LAS VEGAS (ABC4 Sports) – Utah State cut a 28-point second half deficit down to seven, but ultimately ran out of gas in the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals against Colorado State, 83-72.

The Aggies (26-7) are still expected to make the NCAA Tournament. Utah State will find out its postseason fate on Sunday.

Nique Clifford had 26 points to lead the Rams in the MWC Tournament finals against Boise State on Saturday.

Clifford added 11 rebounds and six assists for the Rams (24-9). Kyan Evans scored 14 points, shooting 4 for 6 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Jalen Lake had 14 points and shot 5 of 8 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 2 for 3 from the line. It was the seventh straight win for the Rams.

Aggies shut down UNLV in Mountain West quarterfinals

The Aggies were led by Mason Falslev, who posted 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Ian Martinez added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Utah State. Karson Templin also had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Aggies struggled to keep pace early with hot shooting from the Rams, who shot 64 percent from the floor in the first half to jump out to a quick advantage. Colorado State established firm control of the contest early on, using a 13-1 run to take a 14-point lead less than nine minutes in. Utah State responded with seven-straight points of its own, but the Rams continued to find success shooting the ball.

The Rams made nine first-half 3-pointers in 16 attempts, while also making 11 of their final 12 2-point field goals of the half. On the flip side, Utah State made just 11 of its 30 field goals in the first 20 minutes. Despite that, the Aggies held the deficit within single digits for much of the half before a 14-5 CSU run to close the half gave the Rams a 49-30 lead at the break.

The second half started like the first. After a pair of quick USU free throws, Colorado State scored 11 of the game’s next 13 points to extend its advantage. The Rams would eventually go up by as many as 28 points.

The teams held even for several possessions before the Aggies made a surge with just under 10 minutes to go. Utah State used a 16-1 run to cut its deficit to 12 with 5:38 to play, but wasn’t able to pull back within single-digits until the final two minutes of the contest. Colorado State iced the game from the charity stripes, making five free throws in the final two minutes to help secure the victory.

Utah State was led by an outstanding performance from sophomore guard Mason Falslev, who finished with a team-high 22 points, including 14 in the second half. He also went for seven rebounds, one assist and a game-high four steals in 35 minutes of action.

Other double-figure scorers for USU were fifth year guard Ian Martinez, who went for 13 points, six boards, four assists and a steal, and sophomore guard Karson Templin, who fell just shy of a double-double with 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Aggies dominate Air Force in regular season finale

The Aggies won the rebounding battle 39-34, including pulling down 20 offensive boards. The team’s efforts on the offensive glass led to 18 second chance points, while it allowed just a single second chance point to CSU.

Utah State finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the floor, 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from behind the 3-point arc and 63.6 percent (19-of-30) from the free throw line. Colorado State shot 59.5 percent (25-of-42) from the field, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from 3-point range and 62.6 percent (23-of-37) at the charity stripe.

This is Utah State’s second loss in two weeks to Colorado State.

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SEATTLE (AP) — Eeli Tolvanen scored two goals, the first just 51 seconds into the game and the second into an empty net with 1:09 left, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-2 on Friday night.

Brandon Montour and Kaapo Kakko also scored for the Seattle. Tolvanen also had an assist and Jordan Eberle had two assists, giving him five in his last two games. Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves.

Nick Schmaltz and Kevin Stenlund scored for Utah and Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves.

Tolvanen’s first goal from the left of the net that went behind Vejmelka was his 20th, the first time in his career that he has hit that milestone.

Schmaltz tied it at 1-1 with 3:12 left in the first period, then Stenlund converted a turnover in the neutral zone into a goal for a 2-1 lead 7:35 into the second. Montour tied it at 2-2 with 1:06 left in the period.

Takeaways

Utah: Schmaltz’s goal was the third straight road game in which he has scored. Stenland, Dylan Guenther and Jack McBain also have had three-game road scoring streaks this season.

Kraken: Although it wasn’t their quickest first-period goal, Tolvanen’s tally just 51 seconds into Friday’s game was the sixth time this season the Kraken have scored in the opening minute, the most in the league. The fastest one was by Jaden Schwartz just 19 seconds in at home against Carolina on Dec. 3.

Key moment

With the game tied at 2-2, Utah’s Mikhail Sergachev tried to clear the puck behind the back of his net, but it bounced off the side. Kakko swooped in, picked it up and wrapped it around the post to Vejmelka’s left.

Key stat

Grubauer made his second start since a brief in the minors at Coachella Valley. He has won both of them.

Up next

The Kraken host Winnipeg and Utah visits Vancouver, both on Sunday night.

___

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Seattle • Utah Hockey Club dropped a game in a desperate-for-points moment of the season.

It was a no-show for most of Friday night’s 4-2 loss against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. The consensus from players and head coach André Tourigny alike was the team simply did not have it.

“Our execution was not there,” Tourigny said. “I do not think we had our usual transition game, our usual offense, our usual inside presence. It’s one of those off nights where you put the tape right in the trash and move on.”

Unfortunate timing, yes. But it does not have to deter Utah from the same mission of fighting for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Club has the veteran voices – like Kevin Stenlund who had two points (one goal, one assist) against the Kraken — to settle the disappointment.

“You just have to take it game by game,” Stenlund said. “Just don’t get frustrated if it happens that we lose one. Just have to focus on the next one.”

There was likely plenty of frustration to pass around after the final buzzer. Utah turned the puck over often, struggled to contain Seattle’s rush and did not register its regular quantity or quality of offensive opportunities the other way.

The team is trying to adapt a playoff mentality, though, and that involves a short-term memory.

“If you lose 9-1, 22-0 or 1-0 in the playoffs, you need to be ready for the next game and that is us,” Tourigny said. “Probably the most important game of this season to this point is next game.”

Utah was outplayed for the better half of the opening frame and found itself behind just 51 seconds into the game. Eeli Tolvanen buried the loose puck left in front of Karel Vejmelka for the 1-0 advantage.

Stenlund was called for high-sticking late in the first period but made up for it when leaving the penalty box two minutes later. The forward popped into the zone, picked up the puck along the boards and broke out the other way on an odd-man rush with Nick Schmaltz. Stenlund dished it cross crease to Schmaltz who one-timed the puck past Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer to tie things 1-1 at 16:48.

The Club earned its first lead of the night in the second with Stenlund’s ninth goal of the season. John Marino broke up a Kraken breakout at center ice and sent the puck into the offensive zone where he slickly set up Stenlund for a knock-in tally in front. The play marked Stenlund’s second goal in five games and first multi-point performance of the season.

“I want to be a leader. Obviously play good defensively and then always want to create offense and score goals. Still working on that, get better,” Stenlund said. “Most importantly, it’s being consistent in the D-zone and trying to help the team that way.”

Stenlund has been somewhat of an unsung hero for Utah in all of those respects.

General manager Bill Armstrong brought in the 28-year-old due to his veteran experience during the offseason. After hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in June, Stenlund inked a two-year, $4 million contract with Utah. He quickly became an important depth piece to the Club’s forward group while dominating at the face-off dot (with a team-best 58.8%) and on the penalty kill.

“It makes such a huge difference the way he plays defensively,” Tourigny said. “His play on the PK speaks for itself but more than that it’s big faceoffs, it’s the way he plays in our zone and key moments of the game where you either have to win the draw or need a guy who is playing really well down low — he does all of the above.”

Stenlund’s goal ultimately was not enough to earn Utah the win, though.

Brandon Montour knotted the contest 2-2 with a deflected shot while crashing the crease at 18:54 ahead of the third period, when Kaapo Kakko put the Kraken up. An empty-net goal from Tolvanen brought the game to its final 4-2 scoreline at 18:51.

“We feel like we let that one slip away,” Marino said. “Obviously every game here on out is a playoff game with the race being so tight. We feel like we had our chances and we kind of gave them the goals that they got.”

The Club’s maturity will be tested now. It would be easy to dwell on what did or did not happen against the Kraken. How the team responds will show how much it has grown.

“We have guys who have won Stanley Cups,” Tourigny said. “They’ve been there. They know, ‘Okay, it’s not what we want.’ We’re frustrated but at midnight we’ll turn the page.”

Marino agreed.

“Having those guys around when things aren’t going your way and everything – just kind of stick with it and keep playing your game,” the defenseman said. “We always have them to rely on.”

The Utah Jazz Bear visited Herriman High School on Thursday to acknowledge business and marketing teacher Randall Kammerman as a 2024-25 “most valuable educator.”

Armed with a confetti cannon, the Jazz mascot presented the high school teacher with his award during one of his business classes. Coincidentally, the event took place just a few days before his birthday, so Jazz Bear also led the crowd in singing him “Happy Birthday to You” and signed a large birthday banner the students laid out for him.

In addition to being titled the Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educator, Kammerman also received a $1,000 classroom grant, two tickets to a Jazz game with dinner in the Toyota Club, and a personalized Jazz jersey.

The Utah Jazz partnered with education technology company Instructure to award 10 local educators during the 2024-25 season who have made an impact in their communities by supporting student growth and achievement. Kammerman received the award after being nominated by students, parents and fellow teachers for being an outstanding and inspirational educator.

When it comes to his role as mentor to his students, Kammerman said he remembers the teachers he had as a high school student who truly cared about not only his grades but his life.

“He ​really ​cares ​so ​much ​about ​the ​students ​and ​dedicates ​so ​much ​of ​his ​time ​to ​helping ​them ​get ​what ​they ​want,” said Elizabeth Anderson, Herriman High senior. “He ​always ​says ​he ​doesn’t ​actually ​care ​if ​we ​win (competitions); he ​cares ​if ​we ​are ​happy ​and ​if ​we ​make ​friends. And ​I ​like ​that ​even ​though ​he’s ​a ​teacher, ​he ​cares ​about ​me ​as ​a ​person.”

While he teaches an array of business and marketing classes, Kammerman is best known as the adviser for the school’s DECA chapter, an organization that prepares students for careers in business, marketing, finance, hospitality and management. He set the record in Utah for having the most students sent to nationals when 51 students qualified to compete against other DECA chapters in a nationwide competition this year.

As a lifelong Jazz fan and sports fanatic, Kammerman has a coach-like philosophy when it comes to teaching and emphasizes making small but consistent changes for exponential growth.

“You’ve ​got ​to ​get ​smarter ​every ​day, and ​then ​it ​adds ​up ​in ​the ​end, and ​you ​have ​big ​wins,” he said. ​“This ​is ​weird, ​but when ​we ​had ​51 ​kids ​make ​nationals, ​I ​just ​said, ‘​We’re ​not ​the ​smartest, ​but ​we’re ​the ​hardest ​working ​kids ​in ​the ​state.’ ​And ​that’s ​essentially ​what ​it ​is: Our ​kids ​outwork ​everyone ​and that ​makes​ us ​pretty successful.”

Anderson said her experience as one of Kammerman’s students has left a significant impact on her life. Before joining DECA and taking business classes from Kammerman, she never considered a future career in business. Now she plans to study business at college and hopes to start her own business one day.

“​He’s ​really ​changed ​my ​career ​path ​and ​made ​me ​​a ​hard ​worker,” Anderson said. “​He’s ​the ​type ​of ​teacher that really ​likes ​to ​keep ​in ​touch ​with ​his ​students. … He absolutely ​will ​be ​​a ​teacher ​that ​I ​actually ​remember ​from ​high ​school.”

When asked what lesson he hopes his students take from his time as their teacher, Kammerman’s response is simple: “Be ​the ​hardest ​working ​person ​in ​the ​room, ​all ​the ​time.”

Kammerman will be recognized on the court for his achievement at the Utah Jazz game on Monday, March 17.

Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun referred to his team’s performance against UNLV Thursday night as “a bit of a trainwreck.”

But despite their struggles, the Aggies are still on track to win a Mountain West tournament championship.

“I’m proud of our guys. Obviously, it’s the tournament and survive-and-advance time,” Calhoun proclaimed following USU’s 70-58 win over the Rebels in the quarterfinals of the conference tourney at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. “I’ve been watching the games here at the Thomas & Mack, and nobody is really scoring the basketball. So, it’s either really bad offenses or really good defenses.

“But were a bit of a trainwreck tonight with 12 assists and 15 turnovers; that’s uncharacteristic of our group. But as I told our group, I was proud of the fact that we were plus-4 on the glass and imposed our will.”

Graduate guard Ian Martinez (17 points) and sophomore guard Mason Falslev (15 points) led the way offensively for Utah State, which pulled out the win despite committing 27 fouls, having two players foul out and three others finish the game with four fouls.

“You know, it’s hard, especially when we think we’re keeping our hands up,” Falslev said of the significant foul discrepancy. “But I mean, that was their whole game plan was to isolate us and attack us and get to the free-throw line, and they did a good job of that. And you know, we’ve got to do better at not fouling.”

The Rebels, who were called for 16 total fouls, ended up knocking down 29 of 37 free-throw attempts. That played a big role in the game considering UNLV (18-15) shot just 23.6% on their home floor, including a 3-for-20 performance from 3-point range.

Conversely, the Aggies were just 12 of 17 from the free-throw line, but they shot 46.3% from the field and knocked down 8 of their 25 3-point attempts.

Sophomore forward Karson Templin contributed nine points and six rebounds for the Aggies, despite playing just 17 minutes due to foul trouble. And Tucker Anderson equaled Martinez with a team-high three 3-pointers, but he also had foul issues and logged only 16 minutes.

The Aggies, who led by as many as 11 points early in the game, surrendered a 17-3 run to the Rebels later in the first half that left them briefly trailing by three points. Utah State steadied the ship over the final six minutes, however, and closed the half out with a 17-7 burst to take a 36-29 advantage into halftime.

The contest was a grind in the second half due to the Aggies committing 16 fouls and turning the ball over 10 times, but the Rebels still never managed to get closer than four points the remainder of the game.

Junior guard Jaden Henley led UNLV with 19 points thanks to an 11-for-12 effort from the free-throw line, while forward Jalen Hill and guard Jailen Bedford both finished with 13 points. The Rebels played just seven men Thursday due to a recent rash of injuries that sidelined, most notably, leading scorer Dedan Thomas Jr. and graduate guard Julian Rishwain in recent weeks.

“What an awesome fight,” UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger declared. “I mean, what an awesome 40-minute fight by our guys. Obviously, we came up a little bit short, but going into a Utah State matchup, you know you’re going to have to play incredibly hard for 40 minutes because of how hard they play and how together they play.

“And with some of the mileage that we’ve asked the guys to put on their legs over the last couple of weeks, I thought it was just an absolutely awesome fight by our guys to compete and really do everything in their power to have a chance to win a ballgame against a really good team.”

The third-seeded Aggies (24-6) will now face No. 2 Colorado State (23-9) in the second game of the semifinals at 10 p.m. Friday. The Rams advanced courtesy of a 67-59 victory over No. 7 Nevada on Thursday. Senior guard Nique Clifford led the way for the Rams scoring a game-high 25 points and snaring a game-best 14 rebounds in 37 minutes.

“We need two out of our five starters to step up for tomorrow because you Coach (Niko) Medved’s group is playing really well – they really are,” said Calhoun, who suffered a brutal, 93-66 loss at Colorado State on March 1. “I’ve told NBA guys, ‘You guys are absolutely crazy if you don’t take Nique Clifford in the first round.’ I think he’s that good. He’s really, really good player.

“They’ve won eight in a row … and they’re humming. Their offense is humming, and where they don’t get enough credit is for their defense, so our offense has got to be much better if we’re going to win the game.”

Top-seeded New Mexico eliminated No. 8 San Jose State with a 63-52 win in the first game of the tournament on Thursday, while No. 5 Boise State knocked out No. 4 San Diego State with a 62-52 victory. The Lobos (26-6) will take on the Broncos (23-9) at 7:30 p.m. MT Friday.

Utah and Wyoming could benefit greatly in jobs, ratepayer benefits and environmental well-being if the two states pushed back on the proposals of new resource planning so PacifiCorp could embrace renewable energy in favor of fossil fuels.

A report commissioned by the Sierra Club looked at impacts of the two states they say could save money if PacifiCorp ramped up their pursuit of renewable energy instead of hanging onto coal-fired power plants and natural gas.

On Wednesday, the Sierra Club, in partnership with Current Energy Group, published a new report, Utah and Wyoming: Economic Opportunities in PacifiCorp’s Renewable Energy Transition, that provides a detailed analysis of how investments in renewable energy could create thousands of long-term, good paying jobs while boosting economic activity and generating critical tax revenue for communities in both states.

The report comes as PacifiCorp, the region’s largest electric utility, has admittedly dialed back on clean energy investments and delaying coal plant closures until their end of life instead of accelerated retirement unless based on regulatory mandates, they say.

Instead, the plan is hyper focused on the completion of high voltage lines that serve multiple states and investing in improving the grid.

The plan, however, under review by utility regulators, emphasizes:

• 6,379 megawatts of new wind resources.
• 7,668 megawatts of storage resources, including four-hour, eight-hour, and 100-hour durations.
• 5,492 megawatts of new solar resources.
• 500 megawatts of advanced nuclear via the NatriumTM reactor demonstration project.

Dave Eskelsen, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power and PacifiCorp said the draft 2025 plan is a roadmap for continual progress in providing “safe, reliable electric service at fair and reasonable prices” to over two million customers in six Western states, half of which are in Utah.

“The conclusions in the (plan) are driven in large measure by PacifiCorp’s obligation to implement the energy policies of the states we serve. The exhaustive analysis conducted by the year-long public process includes analysis of costs to customers, as well as an evaluation of system reliability to support our responsibility to provide an essential public service,” he said. “The plan is focused on the least-cost, least-risk portfolio of resource types that are in the best interests of customers.”

The draft plan is just that. The final plan is due March 31 with state utility commissions.

Yet, critics assert at the same time, recent legislative efforts in Utah and Wyoming have continued to favor fossil fuels, prioritizing what they say are outdated energy sources over the clear economic benefits of renewable energy.

“PacifiCorp has long prioritized outdated, costly coal plants over clean energy solutions, despite overwhelming evidence that renewable energy is the better economic choice,” said Rose Monahan, staff attorney for the Sierra Club.

“Sierra Club has long pushed the utility to evaluate the true cost of its coal fleet, and results have consistently shown that much if not all of PacifiCorp’s coal resources are unnecessarily expensive for customers. This report makes clear that Utah and Wyoming have a tremendous opportunity by embracing a clean energy future.”

Key findings include:

• Investing in renewable energy in Utah and Wyoming would create thousands of new jobs, with workers in clean energy projected to earn significantly higher salaries than current state averages.
• The high renewables scenario analyzed in the report would generate 18,247 more job-years than a low-renewables approach.
• Increased renewable energy investments would drive billions in economic growth and provide critical tax revenue to support public services such as schools and hospitals, more than offsetting lost revenue from fossil fuel retirements.

“In Utah, we’ve been consistently told that transitioning away from coal would devastate our rural communities, but this report reveals a different reality,” said Luis Miranda, Utah-based Campaign Organizer for the Sierra Club. “The data confirms that a shift to renewable energy isn’t just necessary — it’s an economic opportunity. The only question that remains is whether Utah’s leaders and utilities will act on this opportunity or leave workers and communities behind.”

Miranda said he has met countless members and officials of Emery and Carbon counties entrenched in the coal mining industry that is in a state of flux.

“We’ve long been told that transitioning away from coal will devastate our rural communities, but the study conducted by the current energy group reveals a different story. It shows how a shift to renewable energy is, in fact, an economic opportunity for Utah,” Miranda said.

“I’ve spoken with families of workers who have powered our state for generations, and I’ve seen firsthand the economic uncertainty brought by the coal industry. And let me be clear, I can’t help but feel so proud for the legacy of generations of Utahns, of coal miners and coal plant workers who have sacrificed so much to ensure the lights stay on in this country, who love the land that they live in, and who will break their backs to support their families” Miranda said.

But Miranda said it is not so much a matter of jobs, but long-term stability.

”People want to know, will there be careers that will allow them to stay in their communities, buy a home, provide for their families and plan for the future. In fact, one phrase that has become too common in coal country has been that their greatest export is their children, who often leave because they are unsure about the future economic opportunities offered by coal jobs.”

That sentiment was echoed by another presenter.

“Our state’s most important export today isn’t coal or natural gas — it’s jobs,” said Emma Jones, climate and energy organizer for the Sierra Club in Wyoming.

But is Utah embracing solar?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Utah has not been sitting quietly by to ignore its solar resources.

“With a high ultraviolet index, due to our relatively high altitude, and investment in solar photovoltaic systems, Utah was ranked ninth in the U.S. for solar energy generating capacity,” it said.

Earlier this month, Senators John Curtis, R-Utah, and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., introduced the Co-Location Energy Act, bipartisan legislation that seeks to unlock renewable energy potential. By allowing wind and solar projects to be co-located on existing federal energy leases, the Co-Location Energy Act provides a streamlined framework for developers to evaluate and build projects on already-disturbed federal lands with the consent of the current leaseholder.

”Innovation and efficiency are key as we work to meet energy demands and reduce emissions,” Curtis said. “The Co-Location Energy Act is a commonsense approach that leverages already-leased federal lands for renewable energy development. By expediting permitting and ensuring that previously disturbed areas are fully utilized, this bill strengthens energy supply to the grid without compromising existing operations.”

Added Hickenlooper: ”Our clean energy future is here. We need to meet it. Our bipartisan bill will cut unnecessary red tape to speed our energy production and bring more wind and solar projects online quicker.”

This week, Clearway Energy Group announced that it closed financing and began construction on its Honeycomb portfolio, which comprises of four battery energy storage systems projects adjacent to an operating solar energy portfolio owned and operated by Clearway.

Each 80-megawatt project will use four-hour Tesla batteries and collectively store up to 1,280 megawatts of dispatchable power. Honeycomb is contracted with PacifiCorp under a 20-year agreement that makes use of existing solar plants in Beaver and Iron counties.

But are Utah, Wyoming doing enough?

The analysis says no.

“Based on this analysis, CEG found that the economic impacts from investment in the high renewable plans led to greater overall job creation. In total, the high renewables case is expected to generate 18,247 more job-years compared to the low renewables case, with the UT/WY-focused plan to generate 34,999 more job years. In both cases, the majority of these gains come from additional solar capacity,” according to the report.

Notably, it said these values reflect the total net impact of the higher renewable plans, including job losses from earlier thermal retirements.