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Sporting Kansas City puts an end to Loons’ playoff hopes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

Minnesota United went into Saturday night’s game at Sporting Kansas City knowing that a win could still take them into the playoffs.Unfortunately for the Loons, the game was still taking place in Kansas.MNUFC lost 3-1 Saturday, its ninth loss in nine regular-season tries against SKC on the road, and ended the year outside the postseason for the first time since 2018.The Loons have endured plenty of upheaval this season. Their star player, Emanuel Reynoso, was suspended for most of the first half of the year, due to an unexcused absence from the team. In the stretch run, they went seven matches without a win, a stumble that led to the firing of longtime coach Adrian Heath.In the end, it was all too much for Minnesota to overcome, and the Loons couldn’t claim a playoff spot on the season’s final day, as they did in 2021 and 2022.Minnesota began the game in a different formation, playing three midfielders and three forwards, instead of their customary two and four. Interim manager Sean...

1UpState talks game development in New York

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Local game developers and supporting organizations leveling up at the Albany Capital Center with 1UpState. The convention is a celebration of games and the people who make them here in New York.From fighting robots and big bosses in "PowerBots Retro" to learning Japanese while solving puzzles in "So to Speak", all these experiences are being made by local gamers. Independent developers were showcasing demos of up-and-coming titles such as "Hearth and Holmes" in return for feedback from eager players. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "I like making stories and I like interweaving them with an interactivity. It just gets people involved in the story and it’s so much more fun, thus games," described Open Sorcery Games President, Abigail Corfman.Speakers taught developers and gamers alike on topics such as voice acting and esports. These developers came out swinging not as competitors, but allies of the local ...

St. Louis CITY SC drops regular season finale, set for Sporting KC or San Jose in playoffs

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's not the finish to the regular season that St. Louis CITY SC fans were hoping for, but their first run at playoffs is right around the corner. St. Louis CITY SC dropped its regular season finale, 2-0, on Saturday to the Seattle Sounders FC. CITY SC closes its regular season with a 17-5-12 record and 56 points. That's good enough for first place in the Western Conference. CITY also set a record for most games won by an MLS expansion team in their first year, but missed the record for most points by just one. Breaking down this year’s MLS playoffs format: What does it mean for St. Louis CITY SC? St. Louis will play the winner of the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the MLS Wild Card Round for the Western Conference. Sporting Kansas City has the eight-seed, while the San Jose Earthquakes have the nine-seed. The winner of that matchup will advance to take on CITY SC in a best-of-three playoff round. Playoff schedules being the Wild Card Rounds are being finalized and could be a...

Saad scores twice, Blues beat Penguins 4-2

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Saad scored twice and Jordan Binnington stopped 31 shots as the St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Saturday night.Jake Neighbours and Colton Parayko also scored for the Blues, who were coming off a loss at home to Arizona two nights earlier and won in regulation for the first time this season. Robert Thomas and Kasperi Kapanen, playing in his first game against his former team since being waived by Pittsburgh last season, each had two assists.“After last game, we didn’t have our best game and we wanted to come out with some pace and some chances tonight and I think we did a good job of moving the puck and creating some chances,” Saad said. “As a line all night, I thought we played pretty well.”Binnington entered the game with a 0.92 goals-against average and a .969 save percentage. He evened his career record against Pittsburgh to 3-3-1.“I think the guys really, you know, kept the foot on the gas and continued to play the way we wanted to pl...

Improved depth, dynamite special teams keep Avalanche rolling past depleted Hurricanes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

The Colorado Avalanche are steamrolling teams to start the 2023-24 season, and the opponent Saturday night was the best of the lot to date.Colorado fell behind in the middle of the second period, but rolled to a 6-4 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes behind an avalanche of goals in the second half of the middle stanza. The Avs scored four times in a span of seven minutes and 14 seconds to blow open what had been a frenetic back-and-forth affair.The Avs are now 5-0 to start the season and have affirmed all of the preseason hype about being one of the top teams in the NHL. They’ve defeated three playoff teams from a year ago, including the Hurricanes, who reached the conference finals last season and are a popular pick to go one round further this spring.Now, there are some significant caveats about Saturday night. This was billed as a potential Stanley Cup Final preview when the Hurricanes arrived in Denver. But this version of their lineup was not close to whole. Carolina was m...

Thousands expected to gather for 8th annual P-22 festival in Griffith Park

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

Thousands of people from communities across Los Angeles are expected to gather at Griffith Park on Sunday for the National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars campaign 8th annual P-22 day festival. Taking place from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the festival honors the beloved mountain lion P-22 who passed away in December 2022. In celebration of L.A.’s unique wildlife, plant life and natural open spaces, the day festival will feature activities for the community to enjoy including hundreds of exhibitors, live music performances, arts and crafts activities, food trucks, live painting by talented muralists, and native-plant giveaways. Attendees can also expect to learn about California’s rich biodiversity and what they can do to protect and care for local wildlife. Late last year, the famed mountain lion P-22 was captured and humanely euthanized after being struck by a car near Griffith Park, the urban park he once roamed. Final necropsy results revealed that he died of mu...

San Jose Earthquakes headed to MLS playoffs for first time since 2020

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

SAN JOSE — A relentless attack and a surplus of golden opportunities never matured into a decisive goal for the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.There was no final payoff for the sellout crowd at PayPal Park to let out its collective emotion and celebrate a much-needed victory.And yet, in the end, the result was enough. The Earthquakes finished their regular season with a 1-1 draw against Austin FC to punch their ticket to the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2020 and just the third time in the last 11 seasons.It was just last August that United States Men’s National Team assistant coach Luchi Gonzalez took the job as the Earthquakes head coach, inheriting a last-place team that needed a cultural makeover, and made this proclamation: “We must make the playoffs next year.”Behind Gonzalez’s calm presence and defensive-minded approach, the Earthquakes turned themselves from a team that conceded the most goals in the Western Conference to a team that conceded the fourth...

San Jose State football: Spartans celebrate homecoming with rare win over Utah State

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

SAN JOSE — San Jose State scored 28 second-half points to defeat Utah State 42-21 in front of an announced homecoming crowd of 15,000 Saturday night.Running back Kairee Robinson rushed for 102 yards and broke a school record by running for a touchdown for the eighth consecutive game. Chevan Cordeiro completed 15 of 20 passes for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns.SJSU earned its first win over Utah State since 2009, breaking a 10-game losing streak.The Spartans jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. After Robinson caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Cordeiro, the Spartans led 14-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.Utah State’s offense came alive in the second quarter. The Aggies tied the game when freshman quarterback McCae Hillstead threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Micah Davis with just over four minutes left in the second quarter.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | San Jose State Spartans’ run game picking up steam heading into Homecoming Game vs. Utah St...

Wheeler deals, Schwarber, Harper, Realmuto homer and Phillies beat D-backs 6-1 for 3-2 NLCS lead

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Zack Wheeler delivered another postseason gem with seven shutdown innings, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmulto homered and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Saturday night to take a 3-2 NL Championship Series lead.Philadelphia moved one win from its second straight World Series appearance, regaining control after wasting late leads in consecutive one-run losses at Chase Field.Bryson Stott hit an RBI single and Harper slid home in a collision with catcher Gabriel Moreno as part of a double steal that built a 2-0 lead in the first off Zac Gallen. Schwarber’s homer was his fifth in the NLCS and 20th of his postseason career as the Philadelphia lineup roughed up Gallen for a second time this series. Schwarber’s sixth-inning drive traveled 461 feet over the swimming pool beyond the right-center fence, quieting a crowd of 47,897. Two batters later, Harper hit a 444-foot homer into the right-field seats.Realmuto added a two-run homer ...

Undefeated Golden Knights beat Bedard and the Blackhawks 5-3

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:15:04 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Nicolas Roy, Mark Stone and Paul Cotter scored in the third period, and the undefeated Vegas Golden Knights beat Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Saturday night.Bedard scored on his first shot in Chicago’s home opener, but Vegas’ superior depth proved to be too much for the rebuilding Blackhawks. The Golden Knights became the first Stanley Cup champions to begin their title defense with six consecutive victories.William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Vegas, which extended its franchise-record start. Adin Hill made 21 saves.Reese Johnson and Corey Perry scored for Chicago, which returned home after beginning the season with a 2-3-0 road trip. Arvid Soderblom made 19 stops.RED WINGS 5, SENATORS 2OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Joe Veleno scored his first two goals of the season and Dylan Larkin added a goal and two assists as Detroit posted its fourth straight win.Larkin, Shayne Gostisbehere and David Perron added power-play goals for Detroit, ...