Author: Jesse

One final game fore a three-day holiday break concluded at Ball Arena with the Colorado Avalanche facing their budding rival in the Utah Mammoth. As many of their matchups have gone over the last few years, this was a hard-fought contest with the home team emerging victorious in the 1-0 shutout win.

Scott Wedgewood was excellent making 32 saves in his second shutout of the season but the true hero was Samuel Girard who scored the only goal of the game unassisted on a steal and gorgeous backhand finish to give the Colorado Avalanche their 27th win prior to the holiday break.

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The Game

It began as a spirited affair with chances for both teams. Each squad also had the chance to show off their power play in the first period. Colorado looks like they are making an effort to move more on the man advantage but are still dancing around the perimeter. Utah got a couple good looks on theirs but Scott Wedgewood stood tall. The best chance in the opening frame was perhaps Martin Nečas on a breakaway who hit the crossbar behind Vitek Vanecek but the period ended in a scoreless tie.

In the second period the Avalanche finally broke through and from the unlikeliest hero as Sam Girard crafted a dandy steal and breakaway with a backhand finish for his second goal of the season to put Colorado up by one.

Later on in the period there was a lengthy review after it appeared Utah’s Clayton Keller scored on a second effort shot but the puck was in Wedgewood’s glove as he outstretched his arm at the goal line. The puck was probably just barely in the net but with no definitive proof the call on the ice wasn’t overturned, thus no goal. The second period ended with Colorado still holding a one-goal lead.

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The Avalanche uncharacteristically held on just to survive in the third period and were outshot 12-4 in the process. Utah possessed the puck for an entire two minutes with the extra attacker but couldn’t get the equalizer. Colorado couldn’t find the back of the net again either but Girard’s goal was enough to earn the 1-0 win.

Takeaways

Subject of endless trade rumors, Sam Girard proved his value tonight. The left handed defenseman has been quietly putting up points since his return to action and has scored six points in his last six games. In fact, at just four points behind, Girard is coming up on passing fellow defenseman Devon Toews in production. If we go by the ever-popular pace Girard is already there at 31 points over a full season to Toews’ 27.

Utah required the use of an Emergency Backup Goaltender as Karel Vejmelka was unable to dress for this contest. Utah native Colten McIntyre who is just 21-years-old was chosen for the honor and signed a try-out agreement prior to the game so he could serve as the backup.

Upcoming

A Merry Christmas and then a showdown in Vegas at 8 p.m. MT on Saturday, December 27th.

DEER VALLEY, Utah (ABC4) — The World Cup Events at the Intermountain Health Freestyle International have been moved out of Utah due to unseasonably warm weather.

The aerials and moguls World Cup Events that were scheduled to take place at Deer Valley Resort will now take place at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort. Additionally, the aerials World Cup will be held in Lake Placid, New York

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“In partnership with USS&S and FIS, we made the difficult, but ultimately the right decision to shift Deer Valley’s annual World Cup competition to other venues. This year’s event was scheduled nearly three weeks earlier than in recent seasons, and sustained warm temperatures, unlike anything we have ever seen before, limited our ability to build the aerial and dual mogul venues to the standards our staff and athletes deserve,” said Todd Bennett, President & COO, Deer Valley Resort.

Deer Valley Resort and Intermountain Health to host Freestyle International Ski World Cup

Bennett said that the environment at Deer Valley this season does not meet the standards of athlete safety, performance, and quality.

The aerials World Cup will be held on Jan. 11-12, 2026, and the moguls and dual moguls World Cup events will take place Jan. 15-16, 2026.

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The events serve as the final qualifier to determine who will compete in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Utah women’s basketball is 1-0 in Big 12 play by the narrowest of margins, thanks to a dominant second-quarter surge led by senior guard Lani White.

After building a 16-point halftime lead on the back of a 24-4 second quarter, the Utes needed a final-possession stop to beat Arizona 63-62 at McKale Memorial Center on Monday afternoon in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

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“We had a great first half, followed by not-so-much third quarter, and definitely not-so-much fourth quarter. But I’ll take the win as we head into break,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen said in his postgame interview on ESPN 700 AM.

A truly dominant second quarter opened things up

It’s safe to say that Utah (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) owned the second quarter against Arizona.

After the Wildcats held a 19-15 lead through one quarter, the Utes took control of the game in the second, going on a 17-0 run in the period.

At one point, after Maty Wilke hit a 3 with 56 seconds left in the halftime — a shot that gave the senior guard 1,000 career points — Utah led by a game-high 18 and had only allowed a single field goal in the period.

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The Utes ended up shooting 57.1% in the quarter, made three of their five 3-pointers in the game during that period and had seven assists on eight field goals in the quarter.

White scored 11 of her career high-tying 26 points in the second quarter, and at one time, she had outscored Arizona by herself, 20-19.

“I felt good in my shot,” White said in a postgame interview on the ESPN+ broadcast. “We were picking apart their defense, and we found the holes, and we just attacked their mistakes.”

The Wildcats, meanwhile, shot a frigid 2 of 13 in the second and turned the ball over six times.

The Utes were ahead 39-23 at halftime, and it looked like Utah would send itself into the Christmas break with a blowout.

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“Lani had a great first half, and you know, we rode her that entire first half,” Petersen said.

Lani White was on fire for a half on a career day

White finished the first half with 20 points, and she made eight of nine field goals, including a trio of made 3-pointers, while adding three assists.

Simply put, the Wildcats didn’t have an answer for the shifty senior in the opening 20 minutes.

After halftime, White had more modest numbers — she scored six second-half points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Utah was outscored 39-24 in the final two periods.

Her 11 field-goal makes set a career high, and her layup two minutes into the second half helped stem a 7-0 Wildcats run.

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Though the Utes shot 50% from the field in the first half, they were considerably cooler in the second half, shooting 30.6%.

That allowed Arizona to stick around.

Reese Ross led a dominant effort on the boards for Utah. She had her second straight double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, as the Utes owned a 45-31 rebounding edge.

Despite that advantage, Utah couldn’t pull away, even with solid contributions from Chyra Evans (10 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Wilke (nine points, five rebounds, one assist), who was clearly hampered by a shoulder injury that’s been an issue for weeks.

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“We’re banged up. Maty Wilke is playing with one shoulder and kept having to come out of the game,” Petersen said. “… You talk about the grit of a kid like that. I mean, she needs some rest. But we don’t win this game without a Maty Wilke.”

The Utes survived an Arizona rally

Thank goodness, for the Utes’ sake, that the Wildcats struggled finishing at the rim — otherwise, this likely would have been a win for Arizona (9-3, 0-1 Big 12).

The Wildcats slowly fought their way back into the game, despite shooting 37.3% from the field.

Late in the third quarter after Arizona cut its deficit to 47-41, the Utes got key scores on a 3-pointer from Grace Foster, followed by an and-one from LA Sneed to make it a double-digit lead again.

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Both teams struggled shooting in the fourth, but eventually Arizona scored five straight points to make it a five-point game going into the final minute.

Utah, which had four turnovers over the game’s final five-plus minutes, got a timely layup from Sneed and appeared safe with a 63-56 lead with 39 seconds to play.

The Utes had to sweat it out, though — Mickayla Perdue, who led the Wildcats with 16 points and two rebounds, was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three, then Arizona forced a turnover.

With 12 seconds left coming out of a timeout, Perdue then hit a 3 from the corner to make it 63-62.

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The Wildcats fouled the freshman Sneed, and she missed both free throws.

“At some point, our freshmen and newcomers, they’re going to have to figure it out. You were brought here for a reason,” Petersen said. “You need to be able to do what we ask in closeout games. When we get there, we’re going to be a hard team to beat, but we’re not there yet.”

That gave Arizona possession with 8.4 seconds to play and a chance to win, though the Utes only allowed a poor shot underneath the hoop — one that hit the underside of the rim — as the buzzer sounded on a solid defensive possession.

It allowed Utah to survive and start Big 12 play with a win before taking a holiday break. Their next game is Dec. 31 at home against Arizona State.

“We were able to close the game today, but we got a lot of things to get back to Salt Lake and fix. But we played hard today, good first Big 12 win,” White said.

The ECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League), which hosts the Utah Grizzlies and 29 other NHL-affiliated professional hockey teams, will halt gameplay effective Dec. 26.

The players are going on strike.

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association, a union that negotiates collective bargaining rights for players in both the ECHL and the American Hockey League, released two memos on Monday.

The first, posted on X at 1:35 p.m. MT, was a message to the fans describing the conditions under which players have been playing, as well as what they feel are “unfair and unlawful” attempts by the league to coerce the players into signing a new agreement.

Included in the memo were complaints alleging that:

• Players were not permitted to choose helmets that “properly fit” them.
• Travel days were to be considered days off — even when there’s a nine-hour bus ride involved.
• Players couldn’t get one day off per week.
• Teams were outfitting their players with used equipment.
• They couldn’t come to a conclusion on a holiday break.
• The league sent two communications directly to the players, rather than going through the union, attempting to “bully and intimidate players with tactics that violate U.S. labor law.”

The second memo came out at 6:15 p.m., notifying the public that the association had served a strike notice.

“We are asking for basic standards around health, safety and working conditions that allow the players to remain healthy, compete at a high level and build sustainable professional careers,” said PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay in the second memo.

The minimum weekly pay is $530 for rookies and $570 for returning players. The weekly salary cap for each team is $14,600 (with an extra $530 per week available in the first 30 days of the season).

The previous CBA expired this summer, and the two sides began this season under the existing terms while negotiations continued.

The ECHL released a memo Monday afternoon detailing what it says is its most recent offer to the players:

• An immediate 16.4% increase to the salary cap for this season (to be paid retroactively to the start of the season);
• Additional salary cap increases in future years increasing the cap by “nearly 27%”;
• Requirements for mandatory days off;
• Addressing travel between back-to-back games;
• Modifying holiday and mid-season breaks;
• Enable every team to provide custom sticks and enable all players to choose an alternate 5-Star rated helmet from the Virginia Tech Helmet Study;
• Increase per diems to $60 this year and more in subsequent years.

While the PHPA has shown frustration on the ECHL negotiation front, they have reportedly come to an agreement with the AHL — the league above the ECHL — on a new CBA, according to a post made by insider Elliotte Friedman Monday morning.

The ECHL did not have any games scheduled between Dec. 21 and 25.

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What are you doing on Monday afternoon? If the answer isn’t watching the Washington State Cougars face the Utah State Aggies in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, then you’re doing Monday afternoon wrong.

This is why bowl games are delightful. They so beautifully fill an otherwise quiet afternoon when no one wants to be working anymore, anyway.

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My Washington State vs. Utah State predictions and college football picks expect one team to share your ambivalence about your supposed job. 

Washington State vs Utah State predictions for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Who will win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

Neither of these teams fared well in one-score games this season against FBS competition. Washington State went 0-4 outright in such tense moments, while Utah State went 1-2.

None of that is encouraging, but obviously, a game with a spread of 1.5 points expects someone to win a one-score worry. Put that faith in the team with an established head coach rather than an interim head coach who was an FCS coordinator last year.

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Washington State vs Utah State best bet: Utah State -1.5 (-108)

One team went 4-0 against the spread in November, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 11 points per game. Then again, the other went 3-0 ATS in its last three games, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 11.8 points.

But now one team is building toward a second season under Bronco Mendenhall, while Washington State is suddenly and rather unexpectedly without its head coach. That shift very well may yield ambivalence in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

That is more of an abstract thought than should usually be trusted in college football betting, but bowl games lend themselves to such chaos.

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Utah State has largely avoided opt-outs, while Washington State will be without its starting running back, at the absolute least. In all likelihood, more opt-outs will hit the Cougars’ roster as kickoff nears.

Former Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers’s departure was more unanticipated than most carousel moves, just one season into his Cougars tenure. Its psychological impact may thus be greater than most coaching changes. These players saw a path to growth, particularly after giving many opponents fits this season. Instead, this roster is likely to be gutted.

In comparison, Bronco Mendenhall is one successful year into a rebuild, and thus, he has a good amount of program buy-in working for him this month.

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Washington State vs Utah State same-game parlay

Doubting Washington State’s motivation is the same as doubting Washington State’s discipline.

Against a pass-happy offense that dropped back to throw the ball at the 24th-highest relative rate in the country, per CFB-graphs.com, a lack of discipline could yield a pile of explosive plays.

Washington State vs Utah State SGP

• Utah State -1.5

Washington State vs Utah State game predictions

Washington State vs Utah State spread prediction

There is logic to taking Utah State moneyline (-118) instead of the spread. A cautious individual could justify that choice.

If this game comes down to the final minute and the Aggies score to presumably tie, bowl games often see teams go for a 2-point conversion, aiming for the win rather than overtime.

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A successful attempt would cost Utah State the spread but could still secure the victory.

Washington State vs Utah State Over/Under prediction

If the Cougars are indeed not fully engaged, this game could go sideways.

Taking the Over on this key number of 49.5 is based entirely on Washington State’s defense botching coverages, not something it has done much this season, but far from an impossibility.

Washington State vs Utah State odds

• Spread: Washington State +1.5 | Utah State -1.5

• Moneyline: Washington State +100 | Utah State -118

• Over/Under: Over 49.5 | Under 49.5

Washington State vs Utah State trend to know

Utah State went 10-2 ATS this season, with its only ATS losses coming at Hawaii and at New Mexico, two of the most unconventional offenses in the country. Find more college football betting trends for Washington State vs Utah State.

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What started with a 13-10 victory over Idaho on Aug. 30 ends today as our Washington State Cougars put a bow on their season with a matchup with future Pac-12 roommate Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Win, and the Cougs finish with a 7-6 record after 70+ players joined the team along with a new coaching staff. That coaching staff, as you know, is now mostly (entirely?) departing, but that’s been talked about enough. Today, it’s all about the potatoes. And the football.

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We don’t know who exactly will and will not be playing, except for Kirby Vorhees. It does seem like the opt outs haven’t been as prevalent as the past, at least publicly. That’s a good thing for the Cougs, as this team has one final ride until the great (mostly) unknown begins again.

Washington State hasn’t won a bowl game since the 2018 Alamo Bowl, despite playing in nine bowl games in the last 10 full seasons.

Utah State comes in averaging 31.8 points a game, good enough for 35th nationally. They balance the pass and the rush pretty evenly and average about eight yards per pass attempt. The Aggies’ defense gives up about what its offense gains, which may explain its 6-6 record.

Quarterback Bryson Barnes* is the team’s leading rusher, so the WSU defense needs to be ready for his dual threat ability. He also completes 60% of his passes. Miles Davis is the team’s leading running back with 751 yards gained this season. Braden Pegan is the go-to receiver with 60 receptions and 926 yards. Brady Boyd leads the team in TD receptions with seven on 42 catches.

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The Aggies have the better stats on paper, but as they say, they don’t play these games on paper.

As always, Zevi Eckhaus needs to take care of the ball. The defense needs to keep an eye on Barnes, who has big game experience (he had a brief moment in the Rose Bowl once upon a time). Nobody knows what the roster will look like, so who the heck nows what’s going to happen? But it’s the last scheduled Cougar football game until Sept. 6, 2026, when WSU will face…..the Washington Huskies? Weird!

Go Cougs. Talk about it here.

*If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Barnes was the quarterback at Utah who was the surprise starter against WSU in Pullman in 2022 when Cam Rising was injured. You may recall Rising warmed up and seemed fine, but it was Barnes who trotted out. Fox was airing the game and was upset that Rising’s status wasn’t provided ahead of time. Barnes and the Utes won that game 21-17.

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When

Kickoff is at noon Boise time, which means 11 a.m. PST. It’s the only bowl game of the day and I hope none of you have to work.

Where

The blue turf of Albertsons Stadium in Boise, where the temperature should be in the 40’s at kickoff. The Cougs are 2-2 on the blue turf with the last win coming in 2001.

How to Watch

This one’s on ESPN with Chuckie Kempf and Darius Walker on the call.

The Line

Utah State is a 1.5-point favorite per Draft Kings. The o/u is 49.5.

Familiar Faces

No former Cougs that I could find. Much of the Utah State roster already lost to WSU last year in Pullman, and Barnes has a victory over WSU under his belt.

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There are six Washington natives on the Utah State roster that may be familiar names for some readers, including two from the Spokane area, and both are BYU transfers: Landon Rehkow of the renowned Rehkow family is, naturally, a punter. He hails from Central Valley High School, while Jonathan Baird is a junior safety and a Mead High School graduate.

Other Washington natives include Nehemiah Washington of Federal Way, Gio Kafentzis of Puyallup, Owen Edwards of Washougal, and Kone Aumua-Uiagalelei of Auburn.