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  • Pizza alert: Tony Gemignani’s Slice House coming to Mountain View

    Pizza alert: Tony Gemignani’s Slice House coming to Mountain View

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    A Slice House from the Bay Area’s master pizzaiolo, Tony Gemignani, is finally coming to Silicon Valley.

    This will be his first Santa Clara County restaurant (if you don’t count the stand at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara). And one of his first franchise operations.

    The eatery is moving into the Village at San Antonio center, which is home to the Showplace ICON Theatre, Hyatt Centric hotel, retail spaces and high-rise residences. Like his other locations, this one will offer a fast-casual setting where customers can buy the artisanal New York, Detroit, Sicilian, Grandma and California  style pizzas by the slice or whole pie. Pasta, salads, wings and meatballs round out the menu. Local microbrews and natural wine will be featured.

    Entrepreneur and franchisee Pritika Rajasanshi will operate this location.

    Fremont native Gemignani, who mastered his pizza-tossing skills at Pyzano’s in Castro Valley, holds 13 world pizza champion titles. He launched the Slice Houses in San Francisco in 2010 and now owns 10 pizzerias in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Las Vegas and beyond. This will be No. 11. And more franchises are coming to California and several other states.

    He also owns Tony’s of North Beach, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Capo’s, Tony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Pizza Rock.

    Slice House Mountain View won’t open until later this spring, but the company has already announced that late-night hours are planned, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

    Details: 2565 California St., Suite 501, Mountain View; https://slicehouse.com

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    Linda Zavoral

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  • When will the San Jose Sharks-Los Angeles Kings be great again?

    When will the San Jose Sharks-Los Angeles Kings be great again?

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    SAN JOSE – A small but boisterous group of Los Angeles Kings fans took over a section in the upper deck of SAP Center. Their chants began before the game ever started, and only grew louder after their team scored a pair of first period goals against the San Jose Sharks 18 seconds apart.

    It was one of the few reminders Thursday of the once-great rivalry that existed between the Sharks and Kings, one that’s gone mostly dormant in recent years.

    The Sharks went on to lose 2-1 to the Kings on Thursday, marking their sixth loss in seven games to Los Angeles, which moved one step closer to clinching a playoff spot for the third straight season. The Sharks, meanwhile, moved one step closer to officially finishing in 32nd place in the NHL’s overall standings.

    Klim Kostin scored his eighth goal of the season with 1:52 left in the third period to cut the Kings’ lead to one. That drew a rise out of the announced crowd of 12,266, but the Sharks could get no closer, as they lost for the 11th time in the last 12 games.

    The Sharks and Kings met in the playoffs four times in six years between 2011 and 2016, paving the way for the geographical rivalry to become one of the most heated in the NHL. Full buildings, star players, deep teams, and all kinds of hate.

    It was hard, heavy hockey as both teams gave no quarter, and didn’t ask for any in return. Just great theatre.

    So, when will it happen again?

    When both teams are good at the same time, which might not be for a while.

    The Kings began their rebuild in 2018, turning over their roster as they began to refill the cupboard with prospects like Akil Thomas, who scored his first NHL goal Thursday, Arthur Kaliyev,
    Quinton Byfield (after winning a lottery), Alex Laferriere, and Brandt Clarke. They gave a big contract extension to Adrian Kempe, acquired Kevin Fiala via trade, and signed Phillip Danault as a free agent.

    The Sharks, for all intents and purposes, really didn’t start the rebuild until early 2022 when they cut ties with Evander Kane. Other veterans like Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl were all gone within two years.

    Really, the only Sharks remaining from the last playoff series with the Kings are Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture.

    The Sharks are building around a core that doesn’t have much of a history with the Kings, outside of some of the battles the Barracuda and Ontario Reign had in recent years.

    It’s going to take time for the Sharks to become competitive again, and who knows when they’ll make the playoffs and meet in a playoff series.

    Most of the central figures in the hey day of the rivalry are long gone.

    Stars like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, so instrumental to the rivalry, are still in Los Angeles. But Jonathan Quick was traded and Dustin Brown, who Sharks fans hated, retired.

    Conversely, players Kings fans did not like, such as Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Burns, are no longer with the team.

    Do Kings fans really hate any of the new Sharks players? Do Sharks really loathe any of the new era Kings?

    We’ll see how good the Kings are once the Sharks’ window for being a competitive team opens up again.

    The game’s changed, too. There’s less fighting overall, and some of those heavy players have been replaced, smaller skilled players.

    Both home buildings used to be absolutely packed for games between the Sharks and Kings. Thursday’s game drew and it was that small section of Kings fans that made the most noise.

    Sharks fans chimed in with the occasional “Beat L.A.” But the home didn’t do much to stir up the home crowd, with just 14 shots on goal in three periods.

    Luke Kunin did fight Andreas Englund at the 12:32 mark of the second period, but the Sharks didn’t gain much momentum from that dust-up.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • San Jose Sharks collapse in historic fashion, lose in OT

    San Jose Sharks collapse in historic fashion, lose in OT

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    SAN JOSE – Devin Cooley nearly earned his first career NHL win for his hometown San Jose Sharks inside the arena he visited dozens of times as a kid.

    Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Nothing has been for the Sharks this season.

    The Sharks took a four-goal lead early in the second period, frittered it all away, then saw Seth Jones score at the 18-second mark of overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a stunning 5-4 win on Saturday before a sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.

    In 2,749 games as a franchise, including playoffs, the Sharks’ loss on Saturday marked the first time in team history that they led by as many as four goals and still lost.

    In a season of excruciating lows for the Sharks (16-46-8), Saturday’s loss had to be the most gutting.

    “You can never take your foot off the pedal,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “I don’t think we did it too much, but enough to get them back in the game.

    “Overall, I liked our game. They were opportunistic, and we got a little bit away from what we were doing early in the game to build the lead that we did. But they made plays when they needed to.”

    Thomas Bordeleau scored twice in the first period and Fabian Zetterlund had two goals and an assist, but the fragile Sharks’ losing streak now is at seven games as they fell five points back of the Blackhawks (20-46-5) for 31st place in the NHL standings.

    “Just need to play 60 minutes the same way, stay aggressive,” Bordeleau said. “We can’t be losing that game.”

    It first appeared that Saturday’s game become a rare laugher in the Sharks’ favor.

    But after Zetterlund scored his second goal of the game and his 20th of the season, firing a wrist shot past Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek to give San Jose a 4-0 lead at the 1:24 mark of the second period, the Blackhawks started to find their legs.

    Ex-Sharks winger Ryan Donato scored his 11th of the season at the 6:45 mark of the second period, and Tyler Johnson added his 16th of the season.

    Jones’ fifth goal of the season at the 6:20 mark of the third period cut San Jose’s lead to one — a shot that Cooley wanted back.

    “When I get really excited I start to sit back really low and that opens up holes underneath, and so every single day we’ve been working to be more upright and it seals the holes,” Cooley said. “I knew exactly what I needed to do and instead I sat back and it goes right through the arm.”

    Phillipp Kurashev then scored with 47 seconds left in the third period to tie the game 4-4, completely demoralizing the Sharks.

    No player felt worse about Saturday’s collapse than Cooley, the Los Gatos native who had about dozen family members in attendance.

    Cooley made nine saves in the first period but stopped just 17 of 21 shots in the second and third periods. Jones’ game-winner came on the first shot in overtime.

    “The team was dialed in. I thought they played amazing,” said Cooley, who was making his second career NHL start, “and I just couldn’t make the saves I needed to.”

    Cooley, 26, a Los Gatos native, became the first individual from Santa Clara County to play for the Sharks when he started for San Jose last Sunday in Chicago. He made 26 saves in what turned into a 5-2 Blackhawks win.

    After Saturday, his future with the Sharks is cloudy at best. The team, now with 12 games left, might also want to get a look at another goalie in the system, perhaps Eetu Makiniemi with the Barracuda to back up Mackenzie Blackwood, who will almost certainly start Tuesday’s home game against the Dallas Stars.

    Cooley needs a contract for next season, and it might not come from the Sharks who already have Blackwood, Vitek Vanacek, Magnus Chrona and Georgi Romanov locked up. Makiniemi, who came to San Jose in 2022 in the trade that saw Brent Burns go to the Carolina Hurricanes, is a restricted free agent.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Prep roundup: Valley Christian baseball held to one hit, somehow wins 6-2

    Prep roundup: Valley Christian baseball held to one hit, somehow wins 6-2

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    Baseball

    Valley Christian 6, Sacred Heart Cathedral 2

    Hunter Fujimoto’s line drive into center wasn’t just a double that cleared the bases on Friday afternoon. 

    It was Valley Christian’s only hit of the day. 

    One hit was enough for the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 team, which avenged its loss at Sacred Heart Cathedral earlier in the week with the team’s 10th victory in 11 games this season.

    Brock Ketelsen got plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded to get Valley Christian’s first run across in the fourth inning, and then Nathan Choi endured a similar fate to drive in a second run. 

    Luke Osuna-Summers took four consecutive out-of-the-zone pitches to walk in Valley’s third run, and then Fujimoto made it 6-1 with his double.

    Valley Christian drew seven walks and was hit by three pitches in its West Catholic Athletic League victory.

    Longtime Valley Christian coach John Diatte said that, while remarkable, this victory is not unprecedented. 

    “We have thrown a no-hitter and lost, and been no-hit and won,” Diatte told the Bay Area News Group via text. “Baseball is a crazy game.”

    Joey Valencia put SHC up 1-0 in the second inning, but the Fightin’ Irish got very little offense after that, one Aaron Louis home run notwithstanding. 

    Valley Christian pitcher Rohan Kasanagotu was a big reason why, pitching a complete game, striking out seven and walking none. 

    Sacred Heart Cathedral fell to 7-5, 1-3.

    No. 8 Serra 12, Archbishop Riordan 0

    Serra senior Ian Armstrong had a day to remember at the plate in the Padres’ rout of Archbishop Riordan. He hit two home runs and drove in five as Serra improved to 9-1.

    Ian Josephson had two RBIs, and Jake Downing scored three runs for the San Mateo program. Sam Kretsch pitched five innings and allowed just two hits while striking out six. 

    No. 6 Bellarmine 2, No. 9 Archbishop Mitty 1

    Sawyer Stout’s seventh-inning double gave Bellarmine a dramatic walk-off victory over its San Jose rival.

    Mitty took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Makoa Sniffen doubled into right field. Bellarmine’s Nolan Randol answered in the bottom of the frame with a double to left. 

    Arkansas commit Wade Mountz pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four and not allowing a hit for the Bells. On the other side, Mitty’s Lukas Pintar struck out six in five innings. 

    Bellarmine improved to 7-1, 3-1 and Mitty dropped to 6-5-1, 1-2-1. 

    No. 15 Amador Valley 1, Monte Vista 0

    Amador Valley pitchers Jason Alonso and Brennan Baptist won a pitching duel with Monte Vista’s Rohan French in a hard-fought East Bay Athletic League matchup. 

    Alonso and French combined to allow two hits and just three walks, while French gave up two hits and struck out five in a complete game. 

    Kyle Barbera scored the only run of the game when he reached home safely after a Monte Vista error on a ground ball. Amador Valley improved to 6-4, 2-2.

    Monte Vista fell to 4-5, 1-3. 

    Foothill 20, Dougherty Valley 4

    Foothill had as many hits as it did runs in a run-rule victory over EBAL opponent Dougherty Valley. Senior Nate Novitske hit a home run and had six RBIs for the Falcons, who also got home runs from Austin Harris and Tanner Tarpley. Foothill improved to 7-4, 3-1.

    Dougherty Valley dropped to 3-8, 1-3. 

    Irvington 5, American 2

    Brayden Jaksa was 3 for 3 with one walk and one RBI as the Vikings made it three wins in their last four games. Shortstop Ryan Johnson was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Benjamin Walkup also had an RBI. Eric Keesis and Carson Rice each had two hits for American. 

    Silver Creek 4, Del Mar 3

    Giovanni Mejia and Michael Fonseca each drove in one run as Silver Creek slipped past Del Mar. Keith Truong and Iverson Alvernaz also had two hits apiece for the Raiders. Del Mar’s Kyle McClements went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Silver Creek improved to 5-6 and Del Mar dropped to 2-5. 

    Softball

    Los Gatos 2, Mountain View 1

    Los Gatos rallied from an early deficit by pushing a run across the plate in the fourth and fifth innings to come through with the victory. 

    Mili Patel placed a single into right field to drive in Elia Grisanti and put Mountain View up 1-0 in the top of the third.

    Tessa Lilienstein took advantage of a dropped third strike and scored to tie the game for Los Gatos in the bottom of the fourth inning, and then Annika Norquist crushed a double into right to take the lead in the fifth. 

    Norquist, just a freshman, was exceptional in the circle. She pitched a complete game and allowed just four hits with zero walks. Los Gatos improved to 7-2 while Mountain View dropped to 4-5. 

    Leigh 4, Westmont 1

    Elliana Snyder was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and one double as Leigh took care of business against Westmont. Junior Sophia Gandara also had an RBI for the Longhorns improved to 5-4, and Camryn Manning-Alarcon swiped two of Leigh’s seven stolen bases. Gandara struck out 12 in a complete game as Westmont fell to 1-10. 

    Mt. Eden 15, Tennyson 0

    Jasmine Cruz was 3 for 3 with four runs scored and two RBIs as Mt. Eden run-ruled Tennyson. Teammate Andrea Toledo was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, and Kealani Temoche, Daniella Montes and Shelby Anne Newcomb all had two hits. Toledo struck out 10 and allowed just two hits. 

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    Joseph Dycus

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  • West Valley celebrates 33-0 state championship season, sets sights on future 

    West Valley celebrates 33-0 state championship season, sets sights on future 

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    SARATOGA – They’ve heard it from classmates, teachers and even counselors. 

    Sophomore Elijah Mahi says he and the rest of the West Valley College men’s basketball team has received plaudits from all sides after they powered the program to its first state championship last weekend.

    “We’ve been getting incredible praise from everybody around the school for finally winning,” Mahi said Wednesday. “It’s been amazing, even though it’s only been a few days so far. It’s been amazing love from the school and everybody.”

    Coach Danny Yoshikawa has also been swamped with congratulatory texts and emails from hundreds, including those from a slew of elated alums and former players, after the program’s 59-51 victory over College of the Sequoias on Sunday in Southern California. 

    “There’s been a lot of excitement,” Yoshikawa said. “When I woke up on Monday morning, there were like 500 text messages. It’s been insane.”

    The final steps of the journey to a 33-0 record and championship glory took the Vikings far from their pristine Saratoga campus. 

    West Valley finished its perfect season at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, where the Vikings defeated Cerro Coso of Ridgecrest in the quarterfinals on Friday and then got past Yuba College in the semifinals on Saturday. 

    In the Saratoga powerhouse’s sixth appearance in the championship game, its third under  Yoshikawa, the Vikings finally staked their claim as the state’s best.

    Mahi scored a game-high 30 points in his West Valley finale before moving on to Santa Clara University. 

    The Toronto native admitted that maintaining the perfect record wasn’t the reason the team felt extra pressure to win. 

    “Coach Yosh, he’s been at West Valley for years. We were really trying to win for Coach,” Mahi said.

    Yoshikawa had recently led the program to the 2022 state title game, a loss to City College of San Francisco. 

    He brought in key players such as Mahi and Clayton Valley Charter star Jeremiah Dargan that summer to form the nucleus of the championship team. 

    “This group of guys has been unreal,” the coach said. “They brought that championship approach every single night.”

    The team celebrated the championship by spraying water bottles everywhere, to the point that Mahi described the postgame locker room as a “swimming pool.” 

    That wasn’t the only reason the West Valley team’s eyes got a little watery.

    “I was crying tears of joy, and coach Yosh shed a couple, too,” Mahi said. “I think we all did.”

    Winning it all was cause for celebration, but it was not a stunning outcome for a program with a rich tradition of success dating to the 1980s under former coach Bob Burton.

    “That standard was set by coach Burton,” Yoshikawa said. “We’re just trying to carry on that tradition, a standard of excellence.”

    Mahi isn’t the only player who will move on this summer. Dargan will leave the Bay Area for the University of Montana, and Yoshikawa says 6-foot-11 big man Shakir Odunewu has offers from four-year colleges and is expected to move on after a great freshman season.

    “I’m meeting with my staff in 45 minutes to talk about the rebuild,” Yoshikawa said on Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve had our few days (to celebrate), but now we’re ready to move on.”

    That rebuild won’t start completely from scratch. 

    Las Lomas alum Jake Davis, Oakland Tech’s Robel Zemmo and Independence graduate Donavyn Washington are all expected to be back for their sophomore seasons. 

    Mahi, who now considers the South Bay his second home, believes Yoshikawa should have no problem getting talented newcomers to join the state champs. 

    “I’d hope that a lot of young players think about West Valley, now that we’ve done what we’ve done,” Mahi said.

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    Joseph Dycus

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  • ‘Unacceptable’ start dooms Sharks in loss to Columbus Blue Jackets

    ‘Unacceptable’ start dooms Sharks in loss to Columbus Blue Jackets

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    The San Jose Sharks came alive a little bit too late Saturday night.

    With the Sharks looking listless for most of the first two periods and trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets by two goals, defenseman Henry Thrun scored at the 11:42 mark of the third period to give his team a badly needed spark.

    But the Sharks could not find the equalizer as Columbus goalie Daniil Tarasov made 39 saves to help hand San Jose a 4-2 loss on Saturday at Nationwide Arena.

    After the Sharks pulled goalie Magnus Chrona for the extra attacker, Alex Nylander scored an empty net goal with 1:05 left in regulation time to seal the Blue Jackets victory.

    “Just really not engaged physically,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of the first period. “I thought we give them way too much room, way too much respect. It was easy for them, too easy.

    “But I thought as the game went on, we got more engaged, we were more physical when we needed to be.”

    The Sharks now continue their road trip Sunday in Chicago against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks.

    “We’ve got to get ready from the start. Our first period is not acceptable,” said Sharks winger Fabian Zetterlund, who scored his 18th of the season in the second period, of Saturday’s loss. “We know that and we’ve got to get better for tomorrow’s game.”

    Chrona, making his fifth straight start for the Sharks with Mackenzie Blackwood still on injured reserve, finished with 16 saves as San Jose lost for the 12th time in 13 games.

    The Sharks were down 2-0 in the second period when Zetterlund scored at the 11:48 mark to cut the Blue Jackets’ lead to one.

    But Johnny Gaudreau scored the eventual game-winner just 3:15 later, collecting a loose puck off the end boards and beating Chrona to give Columbus its two-goal lead back.

    Nylander and Gaudreau each had three points and linemate Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist in the win.

    The Blue Jackets (23-33-11) have now beaten the Sharks (16-43-7) in five of their last six meetings dating back to the start of the 2021-2022 season.

    Mikael Granlund and Mario Ferraro assisted on Zetterlund’s goal, and Kevin Labanc assisted on Thrun’s goal for his first point in 10 games since Jan. 13 when he scored against the Ottawa Senators.

    The Sharks lost 4-3 to the Blue Jackets on Feb. 17 in San Jose, as Jenner scored with 13 seconds left in the third period to put Columbus ahead to stay.

    The loss was the first of nine straight for the Sharks, who entered Saturday in last place in the NHL’s overall standings. The Blackhawks (18-44-5) are the NHL’s 31st-place team.

    Chrona entered Saturday with a 1-3-1 record and a .897 save percentage in five games this month. He started the first two games of this road trip, losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, in which he stopped 63 of 71 shots for a .887 save percentage.

    INJURY UPDATE: Defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Mike Hoffman, both injured, sat out another game Saturday. Rutta has missed four straight games with a lower-body injury and it’s unclear if he’ll be available to play Sunday in Chicago or Tuesday in Nashville. Hoffman (mouth injury) missed his third straight game.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Sharks, Devils swap goalies; San Jose adds Los Gatos native in separate deal

    Sharks, Devils swap goalies; San Jose adds Los Gatos native in separate deal

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    SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are trading another one of their pending unrestricted free agents, sending Kaapo Kahkonen to the New Jersey Devils for Vitek Vanecek in a swap of goalies.

    The Sharks are also getting a 2025 seventh-round draft in the trade.

    In another deal, the Sharks also acquired goalie Devin Cooley from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2025 seventh-round pick originally owned by the Washington Capitals. Cooley, 26, is a Los Gatos native and a former Jr. Shark who has spent all of his pro career in the minor leagues.

    Vanecek, 28, is signed for one more season with a cap hit of $3.4 million and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. He is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He is 17-9-3 this season with a .890 save percentage in 32 games.

    Kahkonen sat on the Sharks’ bench Thursday night as Magnus Chrona got the start in net and made 26 saves in a 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders. Quinn said he wanted to reward Chrona after he made 36 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on March 2.

    The 27-year-old Kahkonen, now in his fourth full NHL season, is 6-20-3 in 31 games this year with a .895 save percentage. He’s in the second and final season of a two-year, $5.5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in July 2022.

    Kahkonen came to San Jose in March 2022, as the Sharks acquired him and a 2022 fifth-round pick, which was used on defenseman Jake Furlong, for defenseman Jacob Middleton.

    Kahkonen was thought to be one of a handful of Sharks pending UFAs on the move before the NHL’s trade deadline today at noon (PST).

    On Thursday night, in their first significant move before the deadline, the Sharks sent forward Anthony Duclair and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2024 third-round selection and minor league defenseman Jack Thompson.

    Please check back for updates to this story.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Sharks trade Anthony Duclair to Tampa Bay Lightning for prospect, third-rounder

    Sharks trade Anthony Duclair to Tampa Bay Lightning for prospect, third-rounder

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    SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks on Thursday made their first significant move before the NHL trade deadline, dealing forward Anthony Duclair and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2024 third-round selection and minor league defenseman Jack Thompson.

    Duclair was one of a handful of pending unrestricted free agents on the Sharks roster and figured to be one of general manager Mike Grier’s most attractive trade pieces.

    Duclair entered Thursday with 16 goals and 27 points in 56 games but had been playing his most productive hockey of the season over the last three-plus weeks since the Sharks returned from their bye week on Feb. 12.

    In the last 10 games before Thursday, Duclair led the Sharks with seven goals, 10 points, and 26 shots on net. With Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture both unavailable, Duclair has been playing mainly on a line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.

    Those three combined for nine points, with Duclair collecting two goals and two assists, in the Sharks’ 7-6 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The Sharks led 6-3 before they allowed three third-period goals.

    Thompson, 21, has appeared in 46 American Hockey League games this season for the Syracuse Crunch, recording 32 points and 12 penalty minutes.

    Thompson will report to the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, to start his tenure with the organization.

    Thompson was a third-round draft choice by the Lightning in 2020 and made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay earlier this year on Jan. 6 in his lone game for the team. He has one year left on his entry-level contract and is set to become a restricted free agent in 2025.

    Thompson ranked second on Syracuse’s in both points and assists, and led the team’s defensemen in both categories. Over two AHL seasons, he played in 118 games, scoring 56 points (13 goals, 43 assists).

    The NHL trade deadline is Friday at noon (PST), and a handful of other Sharks players could also be on the move to contending teams.

    Alexander Barabanov could be the next Sharks player to be traded, as he was set to be held out of Thursday’s game with the New York Islanders as a precaution against injury.

    Other Sharks’ pending unrestricted free agents include forwards Matt Hoffman, Kevin Labanc, Justin Bailey, Ryan Carpenter, Radim Simek and Oskar Lindblom. Simek and Lindblom were assigned to the Barracuda in October.

    Barabanov has spent the last three-plus seasons with the Sharks after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in April 2021 for forward Antti Suomela.

    In his first two-plus seasons in San Jose, Barabanov had 93 points in 147 games as he played mostly in the Sharks’ top-six forward group.

    This season, though, Barabanov suffered a broken finger on Oct. 24 and missed just under six weeks, and has largely not been able to recapture that same scoring touch with just three goals and 10 points in 38 games.

    Barabanov is in the second year of a two-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in May 2022.

    Asked about a report that he would like to go to a contending team, Barabanov said, “Yeah, this I think is part of the business. I just work every day and we’ll see what happens.”

    The Sharks are on their way to missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season and entered Thursday in 31st place in the NHL’s overall standings with a 15-39-7 record.

    “It’s how it works, you know? I’m fine with it,” Barabanov said of players in his contractual position. I’m ready for any option.”

    Before Thursday’s trade, Duclair said he’d be open to signing with the rebuilding Sharks this offseason. On July 1, Duclair, or any UFA, can sign with any team.

    Duclair, who does not want to talk about a new contract until after the season, hasn’t ruled anything out.

    “I made it clear to (general manager Mike Grier) that I’ll keep the door open, keep my options open, and then we’ll see come July 1,” Duclair said. “I’m not counting out anybody or closing doors on anybody. I think that’d be stupid of me. But I’ve enjoyed my time here, I think everybody knows that I enjoyed the boys, enjoyed this organization, and would definitely be open to coming back.”

    A handful of former Sharks players still have homes in the area and are part of the organization, formally or informally. That appeals to Duclair, who would like to remain in a familiar area for some time after playing for seven teams in his first 10 NHL seasons.

    “It’s a nice tight-knit community, and the biggest thing I like is how ex-players come back and they’re part of the organization,” Duclair said. “You don’t see that on every team or every organization. Obviously, (the Sharks have) some legends sticking around and walking the hallways, so that’s some motivation.

    “You kind of see how (guys), even post-career, stick around and love the organization. That’s something that I’d like to be a part of.”

    Magnus Chrona started in net for the Sharks against the Islanders with Kaapo Kahkonen, another pending UFA who could be dealt before the deadline, backing up. Quinn said he wanted to reward Chrona after he made 36 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on March 2.

    The 27-year-old Kahkonen, now in his fourth full NHL season, is 6-20-3 in 31 games this year with a .895 save percentage. He’s in the second and final season of a two-year, $5.5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2022.

    Please check back for updates on this developing story.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Minnesota Wild star scores late, hands Sharks frustrating loss

    Minnesota Wild star scores late, hands Sharks frustrating loss

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    The San Jose Sharks faced some headwinds in their game against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.

    The Sharks were playing their second game in as many nights — just like the Wild were — but were also dealing with an illness now running through the locker room, sapping some of the team’s energy.

    The biggest obstacle, though, was the play of Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, who recorded his third hat trick of the season to help hand the Sharks a disappointing 4-3 loss at Xcel Energy Center.

    With the Sharks leading 3-2, Kaprizov scored at the 2:38 and 16:01 mark of the third period, with the second goal completing the hat trick and putting the Wild ahead to stay as San Jose was sent to its seventh straight loss.

    “When you don’t have it, you’ve got to find a way to hang around and I thought that’s what we did,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “It was just unfortunate. They’ve got Kaprizov and we don’t.”

    Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, and Nico Sturm all scored for the Sharks (15-39-6), who managed just 15 shots on net as they completed a two-game road trip with a 0-1-1 record.

    The Sharks led the Wild on two occasions Sunday, including in the third period as the two teams traded goals.

    After Duclair scored his 14th of the season 23 seconds in for a 3-2 Sharks lead, Kaprizov tied it, one-timing a pass from Matt Boldy past goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who made 28 saves for the game.

    Kaprizov’s third goal of the game was also his 29th goal of the season, as he became the fifth-fastest active player to 300 career points. Having now played 258 games, he’s behind only Sidney Crosby (219), Alex Ovechkin (237), Connor McDavid (240) and Evgeni Malkin (240).

    “He’s a phenomenal player,” Sturm said of Kaprizov, his one-time Wild teammate. “That third goal, that’s him. He gets lost as the third guy high, there’s a puck battle, and he’s got the smarts to where he just waits for the puck to squirt out to him.”

    The Sharks now start a three-game homestand on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars.

    The Sharks were without center William Eklund, who came down with an illness Sunday. With Eklund unavailable, Kevin Labanc drew back into the lineup after he was a healthy scratch Saturday in Dallas and Luke Kunin moved into Eklund’s role as the Sharks’ second-line center.

    Eklund had goals in each of the last two Sharks’ games and for the season has 10 goals and 27 points in 58 games.

    Sunday’s game was Kahkonen’s first against his former team. He was drafted by the Wild in 2014 in the fourth round and played three-plus seasons in the organization before he was acquired by the Sharks two years ago for defenseman Jacob Middleton.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • San Jose to clear 1,000 homeless people from creeks and waterways

    San Jose to clear 1,000 homeless people from creeks and waterways

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    For decades, homeless people have camped along San Jose’s 140 miles of creeks and rivers. Now, at the direction of state regulators, city officials are devising an ambitious plan to move about a thousand people into shelter by the middle of next year.

    On Friday, before a line of tents near Coyote Creek, Mayor Matt Mahan announced the plan in response to a state mandate to clear encampments polluting the city’s watersheds.

    “What they’re telling us, which is what I’ve been saying all along, is that the status quo is unacceptable,” Mahan said.

    To ensure homeless people have a place to go, the mayor and a handful of City Council members pledged to continue adding shelter space across the city, including a newly proposed group shelter with about 1,000 beds south of downtown.

    Officials said the clean-up and shelter effort — which could start in earnest in about six months and must be completed by June 2025 — will cost tens of millions of dollars at a time when the city’s budget is already stretched thin.

    But they maintain that the hefty price tag is worth it, not just to meet environmental requirements but to ease the human suffering on the street and ensure that neighbors feel safe visiting city parks and trails.

    “We must treat this like the emergency that it is,” Mahan said. “This is going to be hard. It’s going to be challenging, and it’s going to be expensive.”

    Pedro Reyes, who lives along the grassy floodplain near Coyote Creek and Tully Road, said he’d be open to accepting a bed at the new shelter. But Reyes, 39, added he’s also comfortable staying outside, despite tending to recent stab wounds after he said he was attacked at his encampment.

    Besides, he said he doesn’t think he needs help. And even if he did, he finds it hard to trust people offering support.

    “I can’t believe it when people are talking to me, like, sweet,” he said. “I don’t trust anyone.”

    On Tuesday, the City Council is set to vote to direct officials to devise plan details, including which areas along waterways across the city need to be prioritized for clean-up and where no-camping zones could be established to prevent homeless people from returning. The city has an estimated 6,340 homeless residents, about 70% of whom are unsheltered.

    The agency forcing the city into action is the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has recently ramped up pressure on cities across California to move encampments out of sensitive waterways that often empty into the ocean. It’s threatening San Jose with litigation and tens of thousands of dollars in daily fines if it fails to comply.

    The city has long struggled with what to do about encampments along its creeks and rivers, dating back at least 10 years when it took multiple attempts to clear hundreds of people from a massive Coyote Creek encampment known as “The Jungle.”

    More recently, the city cleared around 200 people from parts of Coyote Creek to make way for a flood protection project. In February, it set in motion plans to create a no-encampment zone along the downtown stretch of the Guadalupe River after clearing dozens of tents and RVs from the area.

    Homeless advocates say clearing camps can be traumatizing for unsheltered people, who can be torn from encampment communities and forced to part with their possessions. Without providing a roof over their heads, advocates say, encampment sweeps do little but push homeless people into new neighborhoods.

    “If you’re going to abate, you have to have a place for them to go,” said Todd Langton, founder of the Coalition for the Unhoused of Silicon Valley. “It’s common sense. It’s humanity.”

    Under a 2018 federal court ruling, local governments across the Western U.S. are expected to at least offer shelter before clearing encampments. However, after frustrated officials petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to modify or do away with the mandate, the justices agreed to review the rule later this year.

    Mahan, who’s expected to sail to reelection next week, has made adding tiny homes, safe overnight parking spots and other “interim” shelter options with supportive services a centerpiece of his push to end street homelessness.

    Critics of that position argue that shelter, while needed, is but a temporary solution that won’t help many people out of homelessness without significantly more investment in permanent affordable and supportive housing. A city report from last year found that about half of the roughly 900 people who stayed in interim shelters in 2022 moved on to permanent housing.

    Mahan and his allies on the council respond that faster and more cost-effective solutions are needed because building low-income homes can take years and cost as much as $1 million for a single unit.

    “For far too long we have enabled unsafe, inhumane, and dangerous living conditions for the unsheltered by relying on woefully slow and brutally expensive projects,” Councilman Bien Doan said in a statement.

    Doan on Friday announced the proposed 1,000-bed group shelter for his district, south of Highway 280 between Highways 101 and 87. Doan’s office declined to give potential locations and did not immediately respond to a question about how much it could cost.

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    Ethan Varian

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  • San Jose Sharks goalie exits game vs. New Jersey Devils

    San Jose Sharks goalie exits game vs. New Jersey Devils

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    SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood exited Tuesday’s game with the New Jersey Devils late in the first period and was later ruled out from returning.

    The Sharks did not provide an official reason why Blackwood left the game, but it appeared the goalie was injured making a save on Devils center Jack Hughes.

    Blackwood stopped on a Hughes shot with 2:28 left in the first period, got up, and then skated toward the Sharks bench during a television timeout. After he reached the bench, Blackwood walked toward the Sharks dressing room and threw his stick down.

    Blackwood was credited with 13 saves in the first period before he left the game. Kaapo Kahkonen came off the bench to replace Blackwood for the final 2:26 of the first period but did not have to make a save.

    The Sharks took a 1-0 lead shortly after Blackwood left the game, as Nico Sturm scored his fourth of the season off an assist from Alexander Barabanov at the 18:17 mark of the first.

    Kahkonen started the second period as Blackwood did not come out of the Sharks’ dressing room.

    On its third shot of the period, New Jersey tied the game, as a bad change by the Sharks led to a Devils 2 on 1. Jesper Bratt then took a pass from former Sharks winger Timo Meier and scored his 22nd of the season at the 3:29 mark.

    Just 37 seconds later, Jack Hughes took advantage of a Sharks turnover and beat Kahkonen for his 19th goal of the season as the Devils took a 2-1 lead.

    Blackwood was playing in his 35th game of the season Tuesday as he had remained mostly healthy for the first four months of the season.

    Beset by injuries the last two years, Blackwood hadn’t played in this many games in one season since 2020-2021, when he went 14-17-4 for the Devils in a non-playoff year for the organization.

    Please check back for updates to this developing story. 

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Bay Area soccer playoffs: A game that needed to be seen to believe

    Bay Area soccer playoffs: A game that needed to be seen to believe

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    Serra coach Mike Keller was on the bus ride home to San Mateo as he recounted all that unfolded on the soccer field against Aptos on Saturday.

    The twists and turns were gut-wrenching, thrilling and perhaps even maddening, to say the least, but Serra ultimately survived after 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of overtime and five rounds of penalty kicks.

    The Padres will move on to the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals on Wednesday after winning the penalty-kick shootout 4-3. The teams played to a 2-2 tie in regulation and were even 4-4 after two 10-minute overtime sessions.

    “Man, that was a barnburner,” Keller said. “What a game. The fans got more than their money’s worth today, I’ll tell you that.”

    Let’s pick up the action at the start of the second half.

    Trailing 1-0, Serra pulled even 1-1 on a goal by Will Hirsch.

    After Aptos reclaimed the advantage, Nate Coughlin scored on an assist by Edward Velazquez to tie it at 2-2 with about 15 minutes left.

    The score didn’t change for the remainder of regulation, sending the match to overtime.

    Aptos scored in the first OT period to take a 3-2 lead. But Serra answered again, this time on a goal by Velazquez in the second OT session.

    The visitors took the lead, 4-3, with four minutes left in OT on another goal by Coughlin.

    But just when it looked as if the final chapter had been written in this thriller, Aptos scored on the final play of OT to force penalty kicks.

    “Both teams played excellent,” Keller said. “I’ve been in a couple of OT games like that. I don’t think I’ve been in one where they scored in the last second to send the game to PKs. I don’t think I’ve been involved in one of those.”

    How did Serra regroup for PKs?

    “You know, we practiced penalties a lot this week,” Keller said, adding that the team prepared senior goalkeeper Jacob Kohlmeister specifically for PKs. Rafael Steinberger handled the goal keeping duties during the game.

    “He was ready,” Keller said about Kohlmeister. “He saved the first two and that gave us a lot of confidence. The guys knew they had to do their best to make one. Due credit to our guys for being really mentally strong and to Jacob for jumping into the penalties and making saves.”

    Justin Hollister’s PK ended the match, sending Serra into the semifinals on Wednesday against top-seeded Westmont or eighth-seeded Hollister.

    Serra will think about the next round later. The Padres wanted to celebrate the win Saturday first.

    “This time of the year, these guys have fought so hard through our league, we want to let them enjoy the moment,” Keller said. “They fought so hard today against a good opponent. Got to enjoy these moments.”

    Girls soccer

    CCS Division I

    No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 3, No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep 2

    Senior Jordan Geis scored two goals and Kiki Vostermans had one as perennial powerhouse Mitty opened the CCS playoffs at home on Saturday with a victory over Sacred Heart Prep.

    The Monarchs advance to the semifinals Wednesday against third-seeded Leigh or sixth-seeded St. Ignatius.

    Saturday’s soccer scores, schedule

    Central Coast Section

    Division I boys

    No. 6 Carlmont at No. 3 Archbishop Mitty

    No. 7 Alisal at No. 2 Mountain View

    No. 5 Leigh at No. 4 Burlingame, 5 p.m.

    No. 8 Lincoln-San Jose at No. 1 St. Francis

    Division I girls

    No. 6 St. Ignatius at No. 3 Leigh, 5 p.m.

    No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 3, No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep 2

    No, 4 Sequoia 3, No. 5 Los Altos 1

    No. 1 St. Francis 4, No. 8 Burlingame 0

    Division II boys

    No. 6 Fremont-Sunnyvale at No. 3 Los Gatos, 7 p.m.

    No. 7 Aragon at No. 2 Menlo School

    No. 5 Serra 4, No. 4 Aptos 4 (Serra 4-3 PKs)

    No. 8 Hollister at No. 1 Westmont

    Division II girls

    No. 6 Homestead at No. 3 Salinas, 5 p.m.

    No. 7 Aptos at No. 2 Leland, 5 p.m.

    No 5 Aragon at No. 4 Woodside

    No. 8 Pioneer at No. 1 Mountain View, 6 p.m.

    North Coast Section

    Division I boys

    No. 8 Clayton Valley Charter at No. 1 De La Salle, 7 p.m.

    No. 5 Bishop O’Dowd at No. 4 Dougherty Valley, 7 p.m.

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    Darren Sabedra

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  • NHL trade deadline: Where things stand with Sharks’ pending free agents

    NHL trade deadline: Where things stand with Sharks’ pending free agents

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    The looming NHL trade deadline in three weeks has the potential to be an anxious time for a handful of San Jose Sharks players – and others around the league on non-playoff-contending teams — who are pending unrestricted free agents.

    Anthony Duclair, though, isn’t stressing out. The Sharks winger has been traded four times in his 10-year NHL career, including in 2015 and 2019 when he was shipped from one team to another on the eve of the deadline.

    “For me, it’s just another year. I just try to have fun with it now,” Duclair said. “I don’t get nervous or anything like that. I just try to enjoy the process and whatever happens, happens.”

    Now in 2024, the speedy Duclair is a prime candidate to be on the move again, as the Sharks, in next-to-last place in the NHL’s overall standings, try to recoup assets for a handful of players who are pending UFAs.

    “Where we are, we don’t — if we can avoid it — (want to) let UFAs walk for nothing,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said last month. “So if we can get something back that will help us down the road, we’ll definitely look to try and do that.”

    Here’s a look at where things stand for some of the Sharks’ pending unrestricted free agents.

    Anthony Duclair, winger

    CONTRACT STATUS: In the final year of a three-year, $9 million contract

    AGE: 28

    CAREER NHL STATS: 131 goals, 147 assists in 537 games (has 17 points in 47 games this season before Thursday’s game in Calgary)

    THE SKINNY: Duclair, who represents himself in contract negotiations, said earlier this week that he and the Sharks have not had any discussions regarding an extension. “I haven’t heard anything at all. I’m sure a conversation will happen soon,” said Duclair, who, now on his seventh NHL team, is looking for a contract with some term.

    “Obviously, everybody knows I’m looking for a home where I can spend the next few years. That would be my ideal situation,” he said. “But I also know that I have to earn that right, so obviously these next three weeks are pretty important. The way I play, the way I conduct myself, so I just want to focus on that.”

    Duclair is keeping all options available, including re-signing with the rebuilding Sharks should that opportunity arise. San Jose will have some cap space available and Duclair has fit in well with a team in transition.

    Still, Duclair will be 29 in August, and Grier will be wary of giving out a contract that takes a winger into his mid-30s considering where the franchise is at right now.

    “I’m open to anything,” he said. “Obviously, I have to do what’s right for myself and we’ll go from there, but I’m definitely open to anything right now.”

    Kaapo Kahkonen, goalie

    CONTRACT STATUS: In the final year of a two-year, $5.5 million contract

    AGE: 27

    CAREER NHL STATS: Record of 48-58-14, .900 save percentage, 3.27 goals against average in 127 games (is 6-15-2, with a .905 save percentage, 3.43 GAA in 25 games this season)

    THE SKINNY: Kahkonen, like Duclair, said he has not heard of any discussions with the Sharks regarding a contract extension.

    “Nothing new, really, from my end. I’m just kind of focusing day by day on practice and games, trying to get ready and be as good as I can. We’ll see what happens.”

    Kahkonen has shown this season that he can be a contributor to a playoff-contending team, either as a capable backup to an established No. 1 goalie or as a 1A-type netminder.

    Kahkonen’s record is unsightly, but he has only received an average of 1.92 goals in support per game so far this season, lowest among all goalies who have played at least 10 games. Wednesday, Kahkonen, in his 25th game, made 39 saves in a 1-0 Sharks loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

    Among the 34 NHL goalies who have played at least 25 games this season, Kahkonen is sixth in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes. The top five are Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, Boston’s Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko. Pretty good company.

    If he isn’t traded, Kahkonen said he’s keeping the door open to re-signing in San Jose.

    “I haven’t thought about that yet. I’m not saying no, I’m not saying absolutely,” Kahkonen said. “I don’t want to close any doors because I don’t think you ever want to do that. But we have to go through this month first because then everything will be much more clear after that.”

    Kevin Labanc, winger

    CONTRACT STATUS: In the final year of a four-year, $18.9 million contract

    AGE: 28

    CAREER NHL STATS: Has 82 goals, 141 assists in 464 games (Has seven points in 32 games this season)

    THE SKINNY: Labanc, who will be a healthy scratch for an eighth straight game Thursday, wants a change of scenery and it would not take much for another team to pluck him off San Jose’s roster.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • What the 49ers said after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl

    What the 49ers said after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl

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    The 49ers lost Super Bowl LVIII to the Chiefs 25-22 in an overtime heartbreaker on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

    Patrick Mahomes threw the winning three-yard touchdown to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in the extra period. The 49ers got the ball first in overtime and drove the ball to the five-yard line, where Jake Moody made his third field goal of the game.

    Receiver Jauan Jennings was involved in both of the 49ers’ touchdowns. He threw a 21-yard touchdown to Christian McCaffrey on a trick play in the second quarter, and then caught a 10-yard pass to give the 49ers the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

    Purdy completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown. Christian McCaffrey ran 22 times for 80 yards and caught one touchdown.

    After the defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in check for the first half, he helped give the Chiefs the lead in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to Marquez Valdez-Scantling.

    Kicker Jake Moody made a 53-yard field goal with 1:53 left in the game to give the 49ers a 19-16 lead, and Mahomes and Travis Kelce led the Chiefs on a drive downfield to tie the game and force overtime.

    Here is what the 49ers said after the game.

    Kyle Shanahan

    At media podium

    General reaction:

    “Those were two real good teams and it went back and forth the whole game. Both teams played their asses off, and in the end, they got it done.”

    What are your emotions after the game?

    “We all hurt, and no one knows how it feels, and I don’t have a lot of words for it, but obviously we’re hurting and our team is hurting. But that’s how it goes when you put yourself out there. I’m real proud of our guys, and I have no regrets with my team. I thought the guys played so hard today. Not everything was perfect by no means, but if I’m going to lose with a group of guys, it’s going to be with those guys any time. It’ll take some time, but we’ll get over this, and we’ll come back next year ready to go.”

    With the way your offensive possession in overtime went, obviously you wanted a touchdown. What went wrong where you guys couldn’t get through there?

    “On the third down? It looked like there was a protection bust up the middle. We were going to Jauan, and it looked like Jauan killed them pretty good. But Chris Jones got loose up the middle. I think there was a mistake, and I’m not sure. But he’s a hard guy to block.”

    Had you thought about it on fourth down in OT, maybe going for it there instead of the field goal, or was there no hesitation?

    “We never thought about it there, fourth and four. Even if we score there, they could still go down and match it. So no there, there was no thought there”

    With the new rules for overtime (both teams get the ball), what goes into the decision to take the ball first there?

    “It’s just something we talked about there with none of us having a ton of experience with it. But we went through all the analytics and talked with those guys, and we decided it would be better and that we wanted the ball third. If both teams matched adn scored, we wanted to be the team with the chance to go and win. We got that field goal, so we knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal and if we did, we felt it was in our hands after that.”

    It looked like your defense was pretty gassed at that point in the game. Did that factor into your decision-making at all, to give them a little bit of a rest?

    “No. We decided that before.”

    How are Kittle and Dre Greenlaw and the guys who had to come out of the game?

    “Greenlaw tore his Achilles, and I’m not sure about George. It was a shoulder thing and he couldn’t go, at the end he was off and on. He was playing through a lot of pain.”

    You went out to try to shake Andy’s hand and didn’t. Is that because you saw it would take some time?

    “No, we talked on Monday and last year, when we played each other last time, it took 25 minutes to shake his hand last time. So we both talked on Monday, and regardless of who won, I love Andy and am tight with Andy, but we talked and we were both going to do that because it was too hard to get to each other after these Super Bowls.”

    How do you think Brock Purdy played? He was moving around, using his legs. Was that an emphasis to get him outside?

    “Um, no. I mean we called a couple bootlegs and stuff, which you do that on that. But that’s what Brock does. He scrambles, he makes some plays, and we knew it would be like that. That’s the toughest defense we’ve been against this year, and we knew it going into the game. That’s a good group. The way they mix up the blitzes, and two-shell coverages against the run, and the man coverage they played was tough. That was why they haven’t given up more than 27 this year. We had our chances, and needed to score a couple of touchdowns and didn’t. But I was happy with Brock.”

    Kyle, this is three times now, with the Falcons and now with the 49ers, three double-digit leads in the Super Bowl. People will talk about that. Why do you think this keeps happening?

    “This is my second game as a head coach, but I think when you go against guys like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those are two of the greatest players to ever play this game. That’s why whether you have a lead or are down points, those guys are always in it. You watch them do stuff like that all the time.”

    Brock Purdy

    General thoughts:

    “Shot ourselves in the foot with just penalties and the operations and stuff. So I’ve got to be better in terms of leading the guys and how I handle things in the huddle and telling them what to expect and stuff like that. At the end of the day, I think we have the team, the offense to score touchdowns and I think I failed to put our team in position to do that.”

    Problems to start to the second half?

    “I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m not going lie. I think first and second down, we’ve just got to be better. You get in these third and longs and it’s tough to convert those kinds of situations. So just got to be better on first and second down. There’s a couple of plays, the defense got the stops like they needed to, and then our first couple plays were just either negative or we’re not moving the ball so it’s as simple as that.”

    On the overtime:

    “At that moment in overtime it was pretty quick, just, we came down here, let’s get points, take a field goal and then trust our defense to do what they can do. So that’s where our mindset was at. “I think earlier in the game, we needed to score in that moment, and so we were aggressive with it and went for it.”

    On the emotions for Kyle:

    “I mean, obviously, it sucks, man. You want to win it for that kind of guy. And he’s a great coach. Everybody wants to go to war with that guy. The way he handles himself and carries himself like we all just want to win for him. And obviously the older guys, the vets, Trent Williams, Aric Armstead, all the guys that have been through it, man, you want to win for him. But it starts with Coach man, that’s who I hurt for, and I hurt for all the other guys, our whole team. What we’ve been through the last year hasn’t been easy and for it to go like that, where it’s close at the end, it’s tough. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it.”

    On Mahomes:

    “I think he’s one of the best to ever do it, honestly. Makes plays and obviously he’s got a great arm and stuff, but I just feel like the way he moves and his pocket movement and being able to run the ball when his offense needed it. And more than anything, he’s a competitor and like we said going into this game, man like you just don’t want to let him have the ball, because he can obviously do a lot of damage with it. He’s a baller.”

    Takeaways?

    “The first thing that comes to mind is when you have an opportunity like we did to really put some points up on them and take it, you got to take it. It’s the Super Bowl, you’ve got a good team in the Chiefs on the other side. I think we had opportunities to do that and we all fell short of it. I think that’s what eats at me is I feel like we had we had our opportunities to sort of lap them and get up on them and I think we failed to do that. So moving forward with my career, if you get blessed enough to get this in kind of position again, you have to understand that and not learn the hard way.

    On the Chiefs’ defense:

    “I feel like they play a little bit more man than we thought. We just didn’t know exactly how they were going to play us and we thought maybe just play zone, two show, like a lot of teams do. But they did a good job I think of stopping the run when they needed to and then man up … they did their job on third down so I think they did a pretty good job of playing man.”

    On getting back to the Super Bowl?

    “Yes, 100% I mean, that’s the mindset every year I think we have the team to do it. That’s what’s tough about all this, is it’s a long, long season and there’s a lot of stuff that you go through and but at the end of the day, we all have the mindset of being able to do it.”

    Christian McCaffrey

    On his first-quarter fumble:

    “I think that I can’t put the ball on the ground on the first drive. That’s gonna sting, and I put that on me.”

    On losing the Super Bowl: 

    “I’m still a little numb and angry and going through all of the emotions. I just have to wake up tomorrow, and try again.”

    Brock Purdy talked about missed opportunities. Did you feel like you guys had opportunities to score?

    “Definitely. One that keeps coming back in my mind is that first drive. I can’t put the ball on the ground.”

    Is there anything the Chiefs did that surprised you guys?

    “I think it was more about execution.”

    You’ve been playing in this league for a long time. How does this heartbreak compare to anything else you’ve experienced in your football life?

    “Yeah, it hurts the most. Yup.”

    There’s a little bit of confusion surrounding the decision to take offense first in the overtime period … 

    “I was just thinking that we had to down there and score.”

    Can you talk a little bit about Jauan Jennings? A touchdown pass to you, a touchdown reception himself, the second guy to ever do that in a Super Bowl. Just his talent to do so many different things?

    “Yeah, he’s unbelievable, man. He’s extremely gifted, but he plays with so much heart. You see it in the run game, in the way he finishes plays. I’m just lucky I get to play with him.”

    There’s a lot of attention on your young quarterback, a lot of spotlight on him. How do you think he held up on the big stage?

    “I thought he did great. You go look at the self-inflicted wounds we had, and I think we just beat ourselves.”

    Arik Armstead

    On losing the Super Bowl.

    Ah … sadness. 

    How tired do you feel like the defense got? You were on the field a lot.

    We gave it all we had. It’s a hard task to chase around Mahomes, so it puts a lot of pressure on you to keep from getting fatigued. But we gave it our all, and I’m proud of our guys. 

    Are you surprised that Kyle sent the offense out there to start overtime instead of the defense? Did he check with you guys?

     

    I didn’t even know about the new overtime rules, so it was a surprise to me. I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that. They put it on the scoreboard, so everyone was like “Oh, even if they score, we still get a chance to do something.”

    Had the staff ever approached you about that this week, to let you know that there is a time when it goes to OT that the rules are different?

    I wasn’t aware of it. 

    On the disappointment of losing in 2020 versus now. 

    The first time around, it being our first Super Bowl I was a part of, it was tough to lose. After, we were all younger. It was a little different feeling. We all had some great years ahead of us and some more opportunities. This time around, I feel like we have some opportunities, but we were just fighting so hard to get it done, and once it’s over, the hardest part is that you have to restart.

    Fred Warner

    On Greenlaw’s injury:

    “He just been dealing with that same Achilles injury for the last few weeks, and so we ran out on the field together and I see him drop down and I knew exactly what happened.”

    On the Chiefs last drive:

    “We had to find a way to get to get a stop. There’s no perfect call there, we’ve got to execute. We got to find a way to get off and we just couldn’t do it.”

    What happened on the final play?

    “I’m not sure. I’ve got to see. I’m not sure who was supposed to be on (Hardman).”

    On Mahomes:

    “He’s a great player man. He’s a gamer. in those situations he knows when to throw it, when to run it. He’s a really great player.”

    George Kittle

    “You train all season, all offseason, every day you put in for work. You go to OTA’s. It’s a long, long season. It’s a long year, and we’re on week 27. We’ve been playing football since late July. To come up short of achieving our goal and dream, it’s not fun.”

    On Greenlaw:

    “That’s depressing. To get injured in the Super Bowl, hopefully he hits up Aaron Rodgers and figures out how to heal that quickly. Besides that, Dre’s a heartbeat of our defense, him and Fred in there. I know they feed off each other. And I think (Oren Burks) and (Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles) stepped in. I think they did a really good job, but we lose a guy like Dre, it’s just, it’s tough and he’s just such a fantastic football player. He’s everything that the Niners stand for. So to lose him, it really, really sucks for him.”

    Jauan Jennings

    On how it felt to throw that pass:

    “That feels awesome. It felt like I was back at the University of Tennessee throwing to Josh Dobbs. To make that play, I just think about my quarterback coach from high school. I know he’s so proud right now and man, I thought we were gonna win.”

    On the pain he’s feeling:

    “How much does it hurt? Man, anybody got a nail he can step on? Probably about that much.”

    Chiefs

    Here is what Chiefs receiver Hardman said to CBS on the championship stage about his winning touchdown catch:

    “I blacked out when I caught the ball.”

    Check back for updates for more reaction. 

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    Joseph Dycus, Curtis Pashelka

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  • College basketball: UCLA holds off Cal Bears 61-60

    College basketball: UCLA holds off Cal Bears 61-60

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    BERKELEY — Cal fought back from a 14-point second-half deficit but could not close out a season sweep of UCLA on Saturday afternoon in the final meeting of the in-state rivals before they head off to new conferences next season.

    The Bruins (13-11, 8-5 Pac-12) prevailed 61-60 in a game that had four lead changes in the final 1:05, preventing the Bears (10-14, 6-7) from winning for the fifth time in their past six games in front of 9,280 fans at Haas Pavilion.

    UCLA won its fifth straight game and is 7-2 since losing to the Bears at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 6.

    Cal has not swept both games in a season against the Bruins since the 2011-12 season, and won’t get the chance anytime soon. The Bears will play in the ACC next season while UCLA moves to the Big Ten.

    Fardaws Aimaq put the Bears in front 55-53 on a putback of his own miss with 1:05 left before the Bruins called timeout. They went right to big man Adem Bona, who scored from the post and converted a free throw for a 56-55 lead with 50.4 seconds left.

    Aimaq then tipped in a miss by Jaylon Tyson, giving the lead back to Cal with 45 seconds left. But guard Dylan Andrews sunk a mid-range jumper and UCLA was back in front 58-55 with 25.3 seconds left.

    Tyson, who led the Bears with 16 points, missed on a contested drive to the basket and Lazar Stefanovic made two free throws for a 60-57 lead with 16.4 seconds left. Sebastian Mack inched the lead to four points by making the second of two free throws with 4.5 seconds to play.

    Cal’s Jalen Celestine made a running 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left.

    The Bears trailed 50-41 when Tyson triggered an 8-0 run that pulled them within a point.

    He scored on a backdoor dunk off a pass from Aimaq then returned the favor, assisting Aimaq on a 3-point basket. Finally, he fed Jalen Celestine for a 3-pointer that made it 50-49 with 5:56 to play.

    Tyson’s jump shot with 3:05 left put the Bears up 51-50, their first lead since 7-3. Stefanovic answered with a 3-pointer or the Bruins but two free throws by Aimaq tied the score at 53-all with 2:20 remaining.

    The Bruins led 35-24 at halftime as the Bears shot just 36 percent (8 for 22) in the opening 20 minutes. Tyson scored 10 points for Cal but his teammates combined to make just 5 of 17 shots as the Bears wound up with their lowest-scoring first half of the season.

    UCLA erased an early 7-6 Cal lead with an 11-0 run during which time the Bears missed three shots and turned the ball over three times against pressure. The lead swelled to 19-10 when Andrews made two free throws, capping a 15-2 surge with 11:42 left.

    The Bears pulled within 22-16 on a layup by  Aimaq with 8:36 left but the Bruins built their advantage to 29-16 with an 8-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Stefanovic.

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    Jeff Faraudo

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  • SF Giants utilityman wins salary arbitration case

    SF Giants utilityman wins salary arbitration case

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Utilityman J.D. Davis became the seventh straight player to win in salary arbitration, beating the San Francisco Giants on Thursday and getting a raise from $4.21 million to $6.9 million rather than the team’s $6.55 million offer.

    Joshua Gordon, Margaret Brogan, and Brian Keller made the decision one day after listening to arguments.

    Players lead teams 7-2 with eight cases pending.

    Davis, an Elk Grove native, hit .248 with 18 homers and 69 RBIs last year in his first full season with the Giants, who obtained him from the New York Mets on Aug. 2, 2022. A third baseman, first baseman, and outfielder, Davis, 30, is eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.

    AL Championship Series MVP Adolis García and the World Series champion Texas Rangers avoided a Thursday hearing when they agreed to a $14 million, two-year contract.

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    The Associated Press

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