Arizona
‘Loose’ Arizona Coyotes start slow, can’t catch up to Vegas Golden Knights
Although the Arizona Coyotes made it interesting in the end, the first six minutes on Thursday night became the determining factor.
Coming off a 12-day break that combined the All-Star break and bye week, the Coyotes were rusty and surrendered three quick goals to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Clayton Keller helped the Coyotes rally later in the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Coyotes (23-23-3) lost 3-2 at Mullett Arena.
The Golden Knights came in riding the high after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Tuesday, ending the Oilers’ 16-game winning streak. The Coyotes hadn’t seen action since a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 27.
“Having a stretch off like that, we got to be more dialed in. A team like Vegas having a game on Tuesday, they’re sharp there,” center Barrett Hayton said. “That game on Tuesday was a big game and we just got to be more prepared and focus on the details more. We were a little loose. We did a pretty good job responding and getting momentum back and digging in, but we can’t afford a start like that against a team like that.
Down early
The time off didn’t go in goaltender Connor Ingram’s favor as he surrendered three goals on six shots. Ingram didn’t have much time to settle in when an odd man rush gave way for Jonathan Marchessault firing a shot past Ingram at 19 seconds for the lead.
From there it snowballed into a larger problem after goals from Nicolas Hague and Chandler Stephenson gave the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead within the first six minutes.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little early today, but I thought we got back to our game and played really hard and had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize,” defenseman Matt Dumba said.
Ingram nearly gave up a fourth if it weren’t for the video review determining that William Karlsson had batted in the puck while on the power play at 12:20. It was too late for Ingram to close the period as Karel Vejmelka came in for relief during the review and finished the period with five saves.
Boosting the lineup
The break allowed the lineup to heal and return several key members, including Hayton and Dumba.
Hayton provided a boost to the forwards group in his return after being sidelined since Nov. 16 with an upper-body injury. Hayton was eased into the game with over 13 minutes of ice time and centered the fourth line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.
“It was the longest time I’ve been out in my career and I’ve been chomping at the bit for a while to get back,” Hayton said. “Every game in this stretch is so important and it really kills you missing games and not being out there to help the team. It’s frustrating to not be able to come with a win.”
Dumba missed the final three games before the break with an upper-body injury and led all defensemen with six hits.
Relief is there
It was a bounce back performance for Vejmelka, who has struggled this season and had given up 15 goals over the last three games. His past struggles didn’t seem to show when he took over for Ingram in the first and blanked the Golden Knights on a power play.
Vejmelka provided a steady presence in net, recording a shutout and giving the Coyotes an opportunity to get back in the game in the last two periods.
Vejmelka isn’t new to thriving in relief this season and earned a win on Dec. 19 against the Ottawa Senators. His 28 saves are the most saves he has ever recorded in a game that he did not start.
The Coyotes will head to Nashville to start a two-game road trip with the Predators on Saturday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The Predators are currently five points ahead of the Coyotes in the wild card race.
Arizona
Tetairoa McMillan a 2024 Biletnikoff Award semifinalist
Arizona Wildcats junior Tetairoa McMillan on Tuesday was among 11 players named semifinalists for the 2024 Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to college football’s best pass-catcher.
McMillan is third in the nation with 1,136 receiving yards with Arizona (4-6) still set to visit the TCU Horned Frogs this Saturday and before hosting the rival Arizona State Sun Devils in the regular season finale.
His receiving yards total trails two other finalists: San Jose State receiver Nick Nash (1,282 yards) and Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (1,170).
Also on the list is a player for the Wildcats’ upcoming opponent. TCU’s Jack Bech is sixth in the nation with 982 receiving yards so far this season.
McMillan began the year well-regarded and on the lengthy Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, as well as the Maxwell Award watch list that will be handed out to the nation’s best all-around college player.
The bulk of his production in 2024 has come in two games: a 304-yard performance in the season opener against New Mexico on Aug. 31 and a 202-yard outing on Oct. 26 against West Virginia.
A likely first-round pick, the 6-foot-5, 212-pound receiver piled up 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Current Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. won the Biletnikoff trophy last season for his 1,211 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior for Ohio State.
LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze, who like Harrison were first-round NFL Draft picks, were the other finalists in 2023.
A panel of 600 college football journalists, commentators, announcers, former award winners and former receivers vote for semifinalists, finalists and award winners.
A fan vote accounts for one official vote as well.
Tetairoa McMillan and 10 more 2024 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists
Jack Bech (WR), TCU
Ja’Corey Brooks (WR), Louisville
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE), Bowling Green
Tai Felton (WR), Maryland
Tre Harris (WR), Ole Miss
Travis Hunter (WR), Colorado
Tetairoa McMillan (WR), Arizona
Nick Nash (WR), San Jose State
Xavier Restrepo (WR), Miami
Jeremiah Smith (WR), Ohio State
Ryan Williams (WR), Alabama
Arizona
How former Arizona Wildcats fared in Week 11 of NFL season
Another week of the NFL season is in the books. Here’s how former Arizona Wildcats fared around the league in Week 11.
Nick Folk, K, Tennessee Titans
Folk made a pair of field goals, including a long of 43 yards, in Tennessee’s 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Folk has 396 career field goals, one shy of 15th all-time.
Christian Roland-Wallace, ST, Kansas City Chiefs
Roland-Wallace played 13 snaps on special teams in Kansas City’s 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Roland-Wallace earned a 66.7 grade, second-best on the Chiefs special teams unit.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, ST, San Francisco 49ers
Flannigan-Fowles played 14 special teams snaps for San Francisco in its 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Flannigan-Fowles’ 63.6 grade on PFF was fourth-best on the 49ers special teams unit.
Jacob Cowing, WR/ST, San Francisco 49ers
Cowing played one offensive snap and two special teams snaps in San Francisco’s loss.
Jordan Morgan, OT, Green Bay Packers
Morgan was placed on the injured reserve on Saturday, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four weeks. Morgan reportedly reaggravated a shoulder injury during practice.
Arizona
Democratic Arizona governor says she'll work with Trump on border security if it won't harm families
PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday she is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration on border security issues like stopping fentanyl trafficking, but not in areas that she said could harm Arizona families such as mass deportation.
Hobbs traveled to the Arizona-Mexico border on Monday to trumpet her state’s National Guard work helping crack down on smuggling of the deadly synthetic opioid into the U.S. through Nogales, Arizona. More than half of all border seizures of the drug are made in Nogales.
“Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign,” Hobbs told reporters as vehicles moved behind her. “I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizona’s needs, including border security and the work we’ve done here to build these partnerships that are actually producing results and how we can continue those partnerships under his administration.”
But, she added, there are Arizona families who “are worried about threats from the Trump administration as well.”
“I will not tolerate actions that harm Arizonans, that harm our communities and quite honestly, divert resources from providing real security at our border,” Hobbs said.
Trump has promised to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, something that would upend the lives of the 11 million people living in the United States without authorization, many of whom have family members who are U.S. citizens.
“I will stand up to protect Arizonans from harm by the federal government, from anyone,” Hobbs said, but “I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals. We don’t know what a mass deportation plan will look like, what resources it will involve.”
Hobbs also touted Operation Secure, her initiative deploying the National Guard to assist local and federal enforcement in Arizona’s border communities like Nogales. The governor said 170 Arizona National Guard members are assigned to counterdrug efforts statewide, including 40 at the border in Nogales.
The governor’s border visit comes less than two weeks after Democrats suffered blistering losses at the polls in Arizona, with Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of about 185,000 votes statewide and beefing up the Republican majority in the Arizona Legislature.
Hobbs said Monday that border security is not a “Republican or Democratic issue” and she will work with “anyone” to keep the border safe.
Troy Miller, acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, also spoke at the news conference and called National Guard members “a critical force multiplier” for his agency’s operations at the Nogales port.
“The scope of this problem is too large and the stakes are too high for us to do this work alone,” Miller said. “That’s why I’m so proud of the partnerships we have built, especially the ones right here in Arizona.”
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