The 2022 NCAA men’s Frozen Four is set to get underway Thursday from TD Garden in Boston, Mass., with the Michigan Wolverines, Denver Pioneers, Minnesota State Mavericks and Minnesota Golden Gophers vying for college hockey’s top prize.
The first semifinal features a duel of No. 1 seeds as Michigan and Denver are set to face off with some of the top prospects in hockey.
Watch Michigan take on Denver Thursday at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT followed by Minnesota taking on Minnesota State at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Michigan boasts a star-studded lineup, including a pair of top defencemen in Owen Power, the No. 1 pick by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2021 NHL Draft, and Luke Hughes, who was taken fourth overall in the same draft by the New Jersey Devils.
Power has three goals and 32 points in 32 games this season for Michigan and skated for Team Canada at the Beijing Olympics and the World Junior Championship, where he became the first Canadian defenceman to net a hat trick before the tournament was cancelled.
“He’s the best prospect outside the NHL,” said TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button on Power. “He does it all. He’s in full control of the game at every moment. That’s a No. 1 defenceman.
“His intelligence, his ability to size up each and every situation, know how to handle it, how to take advantage of it, is what makes him so good. There’s no area he doesn’t excel in.”
Hughes is looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers [Vancouver Canucks defenceman] Quinn and [Devils centre] Jack to the NHL. The co-champion of the NCAA’s Big Ten rookie of the year, Button sees a different player in Luke, who had 17 goals and 39 points in 40 games this season.
“Luke is not like his brothers,” said Button. “He has this daring quality about him in the game and I love it. Luke competes hard defensively, he’s not loose defensively, he makes tremendous plays defensively but he’s a really impactful player.
”No question in my mind he’s going to be a star in the NHL just like his brothers.”
Up front, Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson carry a large part of the offence for Michigan. Taken second overall by the Seattle Kraken and fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets respectively at the 2021 NHL Draft, both players have had seasons that have taken them all over the world.
Johnson participated at the World Juniors and Beijing Olympics for Team Canada alongside Power and with eight goals and 37 points in 31 games this season, Button sees a lot of similarities between Johnson and a current rookie phenom in the NHL.
“He’s got an imagination and creativity about him that is very similar to Trevor Zegras,” said Button. “There’s no play that Kent Johnson, No. 1 doesn’t think he can make. No. 2, isn’t willing to try.”
Beniers lent his talents to Team USA this season, suiting up at the World Juniors and Olympics for the Americans.
“High, high RPMs is where Matty’s motor runs,” said Button. “He’s smart, he’s skilled, he’s highly competitive but his ability to do whatever is required, he can play centre or wing, he can be a top scorer or a checker, penalty killer or power play guy.”
For Button, he considers Denver to be the sleeper team in this year’s Frozen Four. While the Pioneers didn’t have a great start to the season, including four straight losses in late October/early November, they are a team that improved as the season went on.
Up front, Denver is led by Hobey Baker finalist Bobby Brink, who led the NCAA in scoring this season with 56 points in 39 games.
“He’s a hockey player,” said Button on Brink, who was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2019 NHL Draft. “Every time you pick up your head, Bobby is in the middle of everything. He’s got a fiery competitive spirit. The whole is far greater than the sum of the parts.”
Joining Brink up front is Carter Savoie, a fourth-round pick (100th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2020 NHL Draft. As a sophomore, he was fourth in the NCAA in goals with 22.
“He’s an outstanding goal scorer,” Button said of Savoie’s game. “He doesn’t need many chances to score goals. He might be like Mike Hoffman. He’s got that goal scoring mentality.”
The second semifinal features an all-Minnesota matchup with the University of Minnesota taking on Minnesota State.
The Golden Gophers boast Matthew Knies, a Toronto Maple Leafs second-round pick and captain Ben Meyers, a Hobey Baker finalist.
“He’s such a well-rounded, skilled, powerful, smart [player],” said Button on Knies. “He can play a power game, he can play a skilled game. He can play left wing, he can play centre. He just has this innate ability to assert himself in so many different ways.”
Meyers, who is currently an undrafted free agent, also suited up for Team USA at the Beijing Olympics, where the 23-year-old had two goals and two assists in four games for the Americans.
“I think Ben is such a poster person for it doesn’t matter where you were at 18,” said Button. “He’s continuously progressed as a player to the point where he’s now considered one of the best college players. He’s quick, he’s fast he’s on the puck. He’s always attuned, always at the ready.”
State rivals the Minnesota State Mavericks don’t have a lineup bursting with top-end NHL prospects but with an older lineup, Button notes they have a maturity to their game.
In net, the Mavericks have a Hobey Baker finalist in goaltender Dryden McKay, who posted a .928 save percentage and 1.28 goals-against average in 41 games this season. He also became the NCAA men’s leader in shutouts with 34.
At 6-foot and 183 pounds, McKay doesn’t have the size many scouts look for in modern NHL goaltenders, but Button doesn’t see his size being a deterrent for the undrafted free agent.
“He does two things exceptionally well. Keep the puck out of the net and win,” said Button. “Don’t rule him out. He does things better than so many other goaltenders that might fit the mould.
“All I know is technically he is good, the foundation of his skill is good. If he was 6-foot-2 he would not be playing on Thursday, he would’ve been signed long ago. In the net, he’s a game changer.”
Now in his third season for Minnesota State is forward Nathan Smith, whose rights were acquired by the Arizona Coyotes from the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline. A third-round pick in 2018, Button says Smith has made noticeable strides in his development.
“I’ve watched Nathan for a long time and the first thing I’m going to say about Nathan is the improvement he’s made in his game with respect to skating, quickness and pace of play have just been nothing short of significant,” said Button. “It has led to him having a greater, wider impact on the game.”
Smith had 19 goals and 50 points in 36 games this season and had two points in four games with Team USA at the Olympics.
The semifinal winners will face off in the Frozen Four final on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT streaming live on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
MONTREAL – On a night when New York’s top line was missing in action, the bit players grabbed the spotlight and led the Rangers to a commanding 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
“That’s the kind of team we have,” said Filip Chytil, who led the Rangers with a pair of power-play goals Tuesday. “The guys on the top line had chances but when they don’t score we have three other lines to pick up the slack.”
The Rangers’ dominance was reflected in the amount of time they spent in the Canadiens zone and their 45-23 edge in shots.
“If you’ve watched us practice, you know that’s something we work on all the time,” said Chytil. “When we get the puck, we want to hold on to it.”
The Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Mika Zibanejad at the 56-second mark and Jonny Brodzinski at 2:05, but it was Montreal which pressed the play in the first minute.
“I thought we had a good start but they turned it around on us,” said Montreal coach Martin St. Louis.
Lane Hutson controlled the puck off the opening faceoff and had two early shots, both of which were blocked by New York’s Jacob Trouba.
“That was huge for us,” said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. “We know (Trouba) can generate offence but he can come up with those big defensive plays.”
Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault exited at 11:05 of the first period after giving up four goals on 10 shots. Zibanejad, Brodzinski, Chytil and Reilly Smith all scored on the Habs’ starter.
His replacement, Cayden Primeau, stopped 33 of 35 shots, giving up goals to Braden Schneider, Kaapo Kakko and Chytil.
Nick Suzuki scored both of the Montreal goals, his first strikes of the season
“It didn’t really feel like a 7-2 game until the end there when you look up at the scoreboard,” Suzuki said. “But we obviously keep digging ourselves these holes, and against a good team like that, our details early on have to be really sharp. And we were definitely a little sleepy coming out and they jumped on us.”
Hutson led the Canadiens in ice time with 24:10 but this wasn’t one of his better games. Smith scored on a breakaway after taking the puck off Hutson’s stick and the rookie was minus-4 for the night.
After Tuesday’s morning practice, the Canadiens announced forward Juraj Slafkovsky will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle missed a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury but the team said it isn’t a long-term ailment.
The injury situation didn’t get any better after Trouba flattened Justin Barron at 7:11 of the third period. Barron didn’t return to the ice but there was no immediate word on his condition.
The Rangers welcomed back defenceman Ryan Lindgren, who made his season debut after missing five games with a jaw injury.
Before the game, 14 players from the Canadiens’ team that won four consecutive Stanley Cups between 1976 and 1979 were introduced at the Bell Centre. Among them were Hockey Hall of Fame members Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Bob Gainey and Ken Dryden.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport, the auctioneer said Wednesday.
“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder,” Ken Goldin, the founder and CEO of auctioneer Goldin Auctions said in a statement.
The auction opened on Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000 and closed just after midnight on Wednesday. The auctioneer said it could not disclose any information about the winning bidder.
The auction has been overshadowed by the litigation over ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami’s LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.
All the parties involved in the litigation agreed that the auction should continue.
Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for Friday night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James gave his 20-year-old son a pep talk before they rose from the Lakers bench. Amid rising cheers, they walked together to the scorer’s table — and then they stepped straight into basketball history.
LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play in the NBA together Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ season opener, fulfilling a dream set out a few years ago by LeBron, the top scorer in league history.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s a moment I’m never going to forget,” LeBron said. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Father and son checked into the game against Minnesota simultaneously with four minutes left in the second quarter, prompting a big ovation from a home crowd aware of the enormity of the milestone. The 39-year-old LeBron had already started the game and played 13 minutes before he teamed up with his 20-year-old son for about 2 1/2 minutes of action.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, a four-time champion and 20-time All-Star, while LeBron James Jr. was a second-round pick by the Lakers last summer. They are the first father and son to play in the world’s top basketball league at the same time, let alone on the same team.
“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, though,” father told son on the bench before they checked in, an exchange captured by the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.”
Their time on court together was fast and furious, just as LeBron promised.
LeBron, who finished the night with 16 points, missed two perimeter shots before making a dunk. Bronny had an early offensive rebound and missed a tip-in, and his first NBA jump shot moments later was a 3-pointer that came up just short. He checked out one possession later with 1:19 left in the second quarter, getting another ovation.
“(I) tried not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
After the final whistle on the Lakers’ first opening-night victory in LeBron’s seven seasons with the team, father and son also headed to the locker room together — but not before stopping in the tunnel to hug Savannah James, LeBron’s wife and Bronny’s mother. The entire family was in attendance to watch history — on little sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday, no less.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. also were courtside at the Lakers’ downtown arena to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.
LeBron first spoke about his dream to play alongside Bronny a few years ago, while his oldest son was still in high school. The dream became real after Bronny entered the draft as a teenager following one collegiate season, and the Lakers grabbed him with the 55th overall pick.
“I talked about it years and years ago, and for this moment to come, it’s pretty cool,” LeBron said. “I don’t know if it’s going to actually hit the both of us for a little minute, but when we really get to sit back and take it in, it’s pretty crazy. … But in the moment, we still had a job to do when we checked in. We wasn’t trying to make it a circus. We wasn’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team.”
LeBron and Bronny joined a small club of father-son professional athletes who played together. The Griffeys made history 34 years ago, and they even homered in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.
Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines and his namesake son also accomplished the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.
In hockey, Gordie Howe played alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and Team Canada before one NHL season together on the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, when Gordie was 51.
While the other family pairings on this list happened late in the fathers’ careers, LeBron shows no signs of slowing down or regressing as he begins his NBA record-tying 22nd season.
LeBron averaged more than 25 points per game last year for his 20th consecutive season, and he remains the most important player on the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis as they attempt to recapture the form that won a championship in 2020 and got them to the Western Conference finals in 2023.
Bronny survived cardiac arrest and open heart surgery in the summer of 2023, and he went on to play a truncated freshman season at the University of Southern California. He declared for the draft anyway, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last pick in the draft on the 6-foot-2 guard.
LeBron spent the summer in Europe with the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Paris Olympics, while Bronny played for the Lakers in summer league. They started practicing together with the Lakers before training camp.
The duo first played together in the preseason, logging four minutes during a game against Phoenix just outside Palm Springs earlier this month.
“It’s been a treat,” LeBron said at Tuesday’s morning shootaround. “In preseason, the practices, just every day … bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about, and how to prepare every day as a professional.”
The Lakers were fully aware of the history they would make with this pairing, and coach JJ Redick spoke with the Jameses recently about a plan to make it happen early in the regular season.
The presence of the Griffeys likely made it an inevitability for opening night, even though Redick said the Lakers still wanted it “to happen naturally, in the flow of the game.”
The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will stay on their NBA roster. Los Angeles already has three other small guards on its roster, and Bronny likely needs regular playing time to raise his game to a consistent NBA standard.
Those factors add up to indicate Bronny is likely to join the affiliate South Bay Lakers of the G League at some point soon. LeBron and Redick have both spoken positively about the South Bay team, saying that player development is a key part of the Lakers organization.
Miami forward Kevin Love, who knew all the James children — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri — from his time as LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland, said it was “an unbelievable moment” to see father and son playing together.
“I grew up a Mariners fan, so I got to see Griffey and then Griffey Sr. But this is different, because LeBron is still a top-five player in the league,” Love said. “This game, man. It’s why we have that ($76 billion) TV deal. The storylines and the things that happen like this, it’s an unbelievable story. This is really cool to see.”
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed.
