Boston, MA
Bruins Notes: Boston Noticing 'Passion' Revival Under Joe Sacco
The Boston Bruins opened up a new chapter under interim head coach Joe Sacco and while the results are showing, the locker room is feeling a change of direction too.
Boston defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2 in overtime, on Tuesday night for the second time since Sacco took over for Jim Montgomery. Much like their recent trip to Detroit in November, the Bruins were put to the test in terms of their patience, defensive poise and ability to score in a timely fashion.
The Black and Gold passed, needless to say, and credit Sacco’s step up to the helm at the team’s recent click, putting them now at 13-11-3 on the year.
“I think we’re playing with a passion,” Nikita Zadorov told reporters, per team-provided audio. “I think we’re playing with pride. I think we’re playing for each other. I thought we were disconnected before. That’s what wasn’t working. I don’t think we fixed much X’s and O’s. I think it’s the same system, the same game plans. We’re just doing it this time.”
Zadorov added: “If one guy makes mistakes, other guys are gonna clean up for them. So I think that’s the main change from the start of the year.”
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The Bruins were cornered once Detroit’s Lucas Raymond scored his second goal of the night in the third period to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. It might’ve uplifted Detroit’s bench, however, it wasn’t strong enough for a knockout blow to put Boston away for good. Justin Brazeau had a response of his own for the Red Wings, giving the Bruins new life heading into overtime.
Pavel Zacha, at 2:15 into overtime, took care of the night from there with the game-decider.
“Anytime that we can go out there, especially at that point in the game when you’re down a goal, and that power play unit goes out there and puts one in, it lifts the team is what it does,” Sacco said, per team-provided audio. “It helps the spirit on the bench. It lifts people up as opposed to bringing us down so that was a good sign. That was a positive sign.”
It’s only been seven games, but the Bruins are yet to lose on back-to-back occasions under Sacco, racking up a handful of their season’s most impressive wins in the process.
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Here are more notes from Tuesday night’s Bruins-Red Wings game:
— Boston improved to 5-2 under Sacco’s leadership.
— Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who held the Red Wings scoreless in the second period, recorded 27 saves on the night. The 30-year-old has notched 20-plus saves in each of last six starts for Boston.
“He deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s come in and played under tough situations sometimes,” Sacco said, per team-provided audio”Tonight he got the beginning of a back-to-back but sometimes he doesn’t. He may get the end of the back-to-backs and he’s just been really solid for us. Really all you can ask from your goaltender is to give your team a chance to win and he’s done that on most nights.”
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— Zadorov’s first-period goal clocked in at 90.46 miles per hour, according to Bruins Correspondent Shawn Hutcheon, marking the fastest goal from a Boston player this season.
“He was engaged in the game tonight,” Sacco said, per team-provided audio. “He was physical, and he was just defending hard tonight. When he was on the ice, the opposition knew that he was playing.”
— The Red Wings, now 10-11-4, have lost three straight games.
— The Bruins will next hit the road and head to the Windy City for a meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Puck drop from United Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and that matchup will be aired on TNT.
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Boston, MA
Boston College Locks in 2025 Athlete Kaelan Chudzinski
Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Eagles continue to roll through the early signing period for football, locking in yet another talented prospect as a member of the 2025 recruiting class.
3-Star wide receiver/tight end Kaelan Chudzinski officially signed with the Eagles on Wednesday. He committed to Boston College in early November and has been locked in with the Eagles ever since.
Chudzinski, who hails from Needham, Mass., is a big bodied target, standing at 6-foot-4, 210 lbs. with the ability to also play tight end. This season he’s helped guide a St. Sebastian’s Arrows team to a 4-3 record. He uses his big frame to haul in contested catches, and also is a very effective blocker in the run game.
While he lacks the outright speed of some other prospect in this year’s recruiting class and of some of the players already on the roster, Chudzinski plays with a high motor and is a very efficient route runner.
247Sports ranks the talented prospect as the No. 128 tight end in the nation and the No. 12 player in the state of Massachusetts.
As of now, the Eagles hold the No. 50 ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite ranking, but could still be in play to land more talented prospects.
Stay locked into Boston College on SI for all your Eagles news, and check out our Boston College football recruiting tracker to stay up to date on the 2025 class and more.
See Also…
Boston College Men’s Basketball Drops ACC/SEC Challenge to South Carolina
Seven Boston College Football Players Earn All-ACC Honors
Boston, MA
Boston policelooking for man charged with multiple counts in 2023 carnival shooting
A Boston man who was charged last year in connection with a shooting during the city’s Caribbean Carnival celebration is wanted by police.
Gerald Vick, 31, of Dorchester is wanted on a warrant out of Suffolk Superior Court, according to the Boston Police Department. He is charged with eight counts of assault and battery with a firearm, unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of a firearm, and firearm use in the commission of a felony.
The charges are related to an Aug. 26, 2023, shooting near 15 Talbot Ave., police said. There, eight people — six men and two women — suffered gunshot wounds. None of their injuries were life-threatening.
Vick and Dwayne Francis, 30, of Dorchester were arrested. Vick had a, “9mm pistol with a large capacity magazine, equipped with a ‘Glock switch’ that enabled the firearm to fire continuously,” police said. Several other people were charged in connection with the gunfight.
Vick has pleaded not guilty to his charges, according to The Boston Globe. Since he was arrested he was released on $6,000 cash bail and was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.
But, that bracelet stopped functioning around 1:04 a.m. Monday, the Globe reported. Vick also didn’t show up to his 9 a.m. trial that day in violation of his pre-trial release conditions. This prompted the police to release a fugitive warrant.
- Read More: Several arrests made in connection with shooting at Boston Caribbean Carnival
Vick has an additional default warrant out of Suffolk Superior Court for firearm-related offenses, police said.
Vick is a Black man about 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 155 pounds and he has several tattoos, police said. He might have ties to Taunton.
Police encourage anyone who comes in contact with him to call them. Anyone with information about Vick should contact detectives at 617-343-4712.
“Community members wishing to assist in this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 800-494-TIPS (8477) or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463),” police said. “The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.”
Boston, MA
Celtics player grades vs. Miami Heat
When Miami started the game on a 7-0 run, I thought it was going to be one of those games where Boston was going to have to grind to find a way to win. Coming off of a back-to-back, a dogfight is the last game these players needed. Then the Celtics went on a 14-2 run to establish control and outscored Miami 60-45 in the first half with 10 threes, and 15 assists on 21 field goals.
My ratings which are based on my expectations will range from A-F with C being considered an “average” game for that individual player. There’s no +/-, just the letter.
Jaylen Brown: A
Season stats: 24.7 ppg, 6.3 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.4 blk
Tonight: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Jaylen was aggressive from tip-off. Although his shot didn’t fall right away, he made it a point of emphasis to get to the paint and get to the free throw line.
It’s one thing to get to the free throw line, it’s another to make them. Brown this season and in the past has had his issues at the charity stripe, but on Monday he drained 9 of his 10 free throws.
Brown had 16 first-half points to pace Boston and finished the second half strong with another 13 points. He had a big three early in the third quarter to snap Miami’s 7-0 start which put the Heat back in their place.
Derrick White: A
Season stats: 18.3 ppg, 4.7 reb, 4.4 ast, 0.8 stl, 1.1 blk
Tonight: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
With Jrue Holiday out, White was the primary ball handler. White did a great job of moving the ball registering three assists in the first six minutes of the game and seven first-half dimes.
White has been Mr. Consistent all season because you know what you’re going to get from him on a night-in, night-out basis. On a night without Porzingis, Holiday, and Horford, he was going to have to step up his playmaking ability and he did that while maintaining his defensive intensity.
In the fourth quarter, Derrick just destroyed any hope of Miami coming back with back-to-back threes. I hope his pockets are always filled with threes.
Jayson Tatum: C
Season stats: 28.9 ppg, 8.5 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.4 stl, 0.6 blk,
Tonight: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steals, 0 blocks.
I was close to giving Jayson a D for his performance but with his shot not falling, he was able to find a way to make an impact by crashing the glass. Finishing the game with a double-double with 11 rebounds and 18 points.
During the game, Tatum struggled from three and instead of trying to attack the paint, he continued to shoot threes which didn’t help. Also, six turnovers are way too much for your superstar. But I still think he played well on defense to justify an average game.
Jordan Walsh: C
Season stats: 1.5 pg, 0.9 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.3 stl, 0.4 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The second-year player out of Arkansas got his second career start. Walsh struggled at times to keep his defender in front of him and didn’t give Boston much on the offensive end. Still great experience and more reps under the belt and his athleticism will always help him find minutes on the floor but wasn’t that great of a night for Walsh.
Luke Kornet: A
Season stats: 4.1 ppg, 4.1 reb, 1.5 ast, 0.5 stl, 0.9 blk
Tonight: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 6 blocks
Luke started the game strong, scoring the team’s first four points with a dunk and a post move against Bam Adebayo. Then Kornet went into DPOY type of energy finishing the game with six blocks. His sixth block led to a Jayson Tatum three which brought the fans out of their seats. Overall, it was a great game for Luke who needed to play well with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis out.
Payton Pritchard: A
Season stats: 16 ppg, 3 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.1 blk
Tonight: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
I’m starting to run out of words to praise Pritchard. Checked into the game and scored 10 quick points on 4-of-5 shooting, he’s established himself as a certified bucket in the league. He became the first Celtics player to score 20+ points in four straight games off the bench since Isaiah Thomas in 2015.
Of course, he secured another buzzer beater to add to his resume to close the third quarter getting into his bag before hitting a lefty layup.
Neemias Queta: C
Season stats: 6.4 ppg, 5.2 reb, 0.8 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.9 blk
Tonight: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks
Struggled with foul trouble early but did a great job attacking the boards. Was expecting a bigger night from him offensively with KP and Horford out, but didn’t have much to offer. Still a solid game from the Portuguese man.
Xavier Tillman Sr.: D
Season stats: 1.4 ppg, 2.2 reb, 0.5 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.2 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The X-man didn’t make as much of an impact as others. Played hard on defense but stood out. I still believe he’ll make an impact later in the season/postseason but for today’s performance think he was a bit below average.
Drew Peterson: B
Season stats: 2 ppg, 1.2 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.5 stl 0.5 blk
Tonight: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks
After a solid performance against the Cavs, Peterson did his job tonight. Was very active on both ends of the floor. Peterson showed his range with a corner three in the fourth quarter but used his 6’9 height to snag seven rebounds.
I liked his stare down at Miami’s bench after burying a three in front of them.
Baylor Scheierman: C
Season stats: 1 ppg, 1.5 reb, 0.2 ast, 0 stl 0 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The rookie played solid on-ball defense when guarding Jaime Jaquez Jr. Had a beautiful assist to Jaylen Brown for a corner three when he found himself stuck in the paint. Other than that, didn’t do too much to stick out, but like Walsh, these minutes are valuable to his development.
JD Davison & Jaden Springer: N/A
Not enough time for either to make an impact, but Springer did have a nice steal late in the quarter.
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