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BOSTON — Andrew Peeke might owe his NHL career to Stanley C. Panther.

Peeke was 4 years old when his parents took him to a skating event hosted by the Florida Panthers mascot. From there, the Parkland, Florida, native fell in love with hockey and, in turn, fell in love with the Florida Panthers.

That love was fostered by his father, Cliff Peeke, a Michigan native who was a season-ticket holder for the Panthers. Andrew practically grew up going to their arena in Sunrise, watching exciting if not always successful hockey.

“As a fan, there wasn’t a lot of playoff games or playoff atmospheres, so obviously being a fan at the time was tough,” Peeke said.

A lot has changed since then. Florida’s arena is packed for home games. The Panthers are Stanley Cup contenders. And Andrew Peeke is now rooting against them.

He has to, because they’re trying to end his season.

Peeke is defenseman for the Boston Bruins, who are facing the Panthers in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. He spent most of his life hoping that one of the league’s least successful franchises could finally find success. Now, he’s trying to help his team prevent it.

“Being able to see that building full and the passion [Panthers fans] have … right now, that’s not what I care about,” he said. “Right now, I’m trying to knock them out in the next couple of games. Being able to basically say ‘screw you guys.'”

Peeke, 26, was acquired by Boston from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a trade on March 8. It’s his fifth season in the NHL, one limited to 38 regular-season games due to injury. He has played his first three career postseason games with the Bruins, including Game 3 against his childhood team, the Panthers.

“It’s pretty cool. If you’re going to tell young me that one day I’ve been playing against this team, I would tell you ‘no way,'” he said. “But being in this spot, obviously playing for the Bruins and having that honor, is pretty special. That it’s against your hometown team makes it even better.”


WHEN NHL PLAYERS talk about facing the team they cheered for as a young fan, they’re usually speaking of someone who used to wear Maple Leafs pajamas. It’s not typically someone who cheered for Ed “JovoCop” Jovanovski, Peeke’s favorite Florida Panther, in an arena where fans throw rubber rats on the ice.

(For the record, Peeke said he has never thrown one. Or at least he believes he hasn’t.)

Peeke is one of nearly a dozen current NHL players with roots in Florida, some of whom also grew up Panthers fans. Detroit Red Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere idolized Pavel Bure growing up. Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun played in the Florida Jr. Panthers program. So did Colorado Avalanche forward Brandon Duhaime, a Coral Springs native who grew up a die-hard Panthers fan.

Like many Florida-born players with designs on a pro hockey career, Peeke left the state at 15 years old to hone his skills and get the attention of the hockey world. He credits his parents for making the financial sacrifice to send him to South Kent Prep School in Connecticut. From there, he played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before being drafted by the Blue Jackets No. 34 in 2016. He played three seasons for the University of Notre Dame and was the team’s captain in 2018-2019. He made his NHL debut the following season.

Could he have still forged that path had he remained in Florida?

“It’s tough to say. I don’t have the crystal ball, but every year you stay in Florida past a certain age, it’s more and more unlikely,” he said. “If you’re a scout, you’re probably not going down there as much as coming to see players in Boston.”

That might eventually change. According to USA Hockey, participation numbers in Florida continue to trend up: Over the past five years, the number of players ages 15 and 16 in Florida increased by 28%, and the number of 9- and 10-year-old players has increased by 32%

The Panthers’ recent success will only help that growth. After making the playoffs twice in 18 seasons, Florida has appeared in the postseason for five straight seasons, losing in the Stanley Cup Final last season to the Vegas Golden Knights.

“Obviously being a Florida guy, I want the game to grow, so them being in the playoffs is a great thing for Florida hockey,” Peeke said.

Unfortunately, what’s good for Florida isn’t good for Andrew Peeke this postseason.

“I have a ton of Florida fan friends, so they’re torn. But that’s their problem,” he said. “I’ve got to focus on wearing the ‘B’ and playing for the guys.”

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities, turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.

Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle.

A warrant had been issued for Lacy’s arrest, and police on Friday said they had been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from Louisiana State Police on Friday, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police. Hall was 78.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

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Notre Dame LT Knapp ruled out for CFP title tilt

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Notre Dame LT Knapp ruled out for CFP title tilt

Notre Dame starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp will miss the Jan. 20 College Football Playoff National Championship game against Ohio State with a high ankle sprain, coach Marcus Freeman said Sunday.

Knapp suffered the injury in Notre Dame’s 27-24 Capital One Orange Bowl win against Penn State. Graduate senior Tosh Baker replaced Knapp in the second quarter.

Freeman also said starting right guard Rocco Spindler, who suffered an apparent ankle injury against Penn State, will try to practice this week. Charles Jagusah replaced Spindler against Penn State.

“We’ll see how he progresses the week of practice,” Freeman said. “I know he’ll give everything he has to make sure he’s prepared. As far as the starting lineup, we’ll do what’s best for our program. We’ve got to figure that out. We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game, and we’ll see what that is here in the next couple of days.”

Freeman said running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been dealing with a right knee injury, is expected to be “full go” against Ohio State, but wide receiver Beaux Collins is still dealing with a calf strain that sidelined him for much of the Penn State game. Collins is second on the team in receptions with 37 for 458 yards, three touchdowns and 30.5 yards per game.

“J-Love is good to go,” Freeman said of his leading rusher. “Beaux’s still healing. … He’ll work back into practice here the next couple of days, but I hope that as long as he progresses, he’ll be good to go for the game. But we’ve got to make sure that he progresses as we go through this week.”

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Sawyer gets his ‘moment,’ sends OSU to CFP final

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Sawyer gets his 'moment,' sends OSU to CFP final

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the confetti fell around him, Jack Sawyer raised his arms, lifted his head and closed his eyes. As a boy growing up in a Columbus suburb playing catch with his dad in the backyard wearing a scarlet and gray jersey, Sawyer had often dreamed that one day he might become an Ohio State hero with an iconic moment that would go down in Buckeyes history.

On Friday night, playing against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, that moment finally happened.

On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Texas needed one play to tie the score and potentially force overtime. Instead, Sawyer ended the Longhorns’ season and catapulted the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship game, where they will face Notre Dame.

Sawyer screamed past right tackle Cameron Williams and sailed toward Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his freshman-year roommate at Ohio State. As he crashed into Ewers’ back, the ball popped loose. Off one bounce, Sawyer scooped it up and raced 83 yards for a touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Columbus.

“I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” he said.

With that play, the Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14. And Sawyer cemented an Ohio State legacy.

“To make a play like that in that moment. … You want to leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the field after the game.

The longing for just that moment is why Sawyer put off the NFL to come back for his senior season. After three losses to Michigan with no Big Ten championships or national titles, Sawyer and several other Ohio State seniors who could have been Day 1 or 2 NFL draft picks opted to return for “one last ride,” as he put it.

Their disappointing 2023 season ended with a deflating loss to Missouri in the same Cotton Bowl stadium. Sawyer said he just couldn’t stomach ending his Ohio State career that way.

“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer told ESPN over the summer. “But I haven’t won a championship. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”

Sawyer nearly had that moment six weeks ago. Yet, in a turn, what followed was a career low point for him and the Buckeyes.

He intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied, the Buckeyes couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. On their ensuing possession, the Wolverines nailed a game-winning field goal for a stunning 13-10 victory, handing the Buckeyes — and Sawyer — their fourth straight loss in the series.

As Michigan’s players planted their flag at midfield of The Horseshoe, Sawyer charged in along with his teammates and ripped it away, leading to a melee that lasted five minutes and was finally broken up by police with pepper spray.

But with the expanded 12-team playoff, Ohio State’s seniors got one final chance to end their careers with hardware. With his scoop-and-score, Sawyer brought the Buckeyes within a game of winning their first national championship since 2014.

“The resiliency of this team from a month ago has been incredible,” said Sawyer, who became the first FBS player in a decade to produce multiple pass breakups and a sack in three straight games, according to ESPN Research, all coming during Ohio State’s playoff run. “We sat up here last year with a sore taste in our mouth and heard a lot of things. We come back and heard the same things a month ago. But we kept swinging.”

The underdog Longhorns kept swinging too.

After the Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead, Ewers led Texas all the way to the Ohio State 1-yard line. But on second-and-goal, safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on a risky sweep.

“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”

After an incompletion, Texas faced fourth-and-goal from the 8. Ewers, who began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after one season, said he thought he had time to get off the pass. But his onetime roommate got to him before he could.

“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give him the game,” Ewers said. “He is a great player, great individual, great person. … It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”

Sawyer’s fumble recovery was the longest in CFP and Cotton Bowl history. As Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took a knee, Day jumped into Sawyer’s arms.

“I don’t know if there’s a guy … who loves being a Buckeye more,” Day said. “This is somebody … who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today — I mean, he’s become like family to me.”

Day and Sawyer both cautioned that their last ride together isn’t over quite yet. They have one game left and a national title still to win. But they also both acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. And Sawyer’s looming place in Ohio State history.

“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football,” Sawyer said. “And I’m so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here.”

ESPN’s Dave Wilson contributed to this report.

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