Oswego State Women's Hockey Dominate Chatham in Weekend Series

The Oswego State Women's hockey team kicked off the 2012 portion of itsw schedule with a weekend series against the Cougars of Chatham at Chatham in Pittsburgh. The Lakers were shut out 6-0 at Amherst to end the first half of the season so it would be interesting to see how the team responded. They responded all right and in a very big way. The first game was at Chatham on Friday and Oswego domintated from opening puck drop to final horn, to the tune of a 10-0 victory. Yes it was indeed a 10-0 victory. Oswegp just dominated the entire night. In the first period, Oswego was able to skate away after 20 minutes with a 4-0 lead thanks to two goals from Carly Henderson, as well as goals from Megan Howe and Emma Smetaniuk. Oswego upped the lead to 8-0 after the 2nd period thanks to goals from Kelly Collins, Mackenzie Lee, Megan Howe's 2nd and Emma Smetaniuk's 2nd of the night. Oswego capped the explosion off with 2 goals in the 3rd to end this 10-0 whipping. The 3rd period goals were scored by Mady Paul and Mackenzie Lee.

Shot totals for this game where a bit one-sided as Oswego outshot Chatham 57-8 for the game and 12-1 in the 3rd period alone. Catherine Cote got the win and the 8 save shutout, quite possibly her easiest shutout of her career. Meanwhile for Chatham, Kaitlynn Smith allowed 8 goals on 37 shots and Megan Buchanan allowed 2 goals on 10 shots. Of the 18 skaters dressed for Oswego, only four of them (Melissa Seamont Breanne Reith Chelsa Hunt and Lesle Jarvis) were held pointless. Every other player dressed for the team had at least one point, and 5 Lakers had multi-point games: Carly Henders (2 goals) Mackenzie Lee (2 goals), Emma Smetaniuk (2 goals 1 assist), Olivia Boersen (2 assists), and Megan Howe (2 goals 2 assists) all had multi-point games in this contest. Oswego went 4 for 9 on the powerplay while Chatham went 0 for 4 with the man advantage

Game two of the series was played between these two teams on Saturday and the result was much of the same as Oswego skated away with a 9-3 victory over the Cougars. Chelsey Draker scored the lone goal of the 1st period on the powerplay, in what was a bit of a penalty filled period. Draker would score another powerplay goal in the 2nd period to extend the Oswego lead to 2-0. The Laker lead was increased to 3-0 when Mackenzie Lee connected shorthanded. Chatham finally connected thanks to Sarah Forbes, so it was 3-1 Oswego at the end of 40 minutes. The 3rd period saw an offensive explosion from both clubs. Chatham scored twice in the period thanks to Ashley Reid and Sarah Forbes again. But Oswego got 6 goals in the final frame, and the scoring was provided by Kelly Collins, who scored twice in the period, Jillian Bergeron, Lauren Gilpin, Jocelyn St. Clair, and Megan Howe.

Shot totals again where in favor of Oswego in this contest, 66-10 and 27-2 in the first period. Bridget Smith got the start and win for Oswego making 5 saves on 6 shots, and Megan Amlinger got the rest of the playing time and gave up two goals on both shots she faced. This is only the 2nd time Megan Amlinger has played a game during her college career. Chatham went 1 for 7 on the Powerplay while Oswego went 2 for 7. After the weekend series there is now a 3 way tie for the team leading scorer. Melissa Seamont, Jillian Bergeron and Mackenzie Lee are all tied for the team lead with 11 points. Lee leads the team in goals with 8 and Bergeron leads the team in assists with 9. Every Skater on the team except for Samm Reimer has at least one point during this season.

Oswego has three tough games coming up this week. First up is a rare tuesday night game against Hamilton College at home. Then this weekend, The Plattsburgh State Cardnials make the trip in for a two game series, Friday the puck drops at 7 and Saturday the puck drops at 3.

Oswego Men Bounce Back with First Weekend Wins in 2012

The Oswego State Lakers kicked off the 2012 portion of their schedule with two big wins over Curry and Utica, and showed a good rebound after getting shut out against Neuman in the Championship of the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic. The first game in 2012 for the Lakers was Curry College. The Lakers seemed to finally wake up on this night and walked away with a 3-1 victory. Aside from a few minor penalties the first period was a quite one. Zach Josepher finally found the back of the net 1:35 into the 2nd period that snapped the Lakers goaless streak of over 80 minutes with his 2nd of the year. Joshua Pineiro tied the game for Curry about ten minutes later and after 40 minutes of play Oswego and Curry were tied at 1. When the 3rd period kicked off, Jon Whitelaw snapped the tie with a powerplay goal, his 8th of the year, with about 6 minutes left in the game. The Lakers put the game away three minutes later when Luke Moodie connected for his 8th of the year, another powerplay goal, to put the game out of reach and lock up a 3-1 win for the Lakers.

Dan Jones got the start and picked up his 2nd victory of the season, makeing 30 saves, while his counterpart, Joe Dawson stopped 31 shots. Oswego went 2 for 8 on the man advantage while Curry went 0 for 4 on the powerplay. Luke Moodie and Jon Whitelaw each had two points with a goal and assist each. Here are the video Highlights from the Curry game:




So now that Oswego responded against Curry, Utica was next on the schedual for Saturday. Oswego was looking for payback in this game as Utica took down the Lakers by a 3-2 score at the Aud in Utica. The first period of this one was a bit penalty filled but was scoreless. Oswego got the first goal in the middle frame, at the 4:45 mark when Tyler Leimbrock connected for his 7th of the year. Leimbrock would connect again at the 18:35 mark with his 8th of the year, and first shorthanded, to give Oswego a 2-0 leazd. The lead would be streched to 3-0 thanks to Jon Whitelaw scoring his 9th of the season, this one on the powerplay, with 1 second left in the middle frame. Oswego went into the 3rd period with a 3-0 lead, but Mike Slowikowski would cut the lead to two when he connected for his 4th of the year at the 8:21 mark. Oswego regained the 3 goal lead 30 seconds later when Hank Van Boxmeer scored his 1st of the year. Oswego upped the lead to 5-1 when Luke Moodie scored a short handed empty netter. Rob Morton scored late for Utica but it was too little too late as Oswego walked away with the big 5-2 victory.

Andrew Hare got the start and made 17 saves in the victory for Oswego, while Evan Smith stopped 32 shots. Oswego went 2 for 9 on the powerpaly and scored 2 shorthanded goals, and Utica went 0 for 12 on the man advantage. Tyler Leimbrock (2 goals 1 assist) and Ian Boots (2 assists) were the only two Lakers to have multi-point games. For oswego to be successful they really need to work on staying composed and out of the penalty box. Here are the video highlights:



Oswego did look good coming back for the first games of 2012, being led by the top line of Jon Whitelaw, Paul Rodrigues and Luke Moodie, all three of whom lead the team in scoring. Up next for the #2 nationally ranked Oswego State Lakers they play host to the Red Dragons of Cortland Friday night from the Campus Center Ice Arena, then on Saturday they travel to Sage Rink to take on Hamilton College with a special 3pm puck drop!

NFL Divisonal Round In The Books.

The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is in the books......and what a divisional round it was. First up for the recap was the most exciting game of the year between the Saints and 49ers. Alex Smith's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis with 9 second left gave San Francisco their first playoff win since 2002 at the end of a wild, back and forth final quarter which featured four lead changes in a span of 3:53.

New Orleans started off the game with a 78-yard drive to the 49ers 2-yard line, but came up empty when defensive back Donte Whitner forced a fumble from Pierre Thomas that was recovered by linebacker Patrick Willis. Thomas was injured on the play and did not return. Later on, San Francisco opened up the scoring with Smith's 49-yard touchdown pass to Davis. A few plays into the next drive, Dashon Goldson intercepted a pass from Saints quarterback Drew Brees and returned it 41 yards to the 4-yard line, setting up Smith's touchdown completion to Michael Crabtree and giving the 49ers a 14–0 lead. Then Courtney Roby lost a fumble on the kickoff that San Francisco linebacker Blake Costanzo recovered on the Saints 13-yard line. This time New Orleans managed to keep them out of the end zone, but David Akers kicked a field goal to give the 49ers a 17–0 lead less then a minute into the second quarter.

Brees led the Saints back, completing 7 consecutive passes for 65 yards and rushing for 5 on an 80-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard scoring pass to tight end Jimmy Graham. Then after a punt, he threw a 25-yard touchdown completion to Marques Colston, cutting the deficit to three points. Later on, Brees threw his second interception, this one to Tarell Brown, but San Francisco could not convert and the score remained 17–14 at the end of the second quarter, despite three Saints turnovers.

Early in the second half, Costanzo forced a fumble from Darren Sproles on a punt return and Colin Jones recovered it, leading to Akers' second field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Saints managed to close the gap back to three points with a franchise postseason record 48-yard field goal from John Kasay. But a 42-yard run from San Francisco's Frank Gore helped put the margin back up to six on Akers' third field goal of the day.

With 4:02 left in the game, New Orleans took their first lead of the game at 24–23 with Brees' 44-yard touchdown pass to Sproles. But it lasted less then 2 minutes before San Francisco took it back, with Smith hitting Davis for a 37-yard gain before taking the ball into the end zone himself on his career long 28-yard run, making the score 29–24 after the two-point conversion failed. Not to be outdone, Brees matched the score with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 66-yard completion to Graham, and then threw the ball to Sproles for a successful 2-point conversion, giving the Saints a 32–29 lead.

San Francisco got the ball back on their own 15-yard line with 1:37 left in the game. Smith started the drive with two completions to Gore for 18 yards. Then after an incompletion, the connected on a 47-yard pass to Davis, advancing the ball to the Saints 20-yard line. A 6-yard completion to Gore then moved the ball to the 14, where Smith spiked the ball to stop the clock. On the next play, he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Davis with 9 seconds left, earning San Francisco their first conference championship game since 1997.

Smith threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, while adding 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Davis caught 7 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, setting the NFL postseason record for receiving yards by a tight end. Gore rushed for 89 yards and caught 7 passes for 38. For the Saints, Brees completed 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards and four touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. His top target was Sproles, who caught 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, while adding 59 more yards on rushing and special teams returns. Graham caught 5 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Colston caught 9 passes for 136 yards and one score.

Davis' game winning touchdown catch occurred four days after the 30th anniversary of The Catch – Joe Montana's famous touchdown pass to Dwight Clark – known as one of the most famous plays in San Francisco 49ers history. Sports writers and 49ers fans have taken to referring Davis' catch as The Catch III. With the 36-32 win the 49ers move on to the NFC title game since 1994.

Next up is the Denver Broncos getting blown out by the New England Patriots 45-10. New England quarterback Tom Brady completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a postseason record five touchdowns in the first half as the Patriots dominated the game the whole way through, setting new franchise postseason records for total yards (509), points (45), and margin of victory (35). Denver quarterback Tim Tebow was held to just 9 of 26 completions, only three more completions then Brady's final amount of touchdown passes.

New England scored on their opening drive, moving the ball 80 yards in five plays, including a 43-yard run by Aaron Hernandez, before finishing it off with Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. Denver responded with a drive to the Patriots 37-yard line, but then Tebow lost a fumble while being sacked by Rob Ninkovich and linebacker Brandon Spikes recovered it. Brady went right back to work, completing five consecutive passes for 47 yards on the way to a 10-yard touchdown toss to Rob Gronkowski.

After a punt, Broncos defensive back Quinton Carter intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it 17 yards to the New England 24-yard line. On the last play of the quarter, Tebow kept the drive going with a 12-yard completion Demaryius Thomas on 3rd and 3, and then Willis McGahee ran the ball into the end zone from five yards out, cutting the score to 14–7.

However, this ended up being the closest scoring margin the Broncos would reach for the rest of the game. At the end of New England's next drive, Zoltan Mesko's 40-yard punt pinned Denver back at their own 5-yard line. After a three and out, the Patriots got the ball back with great field position at their own 48. Brady then completed four consecutive passes for 41 yards, the last one a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. Later in the quarter, New England increased their lead to 28–7 on Brady's 61-yard touchdown completion to Deion Branch. And after forcing a punt, Brady threw a 20-yard completion to Hernandez and an 11-yarder to Julian Edelman on the way to his 19-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski, increasing the lead to 35–7 with just five seconds left in the half.

The second half didn't get any better for the Broncos. New England forced a punt on the first drive, which Edelman returned 15 yards to the Broncos 42-yard line. Five plays later, Brady tied a playoff record with his sixth touchdown pass of the day, a 17-yarder to Hernandez. This time Denver responded, with Tebow completing an 18-yard pass to Matt Willis and a 15-yard pass to Eddie Royal on fourth down and 3. However, New England halted the drive at their 24-yard line, forcing them to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Matt Prater. In the fourth quarter, Brady completed two passes to Gronkowski for 48 yards to set up the last score of the day, a 20-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski making the final score 45–10.

Brady finished the game with 26 of 34 completions for 363 yards and six touchdowns. Gronkowski caught 10 of those passes for 145 yards and tied a playoff record with three touchdown receptions. Ninkovich had four solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. McGahee was the top rusher of the game with 76 yards and a touchdown, while Thomas was Denver's top receiver with 6 receptions for 93 yards, including a 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

Now that we've looked at Saturday's games let's take a look at the action from Sunday. In the most even game from Sunday Baltimore Ravens knocked off the Huston Texans 20-13. Baltimore gained just 227 yards, but their defense forced four turnovers to make up for the difference, including Ed Reed's clutch interception on his own 4-yard line with less then two minutes left.

Houston's Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Ravens 41-yard line, setting up a field goal by Neil Rackers. Their defense quickly forced a punt, but returner Jacoby Jones fumbled the ball and defensive back Cary Williams recovered for Baltimore on the Texans 2-yard line. Two plays later, Joe Flacco put the Ravens on the board with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kris Wilson. Then after forcing a punt, Flacco's 21-yard completion to Anquan Boldin set up a 48-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff, making the score 10–3. Later inn the quarter, Baltimore cornerback Lardarius Webb intercepted a pass from T. J. Yates at the Houston 34-yard line. On third down and 9, Ray Rice kept the drive going with a 20-yard gain on a screen pass, and Flacco ended up finishing it off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Boldin.

In the second quarter, Houston managed to fight back. First, Arian Foster rushed three times for 29 yards and caught a pass for 16 on a 59-yard drive that ended with Rackers' second field goal, cutting the score to 17–6. Then after a punt, Foster rushed for 53 yards, including a 28-yard burst on the first play, on a 12-play, 86-yard drive that consumed just 5:46 and ended with his 1-yard touchdown run, making the score 17–13. Baltimore responded with a drive to the Texans 33-yard line. But on third down, lineman J. J. Watt sacked Flacco for a 9-yard loss, pushing the Ravens out of field goal range.

On Houston's first drive of the second half, Yates completed a 17-yard pass to Andre Johnson and a 19-yarder to Kevin Walter, moving the ball to the Ravens 32-yard line. But Baltimore halted the drive there and Rackers missed a 50-yard field goal try. The Ravens then took the ball back and drove all the way to the Texans 1-yard line, but Rice was stuffed for no gain by Tim Dobbins on fourth down – Dobbins' only tackle of the game – and they failed to score.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Webb recorded his second interception of the day on the Ravens 29-yard line, and Baltimore converted the turnover with a 44-yard field goal, taking a 7-point lead at 20–13. Yates responded with two completions to Johnson for 34 yards, moving the ball to the Ravens 38-yard line. But on the next play, Reed picked off a deep pass from Yates on his own 4-yard line with less then two minutes left in regulation. Houston still managed to force a punt with 45 seconds left, but the Ravens defense rose to the occasion once again, forcing a turnover on downs at their own 43-yard line.

Flacco threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Webb had four tackles and two interceptions. For Houston, Foster rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 22 yards. Johnson was the top receiver of the game with 8 receptions for 111 yards. Watt had 12 total tackles (9 solo) and 2.5 sacks, while linebacker Brooks Reed had 6 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

And finally, the best game Sunday, and the big shocker of the divisonal round the Giants upset the Packers 37-20. For the second consecutive year and for the fourth time in five seasons, the #1 seed in the NFC lost its opening game as New York topped Green Bay behind a career postseason high passing yardage day from Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

The Giants received the opening kickoff, and scored on the opening drive with a 31-yard field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes. The Packers responded with a game-tying field goal on their opening drive, when their kicker Mason Crosby hit a 47-yard field goal. New York scored again on the following drive as Manning threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to receiver Hakeem Nicks.

Once again, the Packers responded on the following drive when Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to fullback John Kuhn on the first play of the second quarter. Green Bay was aided by a controversial call on the drive where receiver Greg Jennings was ruled down by contact on a play where replays showed that he had lost the ball, but after Giants coach Tom Coughlin challenged the call the play was upheld. Kuhn's touchdown tied the score at 10. Green Bay then attempted an onside kick to try and catch the Giants off guard, but New York recovered in Packer territory. However, on the drive that followed Tynes saw his 40-yard field goal attempt blocked.

New York recovered a fumble by Kuhn with 3:37 left in the half and on the first place of the ensuing drive Manning found Nicks for a 29-yard gain to the Green Bay five yard line. The drive stalled afterward and Tynes kicked his second field goal of the game from 21 yards out. After forcing a Packers punt on their next drive, Manning and the Giants advanced into Packers territory on third down with a 23-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw to put the ball at the Packers' 37. More importantly, Bradshaw was able to get out of bounds and stop the clock which gave the Giants four seconds to run one final play before the half. With that play Manning hoisted a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone which Nicks was able to jump up and grab for a half-ending touchdown which game the Giants a 20–10 lead. Nicks' catch, in which he pressed the ball against his helmet, was reminiscent of Manning's pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII.

The Packers turned the ball over on their first drive of the second half after Rodgers was sacked by Osi Umenyiora and Deon Grant recovered the ball after Rodgers fumbled. However, Green Bay got the ball back after forcing a three-and-out and scored on the next drive when Crosby converted his second field goal. It was the last scoring play of the third quarter, as neither team was able to put a drive together for a score.

Green Bay moved into New York territory but the drive was stalled at the Giants' 39 yard line early in the fourth. Coach Mike McCarthy elected to go for the first down on 4th and 5 but Rodgers was sacked by Michael Boley and the Packers turned the ball over on downs. The Giants scored on their possession with a third field goal by Tynes, this time from 35 yards. New York then capitalized on a fumble by Ryan Grant on the second play of the following drive as Chase Blackburn recovered and took the ball to the Packers' 4 yard line. Manning then threw to Mario Manningham for the touchdown on the first play of the new possession and gave the Giants a 30–13 lead.

New York attempted to have stopped the Packers' on a third down when Rodgers threw an incomplete pass to Donald Driver but Umenyiora was called for hitting Rodgers late and the Packers received a new set of downs. Six plays later Rodgers found Driver for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Giants' lead to 30–20. However, they failed to recover the onside kick as Victor Cruz fell on the ball after Spencer Paysinger failed to control the kick from Crosby initially. It took New York six plays to score again when Brandon Jacobs ran it in from 14 yards out.

Trailing 37–20, the Packers took the field trying again to score as they had on their last drive. After hitting Jordy Nelson for an 11-yard gain on the first play Rodgers was then sacked by Umenyiora. After a short pass to James Starks that resulted in the loss of a yard Rodgers tried to throw to Jermichael Finley, but the pass was intercepted by Grant and the Giants ran out the clock from there.

With the victory the Giants advanced to their fifth NFC Championship Game and first since 2007, when they defeated the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl. Manning passed for a postseason career high 330 yards on 21-for-33 passing and three touchdowns. Nicks caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns while Cruz added five catches for 74 yards and Manningham caught three passes for 31 yards and one touchdown. In the defeat, Rodgers finished with 264 yards on 26-for-46 passing, two touchdowns, and an interception. Jennings led the Packers in receptions with four for 40 yards while Driver added three and led the team in receiving yards with 45. New York forced four turnovers (the interception and three fumbles) and sacked Rodgers four times.

Green Bay was playing in its first playoff game at home since the aforementioned 2007NFC Championship Game and lost for the second consecutive time. The Packers became the first team to win at least fifteen games during the season and not advance beyond their first playoff game and became the fourth team after the 1998 Vikings, the 2004 Steelers, and the 2007 Patriots to win at least 15 games during the season and not win the Super Bowl. As previously mentioned, the Packers became the fourth team in five years – 2007 Cowboys, 2008 Giants, and 2010 Falcons – to get the NFC's top seed and lose their first playoff game.

NFL Divisional Round Set to Kick This Weekend

So now it's on to round two in the NFL playoffs and its been pretty exciting through the first round. There are two games set for saturday. First up at 4:30 we have the New Orleans Saints heading out to California to take on the San Francisco 49ers. These two clubs didn't play during the regular season. With the win last week the Saints are now 6-7 all time in the playoffs and have never played against the 49ers in the post season. As for the 49ers they are 26-18 all time on the playoffs and winners of five superbowls. The superbowl wins came in 1981 (beat Bengals), 1984 (beat Dolphins), 1988 (Beat Bengals), 1989 (beat Broncos) and 1994 (beat Chargers). This will be without a doubt the most entertaining game of the weekend and by far the most even matchup of the weekend. I say it comes down to a fieldgoal and the Saints will play ofr the NFC title for the 2nd time in 3 years. I know this may seem a bit bold but in reality its the first playoff game for the 49ers in 10 years. the 49ers are good but Saints are better.

Now for the sunday night game at 8 its the Denver Broncos going to the Boston area to take on the New England Patriots. These two teams met in Denver on December 18th and it went the way of the patriots. Denver got out to an early lead, belying their recent trend of slow starts and late comebacks. However, several fumbles in the second quarter were converted into scores by Tom Brady and a solid 11 point lead at halftime. The Broncos battled back, as Tim Tebow avoided a safety early in the fourth quarter, but a touchdown by BenJarvus Green-Ellis with four minutes left proved to be the game clincher, though the Broncos would get a touchdown back later in the fourth. The Pats are 21-14 all time in the playoffs and are 3-3 all time in superbowls, the three losses coming in 1985 to the Bears, 1996 to the Packers, and 2007 to the Giants. The three wins for the Pats came in 2001 over the Rams, 2003 over the Panthers, and 2004 over the Eagles. New England and Denver have met twice in the playoffs and the Broncos won both meetings in 1986 and 2005. This time Denver won't get as luck as they did last week. If the Pats were able to beat Denver as bad as they did during the regular season in Denver its going to be a worse go of it for the Broncos in New England. pats in a blowout.

Now on to the Sunday meetings. First up at 1 is the Houston Texans at The Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are 9-6 all time in the playoffs with one superbowl victory under their belts a 2000 victory over the Giants. They have never played Huston before in the playoffs. Baltimore is just too good of a team for the Texans I willt ake the Ravens by 7.

The final matchup on sunday is the Giants at the Packers. These two teams met during the regular season. It was on December 4th at Metlife stadium, and lead to a 38–35 win for the Packers. With the win, the Packers improved to 12–0, and clinched a playoff berth. The team later clinched the NFC North division title with the Detroit Lions' 31–17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Packers are 29-16 all time in the playoffs. The Pack were named NFL Champions 3 times (1929, 1930, 1931) won 5 NFL Titles (1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962) lost an NFL championship game to the Giants in 1938, and won 4 superbowl titles (1966, 1967, 1996, and 2010). The packers and Giants have met 6 times in the post seaosn. packers wins came in 1939, 1944, 1961, and 1962, while the Giants only win in the series came in 2007 in OT on their way to the superbowl. This should be another entertaning football game coming down to the final series of the game but the Packers take it by a touchdown.

NFL Wild Card Weekend in The Books!

NFL Wild Card weekend has come and gone. For anybody who missed the action here is the recaps. First we start with the Texans and the Bengals. The final was Houston Texans 31, Cincinnati Bengals 10. Houston's defense forced four sacks and intercepted three passes, while their offense racked up 188 rushing yards en route to the team's first playoff win since the team's founding in 2002. For the Bengals, it marked their fourth consecutive playoff loss since 1990 and extended their playoff win drought to 21 years, the longest streak among all NFL teams.

In the first quarter, a 52-yard pass interference penalty against Texans defensive back Glover Quin while trying to cover A. J. Green gave the Bengals a first down at the Houston 24-yard line. Then facing third down and seven, fullback Brian Leonard ran a screen pass 16 yards to the 1-yard line, where Cedric Benson ran the ball into the end zone on the next play, giving Cincinnati a 7–0 lead. Houston struck back with a 6-play, 80-yard scoring drive. The key player on the drive was running back Arian Foster, who rushed five times for 44 yards, the last carry an 8-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

In the second quarter, Cincinnati drove to the Texans 23-yard line. But on third down, quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked for a 9-yard loss by linebacker Brooks Reed, and then Mike Nugent missed a 50-yard field goal attempt. On the Bengals next drive, Dalton's 36-yard completion to reserve tight end Donald Lee and a 15-yard penalty against Houston at the end of the play set up Nugent's 37-yard field goal to make the score 10–7. Houston countered with T. J. Yates completing 4 passes for 38 yards on a 59-yard drive that ended with Neil Rackers' 39-yard field goal. Then with just 52 seconds left in the half, rookie defensive lineman J. J. Watt intercepted a pass from Dalton at the line of scrimmage and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown to give the Texans a 17–10 halftime lead.

In the second half, Houston completely took over the game. After the first three drives ended in punts, Yates completed two passes to Foster for 27 yards before tossing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson. On the Bengals next possession, they moved the ball to the Texans 47-yard line. But on fourth down and 3, Dalton's pass was intercepted by former Bengal Johnathan Joseph. Then in fourth quarter, Houston put the game completely out of reach with an interception by Danieal Manning that set up Foster's 42-yard touchdown run, increasing their lead to 31–10 with just over five minutes left in regulation.

Foster finished the game with 153 rushing yards, three receptions for 29 yards, and two touchdowns. He became the third undrafted player in NFL history ever to rush for over 100 yards in a playoff game, after Paul Lowe and Ryan Grant. The games scored a 79, on NFL.com's "Game Fan Rating," the highest in Houston Texans history, ever since the rating system was implemented in 2009. The attendance of 71,725 was a record crowd for Reliant Stadium.

Next up we take a look at the New Orleans Saints crushing the Detroit Lions 45-28. New Orleans never punted the ball, gained a postseason record 626 yards, converted three fourth downs, and scored 35 points in the second half to defeat the Lions.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 5 of 6 passes for 70 yards on the opening drive of the game, the last one a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller. Later on, a 31-yard burst by Saints running back Pierre Thomas set up Darren Sproles' 2-yard touchown run, tying the score at 7 early in the second quarter.

Detroit responded on their next drive, moving the ball 87 yards in nine plays and taking a 14–7 lead on Stafford's 13-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson. With 21 seconds left in the half, New Orleans appeared to score the tying touchdown on a pass from Drew Brees to receiver Marques Colston, but the catch was overturned by official review, and the Saints ended up settling for a John Kasay field goal to cut the score to 14–10 at the end of the half.

The Saints dominated the second half, scoring touchdowns on five consecutive possessions before ending the game on their sixth. On the first play of the third quarter, Thomas rushed for 18 yards. Running back Chris Ivory then added a 19-yard run before Brees finished the drive with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson. Then after a Lions punt, New Orleans drove 92 yards, featuring a 40-yard completion from Brees to Henderson, and scored with his 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham.

This time Detroit stormed back, with Stafford completing two passes to Johnson for 63 yards before rushing the ball into the end zone himself on a 1-yard run, making the score 24–21. But their defense still could not stop Brees, who completed five passes for 52 yards on a 78-yard drive that ended with Sproles' second touchdown on a 17-yard run. Then on the first play of the Lions' next drive, Jabari Greer intercepted Stafford's pass at the New Orleans 39-yard line. Four plays later, Brees converted the turnover with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem. This time, Detroit managed to respond, with Johnson catching 3 passes for 38 yards on a 79-yard drive, the last one a 12-yard score. But New Orleans recovered Jason Hanson's onside kick attempt and stormed back for another touchdown, with Meachem's 41-yard reception setting it up for Thomas' 1-yard scoring run. Then the Saints sealed the victory with Greer's second interception from Stafford, enabling them to run out the rest of the clock.

Brees finished the game with 33 of 43 completions for a franchise postseason record 466 yards and three touchdowns. Meachem and Colston both recorded over 100 receiving yards each, while Thomas and Sproles combined for 264 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns between them.

Stafford threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns, with 2 interceptions, while Johnson set franchise playoff records with 12 receptions for 211 yards and two scores.

Now moving on to sunday's action we saw the Giants spank the Falcons 24-2. New York shut out Atlanta's offense, outgaining them in total yards 442-247, while also limiting them to 4/14 third down conversion and 0/3 on fourth down attempts in a dominating win.

Both teams combined for just one first down over their first five possessions. Eventually, Atlanta managed to sustain a drive, but on the first play of the second quarter, quarterback Matt Ryan was stuffed for no gain on fourth down and one on the Giants 24-yard line. Two plays later, New York QB Eli Manning gave Atlanta the first points of the game by committing intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety that made the score 2-0. After forcing a punt, New York earned their first score with an 85-yard drive, featuring a 34-yard run by Brandon Jacobs, that ended with Manning's 4-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks, giving them a 7-2 lead.

In the second half, a 30-yard run by Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw set up a field goal by Lawrence Tynes. Atlanta responded with a drive to the New York 21-yard line, but once again they came up empty when Ryan was tackled for no gain on fourth and one for a second time. A few plays later, New York increased their lead to 17-2 with Manning's 72-yard touchdown completion to Nicks. In the fourth quarter, Manning threw his third touchdown pass, a 29-yarder to Mario Manningham. Meanwhile, all that lay in store for Atlanta were more punts and their third failed fourth down conversion attempt of the day.

Manning threw for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while Jacobs added 100 all-purpose yards. Nicks caught 6 passes for 115 yards and two scores.

And finally we saw Denver knock off Pittsburgh 29-23 in Overtime. This game ended up being the first one ever played under the league's new overtime rules, in which winning would be more difficult for the team that won the coin toss because the game would not end on an opening field goal. It did not matter, as it took Denver just one play to win with Tim Tebow's 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.

Pittsburgh scored on their opening drive, with Ben Roethlisberger's 33-yard completion to tight end Heath Miller setting up a 45-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham. Later in the quarter, Steelers running back Isaac Redman rushed five times for 33 yards on a 47-yard drive that ended with Suisham's 38-yard field goal, increasing the score to 6-0.

But Denver, which gained just 8 yards in the first quarter, suddenly exploded with offensive production in the second. On their first drive of the quarter, Tebow completed a 51-yard strike to Thomas. Then he followed it up with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal. Following a Pittsburgh punt, Tebow's 58-yard completion to Thomas set up his own touchdown on an 8-yard run, giving the Broncos a 14-6 lead. An interception by Denver defensive back Quinton Carter quickly led to a 20-yard field goal from Matt Prater, and before the end of the half, Prater added one more, the second set up by Tebow's 41-yard completion to tight end Daniel Fells. With time running out in the quarter, Roetherlisberger completed a 25-yard pass to Antonio Brown and an 18-yarder to Sanders on a drive that advanced to the Broncos 32-yard line. But on third down, a fumbled snap resulted in a 23-yard loss, pushing the team out of field goal range.

Pittsburgh regrouped in the second half. After forcing a punt, Roethlisberger completed an 18-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders and Redman broke off a 32-yard run on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by receiver Mike Wallace on an end-around play, cutting the score to 20-13. Denver struck back with their third field goal from Prater, aided by a 32-yard pass interference penalty on Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor, but Pittsburg responded with their own field goal-drive, featuring a 28-yard run by Redman, making it a one-score game at 23-16.

With 7:35 left in regulation, Denver running back Willis McGahee lost a fumble while being tackled by Ryan Mundy and linebacker LaMarr Woodley recovered it at the Steelers 45-yard line. Though Roethlisberger was sacked on the first play, he recovered with a 15-yard completion to Sanders and a 6-yard run before tying the game with a 31-yard touchdown completion to Jerricho Cotchery. Both teams had one more drive to attempt a winning score, but Denver could go no further then their own 35-yard line, while Roethlisberger was sacked twice on his drive as time expired in the fourth quarter.

Following a touchback on the opening kickoff, Tebow hit Thomas in stride on a slant pattern across the middle of the field, and he took the ball 80 yards to the end zone for the game-winning score.

Tebow completed only 10 of 21 passes, but threw for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns without any interceptions, and added 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Thomas had 204 yards and a touchdown on just four receptions, an average of 51 yards per catch. Defensive end Robert Ayers had two sacks. For the Steelers, Redman finished with a career high 121 rushing yards.

Many observers have pointed out the symbolism of Tebow's (who is known for his strong religious beliefs) 316 passing yards in comparison to the Biblical passage of John 3:16. Tebow had the number in black under his eyes when he led the Florida Gators to a National Championship in 2009, which was played exactly three years to the day before this playoff game. Additionally, he set a playoff record by averaging 31.6 yards per completion.

Now that we know what happened in Wild Card Weekend, next up will be previews of the Divisional Round

2012 NFL Playoffs Ready to Kick Off This Weekend

The NFL post season is ready for kickoff. After a long grueling season the last 12 teams remain. The last 12 standing are as follows:

New England Patriots (AFC East winner), Green Bay Packers (North winner,)Baltimore Ravens (AFC North winner), San Francisco 49ers (NFC West winner), Houston Texans (AFC South winner), New Orleans Saints (NFC South winner,)Denver Broncos (AFC West winner,)New York Giants (NFC East winner), Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC Wild Card), Atlanta Falcons (NFC Wild Card), Cincinnati Bengals (AFC Wild Card), Detroit Lions (NFC Wild Card).

New England Baltimore, Green Bay and San Francisco got firsdt round bye's due to being the top four playoff seeds. So the matchups for wild card weekend are set in stone and they look like this.

Two games are set for swaturday January 7th. First up is Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Houston Texans. Kickoff for this one is set for 4:30 Eastern Time. In their history the Bengals are 5-9 all time in the playoffs. They have been to the superbowl twice, losing both times to the 49ers. Last time the Bengals made the playoffs was in 2009 when they lost in the first round to the Jets. The Texans have never made the playoffs before so this will be a first for the team. The texans may have won their division but the Bengals have a healthier more experienced team and I will take the Bengals in this one.

Now on for the late game Saturday night as its the Detroit Lions heading to Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints. Detroit is 7-10 all time in the playoffs and won three NFL championships, the predecessor to the supoerbowl. They won in 1935, 1952 and 1953. The last time Detroit made the playoffs they were knocked out in the first round of the 1999 playoffs by the Washington Redskins. As for the Saints they are 5-7 all time in the playoffs including a 2009 supoerbowl victory over the Colts. They were upset last year in the first round by the Seahawks. these two clubs have never met before in the playoffs, and with recent playoff experiance, I will take the Saints.

Now for the Sunday games, First up at 1 it's the Atlanta Falcons taking on the New York Giants at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. Atlanta is 6-20 all time in the playoffs, with there best run coming in 1998 when they lost the superbowl to the Denver Broncos. The last wplayoff appearance for the Falcons was last year in a first round lost to the Packers. The Giants on the other hand are 20-24 lifetime in the playoffs, and have won 4 NFL Championships (1927, 1934, 1938, and 1956) and 3 Superbowls (1986, 1990, and 2007) and lost a superboawl in 2000 to the Baltimore Ravens. These two teams have never met before in the post season. The Giants are coming in as a house of fire and I'll take the Giants by a touchdown.

The final game on Sunday is a 4:30 kickoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Pittsburgh is 33-21 all time in the playoffs and 6-2 all time in the superbowl. The two losses came in 2010 and 1995, while the six wins came in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005 and 2008. The Broncos are 17-15 all time in the playoffs and won back to back superbowls in 1998 and 1999. These two teams met 6 times in the playoffs and it's an even series split. The Steeers beaat Denver in 1975, 1984, and 2005, while the Broncos have beeten Pittsburgh in 1977, 1989 and 1997. This is probably the most intreaguing matchup in the playoffs. The Broncos will make a good show of it but the season ends on sunday as I take the Steelers.

2012 Winter Classic in The Books, Rangers Top Flyers 3-2

The 2012 edition of the Winter Classic is now in the books. The Rangers and Flyers went at it on January 2nd, since new years day was on a sunday it would have gone against the NFL, they went with January 2nd. In front of a nice, energetic crowd of 46,967 at Citizens Bank Park, the Flyers had a lead and blew it falling to the Rangers 3-2. Brayden Schenn got the Flyers on the board first at the 12:26 mark of the 2nd period. Philly upped the lead to 2-0 thanks to Claude Giroux's 18th of the year at the 14:21 mark. The Rangers respond 30 seconds later when Mike Rupp scored his send of the year and first of the night. Rupp capped of the scoring play by pulling a Jaromir Jagr special and saluting the crowd, which was a bit of a bold move but he was able to pull it off. So the Flyers held a 2-1 lead at the end of 2 periods but it would not last.

The Rangers got the game even thanks to Mike Rupp's 2nd of the night and 3rd of the year 2:41 into the 3rd. The game winner was buried at the 5:21 mark thanks to the 14th of the year by Brad Richards. The 3-2 lead would hold on for a final victory but it was exciting at the finish, including a penalty shot at the end of the game for Danny Briere which was stopped by Henrik Lundqvist. Flyers outshot the Rangers 36-33 in the contest but the Rangers took the two points and increased their first place lead over second place Boston.

Here are the highlights from the Winter Classic:




This year's classic was the 5th one done by the NHL since 2008, and this one had the lowest TV ratings of any of them, gaining a 2.4 rating. NOw this is the 3rd baseball park used for the game, the other trwo being Fenway Park in Boston for the 2010 classic and also Wrigley Field in Chicago for the 2009 classic. The 2008 classic was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo and in 2011 it was at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Here are some interesting facts about the 5 winter classics to this point. Only once has the home team won a game in the winter classic, that was in 2010 when the hometown Boston Bruins beat the Flyers 2-1 in Overtime. Two teams have played in two games. The Flyers hosted this year and were the road team in Boston (above) the other was the Pittsburgh Penguins who were the road team in 20098 when they played the Buffalo Sabers and then hoasted the Washington Capitals in 2011. Two of the games hhave required overtime, 2010 in Boston was a 2-1 OT win for the Bruins and the 2008 game in Buffalo which was a 2-1 shootout win for the Penguins over the Sabres. Two of the games have been decided by two goals, 2009 in Chicago as Detroit beat Chicago 6-4 and in 2011 Washington beat Pittsburgh 3-1. Finally the first three years this game took place the road team in the contest had gone on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. (That trend was broken last year when Washington was knocked out in Round 2 of the Playoffs)

Some final interesting info about the classic:

-The 2008 Winter Classic was colloquially called the "Ice Bowl" around Buffalo. As of 2011, it was also the only Winter Classic to have a shootout. It was voted the best Winter Classic in an NHL.com poll. It has been the only Winter Classic where the home team has worn white uniforms (Buffalo wore their 1970-71 away uniforms for the event).

-The 2009 Winter Classic was the first to feature two Original Six teams, as well as the first to be played in a baseball stadium.

-The 2010 Winter Classic was the first to be won by the home team. It was also the first without Ty Conklin as a goalie and Brian Campbell as a defenseman. Conklin played for Pittsburgh, and Campbell played for Buffalo in the 2008 Winter Classic. Conklin played for Detroit, and Campbell played for Chicago in the 2009 Winter Classic. This Winter Classic was also the first containing a fight, a bout that featured Philadelphia's Dan Carcillo scrapping with Boston's Shawn Thornton.

-The 2011 Winter Classic was the second involving the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the first weekend Winter Classic and the first time the game was delayed from its original start time, thus the first to air in prime time. 2011 was also the first time it rained during the Winter Classic.

-The 2012 Winter Classic was the first game not played on New Years Day. The NFL played their final regular season games on New Years Day. The NHL scheduled for January 2, 2012 to avoid competing with the NFL and comply with NBC's contractual issues. It was the first to feature a penalty shot. Philadelphia also became the first team to lose in the Winter Classic twice.