25.6 C
New York
Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Buy now

Home Blog Page 188

PREVIEW: Pioneers Face Western Michigan in Frozen Four

vkpkuk
-
0
PREVIEW: Pioneers Face Western Michigan in Frozen Four


ST. LOUIS – The University of Denver hockey team continues its national championship defense on Thursday as the Pioneers face conference-foe Western Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals at Enterprise Center, home of the NHL St. Louis Blues.

 

Game time is set for 3 p.m. MT and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The national radio broadcast can be heard on Westwood One/SiriusXM channel 84, and voice of the Pioneers Jay Stickney has local radio call on Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan HD3.

 

No. 3 seed DU is in the Frozen Four for the 20th time in program history and is making its sixth trip in the last nine seasons (eight tournament appearances). The Pioneers have also reached the final weekend of the college hockey season in three of the last four years and are looking to become the first program to win three titles in a four-year span since themselves did it in 1958, 1960 and 1961.

 

Western Michigan is the lone No. 1 seed remaining in national tournament and reached its first Frozen Four in program history after defeating Minnesota State 2-1 in double overtime and dispatching Massachusetts by the same score in the NCAA West Regionals in Fargo, North Dakota, on March 27-29.

 

The Pioneers punched their ticket to the national semifinals by beating two-seed Providence 5-1 in the Northeast Regional Semifinals on March 28 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and then downing No. 1-overall seed Boston College, 3-1, on March 30 in a rematch of last year’s national title game.

 

Denver now gets set for another championship rematch as the Pioneers and Broncos met less than three weeks ago in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. WMU rallied from a 3-0 deficit and won 4-3 in a double-OT outing to be the first squad to win both the NCHC regular season and tournament championships since North Dakota in 2020-21.

 

The Pios own a 4-1-1 mark against WMU in neutral-site games, and the teams will be facing off for just the second time in the NCAA Tournament. Their only other meeting in the “Big Dance” was in the 2011 Midwest Regional Semifinals in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when Denver was in the WCHA and Western Michigan was in the CCHA. The Pioneers won that outing by a 4-3 score after Jason Zucker tallied at 11:14 of double-overtime to complete a two-goal comeback.

 

Denver last played a conference opponent in the NCAA Tournament in 2022 when it faced Minnesota Duluth in the West Regional Final in Loveland, Colorado.  The Pioneers’ last meeting in the Frozen Four against another NCHC squad was in 2016 when they played North Dakota in the national semifinals in Tampa, Florida.

 

DU and Western Michigan are tied for first in the NCAA in goals per game at 4.0, and they are also the only 30-win squads in the nation. The Pioneers reached the threshold to extend their school record to a fourth-straight season with their victory over Providence.

 

The winner of the DU-WMU matchup will play in the NCAA National Championship Game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MT (ESPN2/ESPN+). The second Frozen Four Semifinal features No. 2-seed Boston University and No. 4-seed Penn State following Denver’s game on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. MT.

 

 

PIONEERS IN THE FROZEN FOUR: Denver is in its 20th Frozen Four and is looking to extend its NCAA-record with an 11th national championship.

 

The Pioneers are aiming to make their 14th NCAA Championship Game, as they own a 13-6 all-time record in the national semifinals.  In title games, DU has a 10-3 record, winning each of their last five trips to the final.  The Pios played in four third-place games (when that was a thing) from 1966-1986 and went 2-2 in such contests.

 

Denver has made six of the last nine Frozen Fours dating back to 2016 (was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), winning the championship in 2017, 2022 and 2024.  DU’s participation in the 1973 Frozen Four was officially vacated by the NCAA Committee on infractions; those results are still being counted in the above totals.

 

EXPERIENCE AT THE FROZEN FOUR: The Pioneers have 12 players with previous Frozen Four experience, with Jack Devine and Carter King having previously played in four total semifinal or final games after helping Denver to titles in 2022 and 2024.  Graduate student Connor Caponi and senior Matt Davis both saw their on-ice debuts in college hockey’s final four last season after also being on the squad in 2022.

 

FROZEN FOUR MISCELLANEOUS

  • Among Frozen Four participants, DU has four of the top six career point-getters, three of the top four career goal scorer and each of the three top assist contributors.

  • With 24 goals, 74 assists and 98 points in his career, Zeev Buium is the highest-scoring defenseman among all Frozen Four squads.

  • Buium’s seven points and five assists (tied) in six NCAA Tournament games are the most among all skaters in college hockey’s final four.

  • Head coach David Carle owns four Frozen Four trips in five tournament appearances.

  • DU’s 25 Frozen Four wins are tied with Michigan for the most among all-programs in college hockey history (includes 1973 semifinal win that was later vacated and does not include third-place game victories).

 
GOING FOR 3 IN 4: The Pioneers are looking to become the first NCAA program to win three national championships in a four-year span since Denver accomplished it itself in 1958, 1960 and 1961.
 
DU’s Connor Caponi, Matt Davis, Jack Devine and Carter King are four of 65 players in program history to win multiple national titles and are looking to join the legendary George Konik and Bill Masterton to be part of three national championship squads.  However, as was accustomed back in the early days of college hockey, neither Konik nor Masterton played as freshmen during that first 1957-58 championship campaign.
 
Michigan is the only other program to accomplish the feat of winning three championships in four seasons, as they won five in a six-year span (1951-53, 1955-56).
 
FACING WESTERN IN THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Denver and Western Michigan have played just once before in the NCAA Tournament, with the Pioneers winning 3-2 in the 2011 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
 
DU and WMU had met three times previously in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Tournament, with the Pios going 2-1 in those outings. Denver won 4-3 in in the inaugural NCHC Semifinals on March 21, 2014 and claimed a 3-1 victory in Third Place Game on March 18, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Broncos won 4-3 in double-overtime in this year’s conference title game on March 22 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
 
Overall, the Pioneers have a 4-1-1 record against the Broncos in neutral-site contests, which includes going 1-0-1 in the NCHC Pod in Omaha, Nebraska, in December 2020.
 
ST. LOUIS CONNECTIONS: Denver hockey director of sports performance Matt Shaw is from St. Louis … St. Louis Blue head coach Jim Montgomery served five seasons in the same role with the Pioneers from 2013-2018, winning a national championship in 20217 … DU hockey has 13 alumni that have played for the Blues, including Hockey Hall of Famers Glenn Anderson (1994-1996) and Craig Patrick (1974-75), as well as 2005 NCAA national champion Paul Stastny, who suited up for five seasons in Missouri (2013-18) and grew up in St. Louis … Former DU goalie Jack Caruso’s father, Mike, is an executive with the Blues, and Jack was a part of both the Pioneers’ 2022 and 2024 national titles … Alum McKade Webster is also from St. Louis and won championships in 2022 and 2024 as well, serving as team captain last year for the NCAA-record title … Denver was one of the first programs to play Lindenwood University (based in nearby St. Charles), one of the newest teams in NCAA Division I that began play in 2022-23.
 
ZEEV NAMED A HOBEY HAT TRICK FINALIST: Sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium was named on Thursday a Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick finalist for this year’s top men’s college hockey player in the nation.  Buium is Denver’s first Hobey Hat Trick finalist since Bobby Brink in 2022 and is looking to join Matt Carle (2006) and Will Butcher (2017) as Pioneers to win the award.
 
Joining Buium as “Hat Trick” finalists are forwards Ryan Leonard of Boston College and Isaac Howard of Michigan State.  The award will be presented on Friday, April 11 during the Frozen Four festivities in St. Louis.
 
Denver was the only team in the country to have two players recognized as top-10 finalists for the Hobey, as senior forward Jack Devine joined Buium and earned the top-10 honor for the second straight year.  Buium and Devine were the only finalists from the NCHC.
 
DU junior forward Aidan Thompson was also a nominee for this year’s award, and the trio of Pioneers were among 21 players from the NCHC and 91 nationally that were initially up for this year’s top honor.
 
CARLE FINALIST FOR COACH OF THE YEAR: Denver head coach David Carle is a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, which is given annually to the Men’s D-I Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association.  The winner is selected by the nation’s 64 Division-I head coaches and will be announced on Tuesday, April 8; the award will be presented at the coaches’ convention on May 4 in Florida.
 
This is the 35-year-old’s fourth time up for the accolade, as he was also a finalist in 2019, 2022 and 2024 during DU’s previous three trips to the Frozen Four.  Pioneers have won the award four times in program history: Murray Armstrong (1961), Ralph Backstrom (1986), George Gwozdecky (2005) and Jim Montgomery (2017).
 
LAST TIME OUT: PIOS CLAIM REMATCH WIN OVER BC: Goaltender Matt Davis made 35 saves, including all 15 in the third period, to lead DU to a 3-1 win vs. No. 1 overall seed Boston College in the Northeast Regional Final on March 30 in what was a rematch of last year’s national title game as SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H.
 
Zeev Buium had an assist on James Reeder’s game-winning goal 2:59 into the second period and sealed the game with an empty-net marker in the final seconds.  Fellow defenseman Eric Pohlkamp opened the scoring with 1:41 remaining in the opening frame.
 
DU’s victory secured its spot in the Frozen Four and marked the first time the defending NCAA champion earned the win in a rematch in the national tournament from the previous seasons’ title contest (0-7 previously)
 
PIOS PASS PROVIDENCE IN REGIONAL OPENER:  Defenseman Zeev Buium and forward Carter King each had three-point efforts with a goal and two assists to lead No. 3-seed Denver to a 5-1 victory over No. 2 Providence in the Northeast Regional Semifinals on March 28 in Manchester.
 
Junior Aidan Thompson also had multiple points (goal and assist) to reach the 20-goal threshold and sophomore Sam Harris tallied on the power play for his 23rd overall marker of the season.  Goaltender Matt Davis made 30-of-31 saves, with the only shot to get past him coming on a PC man advantage in the third period.
 
DU led 1-0 after the first period on Connor Caponi’s tally into an open net after the Friars goalie misplayed the puck behind his own net, and the Pios had a 3-0 advantage after the first 40 minutes of play following tallies from Buium and Harris in a matter of 2:44. 
 
REGIONAL HONORS: Denver defenseman Zeev Buium was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H., after combining for five points (2g/3a) in the wins vs. Providence and Boston College on March 28-30.
 
Buium was also joined on the Regional All-Tournament Team with defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, forwards Carter King and Aidan Thompson and goaltender Matt Davis.   Pohlkamp scored the game-opening goal vs. BC, King had three points (1g/2a) vs. PC, Thompson totaled three points (1g/2a) on the weekend and Davis stopped 65-of-67 shots faced.
 
NOTABLES FROM REGIONALS

  • The Pioneers are now 5-1 in national tournament games against Boston College, winning each of the last three meetings.  DU defeated Providence in the regional semifinals, earning its first victory against the Friars in the squads’ second meeting in tournament history.

  • Matt Davis posted a 106:32 shutout streak of Boston College that stretched across three games dating back to Oct. 21, 2023 and included a shutout in the 2024 NCAA Championship Game.

  • The National Championship rematch was the eighth time that two teams met in the national tournament after playing for the NCAA title the prior year. It was the first time that the defending champion earned the victory in the rematch (1-7).

  • DU had never faced a team in a championship rematch the following year in the national tournament.

  • The Pioneers were playing BC for the second-straight national tourney; they did the same thing last year with Cornell after playing the Big Red in 2023.

  • Eric Pohlkamp tallied his 11th goal of the season in the Regional Final, tying his total from his freshman season in 2023-24 at Bemidji State.

  • Denver had eight players make their debuts in the national tournament on March 28 vs. Providence: Garrett Brown, Hagen Burrows, Jake Fisher, Tory Pitner, Eric Pohlkamp, James Reeder, Samu Salminen and Alec Whipple.

  • Zeev Buium recorded his fifth career game-winning goal and fourth of the season on March 28 vs. Providence.

  • The Pioneers’ five goals scored vs. the Friars were their most in a national tournament game since DU won by the same 5-1 score in the 2022 NCAA Championship Game vs. Minnesota State on April 9, 2022 in Boston, Mass.

  • Denver is now 2-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in Manchester, New Hampshire, after previously dropping games at SNHU Arena in 2013 and 2023.

  • The Pioneers improved to 3-0 in Sunday games this season.

 

NATTY DAVIS: Goaltender Matt Davis made 35-of-36 saves against No.1 Boston College in the Northeast Regional Final on March 30 in a rematch of last year’s championship game; he also made 35 stops in that previous contest en route to a shutout victory and the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player honor.

 

Davis enters the 2025 Frozen Four with a 0.74 goals-against average, .976 save percentage, one shutout and a 6-0 record is six career national tournament games.  Those numbers are each the best among all netminders in the national semifinals, as he has allowed one goal or fewer in each of the six previous outings.

 

Overall, Davis’ 63 career wins are the second-most among all national semifinal goalies (WMU Cameron Rowe, 69) and are tied with fellow national champion Peter Mannino (2004-08) for fifth place on the school’s all-time wins list.  The Calgary, Alberta, native owns 29 victories this season, the second-most in a season in program history and one shy of tying George Kirkwood (1960-61) for first place.

 

ANOTHER 30-WIN CAMPAIGN: Denver became the second NCAA squad this season to reach the 30-win mark (Western Michigan) after defeating Providence in the Regional Semifinals on March 28, extending the program’s record run of 30 victories or more to four consecutive seasons.

 

Overall, the Pioneers have now reached the 30-win threshold 10 times, with their 34 victories in 1985-86 setting the school record.  DU’s 32 wins a year ago were tied for the fourth-most in a season in program history; the Pioneers had 30 victories in 2022-23 and 31 in 2021-22.

 

DU has won 30 games in each of assistant coach Ryan Massa and Director of Hockey Operations Travis Culhane‘s time at DU (since 2021-22).

 

TWENTY SOMETHINGS: Junior forward Aidan Thompson became the third Pioneer to reach the 20-goal threshold after scoring in the Regional Semifinals on March 28 vs. Providence, joining teammates Sam Harris (23) and Carter King (21).  This is the second-straight season and third time in the last four years that Denver has had multiple players reach the mark.

 

The last time Denver had three skaters score 20 goals in a campaign was 2004-05 when Gabe Gauthier (26), Luke Fulghum (23) and Jonathan Foster (21) all accomplished the feat.

 

DU is the only school in the country with three players with 20 or more tallies, and one of two programs with multiple 20-goal scorers; Boston University is the other with Cole Eiserman (23) and Quinn Hutson (23).

 

NIFTY 50: Denver is the only program in the country with multiple 50-point scorers, as senior forward Jack Devine leads the nation with 57 points while linemate Aidan Thompson is tied for third in the NCAA with a career-high 53 points.

 

This is the second straight season that DU has had multiple players reach 50 points after Devine (56) and Zeev Buium (50) each reached the mark in 2023-24.

 

DIVINE DEVINE: Senior Jack Devine leads the nation in scoring with 57 points and paces all players in the NCAA with 44 assists after 43 games.  His 57 points are one more than he had in 2024-25 and is just the fourth 50-point campaign by a Pioneer since 2012: Henrik Borgstrom in 2017-18 (52) and Bobby Brink in 2021-22 (57).  The last time DU had a player record consecutive 50-point seasons was nearly 35 years ago when Daryn McBride accomplished the feat in 1987-88 (58) and 1988-89 (51).

 

Devine is looking to become just the third Pioneer to finish as the nation’s scoring leader, joining Brink in 2021-22 (14g/43a) and Ed Beers in 1981-82 (50g/34a).

 

The Glencoe, Illinois, native has produced two career-long point streaks of eight games, doing so to start the season from Oct. 5-Nov. 2 (1g/15a) and again from Nov. 9-Dec. 13 (1g/10a).  He has registered at least a point in 34-of-43 contests this year and multiple points in 17 outings, including in five of the first six games and in three consecutive from Oct. 19-26 and from Feb. 21-28.

 

Devine opened the season with a personal-best four assists on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage (all on the power play) and recorded three points on Oct. 26 vs. Wisconsin (1g/2a), Nov. 14 at North Dakota (0g/3a), Feb. 8 at Arizona State (0g/3a) and March 16 vs. Colorado College—he owns 14 career three-point games in his college tenure.

 

The forward was named both the NCHC and National Player of the Month for October after leading all NCAA players with 14 points (1g/13a) in six games—it was his first career monthly honors.  Devine was also recognized as NCHC Player of the Month in February after being first in the league in goals (5-tied), assists (9-tied) and points (14).

 

BUIUM IN THE (RECORD) BOOK: Sophomore Zeev Buium owns 98 career points, the 10th-most in a career by a DU defenseman and two points away from being the 10th blueliner with 100 career points.

 

Buium’s 98 points are the most in the first two seasons by a Pioneer blueliner since Greg Woods had a pair of 52-point campaigns as a freshman in 1975-76 and sophomore in 1976-77.  He also owns the most points in any two-year period by a Denver rear guard since Woods’ combined 104 points as an underclassmen (1975-77).

 

The San Diego, Calif., native is 10th in program history with 74 career assists and is one helper shy of tying Will Butcher (2013-17) for ninth place on the all-time list.  His 48 points this year are tied for the seventh-most in a campaign and comes after he tied for the fifth-most points in a season as a freshman with 50 in 2023-24.

 

GETTING THEIR GAMES IN: The Pioneers have played the most games among any team in the country, as they have skated in 43 contests—tied for the fifth-most in a season in school history.

 

DU skated in 36 games during the 2024-25 regular season, as the team had a two-game exemption due to playing at Alaska Anchorage to the start of the campaign on Oct. 5-6.

 

The Pioneers are one game from tying for second place on the program’s all-time list, which they last accomplished last year when they skated in 44 outings en route to the 2024 national championship (also in 2003-04, 2016-17). The team record is 48 games played set by the 1985-86 squad that reached the Frozen Four.

 

HISTORY VS. WMU: The Pioneers and Broncos are meeting for the fourth time this season in a rematch of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game.  Western Michigan scored four unanswered goals to erase a 3-0 deficit in the third period and defeat Denver 4-3 in double-overtime on March 22 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.  DU went 1-2-0 this year with WMU, with the teams splitting their only regular-season series of the year on Dec. 6-7 in Kalamazoo, Mich., with a pair of one-goal games.  The Broncos won 3-2 in the series opener at Lawson Arena before Carter King scored in overtime to lift the Pioneers to their own 3-2 win in the Saturday finale.  DU has a 10-5-1 record in its last 16 meetings against WMU and owns a 27-15-2 all-time record in the series.  The Pios sport a 22-11-2 mark in conference play against the Broncos and are 14-3-1 at home and 9-11 in road contests.  DU is 4-1-1 in neutral-site games against WMU.

 

PREVIOUS MEETING (MARCH 22, 2025): No. 6-ranked Denver lost 4-3 in double-overtime to the No. 3 Western Michigan Broncos in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.  NCHC Forward of the Year Alex Bump scored the OT-winner unassisted just 22 seconds into the second extra stanza to complete WMU’s comeback; the Broncos tallied three times in the third period to erase a three-goal deficit.  Minnesota natives Jake Fisher and Eric Pohlkamp and NCHC Player of the Year Zeev Buium netted goals for the Pioneers, while Garrett Brown, Rieger Lorenz, Samu Salminen and Jared Wright contributed assists.  DU goaltender Matt Davis made 46 saves and stopped 16 shots in the first overtime period.  No. 3-seed Denver scored its three goals in a matter of 4:41 from 5:46 to 10:27 of the second period following a scoreless opening frame.  Fisher began the run on a tally off a rebound before defensemen Pohlkamp and Buium found the back of the net on wristers from the slot.

 

CONNECTIONS: Western Michigan’s Tristan Lemyre played the previous two seasons at Denver (2022-2024) and helped the Pioneers capture their NCAA-record 10th national championship in April … DU Director of Hockey Operations Travis Culhane is from Kalamazoo and graduated from WMU in 2017. Culhane is the son of former Broncos head coach Jim Culhane and served as Western’s Director of Hockey Ops during the 2018-19 season … Equipment Manager Nick Meldrum is from Warren, Mich., graduated from Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie in 2007 and spent two years with the U.S. NTDP when it was in Ann Arbor prior to coming to DU … Jack Devine (2019-2021) and Zeev Buium (2021-2023) both played at the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich. … Paxton Geisel began the 2023-24 season with the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks and was a teammate that year with WMU’s Ty Henricks … Geisel was also teammates on the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints with Samuel Sjolund in 2021-22 and with Owen Michaels in 2022-23 … Owen Michaels briefly played with Peter LaJoy on the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats in 2020-21 … Jared Wright and Alex Bump played together with the USHL Omaha Lancers in 2021-22 … Bump was also teammates with Cale Ashcroft and Kieran Cebrian with the USHL Tri-City Storm at the end of the 2022-23 season … Jake Fisher won a USHL Clark Cup championship with Iiro Hakkarainen and Hampton Slukynsky on the Fargo Force in 2023-24 … Connor Caponi played with Wyatt Schingoethe with the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks from 2018-2020, while Garrett Brown played with Zach Bade and Connor Brown on Waterloo at the end of the 2022-23 season … Boston Buckberger was a teammate of Cole Crusberg-Roseen with the USHL Lincoln Stars in 2022-23 … Zach Sharp skated with Sam Harris with the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede to begin 2022-23 before finishing the campaign with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and was a teammate with Eric Pohlkamp … Zeev Buium played with WMU goalie Hunter Slukynsky Team USA that won the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal with David Carle serving as head coach … DU’s Samu Salminen (Helsinki) and WMU’s Iiro Hakkarainen (Espoo) and Joona Vaisanen (Kirkkonummi) are all from Finland … Denver’s Zeev Buium (San Diego) and Sam Harris (San Diego) and Western’s Ty Henricks (Mission Viejo), Ethan Wolthers (Valencia) and Ean Somoza and (Simi Valley) are all from Southern California.

 

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan was ranked as the No. 1 team in the most recent USA Hockey/The Rink Live media poll and is the lone No. 1 seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament.  The Broncos own the most victories in the country with a 32-7-1 record and were the fourth-overall seed in the national tournament.  WMU is the first team in the NCHC to win the Penrose Cup as regular-season champions and Frozen Faceoff as tournament champions since North Dakota in 2020-21.  The Broncos enter the Frozen Four on an eight-game winning streak and have only lost once in regulation since the New Year (Feb. 21 at No. 12 Arizona State), going 21-3 in games since Jan. 3.  Western Michigan picked up a pair of 2-1 victories in West Regional in Fargo, N.D., defeating Minnesota State in double-overtime on a Grant Slukynsky game-winner on March 27 before taking down UMass on March 29.  Western Michigan is 5-1-0 in neutral-site contests this year, with its only loss being to then-No. 1 Michigan State in the Great Lakes Invitational championship game.  Pat Ferschweiler was named the NCHC Coach of the Year and Alex Bump was selected as the league’s Forward of the Year.  Bump leads the team with 23 goals and 47 points and is third on the squad with 24 assists.  Grant Slukynsky is second in scoring with 36 points and paces the squad with 26 assists.  WMU is tied as the highest scoring team in the NCAA with DU at 4.0 goals per game and has seven players with 10 or more markers this season.  WMU goaltender Hampton Slukynsky has started each of the past 11 games dating back to Feb. 22 at Arizona State.  Overall, Slukynsky owns a 17-5-1 record, 1.92 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 23 starts this season.

 

DU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Denver is in the national tournament for the 34th time in program history and has reached the Big Dance in now 16 consecutive full seasons since 2008.  DU has a 46-25 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, and the program is 17-3 in its last 20 tournament games dating back to 2017 and is 20-5 in its last 25 national contests since 2015. 

 

The Pioneers’ improved to 22-12 all-time in opening-round games after defeating Providence on March 28 in the Regional Semifinals.

 

DU has now reached the Frozen Four in six (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025) of its previous eight tries in the national tourney (across nine years)––winning titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024.

 

The Pioneers, whose 10 national titles are the most in college hockey history, are looking to become the first program to win back-to-back championships since Minnesota Duluth in 2018 and 2019 and is looking to repeat as national champs for the fourth time in its history and first since 2004 and 2005 (also 1960-61, 1968-69). 

 

DU is also aiming to be the first NCAA squad to win three titles in a four-year span since the Pios did it themselves in 1958, 1960 and 1961.  Michigan is the only other program to accomplish the feat, winning five championships in six years (1951-53, 1955-56).

 

THREE-POINT ZEEV: Sophomore Zeev Buium recorded his fifth three-point contest of the season in the Regional Semifinals vs. Providence on March 28 with a goal and two assists and now owns 10 such games in his career; he owns three multi-point outings during the 2025 postseason.  He also had a three points on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage (0g/3a), Nov. 15 at North Dakota (3g/0a), Jan. 10 vs. Miami (1g/2a) and Feb. 1 vs. Omaha.

 

Buium registered 28 points (8g/20a) in the last 23 games of the regular season and has recorded at least a point in 30-of-40 games this year.  The San Diego, California, native leads all NCAA defensemen with 48 points and 34 assists this season.

 

NO SHORT STORY: Captain Carter King scored his second short-handed goal of the season on March 28 against Providence, with each of his man-disadvantage markers coming during the 2025 postseason.  He tallied his first shorty of the year in Game 3 of the NCHC Quarterfinals vs. Colorado College on March 16.

 

King now owns seven career short-handed goals, tying for second place on Denver’s all-time list with Dwight Mathiasen (1983-86).  Daryl Seltenreich (1986-88) owns the record with eight career shorties.

 

For King, the goal in the regional semifinal was also the 50th of his career.  He is the 62nd player in program history to reach the half-century mark and the second this season as Jack Devine reached the mark on Feb. 1 vs. Omaha.

 

DEVINE AMONG THE PIONEERS’ BEST ALL-TIME: Senior Jack Devine is the highest-scoring Pioneer in the modern era and is part of a select group of players with 50 goals, 100 assists and 150 points in their career.

 

Devine reached 100 career assists on March 8 at Colorado College, becoming the 12th Denver player to reach the mark.  By hitting the milestone, he also became just the 10th Pioneer in the school’s 50-100-150 point club and the first to join that group since Dave Shields from 1986-1990 (71g/108a).

 

The Glencoe, Illinois, native is 12th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 163 points (57g/106a) and the most by a DU player since Rick Berens had 180 points (94g/86a) from 1987-1991.

 

Devine scored his 50th career goal on Feb. 1 against Omaha to become the 61st player in school history to reach the half-century mark.  Devine’s former teammate Cole Guttman was the previous Pioneer to tally 50 career goals on Feb. 11, 2022 against Minnesota Duluth.

 

CONQUERING THE MANCHESTER DEMONS: The Pioneers picked up their first-ever victories in Manchester, New Hampshire, with a 5-1 victory over Providence in the Regional Semifinals and beating Boston College 3-1 in the final.  DU was playing at SNHU Arena for Regionals the third time in program history and was making it second visit in three years to the state’s largest city.

 

Denver’s first visit came on March 29, 2013 when it lost 5-2 to host New Hampshire in the Northeast Regional Semifinals, and the squad lost 2-0 to Cornell in the semifinals in its previous trip on March 23, 2023.

 

NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE: Denver had eight players make their debuts in the national tournament during the NCAA Regional Semifinals vs. Providence on March 28: Garrett Brown, Hagen Burrows, Jake Fisher, Tory Pitner, Eric Pohlkamp, James Reeder, Samu Salminen and Alec Whipple.

 

The Pioneers entered this year with 13 players with previous NCAA Tournament experience on their roster, with seniors Jack Devine and Carter King tied for the third-most with among 2025 tournament players with 11 games each over the past four years.  DU has seven players on its roster that made their debuts in last year’s tourney, including 2024 NCAA Northeast Regionals and Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Matt Davis.

 

Overall, DU has four players that were members of both the 2022 and 2024 national championship squads: Davis, Devine, King and graduate student Connor Caponi.

 

PIONEERS IN THE POLLS: Denver moved up to No. 2 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll that was released following Regionals and was No. 6 in the final USCHO.com poll prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.  DU finished No. 9 in the Pairwise computer rankings that determine the NCAA Tournament field.  The Pios were selected No. 1 in each of the first eight polls this year and in nine straight dating back to the final rankings from last season.

 

The NCHC had four ranked teams in the final polls before the start of the national tournament, the third-most among all leagues.  Joining DU in those rankings were Western Michigan at No. 3/3, Arizona State at No. 15/15 and North Dakota at No. 18/19.  Both Omaha and Colorado College also received votes in the USCHO.com poll.

 

DENVER, THE KINGS OF COLLEGE HOCKEY: The Pioneers have been among the top programs since the turn of the century, and they continued to solidify that spot last season by winning their NCAA-record 10th national championship in 2023-24.

 

Denver’s now eight Frozen Fours since 2000 are the fourth-most while its five national titles surpassed Boston College last year for the most in that time.  In the previous 20-plus years since 2004, DU’s eight Frozen Four appearances are tied for the second-most while its five NCAA Championships lead college hockey in that span.

 

PERFECT 10: Denver won its 10th national title during the 2023-24 season, breaking a tie with Michigan for the most in NCAA history.  The Pioneers captured their second championship in three years and their fifth in the past 20 completed seasons, the most among any program in that time (2004-present).  DU’s five NCAA titles are also the most by any school since the turn of the century (2000-present).

 

The Pioneers were previously tied with Boston College for the most titles since 2000, as the Eagles had won four championships in that time (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012).  DU became the first team since BC to win three titles in a span of seven tournaments (not contested in 2019-20 due to COVID-19 Pandemic).

 

CARLE THE YOUNGEST TO WIN TWO: Denver Head Coach David Carle guided the Pioneers to their second NCAA Championship in the previous three seasons in 2024 and DU’s third-of-four Frozen Four appearance since taking over in 2018 (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025).

 

After being the fourth-youngest coach in history to win an NCAA D-I national title in 2022 (32 years, 5 months, 0 days), Carle became the youngest ever to win two national championships following the Pioneers’ victory in 2024 (34 years, 5 months, 4 days).  Overall, the Anchorage, Alaska, native is the 20th coach in NCAA history to win multiple national championships and the first to do so since Scott Sandelin of Minnesota Duluth (2011, 2018, 2019).

 

PIONEERING OFFENSE: Denver is tied with Western Michigan for first in the NCAA in scoring at 4.0 goals per game, and DU leads the nation in total goals scored at 172.  The Pios led the country last season with 202 total goals and a 4.59 average.  Denver has scored at least four goals in each of the first 11 contests and has 26 such games overall this season.

 

BALANCED SCORING: The Pioneers have had 18 different players score a goal this year and 20 of the 22 skaters have registered at least one point.  Denver also has 14 skaters that have reached double-digits in points.

 

Denver is tied for first in the NCAA with the most players with 10-plus goals (8 players, Quinnipiac) and 20-goal scorers (2, Boston University).  The Pioneers also have the most players with at least 20 points (10-tied, Western Michigan), 30 points (7), 40 points (4) and 50 points (2) in the NCAA this season.

 

PLAYING AHEAD: The Pioneers have had the lead or have been tied for most of the season, as they’ve not trailed in 85.5% of game play this season (2235:06/2613:16)—leading for 49.7% (1299:41) or being tied for 35.8% (935:25) of the time.

 

DU has only been down on the scoreboard in 14.5% of game play this season (378:10) and didn’t trail for the first 244:12 of the season (4+ games).

 

ROAD TRIPPIN’: DU made its third trip to the U.S. northeast this year for NCAA Regionals and will have traveled approximately 13,590 miles for games away from Magness Arena this season (one way) when the squad heads to St. Louis, Missouri, for the Frozen Four.

 

The Pios traveled to New England twice previously during the regular season for series at Yale on Nov. 1-2 and Maine on Jan. 3-4 and began the campaign with a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, on Oct. 5-6.  DU traveled approximately 10,349 miles during the 2024-25 regular season after going 8,605 miles for road contests in 2023-24.

 

Counting postseason play at neutral sites, Denver owns a 23-7-0 record in its last 30 games away from Magness Arena since Feb. 16, 2024.

 

DENVER’S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS  

Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU’s NCAA Division I sports

Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook

Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on X

Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram





Source link

Naps, cold cabins and fast travel…: ‘Stolen’ documents reveal ‘laid-back’ Elon Musk’s specific travel needs

vkpkuk
-
0
Naps, cold cabins and fast travel…: ‘Stolen’ documents reveal ‘laid-back’ Elon Musk’s specific travel needs


Hackers have reportedly leaked Elon Musk’s travel preferences. In stolen documents from Berkshire Hathaway-owned NetJets, hackers have revealed unknown details about the travel preferences of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO that combine high-speed efficiency with laid-back comfort, a report claims. The leaked memo, which is a part of a guide for serving the high-profile client, reveals that Musk insists on flying as fast and directly as possible. As per the memo, he even dismisses fuel conservation and has strict instructions for crew members to avoid small talk unless he initiates it. It further notes that, much like any regular traveler, he expects uninterrupted WiFi and values the ability to take naps during flights.

‘Lights dim and cabin pressure at 65 degrees…’: More details about Musk’s travel preferences leaked

According to a service plan from November 2024 (seen by Bloomberg), Musk likes the cabin at 65 degrees and the lights dim. He also prefers the passenger air vents switched off, as he “does not like the noise” they make, the memo notes.
Despite NetJets declining to confirm the document’s authenticity, the Bloomberg report cited three individuals familiar with the situation who suggested that the company’s flight attendants receive “passenger service plans” similar to Musk’s, which brief them on a traveler’s preferences during a flight.
The document specifies that crew members shouldn’t offer any technological help. “Mr. Musk considers himself self-sufficient and does not need help with technology — if he does, he will ask.”
It’s important to note that NetJets is currently investigating a breach in which a hacker obtained “limited” information from “a very small number of owners,” the report continues.
The company, which offers shared private aircraft ownership—with some clients being referred to as owners—reported that the attacker successfully “phished” an employee to capture their work account credentials and subsequently used that access to extract additional data from NetJets’ systems last month, the report added.
Previously, Musk banned an account from his social media platform X (earlier Twitter) for tracking his flights.





Source link

Preview: Real Betis vs. Villarreal – prediction, team news, lineups

vkpkuk
-
0
Preview: Real Betis vs. Villarreal – prediction, team news, lineups


Sports Mole previews Sunday’s La Liga clash between Real Betis and Villarreal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Estadio Benito Villamarin will play host to an intriguing La Liga fixture on Sunday evening, with Real Betis welcoming Villarreal, and both sides are chasing down fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao in Spain’s top flight.

Real Betis have been in glorious form of late, rising into sixth spot in the La Liga table, level on points with fifth-placed Villarreal, with both sides currently sitting six points off the Champions League spots.

Match preview

© Imago

Real Betis will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final on Thursday night, with Manuel Pellegrini‘s side in an excellent position to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

The Seville outfit are unbeaten in their last seven La Liga matches, meanwhile, recording six wins in the process, and they held division leaders Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in another excellent performance last weekend.

Real Betis have a record of 13 wins, nine draws and eight defeats from their 30 league matches this season, which has left them in sixth spot in the table on 48 points, six points behind fourth-placed Athletic, with Champions League qualification on their radar.

The Green and Whites have not finished fourth in La Liga since 2005, which is an indication of what is on the line this season, but even securing qualification for the 2025-26 Europa League would go down as a brilliant campaign.

Real Betis are looking to do a La Liga double over Villarreal this season, having run out 2-1 winners in the reverse match back in December, but it was 3-2 to Villarreal when the pair locked horns in the corresponding game last season.

Villarreal's Alex Baena on November 24, 2024© Imago

Villarreal have not been involved in Europe this season, so the Yellow Submarine have had a free week to prepare for this match, last being in action on April 6 against Athletic, holding the Lions to a goalless draw.

Marcelino‘s team were 2-1 winners over Getafe in their last away game, meanwhile, and they have a record of 13 wins, nine draws and seven defeats from their 29 matches this season to collect 48 points.

Villarreal, crucially, have a game in hand over both Real Betis and Athletic, which could be crucial come the end of the season, and a win in this match would be huge in terms of their chances of securing European football for next term.

The Yellow Submarine have been an entertaining watch this season, scoring 51 times, which is the third-best attacking record in the division behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they have conceded 39 times, which is high considering their spot in the table.

Villarreal finished eighth during an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign, so there was plenty of room for improvement this term, and Marcelino’s team are now looking to finish what has been a strong season on a positive note.

Real Betis La Liga form:

Real Betis form (all competitions):

Villarreal La Liga form:

Team News

Villarreal forward Ayoze Perez on August 26, 2024© Imago

Real Betis will welcome Isco back into their squad after the playmaker missed out against Barcelona through suspension, but Abde Ezzalzouli is out of this weekend’s contest due to a thigh problem.

There will be changes from the side that took to the field in the Conference League on Thursday night, including a spot in the side for Giovani Lo Celso, who may operate down the left.

Marc Bartra, Aitor Ruibal, Sergi Altimira and Adrian will also be among those recalled to the XI, with Pellegrini preparing to shuffle his pack for what is a huge game in the top flight of Spanish football.

As for Villarreal, Nicolas Pepe, Raul Albiol and Ilias Akhomach will miss the contest due to injury problems, while Pape Gueye is suspended following his red card late on against Athletic.

Head coach Marcelino could make one change from the side that took to the field for the first whistle of the goalless draw against Athletic, with Yeremy Pino potentially coming into the XI in a wide area.

Ayoze Perez has been an excellent performer for the Yellow Submarine this season, scoring 12 times in Spain’s top flight, and the 31-year-old is set to be joined by Thierno Barry in the final third of the field.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Perraud; Cardoso, Altimira; Antony, Isco, Lo Celso; Hernandez

Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Luiz Junior; Femenia, Foyth, L Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Perez, Barry

SM words green background

We say: Real Betis 1-1 Villarreal

Only one of the last eight La Liga matches between these two sides has finished level, and there were eight goals in their two meetings last season – we are expecting a tight game on Sunday, though, and have ultimately had to settle on a low-scoring draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

ID:570082:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect12770:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole‘s daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!



Source link

Bella Thorne claims Mickey Rourke smashed genitals with grinder

vkpkuk
-
0
Bella Thorne claims Mickey Rourke smashed genitals with grinder


Bella Thorne made shocking claims about working with Mickey Rourke while blasting his recent homophobic comments about JoJo Siwa.

The actress reposted an article about Rourke’s “gross” statements to Siwa on “Celebrity Big Brother UK” via her Instagram Stories on Friday, recalling her own time working with “this f–king dude.”

The duo co-starred in “Girl” in 2020, and Thorne was “on [her] knees with [her] hands zip tied around [her] back” in the scene they shared.

Bella Thorne called out Mickey Rourke for his “worst” on-set behavior in 2020. Getty Images
The actress shared “gross” stories from their time filming “Girl.” Courtesy Everett Collection
Thorne claimed Rourke left “bruises” on her genitals with a metal grinder. bellathorne/Instagram

While the actor, 72, was “supposed to take a metal grinder to [her] kneecap,” Thorne, 27, told her followers he allegedly “used it on [her] genitals through [her] jeans … over and over again.”

She further claimed, “I had bruises on my pelvic bone. Working with Mickey was one of the all time worst experiences of my life working as an actress.”

In a separate slide, the former Disney Channel star teased “so many gross stories” about collaborating with the former professional boxer, including him allegedly revving his engine and covering her “completely in dirt” during his final scene.

The actor was supposed to hit her knee cap, Thorne alleged. Courtesy Everett Collection
She claimed Rourke hit her in the wrong spot “over and over again.” Courtesy Everett Collection

“Idk I guess he thought it was funny to humiliate me in front of the entire crew,” she speculated.

Thorne also recalled “having to go into his trailer absolutely alone … to convince him to show up and complete his job” when Rourke “refused to speak to the director or producers.”

Otherwise, the “Shake It Up” alum claimed that “everyone’s work would have just been lost and completely for nothing.”

The “Shake It Up” alum made more claims in a subsequent slide. bellathorne/Instagram
She recalled being “completely” covered in mud when Rourke allegedly revved his engine to “humiliate” her. Courtesy Everett Collection

The “Famous in Love” alum detailed Rourke “shout[ing] crazy demands” while she — feeling “uncomfortable” — resorted to “beg[ging]” him “alone in his trailer.”

Rourke’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

The ex-athlete faced backlash over a “Celebrity Big Brother UK” episode earlier this week in which he questioned Siwa’s sexuality.

Thorne also told her followers she had to “beg” him to finish the movie “alone in his trailer.” Courtesy Everett Collection
Rourke has yet to address Thorne’s claims. Courtesy Everett Collection

He told the singer, 21, that she wouldn’t “be gay anymore” if he remained on the show — and later quipped he would “vote the lesbian out real quick.”

When the show issued a warning, Rourke said “sorry” to Siwa, who is currently dating Kath Ebbs.

In his apology, however, the “Expendables” star insisted he did not have “dishonorable intentions” with his “talking smack” and was not “taking it all so serious.”



Source link

Men’s Frozen Four – Championship preview, predictions, stats

vkpkuk
-
0
Men’s Frozen Four – Championship preview, predictions, stats


Apr 11, 2025, 12:50 AM ET

The 2025 men’s Frozen Four is down to two teams: NCHC champion Western Michigan Broncos and the Boston University Terriers of Hockey East.

In Thursday’s first semifinal, reigning national champion Denver’s bid to defend its title fell short, as the Pioneers were beaten by Western Michigan 3-2 in double overtime. The Broncos, who are in the Frozen Four for the first time, also beat Denver in double overtime in the NCHC championship game. The teams split two meetings in the regular season.

For BU, the third time was the charm as the Terriers beat Penn State 3-1 to advance to the title game after losing in the national semifinals the last two years.

The Broncos and Terriers will play for the national title at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be on ESPN2, and streaming on ESPN+.

Western Michigan is the only one of the top four overall seeds to make the Frozen Four, marking the first time since 2011 that only one of the top four seeds has made it this far. Boston College, Michigan State and Maine all were eliminated in regional play.

In terms of NHL talent, a combined 38 players have been drafted from the Frozen Four teams. BU leads the way with 14, Denver has 13, Western Michigan eight and Penn State three.

Below is a look at what needs to go right for each team to win the national title, with insight from ESPN college hockey analysts Colby Cohen and Andrew Raycroft, as well as players to watch and key statistics from ESPN research.

Western Michigan (33-7-1)

How the Broncos got here: Western Michigan dominated Denver over the first 40 minutes, holding a 2-0 lead and 32-8 shot advantage after two periods. The defending national champs wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as the Pioneers controlled the third period and tied the game 2-2 with 2:39 to play in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, the Broncos struck 26 seconds into double OT, with Owen Michaels roofing his second goal of the game to win it.

Regional recap: The top seed in the Fargo Regional, Western Michigan needed double overtime to beat Minnesota State 2-1, advancing on Grant Slukynsky’s goal, then beat UMass 2-1, erasing a 1-0 deficit with power-play goals by Liam Valente and Tim Washe on the same five-minute major penalty. The Broncos then had to kill off a five-minute major of their own to fend off the Minutemen.

Numbers to know: Western Michigan is playing for the national championship in its first trip to the Frozen Four. Excluding the first NCAA men’s hockey tournament in 1948, only three teams have won the national title in their Frozen Four debut: Denver in 1958, Cornell in 1967 and Lake Superior State in 1988. … The Broncos, who have a team-record 33 wins, are on a nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. … Western Michigan is among the most balanced teams in the country, averaging 3.95 goals per game (second only to Denver’s 4.00), while allowing just 2.05 goals per game, fourth fewest in the nation. … Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky entered the Frozen Four having allowed just two goals in 147:14 for a 0.82 goals-against average, the best among all tournament goalies. He then held Denver to two goals over 80:34 in WMU’s semifinal win.

How Western Michigan can win the national title

Forward depth delivers: There is not much of a drop-off from the first line to the fourth line for the Broncos. They will need to roll over the four lines to try to wear their opponent down, beginning with the Pioneers.

Hampton Slukynsky stands on his head: The freshman goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots in both games in Fargo, then had 20 saves against Denver, holding on during the Pios’ third-period push before keeping them off the board in overtime. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick has a 18-5-1 record and will have to be at his best for Western Michigan to hoist the trophy.

Player to watch: Liam Valente. The Swedish winger factored in on three of his team’s four goals in Fargo. He has an absolute rocket for a shot and will need to find ways to get it off. — Andrew Raycroft

play

0:46

Cole Eiserman doubles Terriers’ lead

Cole Eiserman scores to give Boston University a 2-0 lead over Penn State.

Boston University (24-13-2)

How the Terriers got here: After BU and Penn State felt each other out in the first period, the Terriers took control in the second. Jack Hughes got BU on the board at 1:35, taking advantage of a miscue by Nittany Lions goalie Arsenii Sergeev and poking home a loose puck. Midway through the period, Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman broke free for a 2-on-1 break, with Hutson setting up Eiserman for a pretty goal to make it 2-0. Penn State came out strong in the third period, scoring at 2:12 to cut BU’s lead in half, but Mikhail Yegorov (32 saves) held the fort, with Jack Harvey sealing the win with an empty-netter.

Regional recap: The No. 2 seed in the Toledo Regional, BU blitzed Ohio State with six unanswered goals en route to an 8-3 win, then secured its third straight trip to the Frozen Four on Quinn Hutson’s goal 6:25 into overtime, edging No. 4 seed Cornell 3-2. Freshman Mikhail Yegorov made 37 saves for the Terriers in his 16th career game.

Numbers to know: BU’s win over Penn State was its 50th in NCAA tournament play, making the Terriers the fifth program to reach that mark, joining Minnesota (62), Michigan (59), North Dakota (53) and Boston College (53). … BU coach Jay Pandolfo is a combined 10-0 in NCAA regional games as a head coach and player, resulting in seven trips to the Frozen Four. Pandolfo is the third Division I men’s hockey coach to reach the Frozen Four in each of his first three seasons, joining Doug Woog (Minnesota) and Dave Hakstol (North Dakota). … Despite their recent success, the Terriers haven’t reached the national title game since 2015. This is BU’s 12th championship game appearance, tied for third most all time. … Brothers Quinn and Cole Hutson are BU’s top two scorers this season (Quinn 50 points, Cole 47), with Cole the points leader in NCAA tournament play with seven. Cole’s 33 assists are tied for the most by a BU freshman over the last 10 seasons with his brother Lane, who had 33 in 2022-23.

How BU can win the national title

Create off the rush: BU is a dynamic offensive team that loves to make plays on the rush. The Terriers are fast and get going quickly in transition, and they’ve had a lot of success in the tournament creating off the rush.

Take care of the house: BU has not been known for its defense, but against Cornell, the Terriers buckled down around their net and limited second and third chances. Goalie Mikhail Yegorov typically will stop the first one, so if BU takes care of its own end, it has a great chance to play for a championship.

Player to watch: Cole Hutson. Cole is one of the most dynamic players in the sport of hockey, not just the NCAA. I have not seen a player since Cole’s brother Lane — BU alum, current member of the Montreal Canadiens and a favorite to win the Calder Trophy — have the poise and offensive instincts that Cole has. Big moments seem to be where Hutson shines brightest — the Beanpot, the gold medal game of World Juniors, the Toledo Regional and again against Penn State — so it will be exciting to see what he brings to the national title game. — Colby Cohen



Source link

Jon Rahm hits reset after disappointments in 2024 majors

vkpkuk
-
0
Jon Rahm hits reset after disappointments in 2024 majors


AUGUSTA, Ga. — After every year, Jon Rahm likes to hit the reset button. And heading into this major season at the Masters, the Spaniard felt as if he needed the reboot more than most years.

“I like keeping [goals] fresh instead of just saying I want to win X amount of things by or in the next five years,” Rahm said at Augusta National on Tuesday. “I feel like I perform better and I go with a more clear mindset to face the year if I do that exercise of closing the page on the year before and start a new one for the following year.”

Rahm went from the highs of winning the 2023 Masters only to find himself in a struggle to make the cut at last year’s event. He went on to finish in a tie for 45th before missing the U.S. Open with a foot injury and missing the cut at the PGA Championship.

A tie for seventh at the Open Championship was his saving grace in 2024.

“Not my favorite major season last year,” Rahm said. “I think last year, the state of my game was being unfairly judged based on how I played here and at the PGA compared to how I really played throughout the whole year. While I understand why, I don’t think it was the most fair state of my game. … “[I] feel like I’m playing much better golf coming into this week.”

Since joining LIV in December 2023, Rahm has finished inside the top 10 — including two wins — in 17 of the 18 events he has played on the circuit. But, as he admitted ahead of this year’s Masters, last season was a new experience for him while having to juggle personal and professional changes.

“Last year, for me, was tough because it was the first major after joining LIV and I was also defending, so there was a lot going on that week,” Rahm said. “A lot of new things — new locker room, having the Champions Dinner. It was a lot to adjust to. I think a lot of it was more internal in my case than external.”

Rahm’s game hasn’t fallen off, by any means. He joked Tuesday that he might be outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (he’s 80th) — which doesn’t take into account LIV events — but he’s still fourth in the world in the Data Golf rankings.

“I would just say last year I was able to score really well,” Rahm said. “I never really felt 100% comfortable with my game throughout, and that’s possibly why on the bigger stages when it was difficult, like here or the PGA, I didn’t play my best golf.”

Speaking in Spanish later in his news conference, Rahm added that he has worked with his driver — he saw too many balls going left off the tee last year – and feels sharper overall. When asked where he feels he ranks in the sport right now, Rahm chuckled.

“I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world,” Rahm said. “[But] It’s hard to tell these days.”

Rahm noted that his mental state has been helped by having his family with him at last week’s LIV Doral and this week in Augusta — his wife, Kelley Cahill, had been unable to travel since last year’s PGA Championship after having their third child. He also said that, though he is not superstitious, in the nine appearances he has had at the Masters, he has made a point to play the course in the weeks leading up to the tournament seven times.

This year, he wasn’t able to. The last time that happened was 2023, when he won.

“If I win this year,” Rahm said. “Then I definitely won’t come again early.”



Source link

Italian betting scandal: 12 Serie A players, including USMNT’s Weston McKennie, reportedly under investigation

vkpkuk
-
0
Italian betting scandal: 12 Serie A players, including USMNT’s Weston McKennie, reportedly under investigation


untitled-design-2025-04-11t154841-673.png
Getty Images

At least 12 Serie A players are currently under investigation in a new probe into illegal betting on sports other than soccer, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, among them American star Weston McKennie. The events occurred prior to 2023, before both Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and Fiorentina player Nicolo Fagioli served their suspension for illegal betting. The two players, according to the Milan investigators, acted as collectors for the gamblers and were “remunerated with bonuses on their gaming accounts.” 

McKennie, former Juventus star Angel Di Maria and Atalanta winger Raoul Bellanova are also among the names being investigated for having played on illegal betting and poker platforms, as Corriere della Sera and other news outlets reported in Italy. While Fagioli and Tonali are being investigated for a charge that also concerns “advertising” while the others are being investigated as “mere gamblers.” According to the investigation led by the Prosecutors of Milan, the players paid “their gambling debts with bank transfers to a jewelry store, pretending to buy Rolexes and other luxury watches.”

“Money was poured by numerous Serie A players into the pockets of two operators of illegal online betting platforms (Tommaso De Giacomo and Patrick Fizzera). According to investigators, these two were assisted by three managers (Antonio Scinocca, Antonio Parise, and Andrea Piccini) of a Milan jewelry store used as an ingenious “bank” to covertly settle betting accounts,” the Italian paper reports.

The players were extended credit by the illegal betting organizers, but when the debt was too big, they were directed to the jewelry store where they “would seemingly pay for Rolexes and other luxury watches with fully traceable bank transfers. However, the watches remained in the store at the disposal of the organizers, while the athletes were left with only with an invoice issued for the simulated purchase.”

The investigators will now continue their work, but the Milan Prosecutor’s Office will also forward the case files regarding the investigation to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of the Italian FA (FIGC) concerning sporting matters and potential disciplinary sanctions. According to Italian news agency ANSA, “from a criminal standpoint, the footballers face minimal risk and can resolve the matter by paying a fine. The most significant reviews will come from sporting justice.”





Source link

Looking back at the 2021 Masters, Asia’s first Masters champion

vkpkuk
-
0
Looking back at the 2021 Masters, Asia’s first Masters champion


The 2025 Masters begins in four days.

As the countdown to heading down Magnolia Lane continues, Golfweek is taking a look back at some Masters history through the years.

Today, it’s time to examine the 2021 Masters and the significant milestones that occurred at Augusta National Golf Club that year.

Who won the 2021 Masters?

Hideki Matsuyama won the 2021 Masters to become Asia’s first Masters champion. It was also the first major championship for Japan. Eight days earlier, Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It was the second Masters in six months.



Source link

Jeff Bridges On New Album ‘Slow Magic,’ Improvisation And The Dude

vkpkuk
-
0
Jeff Bridges On New Album ‘Slow Magic,’ Improvisation And The Dude


By 1977, actor Jeff Bridges had already been nominated for a pair of Academy Awards in recognition of his work on 1972’s The Last Picture Show as well as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot three years later – but music was in his blood.

While he began writing songs at the age of just 14, Bridges has released a trio of albums since 2000, moving nearly 400,000 copies of his T-Bone Burnett-produced, self-titled effort in 2011 (following an Oscar-winning turn as troubled country singer “Bad” Blake in the film Crazy Heart).

But his latest musical endeavor, Slow Magic, 1977-1978, now available for streaming on digital platforms ahead of a Record Store Day vinyl release this Saturday, April 12, is different.

Rescued from a single five decade old cassette, and mastered by John Baldwin, the new collection finds Bridges in experimental mode, drawing from influences ranging anywhere from Bob Dylan or The Beatles to Captain Beefheart along the way.

Slow Magic grew out of a run of Wednesday night jam sessions led by co-conspirator Steve Baim, which would wind up including everyone from Mitch Mitchell (the Jimi Hendrix Experience) to members of Oingo Boingo.

On a record not without the occasional odd moment, Bridges jams with friends including legendary actor Burgess Meredith, who channels Mickey Goldmill (the character he portrayed opposite Sylvester Stallone in the 1976 boxing drama Rocky) as he delivers a unique guest vocal on both “Here on This Island” and “Kong,” an epic tour de force which finds Meredith helping deliver Bridges’ idea for a King Kong sequel in a song.

Not unlike Bridges’ Emergent Behavior, a series of similarly raw, lo-fi recordings available on his website which drill down on the idea of musical evolution, Slow Magic, 1977-1978 has also evolved, defined at times by the idea of improvisation.

“This album and this Emergent Behavior, those volumes, it’s kind of like reversing the order,” explained Bridges during a recent video call. “Often, you’ll get an album that will come out and be a beautiful album, and then years later they’ll say, ‘And here’s the making of that album! Here are some demos,’” he continued. “This is sort of flipping that around. This is like releasing all of this demo-like stuff first.”

Teaming with record label and distributor Light in the Attic, who has specialized largely in archival projects and reissues since 2002, the Slow Magic vinyl set features stunning liner notes, penned by writer Sam Sweet, which really ties the project together.

I spoke with Jeff Bridges about revisiting Slow Magic almost 50 years later, strong storytelling, the city of Los Angeles, improvisation, optimism and The Big Lebowski. A transcript of our video call, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows below.

Jim Ryan: When I read that the fortunes of this project hinged upon the condition of a single 50 year old cassette, I was… concerned. But the sound quality is actually pretty good. I know John Baldwin mastered the album. What was the process of saving and enhancing this music like?

Jeff Bridges: You mentioned our mixer, the guy who did the final mix: John. He did a remarkable job. Because, yeah, it’s all off a 50 year old cassette! So, I was really pleased with how it was mastered.

Ryan: I have to admit, I was not familiar with Light in the Attic prior to this. They seem like the perfect partner. What was it like working with them on Slow Magic?

Bridges: Incredible, man! The whole thing was started by my dear friend Keefus Ciancia, who I worked with on several other projects. And, without me knowing it, he sent it to Matt Sullivan at Light in the Attic. And I was just so pleased that Matt dug it too. He said, “Let’s make an album!” I said, “What?! Are you kidding me, man?” And he said “No. Archival. It’s all about archiving stuff.” I guess it qualifies. But, anyway, it was wonderful. And the great byproduct of the whole project was reigniting all of these old friendships from that time. That was wonderful.

I just think they did a splendid job. I loved working with Sam Sweet on all of the copy. We did some more documentation stuff with video. My old girlfriend Candy Clark had some photos to contribute. Loretta Ayeroff shot the cover. It was just a fun project.

Ryan: Sam’s liner notes are really lovely – in a way we just don’t see much anymore with new releases. There’s a real element of storytelling there I wasn’t expecting. How important was that to you?

Bridges: Oh, that was so important! So important. Yeah, when I met with Sam we hit it off kind of immediately. I really enjoyed his sense and importance of place. He wanted to go to that place on Washington Boulevard and find out what it was. Just his genuine curiosity was great to behold and be a part of.

Ryan: When it comes to storytelling, whether it’s a songwriter, a screenwriter, poet, novelist or anyone else, who are some favorite storytellers?

Bridges: Now, all of the sudden, boom, my mind is blank. Let me think…

Check out Tom McGuane. I met him the year I met my wife – so that’s about 50 years ago – right around this time. He’s the guy who wrote a movie called Rancho Deluxe. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a pretty good one, I think. You know, Slim Pickens, Sam Waterston – pretty wild cast. So, he comes to mind. There’s a great book of his called Cloudbursts, a book of his short stories, that I’m currently reading.

I’m reading Michael McDonald’s What a Fool Believes, his biography – that’s fun. I recently read Jim Carrey’s memoir! Consolations by David Whyte, a wonderful author.

Ryan: Speaking of storytelling, I’m familiar with the backstory to “Kong” and your idea for a King Kong sequel. Not that I ever expected to be asking someone about a Burgess Meredith guest vocal but how does he, while sort of in character as Mickey from Rocky no less, kind of help flesh out the unique storytelling there?

Bridges: Oh man, well… I was gonna say still waters run deep – his waters weren’t even that still – but they were still very deep, man.

He turned me on to John Lilly. Do you know who John Lilly is? The guy who invented the isolation tank. So, right around those times when we were doing the “Kong” stuff, maybe shortly after, he turned me on to the isolation tank: the inner journey that you go through when you take away all of your sensory organs. And that was a wonderful thing.

I remember when we did my second film. It was called The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go. It’s a pretty bizarre movie. James Mason plays a Chinese-Mexican character. Burgess also plays a Chinese man. When we were doing it, Burgess was writing songs and playing and goes, “Oh, let’s change the character! Let’s say you’re gonna write a rock opera!” So, we wrote some tunes.

He was just so encouraging of any kind of creativity. And, so, when I thought of this “Kong” story, he immediately came to mind to do this takeoff on the Hindenburg disaster, or the Zeppelin crashing.

And then, on the spot, he said, “Do you mind if I read a poem of mine?” I said, “Oh, by all means.” And he read that thing. And that was like a jam. I think it was the first take – we just played over that, you know? Played together. And it was great.

Ryan: To me, an exciting element of this album is the way that it takes you directly to a very unique time and place. Especially in the liner notes, Los Angeles is almost presented less as a setting and more as a character, a protagonist. It kind of makes L.A., at that point, sort of seem like this magical place where anything, even fame, isn’t just possible, it’s expected. How did Los Angeles at that particular time kind of shape the creative you’d become?

Bridges: Interesting… It’s also youth, you know? When you’re young, you think, “Oh, anything is possible! I wonder what’s gonna happen?” That kind of uncertainty and that open quality was part of the music that was going on there and that we were making.

Also, you’ve got to think about the music that we were listening to growing up: The Beatles, Bob Dylan – it doesn’t get much better than that stuff.

Ryan: You sort of hit on the idea of improvisation there in the construction of “Kong.” I always feel like the idea of improvisation is one that carries important life lessons beyond making music or acting. Improv keeps me out of my comfort zone. How important is that to you even this far along? Are there some parallels there?

Bridges: That word is a pretty strong word in my life.

We certainly use it in the acting realm. Sometimes, you actually film it and that’s what you see on the film is the improv. But a lot of improv can be used to discover the truth of a scene.

For instance, I’m thinking like Lebowski: there’s very little improvisation in The Big Lebowski. The Coen brothers just write so well that it seems like that. John Goodman and I would rehearse and improvise a lot to find the reality of the scene – but we’d always go back to the original. Because every “f–k,” every “man,” was just in the right musical place, you know? You want to play the notes of the tune. And they were so well placed that we would always go back to that.

But improvisation, if you apply that to life and say, “Let’s improv,” it’s like creating a context where you don’t have to play your persona. You don’t have to do your normal lines, you can be free.

I remember one of the guys in the Wednesday night jam, who was a dear friend but is no longer with us, Mike Portis, when he was in college, his whole thesis was on this thing where he would become another person – and would act with a different accent and all. Because he felt another aspect of himself could come through if he didn’t have to play himself, you know? We all have these personas of who we think we are – and who we think people think we are. And that’s something that you can play against.

Ryan: I know you’re doing a run of Big Lebowski screenings in California starting April 16. I was pondering the Dude as I watched that film last night. The Dude doesn’t judge. He has a caring side. He accepts that which is different. He’s honest and he’s there for his friends. You’ve written about the Dude’s spirituality. And, god bless him, he hates the f–ing Eagles, man. But I feel like we could learn a lot from that character. What could the Dude teach us as we navigate life in 2025?

Bridges: Oh man. Well, he’s authentically the Dude, you know?

He’s known as the Dude and he’s supposed to be so chill and relaxed – but all through the movie, he’s not at all, you know?! And I can relate to that. This idea, like we know how we oughta be – but that ain’t necessarily how it is. And, in each of those troubled, tough times, that’s where the gold is actually – that’s where the lesson is.

It’s those times when you think everything is perfect and relaxed. I find those to be the most dangerous times. “Watch out, I’m feeling too good!” That’s where I get in trouble.

Ryan: Well, I love the gritty guitar part at the top of “You Could be Ready.” What was it like revisiting that one?

Bridges: (Hums intro) I was just playing that song this morning, man! I was revisiting old tunes saying, “Oh yeah…”

This idea of being ready. We so often think that we come from this place of not enough: not enough money, we don’t have enough training or enlightenment – all of these different things we don’t have enough of. And maybe the song is saying, “Maybe, you’ve got it. Maybe you’ve got what’s enough. Maybe you don’t even realize that you’re ready.”

What is ready anyway, you know?

Ryan: I was listening to the song “Slow Magic” again this morning. Given what you’ve been through in the last five or so years in particular, does a song like that take on new meaning as you sort of set it against the idea of mortality?

Bridges: Yeah. Yeah. I think, when I was on death’s door, I experienced some slow magic, you know? (Laughs) It was pretty wild.

That’s a song – and I’m not sure if it’s in the version that is on the album – but, there’s a line in the new version, I think, where “Slow Magic” – “It’s slow magic when you see how the trick was done.” That’s kind of the punchline to the song. I’m not sure if it made that early version.

Ryan: I love that we’re talking about a 50 year old cassette in 2025 – and here you’re illuminating the way in which these songs are still evolving. How important is it to you whether it’s a film or a song that these things do have that ability to grow and evolve?

Bridges: I love that… I love that!

This album and this Emergent Behavior, those volumes, it’s kind of like reversing the order. Often, you’ll get an album that will come out and be a beautiful album, and then years later they’ll say, “And here’s the making of that album! Here are some demos.” This is sort of flipping that around. This is like releasing all of this demo-like stuff first. And who knows? Maybe it’ll get polished up, maybe it won’t. Doesn’t really matter all that much, you know?

I might polish it. Or some other young band might say, “Oh yeah, let’s do some of those Bridges tunes, man!”

Ryan: I thought it was interesting the way the liner notes ended with the lyrics of the unreleased song about the Wednesday jams. Certainly, there’s an element of nostalgia there. But, to me, it also sort of closes the Slow Magic project on an optimistic note. Was it important to strike that tone?

Bridges: Yeah, I’m an optimist. I think positively. I’m hopeful. That just seems to be how I roll, you know? My DNA, how I was raised, my environment – that’s definitely part of who I am.

That seems to be just how I naturally am cooked.



Source link

Hideki Matsuyama describes that winning feeling at 2021 Masters and more in this Q&A

vkpkuk
-
0
Hideki Matsuyama describes that winning feeling at 2021 Masters and more in this Q&A


Hideki Matsuyama is hungry to add another major to his resume.

In April 2021, Matsuyama won the Masters, becoming both the first Japanese player and the first Asian-born player to win the tournament.

To date, Matsuyama has 11 wins on the PGA Tour, making him the most successful Japanese member in Tour history, with his latest win coming at The Sentry in January 2025 where he finished with a Tour 72-hole record of 35 under par.

Advertisement

Matsuyama, who turned pro in 2013, is a Rolex Testimonee since 2016, and he explained what the association has meant to him and how the brand’s strengths relate to his game.

“Excellence and precision are two of the qualities required to succeed in the game of golf, especially at times when golfers are under high pressure – not just mentally, but also due to the varying environmental demands and golf course conditions,” he said. “It becomes more difficult to perform to the best of our abilities when faced with these circumstances, which is why the daily practice outside of tournament weeks and the way we spend our time away from the golf course are so important. This is what allows us to maintain our composure and consistency during the big moments.”

Matsuyama has proven he’s more than capable in the big moments and he’s motivated to do again.

“I’m still eager and hungry to win, but from a more mature and developed stand point,” he explained.

Advertisement

Here are seven questions with the Japanese champion, reminiscing about his 2021 victory at the Masters and more.

Q: Did winning the Masters Tournament in 2021 exceed all expectations and dreams you had as a golfer growing up?

HM: Yes. It was an incredible feeling making the last putt on 18th green. Now it has become my next dream to win another major title.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates on the No. 18 green after winning the 2021 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 11, 2021.

Q: How do you manage the pressure at such a prestigious event like the Masters?

HM: I just love being at the Augusta National Golf Club. Playing golf there is so exciting and fun for me. The pressure is there at certain occasions, but the enjoyment of being at the Augusta National Golf Club and the fun parts of competing in the Masters Tournament definitely outweigh the pressure and stressful situations.

Q: The Masters has produced some of the most iconic moments within sports history. What are your three most iconic Masters moments?

HM: Tiger Woods’ first Masters win back in 1997; his last in 2019; and mine in 2021 would be my most memorable and iconic moments.

Q: Following your 2021 Masters win, and becoming the first player from Japan and the first Asian-born player to win the Masters Tournament, you received the Prime Minister’s Award in Japan. What did that moment mean to you?

HM: Growing up in the rural countryside of Japan, I just loved to hit balls every day but never imagined that kind of moment would ever come. It was such a great honor to meet the Prime Minister and receive that award.

Hideki Matsuyama celebrates with the green jacket after winning the 2021 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

Hideki Matsuyama celebrates with the green jacket after winning the 2021 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

Q: What is the best piece of advice that you would pass down to aspiring professional golfers?

HM: To love what you do and work hard to become better, every single day.

Q: You have achieved so much in your career to date. What do you consider to be your personal highlight so far?

HM: While moments like winning the Masters Tournament in 2021 are real highlights, I always try to look ahead and keep working hard to reach an even higher level without reflecting too much on the past.

Q: When you were defending champion and it’s your dinner on that Tuesday, when you went back to the champions dinner, did you know where you were supposed to sit and how did you figure that out?

HM:Obviously I don’t speak great English, so I tried to sit next to someone who I don’t have to talk with — sit next to Adam (Scott).

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama answers questions about being a Masters champ



Source link

1...187188189...200Page 188 of 200

Newbie Pro News brings you the latest trends, insights, and expert analysis across various industries. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, our news, tips, and updates help you stay informed and ahead. Explore tech, business, and more with content designed to bridge the gap between learning and mastery!

Contact us: contact@yoursite.com

© Copyright Newbiepronews 2025