Lightning lose shootout game to Los Angeles

An overtime goal was inexplicably disallowed and the Los Angeles Kings accepted the gift, winning over the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout 2-1 Saturday night, in front of 16,612 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

After 40-plus scoreless minutes, Los Angeles took the lead at 7:20 of the third period on a power play goal by Drw Doughty. The Lightning tied the game at 11:39 on a wrap-around goal by Ryan Malone.

In overtime, Tampa Bay thought they had won the game with 1:40 left, but the goal was waved off, despite replays showing it should have been allowed. It was ultimately ruled that the goaltender was interferred with, even though replays showed the player was pushed into the goaltender by a defender. What made the play all the more baffling, was that while the goal was disallowed, no penalty for goaltender interference that normally would be called, was. That was as close as either team would get and the contest proceeded to the deciding shootout.

Anze Kopitar scored five-hole to start the shootout for the Kings, and that turned out to be the winner, as Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos and Alex Tanguay were all denied and Los Angeles won a game they should have lost, 2-1.

The Kings outshot Tampa Bay 30-29. Both goaltenders were outstanding, with Antero Niittymaki making 29 saves for the Lightning and Jonathan Quick 28 for Los Angeles. The Kings were 1-for-3 on the power play, Tampa Bay 0-for-6.

The Lightning are now 7-4-6 for 20 points, second in the Southeast, 8 points behind division-leading Washington. Los Angeles is now 12-7-2 for 26 points, good for second in the Pacific, 5 points behind division-leading San Jose.

Tampa Bay now heads into a very busy second half of November, with 8 games in 15 days to close out the month. On Monday, November 16th, the Lightning are on the road to meet the Phoenix Coyotes. Faceoff is set for 9:00p.m. EST on 620 WDAE Radio and Sun Sports TV.

Beavers pound Washington

Sean Canfield threw four touchdown passes and the Beaver defense harrassed Washington quarterback Jake Locker all game long, rolling to a dominant 48-21 Pac-10 victory in front of 45,274 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon on Saturday.

Oregon State got on the board early. After a Johnny Hekker punt pinned the Huskies back at their 10, Keaton Kristick intercepted a pass to give the Beavers the ball at the Husky 17. James Rodgers ran the fly sweep to the 3, then Canfield passed to Joe Halahuni for the first TD of the day. Justin Kahut kicked the PAT, putting the Beavers up 7-0 4:35 into the game. Kahut thumped through a 44 yard field goal with 3:45 left, giving Oregon State a 10-0 lead after one.

Kahut's second 44 yard field goal of the game put the Beavers up 13-0 2:30 into the second, then, after sacking Locker twice on Washington's next possession, Oregon State took over at their own 30. Jacquizz Rodgers bolted 42 yards to the Husky 29 on the first play, which put him over the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season. Canfield threw to Jordan Bishop at the 5, Jacquizz ran to the 1, then, after a penalty moved the ball back to the 6, Canfield threw over the middle to James Rodgers for a 6 yard touchdown. Kahut converted with 8:00 left and the Beaver lead was 20-0. The Huskies finally scored on a 4 yard touchdown pass from Locker to Jermaine Kearse. Eric Folk kicked the PAT, making it the score 20-7 Oregon State 2:45 before halftime. The Beavers would regain the 20 point lead in the final minute. Canfield rolled left and found James Rodgers just across the goal line from 10 yards out with 30 seconds left in the half, capping a 10 play, 70 yard drive. Kahut kicked the PAT and Oregon State went to the locker room with a 27-7 halftime lead.

The Beavers added two more touchdowns by Jacquizz Rodgers in the third quarter. The first was set up by his brother James, who ran the opening kickoff back 84 yards to the Washington 1, setting up a 1 yard scoring run on second down with just 45 seconds gone in the quarter then, with 7:45 left, Quizz spun off and carried tacklers on an 8 yard scoring run. Kahut kicked the PAT both times, giving Oregon State a 41-7 lead.

In the fourth quarter, after recovering a Canfield fumble, Locker found Kearse for a 3 yard touchdown. Folk kicked the PAT with 9:34 remaining in the game, the Huskies were down 41-14. Quizz went 44 yards on a direct snap out of the "Wild Beaver" formation down to the Washington 5. Halahuni caught a 5 yard touchdown pass from Canfield, Kahut kicked the PAT and Oregon State led 48-14. The Huskies finished the scoring with 62 second left, as Locket hit Kovario Middleton with a 26 yard touchdown pass. Folk's PAT made the final score 48-21 in favor of the Beavers.

For Oregon State, Sean Canfield completed 21-of-29 passes for 185 yards and 4 touchdown. Ryan Katz mopped up, completing 1-of-2 for 9 yards. Jacquizz Rodgers rushed 18 times for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns, James Rodgers caught 5 passes for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Joe Halahuni caught 2 passes for 8 yards and 2 touchdowns. Justin Kahut kicked 6 extra points and 2 field goals and Johnny Hekker punted twice for a 39 yard average. For Washington, Jake Locker was 14-of-23 passing for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, 1 interception and was sacked 4 times. Chris Polk rushed 19 times for 116 yards and Jermain Kearse caught 5 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Beavers had the edge in first downs 22-12, were 6-of-13 to 5-of-13 on third downs, and had 374 yards total offense to 274 for the Huskies. Washington was penalized 7 times for 65 yards, the Beavers just 3 times for 15 yards. Oregon State turned the ball over once, the Huskies twice.

The Beavers won for the fifth time in the past six games, improving to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Pac-10, while beating Washington for the sixth straight time. The Huskies, losers of four straight to drop out of bowl contention, fall to 3-7 on the season, 2-5 in the Pac-10.

Oregon State has two more games on the 2009 schedule, both on the road. Next Saturday they travel to Pullman, Washington to play the Washington State Cougars. Kickoff time is yet to be determined. The game can be heard at http://www.kpam.com/ and the Beaver Sports Network. At this time, there is no TV scheduled. Oregon State closes the season December 3rd in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks.

Sports Saturday

It's Saturday and that means sports at Chez Meissner, although it's a pretty light schedule.

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The Oregon State Beavers continue Pac-10 play today with their annual Dad's Weekend game today against the Washington Huskies at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. Oregon State is 6-3 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10 and have won 4 of their last 5 games. The Huskies are 3-6 overall(after going 0-11 in 2008), 2-4 in the Pac-10. The series between the two schools began in 1897(OAC won 16-0), with Washington holding a 57-32-4 advantage, hilited by a 25-2 record between 1975 and 2003, the last time that the Huskies have won(38-17 in Corvallis).

Since that game, the Beavers have won 5 straight against their rivals from Seattle. Last year Jacquizz Rodgers was the decoy, as James Rodgers scored three touchdowns, including runs of 33, 52 and 55 as OSU won at Husky Stadium 34-13. One of the most memorable parts of the game was the Beaver defense holding the Huskies out of the endzone on four downs from the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. Only one of those five wins has come in Corvallis, 29-23 in 2007.

Today's game kicks off at 3:30p.m. EST. You can hear the game at http://www.kpam.com/. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Northwest.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning look to extend their unbeaten streak to 5 tonight, as the host the Los Angeles Kings.

The Lightning are 3-0-1 in their previous four games, after Thursday's exciting 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. Ryan Malone tied the game with 14.7 seconds left in regulation, then Vinny Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos scored in the shootout. Combined with Antero Niittymaki's 31 saves, Tampa Bay improved to 7-4-5 for 19 points, good for a second place tie with Atlanta in the Southeast Division.

Faceoff at the St. Pete Times Forum is 7:30p.m. EST. Catch the game on 620 WDAE Radio and Sun Sports TV.

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Looking ahead to tomorrow, the CFL playoffs begin. BC plays at Hamilton in the East semis beginning at 1:00p.m. EST. You can hear that game at http://www.team1040.ca/bclions/ or http://www.900chml.com/. Edmonton is at Calgary in the West semis beginning at 4:30p.m. EST. Listen at http://www.620ckrm.com/. The BC/Hamilton winner plays at Montreal in the East finals next Sunday, while the Edmonton/Calgary winner plays at Saskatchewan.

The Grey Cup is in Calgary on Sunday, November 29th.

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Also tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at the Miami Dolphins. The Bucs won for the first time last week, 38-28 over Green Bay. Kickoff at Land Shark Stadium is 1:00p.m. EST. 620 WDAE has the radio call, FOX has the telecast.

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That's what we're keeping track of this weekend. All y'all have fun, okay?!?!

Late goal leads to shootout win

A Ryan Malone goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation and shootout goals from Vinny Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos helped stretch the Lightnings' unbeaten streak to 4 games Thursday night, as Tampa Bay edged the Minnesota Wild 4-3, in front of 14,530 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

The Wild built a 2-0 lead on a first period goal at 16:53 by Benoit Pouliot and a power play goal at 3:47 of the second by Kim Johnsson. Tampa Bay got one back at 8:44 on a Steven Stamkos shorthanded goal, but Minnesota responded, getting a goal from Owen Nolan at 11:35, to lead 3-1 after two.

In the third, the Lightning began their comeback at 9:17 as Steve Downie banged home his second goal of the season. Then, late in regulation and with an extra attacker, Malone's power play goal tied the game 3-3 with 14.7 seconds remaining. The Wild outshot Tampa Bay 4-0 in the overtime, but were unable to score, sending the game to the deciding shootout.

Minnesota's Mikko Koivu was stopped in round one and Martin Havlat was denied in round two. The Lightning got goals from Lecavalier in round one, and Stamkos in round two. The scores were the first shootout counters for Tampa Bay this season and netted them the extra standings point, with the 4-3 win.

Antero Niittymaki had another solid game in goal for the Lightning, making 31 saves. Niklas Backstrom had 18 saves for the Wild. Both teams were 1-for-4 on the power play.

Tampa Bay improves to 7-4-5 for 19 points, tied for second with Atlanta in the Southeast, 9 points behind first place Washington. Minnesota is now 7-11-1 for 15 points, fifth in the Northwest, 12 points behind division-leading Colorado.

The short two-game homestand concludes Saturday night, when the Lightning host the Los Angeles Kings. Faceoff is set for 7:30p.m. EST, with the game available at 620 WDAE radio and Sun Sports TV.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's Monday. Here's what's happening.

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Before talking about anything else, please allow me to remember my Dad. He passed away one year ago this past Saturday at the age of 88.

This time last year was a three-day period I'd prefer to forget. On November 5th, I received a call from home, saying Dad was failing fast and that I needed to get home. In preparing for the trip that evening, I dislocated my right pinky finger shutting our front door, necessitating a trip to the emergency room. The next morning, on the way to the airport in Milwaukee(We lived in Central Wisconsin at the time), we hit the largest deer either of us have ever seen. My wife was driving(She has earned the nickname Killer. She's now ran over or into two oppossums and one deer since we've been married) with the cruise control set at 65 mph. It all happened in an instant, with a very brief flash of deer, then air bags in our faces.(The power used to propel the air bags doesn't smell good at all!) We were thankful that no one was seriously hurt, especially our Jimmy, who was just about 5 1/2 months old at the time. In fact, he barely stirred, then went right back to sleep. We returned home, I was able to rebook my flight for later in the day and I made it home to Portland, Oregon that evening.

As it was late, I planned to go see Dad the next morning, but sadly, he passed early the next morning. Arrangments were made, services were held and life went on. One of the best moments of the service was when, after I gave the details of Dad's life, friends were allowed time to comment. The son-in-law of Ray Williams, Dad's best friend from his days at Boeing, stood and talk about how Dad bragged about and was proud of his grandson Jimmy. After not being able to realize my plan to bring Jimmy for a visit to meet his Grandpa, that made me feel very good.

I miss my Dad. Maybe he wouldn't have won a Dad of the Year competition and maybe we didn't always get along like some sons did with their parents, but he was my Dad, and that's what counted. At the end of the day, we knew we loved each other.

I love you Dad. Thanks for all you ever did for me. I hope I can be as good to Jimmy as you were to me.

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First things first. The World Series is over. The Yankees beat the Phillies in six games. They won their first title in the first year of the original Yankee Stadium and they won #27 in the first year of the new Yankee Stadium. As long-time Yankee voice Mel Allen would say" How about that?"

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Calgary Stampeders 30-14 Saturday, winning their first West Division title since 1976. Darian Durant was spot on all night long, pretty remarkable considering how much he struggled in an embarrassing loss in Hamilton the week before.

The Riders receive a bye into the West final, to be played in Regina on Sunday, November 22nd, beginning at 4:30p.m. EST against the winner of this coming Sunday's West semi between Edmonton and Calgary. Both games can be heard on 620 CKRM radio, with the link to listen on the right side of this blog. The West semi is this coming Sunday at 4:30p.m. EST between Edmonton and Calgary. You can hear the game at http://www.620ckrm.com/.

The East semi is this Sunday also. With Winnipeg's loss at home to Hamilton yesterday, BC gets the third spot in the East as a crossover team. The Lions finished 8-10, while the Bombers(who seemingly didn't make a lot of friends this season) finished 7-11. Hamilton hosts BC this coming Sunday, at 1:00p.m. EST. You can hear that game at http://www.team1040.ca/bclions/ or http://www.900chml.com/ with kickoff set for 1:00p.m. EST.

Saskatchewan hosts the West final on Sunday, November 22nd at 4:30p.m. EST, while Montreal hosts the East final that same day at 1:00p.m. EST.

The 2009 Grey Cup championship game will be played in Calgary on Sunday, November 29th, with kickoff set for 6:30p.m. EST.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning should move all their games to Montreal. Two goals in the first, one in the second and outstanding goaltending by Antero Niittymaki led them past Montreal 3-1 on Saturday. Tampa Bay, which lost the first game of a four-game road swing, finished the trip 2-0-1, including Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss at Ottawa.

The Bolts are home twice this week, Thursday against Minnesota and Saturday against Los Angeles. 7:30p.m. EST faceoff both nights at the St. Pete Times Forum. The crowds haven't been great so far, especially for the weeknight games. But this is a hard-working team and you'll like what you see. Check 'em out and maybe I'll see you there.

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The Oregon State Beavers were pretty impressive Saturday in defeating the Cal Bears 31-14. Sean Canfield was first rate, going 29-of-39 passing for 342 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, while also rushing for a touchdown. Jacquizz Rodgers carried the ball 25 times for 67 yards and 1 touchdown, Joe Halahuni caught 6 passes for 128 yards, and James Rodgers and Jordan Bishop caught touchdown passes. Justin Kahut kicked 4 PATs and 1 field goal and Johnny Hekker punted 4 times for a 40.3-yard average, kicking 2 inside the 20.

The Beavers became bowl eligible with their sixth win of the season, while also improving to 4-2 in the Pac-10. Oregon State hosts Washington next Saturday, with kickoff on the Beaver Sports Network(http://www.kpam.com/) and Fox Sports Net set for 3:30p.m. EST.

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Just another week of fun and frivolity in the NFL this weekend. Last Monday, New Orleans ended week 8 with a 35-27 win over Atlanta. Yesterday, the Saints went 8-0 for the first time in team history, beating Carolina 30-20. Arizona rolled past Chicago 41-21, New England came back to beat Miami 27-17 and Indianapolis edged Houston 20-17 to stay unbeaten(318 yards passing for Peyton Manning).

The surprising Cincinnati Bengals beat Baltimore(I want to hear the Ravens marching band one day) 17-7, Jacksonville slipped past Kansas City 24-21(Chiefs released troubled running back Larry Johnson today), Atlanta beat Washington 31-17(Giving Sherm Edwards play calling responsibilties after calling bingo in a retirement center is really working out well, isn't it?) and Seattle beat Detroit(the cure for everyone's losing streaks) 32-20.

Tennessee won again, beating San Francisco 34-27(135 yards rushing for Chris Johnson), the New York Giants, after winning their first five, lost their fouth straight, going down to San Diego 21-20 and Dallas beat Philadelphia in the Sunday night game 20-16.

Saving the best for last in week 9, Tampa Bay brought Buc-o Brucie and the creamsicle uniforms out of retirement yesterday and beat Green Bay 38-28, winning for the first time this season. First round draft pick Josh Freeman got his first start at quarterback and while not looking real sharp a lot of the time, did guide the team to the win, with his biggest pass of the day being a late TD pass to Sammie Stroughter in the right corner of the endzone, where no one else could have caught it. Perhaps the team should have started him beginning in week one. The results might not be any different than they are now(1-7), but maybe the added experience would have put him further ahead. The Bucs might not be real good, but they do work hard. Tampa Bay plays at Miami next Sunday and another solid effort will give them a chance to win.

Week 9 ends with tonight's Monday Night game, featuring Pittsburgh at Denver.

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As Jimmy gets more upwardly mobile(meaning he walks more than he crawls), he gets more and more adventurous. Here he is, proudly carrying an air filter he pulled out of a closet in his bedroom. And now that he's starting to run as well, they'll just be no keeping up with him. And to quote that great American philosopher Aaron Tippin, we "wouldn't have it any other way!"











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Okay, women have the Chippendales Dancer, us men have the Lingerie Football League. (http://www.lflus.com/) What's kinda funny about the LFL is that, while the season started on September 4th, our local team, the Tampa Breeze, doesn't open their season until December 4th, when they host the Chicago Bliss at the St. Pete Times Forum. Whatever. Talk about a tease, eh?

My wife and I have reached a deal: She'll let me go to a game if she gets to hold up a sign that says "SKANK." I agreed, as long as I get to hold up a sign that says "That's a NICE tight end!"

Let's just say I'm not holding my breath of getting to see a game. But, if y'all put together a road trip to Tampa, I'll sneak out of the house and go to a game with you.

I'll betcha no one goes to the concession stands during play at these games!

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Well, that's all for this week. For me, it's a consult with a surgeon today and another doctor's visit tomorrow. Let the good times roll, huh?

See ya next Monday!

Lightning fly past Habs

A fast start and hot goaltending were the difference Saturday night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning won in Montreal Saturday night, beating the Canadiens 3-1 in front of 21,273 at the Bell Centre.

The Lightning scored twice in the opening period. Ryan Malone's 10th goal of the year, coming on the power play at 10:09, put Tampa Bay up 1-0. In the final minute, Alex Tanguay followed up a rebound and gunned it home for his third goal of the year at 19:13, giving the Lightning a 2-0 lead after one.

Each team lit the lamp once in the second. Brian Gionta scored a power play goal for Montreal at 9:44 to make it 2-1. Then, James Wright tipped the puck in on a goal mouth scramble late in the period. The goal, scored at 18:01 survived a video replay, and gave Tampa Bay the two-goal lead once again, 3-1 through 40 minutes.

Antero Niittymaki took over in the third for the Bolts, making 15 saves to preserve the lead and the 3-1 win, giving the Lightning 10 wins in Montreal in the last 11 years.

Niittymaki made 36 saves for Tampa Bay, who were outshout 37-21. Carey Price had 18 stops for the Canadiens. Both teams scored once with the man advantage, the Lightning in three chances, Montreal scored on their only power play of the night.

The Lightning lost their first game of the four-game swing, but went 2-0-1 over the final three, improving to 6-4-5 for 17 points, good for second place in the Southeast, 7 behind division leading Washington and 2 ahead of third place Atlanta. The Canadiens slip to 8-9-0 for 16 points, fourth in the Northeast, but just 3 behind division leading Buffalo.

Tampa Bay plays twice at the St. Pete Times Forum this week, hosting Minnesota on Thursday and Los Angeles on Saturday. Both games start at 7:30p.m. EST and can be heard on 620 WDAE radio and seen on Sun Sports.

Beavers dominant in win over Bears

The Oregon State Beavers put in a solid night of football Saturday night, beating the California Golden Bears 31-14 in Berekely, California.

The Beavers led 7-0 after one, as Sean Canfield scored on a one-yard sneak. Justin Kahut added the PAT.

James Rodgers caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Canfield and Kahut converted, putting Oregon State up 14-0 in the second quarter. California responded with a touchdown from Jahvid Best, who scooted around the left end to score from 7-yards out. Best, who jumped over a defender to score, landed hard on his back, suffering a concussion on the play, forcing a 13-minute delay while emergency personnel tended to him. After the delay, which saw Best taken from the field on a stretcher and to a local hospital, Giorgio Tavecchio kicked the PAT, drawing the Bears to within 7, at 14-7. The Beavers got the points back on a Jordan Bishop 3-yard touchdown reception and Kahut extra point, leading 21-7 at halftime.

Kahut drilled a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter, putting Oregon State on top 24-7, heading into the final 15 minutes.

Jacquizz Rodgers, contained most of the night by the Bear defense, scored on a 24-yard run in the fourth. Kahut kicked the PAT and the Beavers lead was 24, at 31-7. California finally put together a scoring drive, with Kevin Riley passing to Verran Tucker for a 2-yard touchdown. Tavecchio kicked the PAT but the Bears could get no closer and Oregon State left town with the 31-14 win.

The Beavers dominated statistically. They led in first downs 23-14, in third down efficiency 11-of-18 to 4-of-13, while also converting the only fourth down attempt of the night. Oregon State won in total yardage 436 to 239, rushing yardage 94-39 and passing yardage 342-200.

Sean Canfield led the Beavers with 29-of-39 passing for 342 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for a touchdown. Jacquizz Rodgers carried the ball 25 times for 67 yards and 1 touchdown. Joe Halahuni caught 6 passes for 128 yards, James Rodgers and Jordan Bishop caught touchdown passes. Justin Kahut kicked 4 PATs and 1 field goal and Johnny Hekker punted 4 times for a 40.3-yard average, kicking 2 inside the 20. For California, Kevin Riley was 19-of-34 passing for 200 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, while being sacked twice. Jahvid Best rushed 9 times for 29 yards and a touchdown, Verran Tucker caught 6 passes for 74-yards and a touchdown and Giorgio Tavecchio kicked 2 PATs.

With the win, Oregon State goes to 4-2 in the Pac-10 and became bowl eligible at 6-3. The Bears slip to 3-3 in conference, 6-3 overall. In their last 39 home games, Cal is 0-7 combined against the Beavers and USC, 32-0 against everyone else.

Oregon State hosts Washington for the annual Dad's Weekend game on Saturday, November 14th. Kickoff at Reser Stadium in Corvallis is set for 3:30p.m. EST. The game can be heard on KPAM radio and the Beaver Sports Network. Fox Sports Net has the telecast.

Riders stop Stamps, win West

A solid effort from start to finish, including two touchdown passes from Darian Durant, led the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their first West Division title in 33 years, thanks to a 30-14 win over the Calgary Stampeders, in front of 30,945 fans at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan Saturday night.

The Riders were off and running just 4:50 into the game, as Durant connected with Chris Getzlaf for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Luca Congi converted, putting Saskatchewan up 7-0.

Burke Dales nailed a 50-yard punt single 19 seconds into the second quarter for Calgary, making it a 7-1 game. The Riders took control from there. Congi kicked a 37-yard field goal with 3:39 gone and Louie Sakoda blasted a 90-yard kickoff single 11 seconds later, putting Saskatchewan on top 11-1. It was 18-1 with 8:58 remaining in the half, as Durant hit Rob Bagg from 25-yards out and Congi converted. Henry Burris stemmed the tide a bit for the Stampeders, as he snaked in from a yard out and Sandro DeAngelis converted, cutting the deficit to 18-8. Congi's second 37-yard field goal, with just 6 seconds left, put the Riders on top at the half 21-8.

Calgary knocked 6 points off the spread with a pair of DeAngelis field goals in the third quarter, the first from 22-yards with 6:04 left, the second from 24 yards with 2:19 left, leaving the Saskatchewan lead at 21-14 heading into the final 15 minutes.

It stayed a 7-point game until late in regulation, when the Riders would add 9 more points. The first two came as the Stamps, trapped deep in their own end, had Dales concede a safety touch with 2:44 left. Chris Czarka bulled into the endzone from a yard out with 1:07 to go and Congi converted. Calgary tried to respond, but were stopped at the 23 yard line as time expired, with Saskatchewan winning the game 30-14, capturing their first West Division title since 1976.

Darian Durant rebounded from a sub-par performance in Hamilton a week ago, going 24-of-36 passing for the Riders, good for 296 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 each to Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg. Andy Fantuz caught 12 passes for 123 yards. Wes Cates ran 15 times for 54 yards, Chris Czarka scored the late touchdown on a 1-yard run. Luca Congi kicked 2 field goals and 3 converts, while Louie Sakoda had a kickoff single. For the Stampeders, Henry Burris was 15-of-25 passing for 221 yards, while throwing 1 interception. A Tate came in and completed 4-of-5 passes for 42 yards. Joffrey Reynolds rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries and Burris scored on a 1-yard sneak. Sandro DeAngelis kicked 2 field goals and 1 convert, and Burke Dales kicked a punt single. Calgary won the total yardage battle 417 to 408, but committed the night's only turnover.

Both teams finish the season at 10-7-1 for 21 points, but Saskatchewan wins the West crown after taking the season series against the Stamps with a 2-0-1 record. The Riders get a bye into the West final on Sunday, November 22nd and will await the winner of this Sunday's Edmonton vs. Calgary West Semi. Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on the 22nd is set for 4:30p.m. EST. The live broadcast, with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri can be heard on 620 CKRM and the Rider Radio Network beginning at 3:30p.m. EST. The winner of that game plays in the Grey Cup Championshiop in Calgary on Sunday, November 29th at 6:30p.m. EST.

Sports Saturday

It's Saturday. That means liberal nap time, playing with Jimmy, yummy steak for dinner and plenty of sports on TV and the WWW at Chez Meissner.

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HUGE CFL West game in Regina today, between the Saskatchewan Roughrider and the Calgary Stampeders. The Stamps are currently first in the West by one game, but a Saskatchewan win would give them the division crown, because they would have won the season series. Kickoff is at 7:00p.m. EST on http://www.620ckrm.com/.

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The Oregon State Beavers look to remain in the Pac-10 hunt on the road against the Cal Bears. Kickoff is at 7:00p.m. EST on http://www.kpam.com/ and Fox Sports.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to grab a big early-season road win at Montreal tonight. Faceoff is at 7:00p.m. EST on 620 WDAE and Sun Sports.

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We're also going to take a peak at Army vs Air Force, Navy vs Notre Dame and Northwestern at Iowa. Y'all have fun now, ya hear?!?!

OT power play goal pushes Sens past Lightning

A Jason Spezza power play in the final minute of overtime Thursday night gave the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of 17,511 at Scotiaback Place.

An Alex Tanguay power play goal game Tampa Bay the lead 3:03 into the game, but the Senators responded with a Daniel Alfredsson goal at 5:02, tying the game 1-1 after one.

Ottawa took the lead with a Mike Fisher power play goal at 12:00 of the second, but the Lightning's Steven Stamkos scored a power play goal, tying the game 2-2 through 40 minutes.

After a scoreless third period, the game moved into overtime, where Spezza's power play goal with 43 seconds left in the extra session gave the Senators the 3-2 win.

The Senators outshot Tampa Bay 29-20. Pascal Leclaire had 18 saves for Ottawa, Antero Niittymaki made 26 stops for the Lightning. The Senators went 2-for-6 on the powerplay, while Tampa Bay scored twice in 7 power play chances.

Ottawa in now 7-4-2 for 16 points and second place, 3 behind Buffalo in the Northeast. The Lightning is second in the Southeast at 5-4-5 for 15 points, 7 behind Washington in the Southeast.

Tampa Bay plays at Montreal Saturday night, beginning at 7:00p.m. EST. The game can be heard on 620 WDAE and seen on Sun Sports.