Quick & Doughty Help L.A. Kings Fight Off Coyotes

LOS ANGELES - L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was not about allow the memories of the last game interfere with his vision of the Kings getting a much need victory Thursday night against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings came into this game with a league low 87 goals, yet they haven’t lost in regulation since new head coach Darryl Sutter took over the team.

The Kings who didn't take great shots in the first and second periods, seem to be more focused coming out on the ice in the third period. A very defensive game by both teams. The Kings came out much more aggressive, and keen on taking better shots.
With less than six minutes to go in the third period, Dustin Penner slapped a shot from about 30 feet that went off the post of the net. About the 4:30 mark, Dustin Brown who sliced through the Coyotes tough defense took a shot only to be stopped by Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.

The Kings ended regulation scoreless after a very intense third period, they headed into sudden death overtime with one thing in mind, score a much needed goal.

The Kings took possession, 38 seconds into overtime Kings defense men Drew Doughty slid into a goal type scramble scoring the game winning goal as the sellout crowd of 18, 118 erupted in happiness & relieve. But not so fast, as the goal had to be reviewed by officials.
Once the referees reviewed the play and goal, the announcement was made that the goal was good, Kings win 1-0.

Doughty made his 10th game winner of his 36 career goals, along with goalie Jonathan Quick had 22 saves to Coyotes goalie Mike Smith who had 20 saves.

Smith made some big saves to push it into overtime, but we were fortunate to get a goal early in overtime and get out of here with two points” said Jonathan Quick.

On the other side of the ice, Coyotes coach Dave Tipett was not in agreement on the call in overtime “"It should be no goal. The puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie interference.”

Doughty takes us inside on the great overtime play “I saw that we had control of the puck, so I raced up to the blue line. Me and Stolly made eye contact and he made a nice pass. Then I just tried to drive the net.”

The Kings get out with a win and prepare for their next opponent the Columbus Blue Jackets back at Staples Center on Saturday.

*Kings goalie Jonathan Quick picked up his 6th shutout of the season and had 22 saves vs. Coyotes.

*Kings moved up to 7th place in the Western Conference.

*Coyotes goalie Mike Smith had 27 saves vs. Kings

Sparks Shut Down Taurasi & Mercury - By Nick Hamilton

LOS ANGELES - Coming off of a terrible loss in Minnesota, the Los Angeles Sparks were happy to be back home and eagerly awaiting their next challenge, getting a much needed win from the Phoenix Mercury. Phoenix who last year won four out of five meetings against the Sparks, looked to gain another victory in Staples Center. However this Sparks team was a different team with a new focus, championship or bust.

In the opening half, the Sparks started off a little slow as they battled with the Mercury back and forth. Mercury guard Diana Taurasi scored six points from three point range and forward Penny Taylor contributed with six points, keeping the Mercury ahead. After a time out, the Sparks immediately turned up the energy and began to play solid on offense and defense. Delisha Milton Jones set off their offense with 14 points closing the quarter with a one point lead.

In the second quarter Sparks guard Kristi Toliver exploded with 11 points, as the Sparks began to dominate the Mercury. Starting off slow on 2 for 7 shooting, with 7 points, 4 assist Candace Parker became facilitator. The Sparks went on a 14-7 run with Kristi Toliver hit three crucial 3 pointers, in the last three minutes. With her shots not falling Diana Taurasi looked out of sync. With 9 turnovers the Mercury ended the first half down 54-40.

In the second half the Mercury seemed to get it together as Candace Dupree, Penny Taylor, and Temeka Johnson stepped up to make a run against the Sparks. Although, Candace Parker and Tina Thompson found their rhythm, the Mercury managed to cut the lead down to 9, outscoring the Sparks 27-22 by the end of the 3rd quarter.

The final quarter belonged to Los Angeles. The Sparks swarmed and frustrated Taurasi, who was 0 for 5 from the field, causing her to draw a technical foul mid way through the fourth quarter. The biggest play of the night went to Candace Parker who put a monster block on Mercury guard Marie Ferdinand-Harris, causing the home crowd to erupt in cheer. The Mercury had no answer for the 1-2 combo of Tina Thompson and Candace Parker who finished with 21 and 22 points respectfully. The Sparks defeated the Mercury 98-84 at Staples Center.

The Sparks defense held Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi to a season low 9 points. When asked how they were able to contain Taurasi, Sparks reserve guard Kristi Toliver said "We were just trying to keep her frustrated. We were throwing different looks at her. We've got a lot of big bodies on this team." Kristi Toliver finished with 17 points, 3 assist and Delisha Milton-Jones also finished with an impressive 18 points.

The Sparks shot an impressive 13 for 23 from the 3 point line, making that the second-most in franchise history.

Diana Taurasi was asked about the Mercury's shooting in the second half "Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. I think defensively we didn't do some things and that lead to us not getting a rhythm going on the other side of the ball."
Candace Parker explained the slow start in the first half saying "We were a little sluggish on transition defense and we adjusted that in the second quarter. I knew for me I just needed to relax, and if my shots weren't falling, then I knew my teammates would contribute on open shots and looks."

Make no mistake, this Diana Taurasi will not be seen again. Dynamic players always make significant adjustments, so don't be surprised if we see a more aggressive, high scoring Taurasi by their next game, and next time they face the Sparks. With that being said, this game belonged to the Sparks superb defense.

NFL 101 Access Back In L.A - By Nick Hamilton

LOS ANGELES – on a warm summer Monday afternoon at the historic L.A. Coliseum, the NFL 101 Access event scores big with fans, current and former players, coaches, and various media outlets. Its a once in a lifetime event that gives fans a complete NFL experience.

I entered a football paradise, greeted by the President of the LASEC (Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Convention) Kathryn Schloessman who welcomed all to the 9th Annual event.
There were several booths from major corporation in attendance were fans and media were allowed to enjoy. Representatives from the Oakland Raiders, the famous cheerleaders “The Raiderettes”, also former Los Angeles Raider Greg Townsend was there signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans.

I had an opportunity to speak Greg in regards to what his current plans are “Well I’m helping my son [Greg Townsend Jr.] get ready for this upcoming season at USC. then looking to get a job with this organization or some team in the NFL soon.”
With the current status of the NFL hanging in the wind due to the current lockout, that didn’t stop AEG form promoting their idea of the new Downtown L.a. Stadium know as Farmers Field. Complete with a video, cheerleaders and offering fans an opportunity to take photos with cheerleaders and signing a support measure to get the stadium done.

However a few booths down, Ed Roski and his Majestic Group who also have a bid for an NFL stadium showed off the model, and handed out brochures regarding the idea for his stadium.

Also represented were the San Diego Chargers with their cheerleaders, the Arizona Cardinals with cheerleaders, and their mascot, along with the San Francisco 49ers as they unveiled their brand new state of the art stadium scheduled to open in 2014.

There was also a great opportunity for fans to try their luck at the quarterback accuracy challenge, and give them an idea of what it’s like to throw short and long passes on an NFL field. Giving advice to fans was none other than Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. Swarmed by media, he later spoke about the lockout, “I was always optimistic about it, getting a new collective bargaining agreement done and put in place. I just didn’t think it would take this long, but it hopefully its coming to an end. I know the players want to play and the coaches and everyone is eager to get back at it.”

Fans were also able to try on actual equipment and see what an NFL locker room is really like, along with trying on the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl ring from Packers equipment manager Gordon Batty.

The first great panel which was moderated by event emcee and NBC Sports Reporter Andrea Kremer, consisted of Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwell, Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask, and San Francisco 49ers President Jed York. They discussed everything from the current lockout to having football back in Los Angeles. all the panelist agreed that it would be greatly beneficial to have the NFL back not just for the league, in addition more attention would be placed possibly on the NFC & AFC West divisions.

Super Bowl Champion Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers stopped to greet fans and address the media on the field, I asked Clay how does it feel to return to the place where it all started, “its feels great, this is my first time back to the Coliseum. I was taking pictures, and its just a special place, and just moving on to Green Bay, you know never forgot where I came from.”
Every kid and some adult fans rushed at the opportunity to meet Clay Matthews and get various programs and jerseys signed by the rising star.

The evening was capped off by a great 2nd panel that consisted of Coach Marvin Lewis, former Titans coach Jeff Fisher, Super Bowl champion & NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated Peter King, Green Bay Champion Clay Matthews, and NFL Rules Analyst for FOX Sports Mike Pereira shared their exclusive insight and knowledge on the NFL, their experiences, and what’s happening with the game.

Clay Matthews discussed about how players are getting ready for this coming season and how they are very optimistic that this season will be played, however he seemed a little concerned about players being injured at different points in the upcoming season, due to the long lay off.
Peter King made a bold prediction about who he picked as the teams to meet in next year’s Super Bowl, “there is so much going on right now. for example if you put Nnamdi Asomugha [Free Agent Safety] on a team like the Texans, they’d be a top contender.” Some of the fans didn’t react to kindly to that statement. King went on to say “but if I have to pick, I’d say the Indianapolis Colts to represent the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles to represent the NFC.” Fans along with some media were shocked at such a bold prediction.

The NFL 101 Access was an outstanding event, and those who were in attendance to experience it, will remember this for a lifetime.