THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
MARCH MADNESS
CARDINAL PREVIEW
SPORTS
THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
By Gabriel Kraus
There is nothing like Playoff Hockey ! The Stanley Cup playoff season is here and by the first week of May , we are already into round two . The St . Louis Blues had a great season , earning a spot in the playoff tournament . Even though the Blues traded some great players , including Kevin Shattenkirk , their captain David Backes , and goalie Brian Elliot , they earned a spot to face the Minnesota Wild in the first round . The Wild had a better record than the Blues and were second in the Central Division . The Blues came out strong from the start and won the first three games . The Wild came back and won a game , but the Blues ’ lead was too big . The Blues won the fifth game to close out the best of seven series . Erik Stall , the Wild ’ s starting center , was injured with a concussion during the final game . Thankfully he is expected to make a full recovery . Since the Nashville Predators succeeded in unseating the number one ranked Chicago Blackhawks , the Blues will play the Predators in another best of seven series . Let ’ s Go Blues !!!
MARCH MADNESS
By Ryan Lavery
March Madness was a thrill this year ! Although there were some tough losses it was a great event to watch . Some upsets were : South Carolina , 77 vs . Florida , 70 ( Elite 8 ); Oregon , 74 vs . Kansas , 60 ( Elite 8 ); South Carolina , 70 vs . Baylor , 50 ( Sweet 16 ); * Xavier , 73 vs . Arizona , 71 ( Sweet 16 ).
The Final Four teams were a surprise appearance from South Carolina , also a first Final Four in Gonzaga history , Oregon , and the runners-up last year North Carolina .
The scores were : South Carolina , 73 vs . Gonzaga , 77 and North Carolina , 77 vs . Oregon , 76 .
The finals were very exciting with both teams looking for the title . In the end the score was : Gonzaga , 65 vs . North Carolina , 71 .
Now that it ' s all over we must congratulate these teams that were honored to participate in this tournament . But we shall especially honor the winners , North Carolina !
CARDINAL PREVIEW
By Lance Lavery
The St . Louis cardinals are coming off of an average season going 86-76 overall . This year they have acquired a few new faces : Cubs free agent Dexter Fowler , Blue Jays free agent Brett Cecil , and a trade from the Braves John Gant . We gave away some key people in our lineup : free agent to the Yankees Matt Holliday , free agent to the Royals Brandon Moss , trade to the Braves Jaime Garcia , free agent to the Royals Seth Maness , and a waiver claim by the Diamondbacks Jeremy Hazelbaker . The St . Louis Cardinals are full of young talent this year like : Aledmys Diaz , Jose Martinez , and Kolten Wong . This team is stacked with power as well as low ERA starting pitching . This could be a World Series caliber team , so Cubs ..... watch out !