Park Center Pirates Pound Minnehaha Academy Redhawks

 Using the past tense of a song title from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Park Center Pirates carried on Monday night as Braeden Carrington scored 21 points to lead them to an 83-49 rout of the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks in Brooklyn Park.  

It took a minute for the first basket which was scored by the Pirates Cody Pennebaker.  The Redhawks would take the lead on three straight points from Prince Aligbe.  Aligbe, headed for Boston College next season was the bright spot for Minnehaha Academy, scoring nine of the Redhawks first 11 points.  He would help cut Park Center's lead to two but the Pirate offense would heat up as Carrington, who will wear maroon and gold next season at Minnesota hit four three pointers.  Minnehaha Academy was cold from the field as Park Center went on runs of 5-0 and 7-0 to lead 43-31 at halftime.  

Heading into the second half, The Pirates would put the game away early by scoring the first 12 points.  Leo Torber would contribute with a couple of three point plays.  The Redhawks would end their scoring drought on Leroy Barnes' basket with 14:42 to go but they were still plagued by cold shooting and foul trouble as Mykelti Dilliard-Smith fouled out.  Park Center, the top ranked team in Class AAAA would even send the game into running time as head coach James Ware would put in the reserves to get some playing time.  

Other Pirates in double figures were Torber with 14 points, followed by Ayouba Berthe with 12 and Pennebaker 10.  The Redhawks were led by Aligbe with 22 points, the only Minnehaha Academy player in double figures.  

Park Center improved their record to 15-1 and will head to Champlin Park on Wednesday, February 2 to face the Rebels at 7 PM.  Minnehaha Academy fell to 5-7 and will also be in action on the 2nd as they head up Highway 7 to take on the Minnetonka Skippers at 7 PM.  

Amelse's Hat Trick Leads SLP Orioles To Rout Waconia Wildcats

 The Matt Penner Era began at The Rec Center Tuesday night as Mason Amelse got the hat trick to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 10-0 rout of the Waconia Wildcats.  

Penner replaced Ben Horsch who resigned for undisclosed reasons.  

The Orioles got right out of the starting gate :27 into the game as Stanley Regguinti headed down the left side, passed to Amelse in the center slot and he put St. Louis Park on the board. Amelse would pick up assist on the Orioles second goal that was scored by Michael Hoikka and picked up his second goal to give St. Louis Park a three goal lead.  By then, the Wildcats replaced goalie Matthew Johnson with Carson Beckwith.  The lead would increase to four as Griffin Krone tallied after a pass from Cole Taylor.  Sam Fuller would score on a rebound wraparound and Phillip Hirte would conclude the first period scoring.  

Fuller would be credited with an assist on St. Louis Park's first goal of the second period as he fed Amelse and he would score the power play goal :50 into the period.  Teddy Dahlen would rebound Hirte's missed shot that would give the Orioles an eight goal lead.  Ben Olson and Regguinti would increase St. Louis Park's lead to ten, with Regguinti scoring from the left corner.  

Heading into the third period with an insurmountable lead, there would be running time.  Not much happened because neither team would put the puck past the goal line.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 6-9-1 and returns to action on Thursday, January 27 at 7 PM against the Hopkins Royals at the Hopkins Pavilion.  Waconia fell to 4-11 and will also be in action on the 27th, hosting the Chaska Hawks at 7 PM at the Waconia City Arena.  

The Passing of a Local Comedy Legend

 He came from St. Paul and he was a standup comedian, actor and game show host.  

On Friday, January 21, Louie Anderson passed away at the age of 68.  

Anderson got his start on the local comedy scene that featured comedians Scott Hansen, Jeff Gerbino and Tom Arnold.  He made his national debut in 1984 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.  Carson was so impressed with Anderson that he invited to come to the couch for an interview.  

Since this is also a game show blog, it should be worth mentioning that Anderson was the first host of the long running syndicated revival of Family Feud when the classic game returned to TV in 1999.  He was the host for three seasons before he was fired in 2002 due to low ratings.  

A memorable moment from Anderson's Family Feud run was a 9/11 themed tournament between members on the FDNY and the NYPD.  The tournament earned $75,000 for both organizations.  

Anderson would also make guest appearances on other game shows.  In 2000, he was a guest panelist on To Tell the Truth which was hosted by another Family Feud host John O'Hurley.  The following year, he made an appearance on NBC's The Weakest Link, and he wasn't a weak link at all since he won $31,000 for his charity.  

In 2017, Anderson would return to Family Feud, this time to the prime time celebrity edition hosted by the man who replaced him after Richard Karn and O'Hurley, Steve Harvey.  He would later be a regualr panelist on another syndicated game show Funny You Should Ask.  

A great way to close this game show tribute to Anderson would be his signoff he used after each show he hosted "Be good to your family."  May he rest in peace.  

Woodbury Wins Royal Battle

 It was "The Battle of the Royals" in girls hockey Friday night at The Rec Center as Hopkins/Park hosted Woodbury.  But it was the school from the east metro that came out on top with a 2-0 win.  

Neither team would erase the scoreless tie in the first period, though Woodbury outshot H/P 9-0.  Woodbury almost took the early lead when Bryn Etzell was called for tripping so Liv Mischacoff was awarded a penalty shot.  She drove down the ice and and put the shot on goal but Leah Bosch managed to make the save.  Woodbury would eventually head in front on Erika Roepke's right side goal.  

Woodbury would add a goal to their ledger in the third period when Paige Fasching fed Sam Hansen on the right side of Bosch and she sent the puck across the goal line to wrap up the scoring.  

Woodbury improved their record to 13-9 and returns to action on Tuesday, January 25 as they host their city rival, the East Ridge Raptors at 7:30 at the Health East Sports Center.  H/P lost their ninth straight game and fell to 5-16.  They will travel down Highway 36 to North St. Paul on Monday, January 24 to take on North St. Paul/Tartan at 7 PM at Polar Arena.  

New Prague Trojans Top SLP Orioles

 It will be a long, happy bus ride for the New Prague Trojans as Will Seymour scored two goals to lead them to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles Saturday night at The Rec Center.  

Seymour would help set up the Trojans first goal when he passed to Michael Beckius and he scored from the left side.  Seymour, a sophomore, would score on a rebound to put New Prague up by two.  

The Trojans would increase their lead to three in the second period on Michael O'Rourke's goal.  There would be no shutout on this chilly Saturday night they would get a short handed goal from Stanley Regguinti in the center slot off a pass from Cole Taylor.  St. Louis Park would be shorthanded for five minutes when Ben Farley was headed down the right corner and cut to the slot.  New Prague goalie Carter Puente was playing out of the next to make the save and Puente collided with Farley.  Puente would leave the game and Farley would enter the penalty box for a charging penalty.  The Trojans would capitalize on the lengthy power play with two goal in a 1:25 stretch.  The first came from Owen Wilkins and Seymour would score his second goal of the game with :20.1 left to give New Prague a four goal lead.  

Heading into the third period, there would be some life for the Orioles as Regguinti would tally on the power play after receiving a pass from Mason Amelse.  But Carter Herrmann, playing in relief of Puente, would keep St. Louis Park from making a strong comeback.  

The Trojans improved their record to 5-6-1 and return to action on Tuesday, January 18 to face the East Ridge Raptors at 7:30 at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena.  The Orioles fell to 4-8-1 and will also be in action on the 18th, heading to the Richfield Ice Arena to take on Southwest Christian/Richfield at 7 PM.  

SLP Orioles Wallop Waconia Wildcats

 If Oriole head coach Ben Horsch was present for Thursday's game against the Waconia Wildcats, he would have been impressed with Cole Taylor, Griffin Krone and Ben Farley scoring two goals apiece to lead St. Louis Park to a 7-1 win at The Rec Center.

Horsch was sidelined for the second straight game due to COVID 19 so assistant coaches Grant Amelse, Matt Penner and activities director Andy Ewald guided the team into a rescheduled game from December 7.  

It didn't take long for the Orioles to get the early lead on Taylor's goal from the right corner :58 into the game.  The Wildcats evened the score on Brett Siddons goal from the right slot.  

St. Louis Park would put the game out of reach in the second period with five unanswered goals.  Krone would score his first goal to regain the lead, followed by Ben Farley's power play goal on the left side of Wildcat goalie Matthew Johnson.  Mason Amelse would score from the center slot off a pass from Andrew Hoenie.  Taylor would pick up his second goal and the final goal of the period was an outstanding pass from Stanley Regguinti to Krone in front of the crease and he found an opening to put the puck in the net.  

Early in the third period, Waconia had a five on three advantage for :28 but nothing would help erase the one from their portion of the West Rink scoreboard.  But St. Louis Park would send the game into running time as Farley stuffed the puck past Johnson.  

The Orioles improved their record to 4-7-1 and wrap up their home stand Saturday, January 15 at 7 PM against the New Prague Trojans at The Rec Center.  The Wildcats fell to 4-9 and host the Chaska Hawks on Friday, January 14 at 7 PM at the Waconia City Ice Arena.  

Jefferson Jaguars Defeat SLP Orioles

 Though St. Louis Park head coach Ben Horsch was absent due to COVID-19, the Orioles gave it their best shot but AJ Wang and Cory Ringquist scored two goals apiece to lead the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars to a 6-4 win Tuesday night at The Rec Center.  

Assistant Coaches Grant Amelse and Matt Penner coached the Orioles along with the school's activities director Andy Ewald.  

The first period featured back and forth scoring as St. Louis Park first when Teddy Dahlin went to the right of Jefferson goalie Luke Swanson to give the Orioles the early lead.  But the Jaguars came back as Wang passed to Nicholas Hatton inside the blue line and he lined it into the net.  St. Louis Park regained the lead :32 later when Ben Farley drove down the ice like traffic on Excelsior Blvd. and scored the unassisted goal.  But the lead would be short lived as Wang would find the net twice, his second goal coming with :13.1 left in the period.  

In the second period, Wang would score his second goal from the left side :51 into the period.  Jefferson would increase their lead to three on a rebound goal from Ringquist.  St. Louis Park would cut the lead to two on a power play goal from Mason Amelse.  

Both teams would tally in the third period.  Ringquist would score his second goal for the Jaguars and Griffin Krone would score the Orioles lone goal.  St. Louis Park had a four minute power play due to a double minor penalty on Jefferson's Maximo San Roman.  After an Oriole time out with 2:23 to play, goalie Jack McCarron was pulled for a sixth attacker, giving St. Louis Park a 6 on 4 advantage.  But they couldn't put the puck in the net.  

The Jaguars improved their record to 5-6 and return to action on Thursday, January 13 at 7 PM as they travel to the Eagan Civic Arena to face the Eagan Wildcats.  The Orioles fell to 3-7-1 and will also be in action on the 13th as they host the Waconia Wildcats at 5:15 at The Rec Center.  It was a rescheduled game from December 7 that was originally slated for Waconia.  

Big Week Coming Up for SLP Oriole Hockey Team

 It's going to be a busy week for the St. Louis Park Orioles boys hockey team as they have three consecutive home games.  

The Orioles will be playing their first game since January 4 when they were shutout by the Metro West Conference leading Chaska Hawks 5-0.  They were supposed to host the Chanhassen Storm on January 8 but the game was cancelled due to COVID issues in the Storm program.  

First up is the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on January 11.  The Jaguars will be playing their first game since December 29 when they beat the Eagan Wildcats 5-2 in the South St. Paul Tournament.  

Thursday, January 13 is the date for the rescheduled game with the Waconia Wildcats.  The game was rescheduled from December 7 and it will be only the varsity team in action for a 5:15 start.  The Wildcats head into the week hoping to snap a six game losing streak against the New Prague Trojans.  

And speaking of the New Prague Trojans, the Orioles will host them to wrap up the week on Saturday, January 15.  The Trojans came up shot in their last game as they fell to the Hopkins Royals 3-2.  

Plenty of action coming up at The Rec Center.  If you haven't seen the Orioles this season under first year head coach Ben Horsch, head over to the West Rink.  

Jefferson Jaguars Hold Off Cooper Hawks

 It was a frigid Thursday night in Bloomington as sophomore Daniel Freitag scored 22 points as the Jefferson Jaguars held off a Cooper Hawks comeback 82-78.  

Freitag would begin the scoring for the Jaguars :20 into the game as they would go on a 6-0 run before Sam Massaquoi hit a jumper with 14:50 in the first half to put the Hawks on the scoreboard.  Cooper would go on a 5-0 run before Jefferson's Samir Jones scored four straight points.  Freitag show some outstanding passing when he made a great post pass to Blake Mamalakis and he scored on a layup.  On the Jaguars next possession, the tables were turned as Mamalakis found Freitag who made the basket.  Jefferson would go on a 15-3 run and Massaquoi's would hit a couple of three pointers that would help the Hawks narrow the Jaguar halftime lead to 38-32.  

Foul trouble would plague the Hawks early in the second half when Davion Evans picked up his third foul and the Jaguars began the scoring on a pair of free throws from Cashaun Scott-Kobold.  Cooper would make a strong comeback thanks to a pair of three pointers from Massaquoi and they would vault into the lead with 12:16 to go on Prince Appiah's basket.  Aidan Atkins would score to regain the lead as the lead would go back and forth like traffic heading down Highway 169.  Evans would even the score at 73 but Jefferson would forge ahead on Freitag's layup with :30 to go.  So the Hawks would have to foul to send the Jaguars to the free throw line and Atkins would convert with :21 remaining to clinch the win. 

Other Jaguars in double figures were Hayden Holland with 17 points.  Atkins added 16 and Scott-Kobold finished with 15.  The Hawks were led by Evans with 26 points.  Massaquoi scored 23 and Appiah added 15.  

Jefferson improved their record to 5-2 and returns to action Saturday, January 8 at 3 PM as they face the Edina Hornets at the Edina Community Center.  Cooper fell to 3-3 and will host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles on Tuesday, January 11 at 7 PM.  

Providence Academy Lions Pound Mounds Park Academy Panthers

 The future of Minnesota high school girls basketball was on display Tuesday night when eighth grader Maddyn Greenway scored a game high 27 points to lead the Providence Academy Lions to a 83-28 shellacking of the Mounds Park Academy Panthers in Plymouth.  

The one bright spot for the Panther was that they got the early lead on Kensi Binstadt's basket 1:04 into the game.  But that would be the only good news for MPA fans as the Lions used outstanding passing and defense to put the game away early.  Greenway would score six straight points as Providence Academy would go on an 18-1 run.  Grace Counts, one of three Counts sisters to play for the Lions would have a couple of runs of four straight points as Providence Academy would pull further away from the Panthers.  Greenway, the daughter of former Viking Chad Greenway, had a solid first half and would hit a half court shot at the buzzer to give the Lions a 64-18 halftime lead.  

The Lions picked up where they left off in the second half as they began the half on a 10-0 before Nora Peterson would tally.  Foul trouble would plague the Panthers as Audrey Jakway, who was MPA's main offensive cog, picked up her fourth foul with 9:19 to go.  She would stay in the game and didn't foul out.  As the margin increased for Providence Academy, head coach Conner Goetz rested his starters and let the reserves finish the game.  

Other players in double figures for the Lions were Grace Counts with 18 points and Maria Counts added 10.  Jakway led the Panthers with 16 points.  

Providence Academy improved their record to 6-3 and will host the Jordan Jaguars on Thursday, January 6 at 7 PM.  MPA falls to 4-3 and hosts the Blake Bears on Friday, January 7 at 7 PM.  

The Passing of a Game Show Icon

 She's best known for her roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls and Elka in Hot in Cleveland but to many of game show fans, she made many appearances over a 60 year period.  

On Friday, December 31, Betty White passed away at the age of 99.  

According to imdb.com, White's first game show appearance came on a short-lived prime time game show from Mark Goodson and Bill Todman Make the Connection in 1955.  The show was originally hosted by Jim McKay, who later went on to greater fame hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports.  He would be replaced by Gene Rayburn, before becoming the host of a show White would be a guest on many times from 1963-1979, Match Game.  

Though Make the Connection was a summer replacement that only lasted 13 weeks, White would be a guest on almost every Goodson-Todman game including various incarnations of To Tell the Truth, including the current version with host Anthony Anderson.  She was also a semiregular on the 1970s version of Match Game, usually next to Richard Dawson in the lower right corner.  

But the Goodson-Todman game that's been long associated with White was Password.  She was a guest early in the show's run in 1961 where she met and fell in love with the host Allen Ludden.  They got married in 1963 and remained together until Ludden passed away from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981.  Since her first appearance on Password, she has been a frequent celebrity player and one of the best to play the classic word game.  She also guested on the other three revivals of Password, including Password Plus and Super Password.  In the final Super Password episode, White destroyed the toaster that was used for the Cashword segment.  

White also appeared on other game shows outside the G-T realm.  She was one of the first celebrities to appear on You Don't Say in 1963, hosted by Tom Kennedy.  Other shows included were Hollywood Squares, Liar's Club, including the late 1970s version hosted by Ludden, and numerous incarnations and money amounts of Pyramid.  

In 1965, Goodson-Todman was seriously considering White to become of the first female hosts when she was considered for the new game Get the Message.  But ABC officials said no and so the show debuted in March with Frank Buxton as host but he was replaced by Robert Q. Lewis.  Get the Message didn't get the message for viewers.  It was cancelled after 39 weeks.  

White did get a hosting opportunity during the four year run of ABC's version of Password when she filled in for Ludden while he played the game.  It was the week of March 24, 1975 when the show was in a huge ratings decline due to the show's age and the emergence of the soap opera The Young and the Restless.  Three months later,  ABC aired the final episode with White appearing the end of the show.  

But White's big break as a game show host came in January, 1983 when she became the host of Just Men!  Even though the show was a ratings flop due to competition from Family Feud and The Young and the Restless as well as low affiliate clearances in the noon ET time period, White would become the first female host to win a Daytime Emmy Award. Twin Cities TV viewers did get to see Just Men since WTCN-TV (now KARE) moved a rerun of The Bob Newhart Show to 9 AM.   There are some Just Men! episodes posted on youtube.com.  

Thanks to BUZZR and GSN, viewers can watch episodes of White in action.  In wrapping up this tribute, it should also be mentioned that White and Ludden were guest stars on a classic episode of The Odd Couple where Felix and Oscar appeared on Password.  It's a very funny episode, so if you have never seen it, watch it.  

May she rest in peace.