Avalanche Bury Panthers

     The Colorado Avalanche rolled over by the Florida Panthers x-x at Ball Arena on Thursday night. The Panthers continued their four-game road trip. It is the 30th anniversary season of both teams meeting each other in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. The Avalanche have the best record in the National Hockey League. 

      Colorado(22-2-7) exploded out to a 1-0 lead at the 1:14 mark of the first period. Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck into the Panthers zone and left the puck on the left wing. Martin Necas zipped a cross-ice pass from the top left circle and Sam Malinski took a wrist shot from above the right circle for his third tally of the campaign. 

      Florida(15-13-2) tied it up 1-1 at 7:21. Seth Jones poked the puck ahead from his own zone. Noah Gregor carried down the left side and placed in a wrist shot from the low left circle past Mackenzie Blackwood for his first goal in a Panthers uniform. 

      The Avs regained the lead 2-1 with 1:30 remaining in the first. Cale Makar fired a slap shot from the top of the zone which was saved by Daniil Tarasov. Brock Nelson muscled in a backhand shot from the top of the crease for his 12th goal this season. 

       In the second period, the Avalanche expanded their lead to 3-1 at 5:05. Brent Burns shot the puck from the inner left circle and it was saved. Gavin Brindley swept in a backhand shot from the crease area for his fifth goal in 2025-26. Josh Manson was credited with a secondary assist on the sequence. 

       It became 4-1 for Colorado at the 7:18 mark of the second. Samuel Girard angled a pass from above the left circle and MacKinnon scored his NHL-leading 25th goal of the season on a wrist shot from the top of the zone. 

       The Avalanche increased their lead to 5-1 with 7:29 remaining in the second. Devon Toews pushed the puck ahead and Brindley sent a long lead pass from his own blue line. Artturi Lehkonen came in alone on a breakaway and released a forehand shot from the slot area for his 12th goal this season. 

       Colorado kept their momentum in the third period and made it 6-1 at 6:18. Manson shot the puck from the top right circle and it was stopped. Gabriel Landeskog flipped the puck into the cage from the top of the crease for his sixth goal this year.

2025 MLB Rule 5 Draft

     The 2025 Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft was held in on Wednesday in Orlando. The Miami Marlins passed and did not make a selection in the 12th spot. 

     The Marlins did lose two minor league pitchers during the draft. The St. Louis Cardinals selected Matt Pushard in the 11th position while the Philadelphia Phillies took Zach McCambley in the 29th position. 

Derick Brassard Playing Hockey Again

     Former Florida Panthers center Derick Brassard has returned to participate in hockey and signed a contract with Geneve-Servette of the National League in Switzerland. He retired from professional hockey in June 2024.

     Brassard was acquired by Florida from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the middle of the 2018-19 campaign. He had one goal and three assists for four points in 10 games with the Panthers. His 24-day stint with the club ended when he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche. 

Bolles Loses To Cardinal Mooney For 2A Title

     The Bolles Bulldogs fell to the Cardinal Mooney Cougars 52-28 in the FHSAA Class 2A state championship on Wednesday night on South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the FIU campus. It was the first of seven state title games to be played at that venue this week. 

     The Cougars won their third FHSAA state championship with the victory. It was their second state title in the last three seasons. 

     The Bulldogs were looking to capture their first state championship since 2011 and their 12th overall state title in school history. They stand second all-time in FHSAA football titles behind St. Thomas Aquinas. Bolles running back Xavier Edwards, who scored 44 rushing touchdowns this year, was held to 92 rushing yards. 

     Cardinal Mooney(14-1) jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter. Quarterback Davin Davidson fired a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bo Odaniel on the left side. 

      Bolles(13-2) responded on their first possession and tied it up 7-7 with 5:56 to go in the first. Quarterback Jaden Weatherly connected a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Naeem Burroughs in the middle of the field. 

      The Cougars reclaimed the lead 13-7 with 3:08 remaining in the opening quarter. Running back Connail Jackson rushed up the middle from three yards away. The extra point block and they had a six-point margin. 

      In the second quarter, Cardinal Mooney expanded their lead to 20-7 at 5:17. Odaniel caught a 16-yard touchdown on the left side of the end zone from quarterback Devin Mignery. 

      It became 27-7 for the Cougars with 18 seconds left in the second. Jackson sprinted through the middle of the line from eight yards out for the score. 

      The Bulldogs scored on their first drive in the second half and closed it to 27-14 at the 8:18 mark of the third quarter. Weatherly tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Burroughs on the left side of the end zone. 

      The Cougars answered back quickly with 5:28 remaining in the third and took a 34-14 lead. Jackson plunged in from one yard away for a touchdown. 

      Bolles pulled off a fake punt on a 4th-and-18 from their own 29-yard line. The up man Simeon Caldwell took the snap and ran down the left hash marks for a 71-yard touchdown and the Bulldogs trailed 34-21 with 1:35 to go in the third. 

      Cardinal Mooney increased it to 40-21 on the first play of the fourth quarter at 11:55. Davidson released a 24-yard touchdown pass to Odaniel in the front left corner of the end zone. It was Odaniel's third touchdown catch of the game. They failed on a two-point conversion pass. 

      Weatherly threw an interception on the second play of the Bulldogs next possession and defensive back Laron Foye returned it to the Bolles five-yard line. It was the first turnover of the contest by either team. 

      The Cougars marched into the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run by Jackson up the middle on the first play of the drive at the 10:55 mark of the fourth for a 46-21 advantage. It was the fourth rushing touchdown for Jackson in the game.

      Bolles cut the deficit to 46-28 with 4:17 remaining in the fourth. Burroughs caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Weatherly on the front left side of the end zone. It was the third touchdown catch of the contest and the 15th touchdown reception for Burroughs this season. 

      Cardinal Mooney struck back again on the second play of their next possession to make it 52-28 with 3:16 left in the final quarter. Mignery faked an option and rushed up the middle 54 yards for the score. 

No Television Of FHSAA Football Finals

     The FHSAA Football Finals from Miami will not be broadcast on television for the second straight year. The state championship games will begin tonight through Saturday night. There will be seven state title contests this week played on South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the Florida International University campus. 

     There will again be an exclusive internet stream. The NFHS Network will carry all seven state championship games. 

     There was once a history of the FHSAA Football Finals on television. Comcast Sports Southeast had the telecasts in 2013 followed by Bright House Sports Network in 2014 and 2015. Spectrum Sports had the television rights from 2016 until 2022. Bally Sports Florida and Bally Sports Sun carried the FHSAA state championship games in 2023. 

Panthers Surge By Mammoth

     The Florida Panthers got by the Utah Mammoth 4-3 at Delta Center on Wednesday. The Panthers played for the second time in Utah. The Cats begin a road trip in which they will play four games in three different time zones over six days. 

     Utah(14-15-3) took a 1-0 lead with 8:37 to go in the opening period. Dylan Guenther went on a breakaway and snapped a shot from the high slot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his 15th goal of the season. 

     Florida(15-12-2) evened it up 1-1 with 42.2 seconds left in the first. Aaron Ekblad sent a diagonal pass from the right wing and Carter Verhaeghe tapped it in from the left of the crease by Karel Vejmelka for his ninth goal in 2025-26. 

     In the second period, the Panthers leaped to a 2-0 lead at 1:40. Sam Bennett snapped a shot from the top left circle. Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola were credited with assists on the play.

     It would become a 3-1 lead for the Cats at the 3:24 mark. Verhaeghe intercepted a pass in the middle of the Utah zone. He made a square pass from the right inner circle and Bennett placed in a wrist shot from low slot for his second tally of the contest and his ninth goal this season. 

     The Mammoth scored two goals to tie it up 3-3. Guenther scored on a backhand shot from the top of the crease at 3:37 and Jack McBain put in a backhand shot from the crease area with 5:23 remaining in the second. 

     The Panthers moved ahead 4-3 with 50.8 seconds to go in the third period. Sam Reinhart passed the puck from the right wing and it was deflected by Eetu Luostarinen on the right goal line. Anton Lundell collected his eighth goal of the season when he scored on a forehand shot from the top of the crease. 

2026 MLB Draft Lottery

     The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft Lottery was held in Orlando on Tuesday. The Miami Marlins had the 14th best chance to get the first overall selection at 11.5%. They ended with the 14th overall pick. 

     The top selection for the 2026 MLB Draft went to the Chicago White Sox. The last time the White Sox had the first overall pick was in 1977 when they selected future Baseball Hall of Fame player Harold Baines.