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Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
As the clock struck midnight last night, Idaho Steelheads play-by-play man Will Hoenike was left scrambling for the record book. He needed it, as Game 6 of the first-round playoff series between the Steelheads and Colorado turned into the longest game in ECHL history. Idaho advanced, but it needed the equivalent of about 2 1/3 games to get past the Eagles 3-2 and win the series four games-to-two. David de Kastrozza tapped home a Gaelen Patterson centering feed with 2:42 left in the fourth overtime to finish it. And keep in mind that overtime periods in the playoffs go a full 20 minutes. The game broke the old ECHL record for longest game by more than 10 minutes.
Hoenike uttered the phrase “(fill-in-the-blank) almost ended it there” numerous times during the four OTs. He reports that while the Steelheads celebrated, the exhausted Eagles literally collapsed onto the ice at the conclusion of a game that lasted five hours and 42 minutes of actual time. Needless to say, the goalies were the focus of this one as Idaho and Colorado combined for an ECHL-record 151 shots on goal. The Steelies’ Josh Robinson tied a league mark with a staggering 83 saves. Colorado goalie Marc Cheverie was also standing on his head, to draw on the old hockey cliché, logging 63 saves. Now reality sets in—the Steelheads have to summon the stamina reservoir to make the long trip to Anchorage and face the well-rested No. 1 seed in the National Conference, the Alaska Aces. The semifinal series begins Thursday night.
When Boise State next plays at UNLV in 2015 or 2016, depending on how the Mountain West schedule is configured, the Broncos will be at Sam Boyd Stadium again. In Las Vegas, they’re hoping the time after that is someplace else closer to the Strip (Sam Boyd is eight miles from campus). They’ve been talking about this for a long time down there—a new on-campus 50,000-seat stadium. Now they have costs for it. An open-air facility would cost $490 million, a domed stadium $632 million, and a retractable-roof venue $682 million. UNLV acting President Don Snyder, who is also the stadium board chairman, said the cost estimates appeared reasonable. Keep in mind, for example, the Steuckle Sky Center addition at Bronco Stadium in 2008 cost $36 million. Any wagers on when this Vegas thing might be built?
Nevada and Hawaii wrapped up spring football with scrimmages Saturday, and with that, the Mountain West is now done until fall camp. The Wolf Pack played its annual Silver & Blue Game Saturday afternoon, and they had to cut it short with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter when the team ran out of healthy offensive linemen. Running backs, too, according to coach Brian Polian, who neverthless called the scrimmage a success. The event, which drew 2,217 fans, saw quarterback Cody Fajardo go 11-of-18 passes for 112 yards and add a four-yard touchdown run. Fajardo is already a senior.
San Jose State linebacker Jared Leaf remains hospitalized in critical condition at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Burn Center after suffering second-degree burns in an apartment fire last Wednesday night. Leaf’s family released a statement yesterday that remained hopeful of his eventual healing. “Jared has a long road ahead of him, but we are confident he will recover with all of the continued support of family, friends, the SJSU community and the wonderful staff that are working so hard to make sure his recovery is successful,” the statement said in part. Leaf had earned the Spartans’ starting middle linebacker spot coming out of spring football.
The bowl lineup keeps getting fatter, and BYU has reportedly latched onto one of this year’s new postseason games. Sources tell ESPN’s Brett McMurphy that the Cougars will play in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl should they be bowl-eligible. The game will be played the week before Christmas at Marlins Park. BYU faces Boise State in an ESPN or ESPN2 Friday night game in October on the blue turf.
Boise State basketball officially announced the signing of incoming freshman Zach Haney and junior college transfer Montigo Alford yesterday. Noteworthy in Alford’s addition is his current home, the College of Southern Idaho. With the exception of Roberto Bergersen in the late 1990s (and he was a lucky get), there was virtually no connection between the Broncos and perennial JC power CSI until Reggie Larry came along in 2006. Daequon Montreal followed in 2009 and Kenny Buckner arrived in 2011. That’s become an important 130 miles worth of I-84 between Twin Falls and Boise.
The Colorado State basketball program appeared to have landed a big fish when former Louisville star Chane Behanan signed with the Rams in January. But CSU coach Larry Eustachy won’t be able to see if Behanan could have helped revive his team’s fortunes next season, as the 6-6 forward has declared for the NBA Draft. Behanan was dismissed by the Cardinals in December for what he acknowledges was marijuana use. He was a key part of Louisville’s run to the national championship last year, scoring 15 points and pulling down 12 boards against Michigan in the title game.
Around these parts, we went eight years without a local person in the Kentucky Derby. There was a local horse, as Rousing Sermon, the Idaho-raised horse out of Tree Top Ranches in Parma, went off as a 40-1 long-shot but still finished eighth in 2012. Last year there was a person again, in the form of Caldwell native and horse racing Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, who got his start at Les Bois Park. Stevens came out of retirement to ride in his 19th Run For The Roses. He didn’t win that race aboard Oxbow, but he did shock the world by winning the Preakness Stakes two weeks later at the age of 50. And Stevens is back—set to ride Candy Boy this Saturday at Churchill Downs.
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April 29, 2011: Boise State has two players selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft for the first time. Wide receiver Titus Young was chosen in the second round with the No. 44 overall pick by the Detroit Lions, and fellow wideout Austin Pettis went in the third round, No. 78 overall, to the St. Louis Rams. Young is the Broncos’ career leader in receiving yards, while Pettis holds the school career records for receptions and touchdown catches. The duo played together for four years, beginning as true freshmen in 2007. Young’s story has become tragic, and it is still playing out.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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