Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, June 9, 2017
Soccer
Pulisic scores twice, US beats Trinidad in qualifying
By PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press
World Cup Qualifier
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. —
Christian Pulisic rescued the United
States with a pair of second-half
goals, and the Americans beat Trin-
idad and Tobago 2-0 on Thursday
night to move into third place at the
halfway point in the final round of
World Cup qualifying.
Pulisic, an 18-year-old phenom
from Hershey, Pennsylvania, ended
a frustrating start for the U.S.
offense with a goal in the 52nd
minute, then added another in the
62nd. He has seven goals and five
assists in 15 international appear-
ances, including four goals and
three assists in his last four contests.
“It just took us a little while to
get going,” Pulisic said.
After crashing to an 0-2 start
in the hexagonal of the North and
Central American and Caribbean
region, the U.S. is back among
the top three, which earn berths at
next year’s tournament in Russia.
Mexico leads with 10 points,
followed by Costa Rica, which
has seven and is ahead of the U.S.
on goal difference. Panama (five),
Honduras (four) and Trinidad
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
U.S. midfielder Christian Pulisic, front, jumps over Trinidad & Tobago
forward Kenwyne Jones while pursuing the ball during the first half
of a World Cup qualifying match Thursday in Commerce City, Colo.
(three) trail.
The fourth-place team advances
to a playoff against Asia’s No. 5
nation.
In late games, Costa Rica hosted
Panama and Mexico was home
against Honduras.
The Americans have three
wins and three draws since Bruce
Arena replaced Jurgen Klinsmann
as coach in November. The team’s
biggest test in Arena’s second stint
comes Sunday at Mexico.
“It’s going to be a tough one
down there,” Pulisic said.
Kenwyne Jones nearly put the
Soca Warriors in the 33rd minute,
beating goalkeeper Tim Howard
Trinidad & Tobago
United States
0
2
to a cross but putting a header off
the crossbar. Clint Dempsey John
Brooks and Jozy Altidore all had
good chances, but T&T keeper
Jan-Michael Williams made several
sprawling saves.
After helping Borussia Dort-
mund win last month’s German
Cup final, becoming the youngest
American to earn a medal for a
European club, Pulisic had another
breakthrough moment with his
second two-goal game for the U.S.
Michael Bradley forced a turn-
over, DeAndre Yedlin recovered
the ball and passed to Darlington
Nagbe, who went around a
defender and dribbled upfield. He
passed to Clint Dempsey, who sent
the ball back wide to Yedlin. He
crossed to Pulisic, who slid and
scored from 4 yards with his left
foot, then sprinted for a corner and
slid on both knees to celebrate.
Trinidad’s Nathan Lewis beat
Howard off the ensuing kickoff,
but Yedlin had stepped up, causing
an offside call that disallowed the
goal.
Pulisic started the run that led to
the second goal, passing to Yedlin,
who sent the ball to Altidore,
Pulisic burst past Kavan George
and slotted in a right-footed shot
from about 10 yards to Williams’
short side.
Bobby Wood nearly got a third
goal, hitting a post shortly after
replacing Altidore in the 83rd.
The U.S. is unbeaten against
Trinidad in home qualifiers,
winning nine matches and drawing
one and outscoring the Soca
Warriors 21-2 — including 17 in a
row since 1989.
The game at Dick’s Sporting
Goods Park is at about 5,200 feet,
which will prepare the Americans
for Sunday night’s qualifier at
Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium,
which is around 7,820 feet above
sea level.
This time, there was no need
for snow shovels in Denver. The
weather for the game was partly
cloudy and 82 degrees, a contrast
for the Snow Classic in 2013, a 1-0
win over Costa Rica.
BMCC: Rodeo teams accept pair of scholarship fund donations
Continued from 1B
.300 batting average. He also
earned an NWAC Academic
Excellence award after
earning a 3.62 GPA.
Both athletes received
commemorative plaques for
the achievement, and will
also have their names added
to the plaque in McCrae
Activity Center with all
winners dating back to 1975.
The duo will also receive
their Associate of Arts
Oregon Transfer (AAOT)
degree at BMCC commence-
ment next week, and will
continue their education at
four-year universities.
Pendergrass was chosen
by rodeo coaches Larry
Patterson and Shawn Eng for
the award, which has been
given in honor of former
BMCC instructor and coach
Riley Freeman since 2009.
A native of Adrian, Pender-
grass kept up a perfect 4.0
GPA while dominating with
her BMCC team in the rodeo
arena.
She is part of the BMCC
contingent that will travel to
Casper, Wyoming next week
to compete in the College
National Finals Rodeo
than run from June 12-17.
Pendergrass is currently
ranked No. 5 in the country
in the women’s all-around
with 1,972 points, No. 8 in
Barrel Racing, and No. 21 in
Breakaway Roping.
Pendergrass plans to
continue her education at
Eastern Oregon University
in the fall where she will
study nursing.
“We’re very proud of
these student-athletes for
their dedication both in the
classroom and on the field,”
Bryan said in the release.
Rodeo teams
accept donations
The BMCC rodeo teams
received a pair of financial
gestures recently as both the
Pendleton Round-Up Asso-
ciation and the Northwest
Intercollegiate Rodeo Finals
Association
(NWIRFA)
made contributions to its
scholarship fund.
On June 5, the Round-Up
Scholarship
Committee
Chair Rob Collins and Spon-
sors Director Tiah DeGrofft
presented the rodeo teams
with a $5,000 donation,
while
the
NWIRFA
Board President Jason
Braybeal, treasurer Blaine
Hendrickson and board
member DeGrofft, presented
a $20,000 donation.
According to a school
release, BMCC’s home
rodeo in Hermiston is
organized and put on by the
NWIRFA board and initially
the event’s proceeds simply
covered the cost until the
rodeo’s success allowed the
NWIRFA to give more back
in the form of scholarship
funds.
ANDERSON: Has one year left on his contract, hopes to continue hockey career
Continued from 1B
all so tired but that goal
definitely sparked a ton of
energy and excitement into
us as we all skated onto the
ice and jumped on top of
him. It was so cool.”
The game length broke
the previous playoff record
of 136 minutes and 53
seconds of play, which was
set back in 2003 between
the Kamloops Blazers and
Kootenay Ice, as well as the
CHL record for longest game
ever that went 146 minutes
and 31 seconds in 1999
between the Victoriaville
Tigers and Hull Olympiques.
“After the fourth overtime,
they made an announcement
in the arena as we walked
back into the room ‘This is
officially the longest game
in league history. Thank you
for staying with us fans!’,”
Anderson recalled. “During
that moment we all smiled,
realizing we were a part of
history.”
The win clinched a playoff
series win for Everett four
games to two over Victoria,
and sent the Silvertips into
the second round. Everett’s
playoff run stopped there,
though, as Seattle ousted
them and went on to win
the Western Hockey League
championship.
Anderson played in just
10 games for the Silvertips,
where he registered no points
and a +2 rating while tallying
21 penalty minutes. The win
over Victoria is what will
stand out from this season,
though, as the Royals were
the team that originally
drafted Anderson in the sixth
round of the WHL Bantam
draft back in 2012. He spent
parts of three seasons with
Victoria spanning 39 games,
where he tallied one goal,
five assists and an even plus-
minus rating before moving
on with Everett.
MARINERS: Tying run
left stranded in seventh
and eighth innings
Continued from 1B
major mistake made by the
right-hander.
Gibson lasted just one
batter into the seventh,
getting pulled after giving
up a leadoff single to Taylor
Motter. He allowed five hits
and struck out four. He also
got one big defensive assist
thanks to another highlight
catch by Byron Buxton.
With two on and two out in
the fifth, Cano lined a shot
to deep center field. Buxton
raced back and at the last
moment reached above his
head falling backward to
make the catch and likely
save two runs.
Seattle threatened late,
getting the tying run to
second base in the seventh
and eighth innings. With
one out in the eighth, Mike
Zunino lined a shot back
up the middle that reliever
Taylor Rogers snared and
doubled Cano off second
base to end the threat.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: DH Nelson
Cruz was out of the lineup
for a second straight day
due a strained right calf.
Cruz wanted to play on
Thursday but was held
out for another day. He’s
expected to be in the lineup
on Friday. ... LHP Drew
Smyly (flexor strain) will
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Minnesota center field-
er Byron Buxton makes
a leaping catch of a line
drive hit by Seattle’s
Robinson Cano during
the fifth inning of Thurs-
day’s game in Seattle.
throw his first bullpen
session on Saturday. Smyly
did light throwing from
halfway up the mound on
Thursday.
UP NEXT
Twins: Ervin Santana
(7-3) looks to rebound
from giving up seven runs
in four innings in his last
start as Minnesota opens a
series at San Francisco.
Mariners: Sam Gaviglio
(2-1) allowed just one run
in five innings in his last
start. He gets the start as
Seattle opener a weekend
series against Toronto.
“I would consider myself
a power forward,” Anderson
said. “I’m a big player, good
at using my body to create
offense. I love to hit, and
have fought a few times.”
Anderson was born in
Kansas City, Missouri which
is where his father, Jeremy,
got him interested in hockey
as a child. Jeremy, now a
sports medicine and ortho-
pedic doctor in Hermiston,
played some club hockey in
college and in various adult
leagues. The Andersons
thenmoved to Hermiston in
2008 when Keith was eight-
years-old and a lack of youth
hockey programs or interest
almost led Keith to quit the
sport.
“I decided to give it a try
in the Tri-Cities,” Anderson
said. “I watched an Ameri-
cans game or the first time
and knew that I wanted to
play in that league right away
... it was sort of my childhood
dream.”
But once Anderson got to
high school he realized that
his chances of developing
enough and getting noticed
were slim, so he moved away
with stops at different high
schools in Phoenix, Arizona
and Spokane, Washington.
While he was in Spokane
he got drafted by Victoria
and signed his entry-level
contract when he was 16.
The contract worked like
a full-ride scholarship to a
school of his choice on top
of a small monthly stipend.
When he signed his contract,
it eliminated any chance
of ever playing Division I
college hockey because he
was no longer an amateur in
the eyes of the NCAA. But
playing in the WHL under
the Canadian Hockey League
umbrella is no slouch, as
many of the NHL’s top stars
played in one of the CHL’s
three leagues — the WHL,
the Ontario Hockey League,
and the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League.
A total of 133 WHL
alumni were on NHL
opening day rosters for the
2016-17 season, including
stars like Anaheim captain
Ryan Getzlaf, Boston captain
Zdeno Chara, Montreal
goaltender Carey Price,
and Washington goaltender
Braden Holtby.
“In Canada, we’re on
national TV often,” Anderson
said.
When his season ended
with Victoria in 2015 during
his senior year in high
school, Anderson knew that
he wanted to return to Herm-
iston to graduate with the
friends he began high school
with.
“I was a part of the state
championship football team’s
class and I grew up playing
sports with all of those boys,”
he said. “I was great friends
with most of them and when
the season ended I had a
choice of finishing where I
was or transferring back to
Hermiston ... I chose to come
back mainly to be with my
friends one last time and it’s a
decision I’m happy I made.”
Anderson has one more
season remaining on his
WHL contract, which expires
when he turns 20. Like any
hockey player, he has an ulti-
mate dream of playing in the
NHL, though he’s still trying
to figure out his next steps.
“I have always had
intentions on continuing my
career professionally, but it
is a very hard business,” he
said. “I may be attending
an NHL training camp this
summer, but likely I will play
in college and take advantage
of my scholarship in Canada
and could very possibly play
pro in Europe as there are
many, many leagues there
that pay well.”
STANLEY CUP: Penguins have won all four Cups on road
Continued from 1B
Rinne that sent the Nash-
ville goaltender to the bench
for the rest of the night, all
the good mojo he created
during a pair of wins in
Games 3 and 4 gone.
Conor Sheary, Phil
Kessel — just as linemate
Malkin predicted — and
35-year-old playoff newbie
Ron Hainsey also scored
for the Penguins. Crosby’s
eventful night included
becoming the franchise’s
all-time leading scorer
in the Stanley Cup Final,
a two-minute roughing
penalty for trying to dribble
Nashville defenseman P.K.
Subban’s head on the ice
near the end of the first
period and an flip of a water
bottle onto the ice during
play.
“It’s just one of those
things it slipped out of my
hand,” Crosby said. “I had
a gesture with my hand and
before I knew it the thing
was flying across the ice. I
know you’re not allowed to
do that, so I’m not going to
start doing it in the Stanley
Cup Final.”
Penguins coach Mike
Sullivan, as he has for
each of the last two springs
when his team finds itself
in a tight spot, pushed all
the right buttons again. He
stuck with Murray, reunited
Sheary with Crosby and
Jake Guentzel, and stressed
his team needed to play with
urgency but not desperation
Bruce Bennett/Pool Photo via AP
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Conor Sheary, center, celebrates
his goal against Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Sa-
ros (74) during the second period in Game 5 of the
NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Thursday, June 8, 2017.
after the Predators rallied to
tie the series by outscoring
the Penguins 9-2 during two
wins in Nashville.
It took all of 91 seconds
for Pittsburgh to get its
swagger back.
Just 91 seconds after
a Nashville fan flipped a
catfish onto the PPG Paints
Arena ice — a move that
came shortly before a three-
goal outburst by Nashville
in Game 1 — Schultz
powered home a slapshot to
end an 0-for-15 power-play
skid.
“We were on our toes
tonight,” Schultz said. “We
were really jumping and
playing our game, playing
fast. It all started with that
start and got us going for
the rest of the game.”
Rust made it 2-0 just
6:43 into the game with a
nasty backhand flip over
Rinne’s glove.
Then things got chippy
(and a little weird) for the
game’s best player. Crosby
and Subban became tangled
up behind the Nashville
net late in the first period,
with Crosby ended up on
top of Subban. Crosby then
started hitting Subban in
the head repeatedly, even-
tually drawing a roughing
penalty while Subban —
who quipped that Crosby
was complaining about
Subban’s bad breath during
a Game 3 exchange — went
off for holding.
Malkin ripped a wrist
shot over Rinne’s glove on
the ensuing 4-on-4 to make
it 3-0 with just 10 seconds
left in the first. Rinne gave
way to Juuse Saros at the
start of the second period
after stopping just six of
nine shots, continuing his
wildly uneven play. Rinne
stopped 50 of 52 shots he
faced back home in Games
3 and 4. He’s stopped just
34 of 45 in Pittsburgh
during the series.
Saros hardly fared any
better. Sheary took a pretty
feed from Crosby and sent
it by Saros 1:19 into the
second to push Pittsburgh’s
lead to four. Kessel ended
a six-game goal drought
8:02 into the second. The
score had been predicted
by Malkin and it came
just seconds after Crosby
threw a water bottle onto
the ice as the play went by
Pittsburgh’s bench, a move
he told referees was unin-
tentional.
When Hainsey, who
waited 907 regular-season
games before reaching the
playoffs for the first time
this season, tapped in a
pass from Malkin to make
it 6-0, the stage was set for
the Penguins to return to
familiar territory.
The franchise has won
all four of its Cups on the
road. A shot at a fifth awaits
Sunday, though it’ll hardly
be easy.
The Predators are 9-1
at home in the playoffs,
a place they will need to
be a haven once again if
they want to extend their
improbable Cup run - and
a flat-out odd final - back to
Pittsburgh.