North Carolina

Keller’s 2nd of game in OT gives Coyotes 5-4 win over Wild :: WRALSportsFan.com

Published

2 years ago

March 13, 2023

Keller’s 2nd of game in OT gives Coyotes 5-4 win over Wild :: WRALSportsFan.com

By JACK THOMPSON, Related Press

TEMPE, Ariz. — TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Clayton Keller’s second objective of the sport at 4:09 of time beyond regulation lifted the Arizona Coyotes to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday evening.

Barrett Hayton had two targets and an help for Arizona. Keller’s pair gave him a team-high 29 for the season and Brett Ritchie scored his eighth — and second in three video games since being acquired from Calgary in a commerce involving his brother Nick. Ritchie additionally had two assists. Karel Vejmelka had 30 saves.

Minnesota tied its franchise file factors streak at 13 video games (10-0-3). The Wild matched the workforce mark (12-0-1) set from Dec. 2-29, 2016. However the Wild trails Dallas by one level (85-84) within the Central Division.

The Coyotes (4-0-1) have their very own factors streak going, transferring to 5 video games with the win Sunday. That began after a loss to Carolina on March 3 — the day of the buying and selling deadline which noticed Arizona unload a number of veterans together with Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere and Nick Bjugstad.

“Now we have good management,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny mentioned of his gamers. “They had been old style hockey there. There was some battle, some toughness, quite a lot of emotion. Our guys pushed again a lot, I’m actually pleased with them. We obtained down within the sport and we discovered our means again, we fought till the top.

“The boys wish to battle for one another. They don’t wish to simply cease. We all know we’re rebuilding; we all know the scenario. However that doesn’t change us. We present up with a goal.”

Keller agreed. “We traded quite a lot of guys away and have had high quality guys are available in and guys from (minor league affiliate) Tucson step up and assist us out,” he mentioned.

Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Reaves, Matt Boldy and Connor Dewar had targets for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson completed with 18 saves.

“We had been slightly unfastened (the final two video games) defensively and we have to dial it again in,” Wild coach Dean Evason mentioned. “They performed laborious, we performed laborious, there was quite a lot of agency hockey. They caught slightly bounce on the finish and we did not.”

The Wild performed their second sport with out injured Kirill Kaprizov, who went out Wednesday in opposition to Winnipeg with a lower-body harm and will miss the remainder of the common season. Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 39 targets.

It was a bodily sport from the start — there have been 4 fights, with the principle occasion coming halfway by the third interval when Minnesota’s Jake Middleton and Arizona’s Lawson Crouse traded a number of punches. That battle was prompted when the Coyotes’ Jack McBain knocked down Mats Zuccarello.

A frenetic first interval featured two targets from Hayton, two fights and a uncommon Reaves objective.

Hayton began the scoring early, beating Gustavsson on a wrist shot from the slot 1:28 into the sport.

Reaves and Arizona’s Bokondji Imama dropped the gloves at 2:59, however the battle consisted largely of posturing and slightly wrestling. They nonetheless obtained 5 minutes every. The second battle at 4:28. featured Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno and the Coyotes’ Liam O’Brien.

The Wild tied it at 5:32 on Zucccarello’s twenty second objective of the season.

Hayton scored his second of the evening, and thirteenth of the season, on the facility play 24 seconds after Frederick Gaudreau was penalized for tripping.

Nevertheless, Reaves — parked in entrance of Vejmelka — scored his second of the season at 18:35.

Boldy broke in alone on Vejmelka and scored his nineteenth 1:50 into the second interval to offer the Wild their first lead at 3-2.

And the third battle of the evening broke out lower than 5 minutes into that interval when Minnesota’s Mason Shaw and Arizona’s Connor Mackey squared off.

Dewar scored with 5:01 left within the second earlier than Ritchie reduce it to 4-3 with 1:12 left within the interval.

After the raucous exercise of the center of the interval, Arizona tied it up on Keller’s objective with 7:54 left.

ICE CHIPS

Foligno went to the locker room early within the third interval with what seemed to be a lower-body harm. He was gradual to get to his toes, went slowly off the ice and slammed his stick in opposition to the boards on the best way off. He didn’t return. … Coyotes forwards Nick Schmaltz and Christian Fischer had been each out with decrease physique accidents. … Zuccarello’s objective tied him for second on the Wild with Joel Erikkson Ek with 22.

Wild: At St. Louis on Wednesday evening.

Coyotes: Host Calgary on Tuesday evening. ___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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North Carolina

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

Published

4 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels have made strong moves in the transfer portal this offseason, but the program missed out on a key contributor on Saturday when cornerback Thaddeus Dixon pledged to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Ole Miss was in the race late for Dixon, but a deciding factor in his decision to join the Tar Heels may have boiled down to Carolina’s hiring of former Washington assistant Armond Hawkins as defensive backs coach. Dixon is a transfer from the Washington Huskies, so familiarity in his new home likely played a role.

BREAKING: Washinton transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has committed to North Carolina, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🐏https://t.co/pcXs7hjbOS pic.twitter.com/6g5D02NC7V
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 18, 2025

READ MORE: Will Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons Continue Playing Baseball in 2025?

So, where do the Rebels go from here? Ole Miss has already gained some key pieces in its secondary out of the transfer portal (including CB Jaylon Braxton of Arkansas), but Lane Kiffin’s team will probably still be seeking some help in the defensive backfield as the transfer portal continues to move.

According to On3’s current transfer portal class rankings, Ole Miss has the third-best haul in the country, behind Texas Tech and Missouri. The Rebels have seen 23 players transfer into the program so far this offseason, and that number could continue to grow between now and kickoff of the 2025 season.

Ole Miss opens its 2025 campaign on Aug. 30 at home against Georgia State.

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North Carolina

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

Published

12 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

In a postseason recruitment that was raw and revealing at times, where decorated cornerback Thaddeus Dixon suggested in social media postings that University of Washington football fans wanted him to come back more than the coaches, apparently received all the assurances he needed at North Carolina.

On Saturday, the senior defensive back from Long Beach, California, told On3 he would join the Tar Heels for his final season of college football, adding to a growing list of one-time UW players and coaches headed to Chapel Hill.

So far, the departing group includes linebacker Khmori House, safety Peyton Waters, wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr., defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and defensive analyst Armond Hawkins, all moving from Montlake to the ACC.

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound Dixon would have given the Huskies three highly accredited corners, joining fellow UW starter Ephesians Prysock and Arizona transfer Tacario Davis, to fill out a secondary that could have had few equals this coming season, and still might.

BREAKING: Washington star transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has Committed to North Carolina, he tells @on3sports
The 6’1 195 CB totaled 69 Tackles, 16 PD, 1 FF, & 2 INT in 2 seasons with the Huskies
Ranked as a Top 10 Player in the Portal (No. 2 CB) per On3https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/bePHJU7wP7
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2025

Dixon reportedly took recruiting visits to Mississippi and North Carolina, and fielded overtures from Michigan, before settling on the Tar Heels.

The disconnect for Dixon appeared to show up when the Huskies landed a portal commitment from the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Davis, a second-team All-Big 12 pick this past season, presumably to take his vacated spot.

The 6-foot-4, 193-pound Prysock and Davis teamed together at Arizona in 2023, with both earning All-Pac-12 honorable-mention accolades.

Dixon originally was supposed to run out of college eligibility when the season ended, hence the Huskies went looking for cornerback help, but the NCAA gave the veteran an extra year when it changed the rules governing players with junior-college backgrounds. He came to the UW from Long Beach Community College.

One of the Huskies’ top individual success stories this past season, Dixon went from a back-up player in 2023 to unseat returning starter Elijah Jackson, who opened all 15 games for the national runner-up team.

Thaddeus Dixon soaks up the moment after an Apple Cup interception. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Moving into the lineup, Dixon started 12 of 13 games and received All-Big Ten honorable-mention honors for Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff. He had a team-best 10 pass break-ups, an Apple Cup interception and several textbook tackles in the open field. He’s easily made himself into an NFL prospect.

With three accomplished cornerbacks, the Huskies could have picked two starters and put the odd man out at nickelback.

Dixon clearly wasn’t going to go that route at the UW, likely figuring his past performance should have provided him with more cornerback guarantees.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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North Carolina

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Published

20 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Bill Belichick’s girlfriend on Thursday seemingly shut down any talk of her boyfriend leaving the North Carolina Tar Heels football program for a job in the NFL.

Jordon Hudson responded to rumors that suggested Belichick had one foot out the door when it came to his Tar Heels gig. Belichick had been rumored to be interest in coaching the Dallas Cowboys, but the head coaching job wasn’t open until he had already committed to North Carolina. CBS Sports reported that Belichick didn’t sign his contract with the school.

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Oct. 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey: Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson enter the field before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

She posted a photo on her Instagram showing the two posing with a football and Belichick dressed in Carolina blue.

“Pictured: two people who are overtly committed to @uncfootball,” she wrote as the caption.

Michael Lombardi, who is the general manager of the North Carolina football program, also threw cold water on the rumors of Belichick jumping back to the pros.

EX-NFL COACH JON GRUDEN RIPS STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS

Dec. 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC: Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of Bill Belichick, in attendance at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

“Bill is recruiting in DC today, and Baltimore tomorrow. His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isnt a option so please stop making it one. Thank you,” he wrote on X in response to the CBS Sports report.

“The reception towards UNC and Coach Belichick has been amazing from every school we visit. We are going to fight to keep North Carolina players here and bring the best to Chapel Hill,” he added.

Belichick was hired as the Tar Heels’ coach in December. He called the job a “dream come true.”

Bill Belichick fields questions from media

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

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“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said in his introductory press conference. “It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really a dream come true.”

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