Devils “Treat” Themselves to 2-1 Shootout Win over Lightning
October 31, 2009
(Tampa, FL) Antero Niittymaki stopped 37 Devil shots on this Halloween, but it wasn’t enough to treat the fans to a win as New Jersey beats the Lightning 2-1 in a shootout win this afternoon before 12,154 fans at the Forum.
Outshooting the Lightning 38-15, the Lightning goaltender, Antero Niittymaki played his best game of the season turning back all but one shot in keeping Tampa Bay in a game which New Jersey controlled from the beginning. Niitty made a spectacular glove save on Cory Murphy in the first period when the Devils were on the power play. The rookie net minder also stopped a 2 on 1 break with a sliding save on Ilkka Pikkarainen and stoned Jamie Langenbruner a short-handed breakaway and his subsequent penalty shot.
The Devils finally got one past Niitty :50 seconds into the second period when Travis Zajac poked a rebound underneath him to make it 1-0 New Jersey.
Steve Stamkos’ 10th goal of the season tied it at 1 when he fired a wrist shot from the near circle at 4:34 of the third period to beat Martin Brodeur on the far side of the net.
After a scoreless overtime, David Clarkson lifted a backhander past Niittymaki in the 4th round of the shootout to give the Devils their seventh straight road win of the season.
The Lightning hit the road and will face the Philadelphia Flyers in a 5PM start because of game 5 of the World Series played next door between the Phillies and Yankees.
The Lightning return home on Thursday Nov. 12th vs. the Minnesota Wild.
Puck Droppings
Martin St. Louis picked up the 600th point of his career on Steve Stamkos’ goal in the third period today.
(Tampa, FL) The Tampa Bay Lightning were 16 seconds away from their second straight win at home after two embarrassing losses on the road last week, but the Buffalo Sabres took it away with a 3-2 shootout win tonight before 15,804 at the Forum in Tampa.
Buffalo’s Drew Stafford scored the tying goal at 19:44 beating Lightning goalie Mike Smith with a wrist shot from deep in the right-hand circle to send the game to overtime. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller kept his team in the game stopping 23 Lightning shots making several key saves late in the 3rd period and in overtime. The shootout went 6 rounds before the Sabres Tyler Myers put a backhand past Smith for the game winner.
Vinnie Lecavalier gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead scoring his first goal of the season with 1 second left in the first period backhanding a rebound over Sabre goalie Ryan Miller. The team captain had 7 assists coming into tonight’s game.
After nearly a scoreless second period, Mike Grier fired the puck past Mike Smith after Tim Kennedy intercepted an errant pass in front of the Lightning net with just 45 seconds left tying the game at 1-1.
Steve Stamkos scored his seventh goal of the season on a wrap-around at 4:26 of the third period giving the Lightning a 2-1 lead. Tampa Bay killed off a Buffalo power play with 5 minutes left in the third period appearing to have the game in hand until Stafford‘s game tying goal with 16 seconds left on the clock.
The Lightning’s next game is Thursday Oct. 29th vs. the Ottawa Senators at the Forum.
Puck Droppings
Martin St. Louis played his 317th consecutive game tonight vs. Buffalo, the 7th longest active streak in the NHL.
Hats off to Lightning as they beat ‘Canes 5-2 for first win of the season
October 10, 2009
(Tampa, FL) Ryan Malone scored the hat trick as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 before 14,212 fans tonight at the Forum in Tampa.
Winless in their first three games, the Lightning felt a sense of urgency tonight taking on divisional rival Carolina. Antero Niittymaki making his first start in goal for the Lightning stopped several point blank shots in the first period setting the tone for the game and giving the team the confidence to take more chances on offense. Hurricanes Goalie Cam Ward made several spectacular stops on two Lightning power plays as the Bolts fired 17 shots on goal to the ‘Canes 9 in a scoreless first period.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead on a power play goal when Eric Staal put a wrap-around shot past goalie Antero Niittymaki at 12:42 of the second period. 42 seconds later, the Lightning answered back with two quick goals within 15 seconds. Paul Ranger fired a slapshot from just inside the blue line past Cam Ward for his 1st goal of the season at 13:24. Ryan Malone tallied the first of his 3 goals in the game when he lifted a backhander into the net at 13:39 giving the Lightning a 2-1 lead. Rod Brind’amour tied the game at 2 with a power play goal at 17:28.
Malone scored the eventual game winner when he flipped a wrist shot past Cam Ward from the top of the goal crease for his second goal of the game at 10:46 of the third period. Steve Downie added an insurance goal by deflecting Andre Meszaros’ slapshot from the right point on the power play to give the Bolts a 4-2 lead with 7 minutes to go in the game. Malone got the hat trick on an empty netter with...
Graham Kerr is one of the true legends in the culinary arts and television. His “Galloping Gourmet” television show in the late 60’s and early 70’s set the standard for cooking shows and the eventual formation of the Food Network. Graham Kerr, now living in Washington State with his wife of 54 years Treena, continues to write, educate and make radio, television and public appearances around the world extolling the virtues of healthy cooking. I spoke with Graham in July for my radio program on WSLR in Sarasota about his love for food and healthy eating.
Your cookbook “Day by Day Gourmet” that came out last year has been a great success. What are you working on now?
During my life, I’ve cooked just about everything somebody else has grown. But I have never, ever grown a single thing, apart from some straggly parsley, that I have ever cooked. Now here I am having dug up our south lawn about the same time the Obama’s were digging up theirs on the east coast, we were doing ours on the west coast. It was really serendipitous. I’ve got a little green house and some special grow boxes going in about a tenth of an acre and about 38 different plants growing vigorously at the moment. I’m just out of my socks about it. It’s a wonderful experience. I just had no idea.
There’s nothing like growing and cooking your own food. You feel like you’ve done something.
It feels to me like a relay race where I’ve always been the last guy to get the baton and run it across the line. And now I’ve been germinating seeds and watching them come up and actually see it and pick it. The thing that is so cool about it is that I’m...
Orlando Rage Defeat Sarasota Millionaires 44-7 To Win Second Straight Rice Bowl Championship
May 10, 2009
(Orlando, FL) P.J. Jack threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Orlando Rage successfully defended their SSFL title with a 44-7 win over the Sarasota Millionaires at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando Saturday afternoon.
The Millionaires offense was severely hampered by a shoulder injury suffered by quarterback Mike Petersen in last week’s playoff game against the St. Pete Sharks which prevented him from throwing the football forcing Sarasota to use wide receiver George Gipson as the backup. “Mike just couldn’t throw the ball at all”, said Offensive Coordinator John Mackler. “We still kept him in the game, because we wanted him to run the game. When you lose your quarterback, it’s tough to bounce back.”
Orlando scored on their first possession of the game when P.J. Jack led the Rage on a 75 yard scoring drive capped off by Jermaine Boston’s 6 yard touchdown run. Greg Lewin put Orlando ahead 14-0 when he intercepted George Gipson’s pass and ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 left in the opening quarter.
P.J. Jack tossed the first of his two touchdown passes of the game when he found Preston McGann on a 25 yard strike with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter. Less than two minutes later, Jack scored on a quarterback keeper from one yard out to give the Rage a 28-0 lead at halftime.
Mike Petersen gave the Millionaires at least one memorable moment in the game when he ran back a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter giving Sarasota its only score of the game.
“I’m proud of these guys, every single one of them”, Mackler said. “We’ve been through a lot this year. These guys held together as a family. It’s tough for a team to do...
Millionaires Down Sharks 41-23 to Earn Return Trip to the Rice Bowl
May 3, 2009
(Sarasota, FL) The Sarasota Millionaires earned their way back to the Rice Bowl and a rematch with the defending champion Orlando Rage with a come from behind 41-23 win over the St. Petersburg Sharks Saturday night at Tornado Alley. The Rage defeated the Tri-City Piranhas 23-0 in Orlando to punch their ticket back to the championship game next Saturday afternoon.
Quarterback Mike Petersen threw four touchdown passes, including two to Bruce Singleton as the Millionaires beat the Sharks for the third time this season. Sarasota jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Petersen hit Singleton on a 53 yard touchdown pass less than 5 minutes into the game. St. Pete answered back on their next drive when Marbe Hughley punched the ball in from 5 yards out to tie the game at 7.
The game seesawed back and forth with four lead changes before the Millionaires took command midway through the third quarter when Mike Petersen lead the offense on an 86 yard scoring drive set up by an 80 yard pass play to Gus Blanc. Sarasota took the lead 27-23 and added two more scores to put the game away.
“Anytime you play a team three times in a row it makes it extremely hard.”, said a happy but tired head coach Gerald Benton. “Our guys executed and got the job done, buckled down and got their minds focused when it really counted.”
The Millionaire defense shutdown the St. Pete Sharks offensive attack by forcing Quarterback Josh McKinnon out of the pocket all game long holding him to 8 of 21 completions and picking off four of his passes.
“Our goal was to get back to the Rice Bowl and win, not just get to the Rice Bowl, we’re not spectators, our goal is to win this thing”, said...
Millionaires Dominate Then Hold On to Beat Rage 31-24 in OT
April 19, 2009
(Sarasota, FL) For the past two weeks, the Sarasota Millionaires have waited for a chance to redeem themselves and Saturday night they capitalized on that opportunity with a 31-24 overtime victory against the #1 ranked Orlando Rage in Tornado Alley at Booker High School.
The Millionaires “Blackout” defense forced five Rage turnovers, four of which resulted in points as Sarasota evened up the season series at 1 apiece after what the team felt was an embarrassing performance on April 4th when the team was beaten 34-14 in Orlando.
“The defense came through again”, said Millionaires Head Coach Gerald Benton. “They’ve always been a backbone of this team. Every time we’ve asked them to come through, they’ve come through.”
The Millionaires jumped out to 24-0 lead on the strength of a solid running game lead by JD Hunter’s 52 yards on 10 carries and 1 TD and the arm of Quarterback Mike Petersen who completed 12 of 22 passes for 103 yards and 1 touchdown.
Hunter scored the first Sarasota touchdown from 2 yards out which was set up by a Bill Lewis interception of Rage quarterback Peejay Jack at 7:25 of the first quarter. Three minutes later Vince Williams picked off Jack again and returned the ball 20 yards for another Millionaire touchdown. A fumble recovery lead to a 35 yard Ian Kitchell field goal five minutes into the second quarter. Sarasota scored again when Rage running back Eddie Washington had the ball pop loose deep in Millionaire territory which set up a 97 yard touchdown pass play from Mike Petersen to Bruce Singleton making it 24-0.
The Rage got on the scoreboard with a 40 yard field goal by Michael Kidd as time wound down in the first half.
Orlando made some half-time adjustments and began to move...
Millionaires Dominate Then Hold On to Beat Rage 31-24 in OT
April 19, 2009
(Sarasota, FL) For the past two weeks, the Sarasota Millionaires have waited for a chance to redeem themselves and Saturday night they capitalized on that opportunity with a 31-24 overtime victory against the #1 ranked Orlando Rage in Tornado Alley at Booker High School.
The Millionaires “Blackout” defense forced five Rage turnovers, four of which resulted in points as Sarasota evened up the season series at 1 apiece after what the team felt was an embarrassing performance on April 4th when the team was beaten 34-14 in Orlando.
“The defense came through again”, said Millionaires Head Coach Gerald Benton. “They’ve always been a backbone of this team. Every time we’ve asked them to come through, they’ve come through.”
The Millionaires jumped out to 24-0 lead on the strength of a solid running game lead by JD Hunter’s 52 yards on 10 carries and 1 TD and the arm of Quarterback Mike Petersen who completed 12 of 22 passes for 103 yards and 1 touchdown.
Hunter scored the first Sarasota touchdown from 2 yards out which was set up by a Bill Lewis interception of Rage quarterback Peejay Jack at 7:25 of the first quarter. Three minutes later Vince Williams picked off Jack again and returned the ball 20 yards for another Millionaire touchdown. A fumble recovery lead to a 35 yard Ian Kitchell field goal five minutes into the second quarter. Sarasota scored again when Rage running back Eddie Washington had the ball pop loose deep in Millionaire territory which set up a 97 yard touchdown pass play from Mike Petersen to Bruce Singleton making it 24-0.
The Rage got on the scoreboard with a 40 yard field goal by Michael Kidd as time wound down in the first half.
Orlando made some half-time adjustments and began to move...
Another Miserable Season Mercifully Over for the Tampa Bay Lightning
April 13, 2009
Most Lightning fans thought things could not be worse than last season when the team finished dead last in the NHL. Think again.
The team may have ended one rung above the lowly Islanders this year, but anyone who shelled out good money to watch this team since January, was ripped off. With the exception of a few players, Marty St. Louis especially, the team phoned it in for the second half of the season.
After the team unceremoniously fired Barry Melrose just 16 games into the season who was only 2 games under .500 at the time, the team won just 19 games the rest of the year. Injuries may have been a factor, but not an excuse. Jacques Lemaire is available after leaving the Minnesota Wild after 9 successful years building an expansion team into a solid franchise. He lives in Florida and has a winning track record and respect in the league. The Lightning should waste no time in calling him Tuesday morning and offering him the job.
Millionaires Defeat Sharks in Comeback Thriller 27-21
April 12, 2009
(St. Petersburg, FL) Mike Petersen engineered an SSFL record setting 99 yard scoring drive in the final 2:15 of the fourth quarter to lift the Sarasota Millionaires to a 27-21 victory over the Sharks Saturday night in St. Petersburg.
Pinned back at their own 1 yard line after a Sharks punt and trailing 21-20, the Millionaires quarterback found receiver Gus Blanc in the corner of the end zone on a 19 yard touchdown pass for the winning touchdown. “That was one of those games everybody dreams of as a kid playing in the back yard coming down to the two minute offense and you have to go 100 yards down the field, what are you going to do, and the guys offense did extremely well”, said a weary, but happy head coach Gerald Benton. “They were staying calm, completing their assignments and were fundamentally sound and went 99 yards and ended in the end zone and that was just beautiful. You couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”
It was a classic game of back and forth as both teams traded touchdowns starting with Sharks quarterback Josh McKinnon hitting Eric Gainer on a 38 yard touchdown pass at 9:51 of the first quarter. Sarasota answered back when Mike Petersen connected with Ben Seymour from 36 yards out on 4th and 24 to tie the game at 7.
McKinnon, who replaced longtime Sharks SSFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Nick Kerby who left the team, hooked up with Phillip Webster on a 38 yard touchdown pass five minutes into the second quarter putting St. Pete ahead 14-7.
Petersen scored the first of his 2 rushing touchdowns less than 4 minutes later. A blocked extra point kept the Sharks ahead 14-13 at halftime.
