep into Patriots territory on their next possession. It resulted in an Alfieri 20-yard field goal with 5:33 to go and they evened it up 20-20. 
     American Heritage would end up scoring last in the game. Ramirez was able to kick a 42-yard field goal in the final seconds the fourth quarter. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Routs Cooper City

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders wiped out the Cooper City Cowboys 69-0 at Brian Piccolo Stadium on Friday night. Former St. Thomas Aquinas head coach and athletic director George Smith was honored. Smith ended his coaching career after the 2010 season with six FHSAA state football championships and he retired from the school back in March. 
     This game renewed a local rivalry between both Broward County schools. St. Thomas Aquinas(5-1) has won a district championship almost every year since 1997. The only exception was when Cooper City(2-4) went on the road and upset the Raiders 21-16 for the district title on November 4, 2011.