Cougar News Sports: April 9, 2008

Here you have it! This week's recap on Blue Jackets and Destroyers. I will have a full-season recap up sometime next week.

History made in Jackets’ loss to Blues

Sunday marked the end of the NHL season as the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to St. Louis 4-1 in front of 17,739 at Nationwide Arena. The loss followed a 3-0 loss Saturday in St. Louis.

Some will remember that Columbus’ game against St. Louis on Sunday was a part of a five game losing streak to end the season. More will remember what happened when the game was all but over. With the score 3-1 and Columbus goalie Fredrik Norrena pulled for an extra attacker, St. Louis forward Keith Tkachuk scored his 500th career goal to clinch St.Louis’ season ending victory. Tkachuk is the 41st player in NHL history to score 500 goals.

“I never thought I would be able to play this long,” the 36-yeard-old forward said. “My teammates coming (off the bench) meant the world to me. And to get the win makes it even more special.”

“That was exciting watching that puck go down the ice into the net,” Blues head coach Andy Murray said. “500 goals is something special.”

But for the Blue Jackets, what would have been special would have been still playing today. Columbus missed the cut for the playoffs by 11 points. In the 31 games following the All-Star Game, Columbus only recorded nine wins. Winning at home for the season finale would have been a huge boost going into next season.

“(Since the) All-Star break, we put some of our –by far- best efforts,” Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I know a dozen games, like the one tonight, where it is pretty hard to fault the players. We made mistakes, they end up in the net, and we don’t make the other team for all the turnovers we created.”

Columbus started the game well. They got the game’s first eight shots and even got the game’s first goal when Michael Peca scored on a well placed Rick Nash pass on a five-on-three power play just minutes into the game. But St. Louis held control the rest of the way.

St. Louis got a goal by David Backes in the first period to tie the game. Brad Boyes scored an even strength goal that was assisted by Tkachuk in the second. David Perron made it a 3-1 lead midway through the third setting up Tkachuk’s goal later in the third. Columbus did however outshoot St. Louis in all three periods, and finished with a 36-19 shot advantage.

“We couldn’t finish, we outplayed them, we got more shots, but it is just kind of the story; we couldn’t score the big goals when we needed it,” Nash said.

Columbus ended the season with 80 points at 34-36-12. A full season recap and a look at next season can be found in next week’s edition.

Storm are swept away by Destroyers

Nearly a year ago, the Columbus Destroyers started their improbable run to the Arena Bowl by defeating the Tampa Bay Storm by a single point thanks to a missed extra point late in that game. In Saturday’s rematch, one play was just as important.

Columbus went on to win Saturday’s game 51-49 in front of 14,256 in Nationwide Arena. This was the first win at home for the team this season.

Going into Tampa Bay’s drive that started with six minutes left in the game and Columbus up 37-35, each team only had one drive that did not end in a touchdown. For Columbus, it came at the start of the third quarter when kicker Mark Lewis nailed a short field goal. Seth Marler’s 22 yard field goal attempt for Tampa Bay was wide left to end the first half. With the missed field goal, Tampa Bay was unable to break the 21-21 tie.

“Anytime you get a turnover like that, now the ball is in our court, we need to make sure we execute and we take care of the ball like we did,” Columbus quarterback Matt Nagy said on his team’s defensive stop in the second quarter.

“That is Arena Football, that is the way it should be,” Columbus head coach Doug Kay said about the scoring. “That is the way we need to play the game to compete and (Tampa) is a good football team.”

Storm quarterback Brett Deitz had a first and goal from the six and was looking to pass, but his attempt was tipped in the end zone by Nate Coggins and intercepted by Tremaine O’Neal with 1:56 left. Columbus would capitalize off the huge interception 1:11 later when Nagy found receiver Calvin Russell for a 33 yard pass to give Columbus a 44-35 lead after Lewis’ extra point attempt was good.

“I was just trying to assist the D.B’s on that play,” O’Neal said on his play. “We were trying to get hands on their receivers all day. Nate Coggins made a great defensive play on them, breaking the ball up, getting it up in the air, and giving me a chance to get underneath it.”

Nagy was in tune with his game throughout the game. He was 22-32 passing with 223 yards and six touchdowns. Four of which were to receiver Derek Lee. Lee now has 16 touchdowns on the season.

“We wanted to started the game fast this week, we started off sluggish, and just wanted to bring home these great fans a win,” Lee said.

Columbus travels to New York to face the Dragons on Sunday and then returning home for an ESPN Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Soul. Columbus is 2-4 on the season.