Rangers Game Report

Rangers Close Out Garden Preseason with a Loss
By: Brian Bohl Senior Writer - NY Sports Day Sunday, September 28, 2008

NEW YORK - Henrik Lundqvist skated to the bench with his head down while boos crashed down from the Madison Square Garden rafters. The jeers came despite the fact the contest was a meaningless preseason affair that featured more than 30 scratches, including rivalry mainstays like Martin Brodeur, John Madden, Zach Parise and others who didn’t even make the trip into midtown Manhattan.

Luckily for the Rangers, the 4-2 loss to New Jersey will mean nothing once the regular season commences. But coach Tom Renney said the miscues needed to be curtailed before his team commences the NHL season with two games against Tampa Bay in the Czech Republic starting Saturday night.

Renney said his decision to pull Lundqvist at the 10:35 mark of the second was designed to do more than just relieve his All-Star caliber netminder. “We cut his losses and maybe suggest to others that they better step it up,” Renney said about his decision to insert backup Stephen Valiquette.

The shakeup came following the second goal from the Patrick Elias-Brian Gionta-Brian Rolston line, as the trio combined for eight points. Elias opened the scoring 1:32 into the contest. Veterans Dainius Zubrus registered his first preseason goal just 1:36 later, converting on Bobby Holik’s pass for a 2-0 lead.

Elias tallied his second goal of the game, slamming home Zubrus’ feed to convert a power play opportunity 4:46 into the second. Gionta added the final total for the Devils, ending Lundqvist’s outing. New Jersey pulled starter Kevin Weekes, who turned aside all 10 shots he faced, at the time same time. Scott Clemmensen entered for the former Rangers and Islanders goalie.

The afternoon wasn’t a total waste for the Blueshirts. Prized free-agent acquisitions Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev each scored goals for the first time in a Rangers uniform to restore some competiveness.

The Rangers played most of its starters, prompting Renney to say he was confident about his line combinations yet expressed frustration about the work ethic during the matinee.

“I liked the combinations before the game and I certainly liked the lineup,” Renney said. “If this lineup can jell and be more conscientious with the puck, I think this lineup will win. I like the looks of it. That’s why I want to avoid knee-jerk reactions.”

Naslund signed as free-agent this winter to help replace the scoring left by the defections of Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan. The former Canuck star scored his first goal as a Ranger 14:23 into the second, notching a power play goal that energized an announced crowd of 15,361 despite thousands of empty seats.

Following the exhibition, the Rangers were scheduled to fly to Switzerland later in the evening. After playing six games in eight days, the Blueshirts will play two more exhibitions there before heading to Prague to open the season against the Lightning.

“I expect us to get going here,” said Naslund, who has 452 career goals and is playing in an NHL uniform other than Vancouver for the first time since the 1995-96 season. “It will be intense. We have a lot of travel and a lot of games but I think at this point, we need that.”

Scott Gomez said traveling more than 4,000 miles can be a positive team-building endeavor. “It’s a chance to get to know each other better,” Gomez said. “There are a lot of new faces. I think it is great. We are going to spend some quality time together and get to know the new guys.”

http://www.nysportsday.com/news/combined/Rangers-Close-Out-Garden-Preseason-with-a-Loss.php

All photgraphs below are courtsey of Getty Images. The audio is part of my piece for WRHU (www.wrhu.org)

Ducks Lose Opener

Ducks Drop Game 1, 5-1

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Wednesday, September 24, 2008

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Four years ago to the day, Lance Davis pitched the best game in his Ducks career, going 7 2/3 innings as the Flock won a one-run game to advance to the championship round en route to the organization’s only Atlantic League title.

Davis—the only Duck remaining from the 2004 squad—couldn’t find his dominant form Tuesday night. The southpaw was tagged for four runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Camden Riversharks won, 5-1, in Game 1 of the Liberty Division playoffs in front of 4,910 at Citibank Park.

Camden sent nine men to the plate during a four-run sixth inning, taking control of the best-of-three set. The Riversharks will have two chances to close out the series at home starting Wednesday night. Game 3, if necessary, will also be held at Campbell’s Field.

Kevin Walker quieted the Ducks bats, limiting the home team to just six hits in seven innings. The Ducks have lost its last seven postseason games dating back to the first round in 2005. Staff ace Randy Leek will go in the elimination game, giving manager Dave LaPoint reason for some optimism.

“There’s no panic situation,” LaPoint said. “We have a 12-game winner going for us and it’s not like we haven’t hit up there [Camden]. It should another great game. I would look for us to break out a little more offensively. We’ll be more in a groove.”

Walker allowed a run in the second but quickly found his grove. The lefty retired 12 straight batters from the third to the seventh inning. Walker induced two double plays and silenced the heart of the Ducks order. LaPoint watched his 2-5 hitters go a combined 2-16.

Carl Everett, who hit a team-record 29 home runs during the regular season, was 1-4 with a single. Ray Navarrete posted a franchise-record 103 RBIs, was just 1-4 and hit a bases-loaded fly out. Edgardo Alfonzo and Pete Rose Jr. each went hitless in four at-bats.

“We know what’s ahead of us,” Rose said. “We can’t look ahead to Game 3. We have to go out tomorrow and play. With the guys we have in here, I don’t think anyone is going to put any extra pressure on themselves. We’ll just go out and do whatever we need to do.”

Davis pitched out of trouble until the sixth when the Riversharks racked up four runs and five hits to chase the former Cincinnati Red. Shawn Boyd and Nic Jackson started the frame with singles. Following a flyout, L.J. Bierbaum erased a 1-0 deficit by lifting a RBI single to right.

Tyler Von Schell’s run-scoring groundout broke the tie the next batter. Third baseman Bryant Nelson didn’t field the grounder cleanly yet recovered to get the out at first. Biernbaum was running on the pitch, negating any chance of a double play on the grounder.

Bierbaum’s aggressive base running contributed to two insurance runs. Sheldon Fulse ripped a double off the base of the wall in left-center to score Biernbaum and Michael Thompson’s single plated Fulse and ended Davis’ evening with the Ducks trailing 4-1. Davis would not speak to the media after the game.

“He threw good and gave us a chance to get ahead,” LaPoint said about Davis. “The other guy just threw better.”

Davis escaped out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second. After retiring the first batter, Davis allowed two singles and a walk before striking out ninth-hitting Josh Arhart on a 2-2 pitch and inducing David Espinosa to ground into a fielder’s choice to squash the scoring threat.

The Ducks responded by breaking open the scoring in the bottom half of the inning. Camden’s Juan Francia tapped a bases-loaded soft roller to third, where Michael Thompson scooped the grounder and fired to first. Thompson’s throw was in time, but first base umpire Dan Wilson ruled Von Schell bobbled the ball, allowing Nelson to score the game’s first run. Ray Navarrete couldn’t add to the lead, flying out to right to end the rally.

“He [Walker] didn’t change his game plan,” LaPoint said. “He just threw outside, outside, outside. He had really good control. He had a good changeup and sinker going into the same spot. The differential in speed…he was getting ahead of everybody with the fastball and a good sinker. It didn’t do us any good if we were aggressive or if we waited on him.”

Shawn Boyd belted a solo home run off Ryan Knippschild in the eighth, padding the lead to 5-1. Ben Grezlovski gave the Ducks offense a chance to make a comeback, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Davis. Grezlovski surrendered just one hit and walk, striking out three.

Test, Actual Multidia Project

Ducks Break Streak

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Saturday, September 13, 2008

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — When the Ducks collectively drove to the ballpark Sunday morning, the playoff picture looked murky. Six losses in the past seven games, including a three-game losing streak, cut the Flock’s lead in the Liberty Division standings to just a half-game entering a doubleheader against York.

But Randy Leek helped the Ducks take the opener and a late rally gave them an extra-inning win, salvaging a 3-6 record on the road trip. That sweep propelled the Ducks to a late season surge that lost momentum Thursday night after it blew a four-run lead.

Staff ace Randy Leek fell apart in the sixth and the lineup failed to push across any more runs after the fourth inning as the Patriots averted a four-game sweep with a 6-4 win. The Ducks saw its five-game winning streak end along with a chance to post its second consecutive four-game sweep over Somerset.

Southern Maryland defeated Newark, cutting the Ducks lead to just 2 ½ games in the Liberty Division with 10 regular season contests remaining.

“You can’t think about clinch or think about where you’re going to do it,” manager Dave LaPoint said. “It’s one game; one-inning at a time right now. If we look too far ahead, we’ll get into a bad rut. I don’t think anyone is looking past tomorrow.”

Leek was on his way to becoming the first Atlantic League pitcher to win 12 games this year before breaking down following five scoreless. Nursing a 4-0 lead, the Levittown native loaded the bases to start the sixth before striking out Teuris Olivares.

Brandon Larson, who hit three homers and drove in five runs in a loss to the Ducks the previous game, cleared the bases with a three-run double into the left-centerfield gap.

Matt Hagen completed the comeback attempt, ripping a one-out RBI single to center off Tony Price (0-1) to build a 5-4 Somerset lead. Hagen’s hit scored Larson and allowed Somerset to win on Long Island for the first time in eight games. The Ducks magic number to reach the playoffs remained stagnant at nine, meaning any combination of nine wins or Southern Maryland losses would secure a postseason appearance.

Set-up man Jason Richardson used his fastball to neutralize the Ducks last rally after walking Jamie Pogue and allowing a single to Haverbusch to start the eighth. Dennis Donovan, who entered the game for the injured Juan Francia, failed in three attempts to move the runners over, striking out on a bunt attempt.

Ray Navarrete also struck out on a heater and Pete Rose Jr. hit a soft pop fly to center to end the threat. Richardson (9-2) struck out three in two innings to get the win.

The Ducks jumped on Somerset starter Brian Tollberg early, scoring two in the third thanks to Bryant Nelson’s RBI fielder’s choice that plated Juan Francia. Shortstop Elliot Ayala’s throwing error on the double play attempt skipped past first base, allowing Ray Navarrete to score from second base.

Kevin Haverbusch expanded the lead the next inning, taking reliever Josh Brey’s fastball over the wall in left for a two-run shot. His 12th homer of the season made it 4-0.

If Leek (11-3) maintains his normal rest, he will get two more starts, giving him a chance to set the franchise record for single season victories. He still needs one more to tie Pat Ahearne’s franchise record of 12 victories, set in 2006. The southpaw is on pace to pitch the final game of the regular season if it a must-win scenario.

“He pitched good but he’s coming back a day early,” said LaPoint, who pitched Leek on three days’ rest. “We still had a chance to win the game. The effort was there. It’s tough to sweep them two series in a row.”

The loss dropped the Ducks home record to 41-27. That stands in contrast to a 25-37 road ledger. LaPoint’s team will now play its final three games at Citibank Park before ending the season with a three-game set in Camden and a four-game set against Bridgeport.

Considering the road woes and the fact the Bluefish are just 4 1/2 games back, the regular season finale Sept. 21 could be suspenseful. But LaPoint insisted the disparity in home vs. road record isn’t causing him sleepless nights.

“We have the type of team where home or road doesn’t make a difference,” LaPoint said. “Stats really don’t matter at this time. They are a lot of people playing at a higher level. All throughout the year, you have players going in and out. You’re in flux most of the year.

“Now you know who you got and who you’re going with. So it shouldn’t matter.”

Should the Ducks clinch a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive season, Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round series would be held at Citibank Park on Sept. 23 with the final two games held at Camden’s Campbell's Field. The Riversharks own the home field advantage.

Test Multimedia Project

Hello. As some of you know, I cover the Long Island Ducks for www.nysportsday.com and also submit audio reports for Hofstra's radio station, WRHU. I'm trying to see if I can incorporate both elements into one multimedia presentation. I am testing to see if the text of the game story, the pictures I took and the audio for the Ducks game vs. Somerset on Sept. 11 will work. Here we go.