LA Kings 2014 Playoffs: Jaws

The San Jose Sharks have proved themselves to be worthy opponents of  the LA Kings. The Kings, who were looking good heading into the series, having great success after the Olympic Break. The Kings have had their struggles in this series against the sharks, however, allowing 20 goals in only four games, and losing game two after a strong 2-0 nothing lead in the start of the game. The Kings have a large struggle with keeping leads, not being able to win games with one goal advantages. The Kings had a great game four, however, and defeated the Sharks 6-3 with the new King, Gaborik, coming up big with two goals and Tyler Tiffoli scoring one for his birthday. The Kings were able to hold on and not be swept, and will face a tough challenge as they head back to the Shark Tank for game 5.

LA Kings: the chase for the cup

The Los Angeles Kings have just qualified for their fifth Stanley Cup Playoff  race in a row. They are all set to take on the third seeded San Jose Sharks. The Kings had a wonderful, action-packed series against the Sharks last post-season, defeating the Sharks in a seventh game. In this season, the score of the series between the two teams is 3-2 in favor of the Kings, but the Sharks' aggressive offense is not to be overlooked. This season, the sharks have a total of 241 goals. This is compared to the Kings, who have only 203. The Kings have a very strong defense,however. The Sharks have allowed 197 total goals on the season, while the Kings have let in only 170. This game is a fairly even matchup, and will undoubtedly be a nail-biting series from start to finish!

UCLA: what happened?????

The UCLA bruins were looking good heading into their Sweet 16 matchup with the number one seeds Florida gators. The Bruins defeated Tulsa in the round of 64 by a score of 76-59, an easy victory for the offensively-skilled Bruins. In the next round,they breezed past SF Austin 60-77... However, UCLA was heavily favored in both of those games. Then the Bruins had to face a highly dominant Florida Gator team. The Gators had not lost since December, and continued that streak against the Bruins. The game was fairly close throughout the whole first half of the game, the score at half-time being 30-36 in Florida's favor. The fatal flaw for the Bruins was rebounding, both offensive and defensive. The Bruins went 8 for 30 in rebounding! They eventually were just left in the dust by Florida's tough, physical play. This resulted in a final score of 68-79, Florida. This is a disappointing end to a great Bruins season. Best of luck for a strong, determinated Gator team.

The LA Kings: Back on Track

Before the Olympic brake, the Los Angeles Kings were in trouble. They could NOT score. They were losing their advantage of third place in the division, which is close enough as it is. The Kings finished strong before the brake ended, however, beating Colombus. I did not have the privelage of watching the Kings go on their recent 8 game win streak, because I was on a mission tip in El Paso, Texas, but from what I heard it was outstanding. The Kings who could not score found the back of the net more than ten times in three games, the first of those scoring six in Colorado. Though the Kings still sit in third in the Pacific, if they continue to play the way they have been playing, they will not HA e much of a struggle to find a respective playoff spot.

The Olympics in Review

The Olympics flew by very quickly this year, but they were an Olympics to remember!! The United States ended in second place in the medal count with 28, five short of the home Russian team, with an outstanding count of 33. There were many memorable events/races/routines in this years winter games. One case was Shaun White.... What HAPPENED?!? No medal!!?!? Well, before the medal round itself, he was definitely on track. He topped his heat!!!! But then in the final round, he chocked. A bad landing on the edge of the pipe killed him(not literally). The man is a legend, and has been so great in previous runs and competitions, it was disappointing to see him fall in 4th place. But no offense towards Shaun... He is a wonderful athlete, and I hope for many more Olympics, and that this one did not discourage him. Another story was figure skater Jeremy Abbot. He had a very discouraging games, falling two times in his numerous programs. Jeremy showed wonderful perseverance, even finishing the program where he fell hard, injuring himself. I hope he continues to push himself, competing in many more games, not becoming discouraged. Not all of these stories are discouraging though. Noelle Pikus-Pace of the US women's skeleton team acquired a silver medal in the Games. This was huge for the mother of two, who new that this was her last Olympics. I could go on and on, about every single athlete. In the end, the medals don't matter, though they might matter to the athletes. The games are a about many nations gathering in one spot, even if its only for two weeks. Bonds are created between these athletes that last for a lifetime. The spirit of the Olympics is one unbeatable. Everyone knows that they are happening, and so everyone is watching, hoping, and dreaming. People look up to these athletes. These stars. The Olympics are not just games... No, they are dreams. Dreams that kids have worked for since they could stand. Dreams that only One out of many people will reach. Dreams that are remembered, and will be looked upon forever.

Team USA... What went wrong??

The US mens hockey team ran out of steam in the Olympics when they needed it most. They were shutout against Canada, after scoring  20 goals in the previous 4 games. It does not seem possible: such a strong, powerful team who breezed through the the previous rounds, all of a sudden being shutout. The Canadian team does deserve credit for a wonderful game.  To add to the shock, the US team was again shutout in the bronze medal game against Finland. But this time, they didn't allow just one goal. They were shut down by a score of 5-0. The Finnish played a very strong game, but the US contributed to the win themselves, allowing 2 power play goals. The US got into big penalty trouble in the third period, aw the frustration settled upon them. So why?? Why did the US fall flat on their faces?? It's impossible to know for sure. Perhaps, they just overworked themselves. They played their best players right out of the gates of the tournament. Maybe by the last two, most important games, they were simply exhausted. They didn't have the power to push their way to gold, silver, or even bronze. Another reason was their lack of discipline. Penalties played a huge role in the decrease of the power of the team. The men failed to strike hard like in their previous games, and as a result, the better teams won. Canada and Finland deserved to defeat the Stars and Stripes. It would not have been fair for the US to win the bronze over a Finnish team full of determination and power, a real yearning to win. Finland  worked hard thought the tournament, and no amount of complaint and excuses from the US team could change the fact that the better team DID in fact win. So, for the US it's back to drawing board. Better luck next time.

Olympic Hockey Semifinal: USA vs Canada

I think all hockey fans knew that it would come to this this year. On Friday the 21st the United States hockey team will take on the always strong Canadian team. The US has been invincible this Olympic season. They have defeated solvakia (7-1), Russia (3-2 in the shoot out), Slovenia (5-1), and then the Check Republic (5-2 in the quarter finals). The US team has had vey strong goaltending this year, with Johnathan Quick ( Los Angeles) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo) combining to allow 6 goals in 4 games. The Canadian team has not breezed through the previous rounds like the US. They defeated Norway (3-1), Austria (6-0), Finland (2-1 in overtime), then escaping Latvia (2-1) in the quarter finals by the hairs on their chinney chin chins. Anyone who followed the 2010 Vancouver Olympic hockey would now about the meeting of the two teams in the gold medal game. The Canadians emerged victorious, winning 2-3 in sudden death overtime. This season, however, the Canadians have barely squeezed by two teams who should have been easy pickings. The US only had one remotely close game which they won 3-2 in the shootout against Russia and their home crowd. No matter the way these two teams have been playing, sometimes these things don't matter in a great rivalry such as this one. It will absolutely be an aggressive, ferocious game. Both teams will be fighting as hard as they possibly can. Though this year the teams don't meet in the medal round, the teams will no doubt treat it like one.

The Case for the Bruins

The UCLA bruins basketball team is looking up this season. As they near the final stretch before "the madness" begins, here is where they stand: 23. I know many would say," who cares?!?! The bruins haven't been themselves since the wooden days!!" The 20-5 bruins are not to be underestimated this year, however. One reason that the Bruins are being overlooked this season is because they don't exactly have much strength of schedule. After all, they have only faced three ranked teams so far this season: #1 Arizona, #8 Duke, and #21 Colorado. They do, however, have superstars such as Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson, both shooting over 15 points per game. Many would also speculate the past  10 seasons. From 2004-2008, UCLA made one championship game and two final four appearances under coach Ben Howland. From 08-2013, the bruins made it only past the round of 64 two times, nor even pushing past it one season. In fact, in the 09-10 and 11-12 seasons, the bruins failed to qualify for the tournament. Then they fired Howland in the offseason and hired Steve Alford. The bruins are now having a very successful season.This change seems to be working, as the bruins are on their way to qualifying for the tournament this season. I'm not saying that the Bruins have an easy road ahead of them. Look out Kansas and heads up Louisville (yeah right!!) all I'm saying is, the Bruins have a shot, and though it is not great, it doesn't matter. This years squad has a great deal of determination, spunk, and pride, and they are ready to let it fly. Go Bruins!!

The Miracle on Ice

When the country is lost, when people live in fear of war and ruin, when a mother does not send her child to school out of fear of losing her child to the hands of communism, when there seems to be no hope at all, all it takes is a miracle to turn the tides, to bring a nation to its feet. Strangers embracing strangers. People suddenly honking their horns on cold icy streets, a whole civilization gathering, holding hands if only for a night. A person who thinks that a hip check is a piece of paper used to exchange money sitting in your wallet in your pocket, when money is indeed hard to run by at the time. Out of the ashes, a few, small town boys merely 20 years old with old sticks and dull blades slung over their shoulders. A coach never fully understood by even those nearest to him, but he has the power to get the idea through those boys heads, that this is something special, something more than a game, something more that just another event, but something that these boys would hold on to all the days of their lives. Giving them the motivation, the yearning, the drive to get not just a hockey club, not just a town,  not just a city, not just a state, not just a region, but a whole nation up on their feet with the ability to say" we won" for once in their lives, to give the nation the ability to have a smile of pride on their faces, to hold their heads high together, to create a bond that would last through times of success, through times of peace, through times of war, through times of destruction and conflict,  so a nation of millions of people may become a whole body and laugh together, and cry together, smile at the country's great rising together, or weep at the downfall of loved ones as a whole. That we may stand under our banner, and proudly say, without a hint of shame or sorrow, that We are America, and nothing can change that. The miracle on ice was a truly memorable moment. Even 24 years after the miracle, it continues to dwell in the hearts of many across the country