Surging Ducks rally past Canucks, extend home-ice mojo

• February 28, 2025

ANAHEIM — No lead – for or against – is safe when the Ducks are on the ice.

They’ve either overturned or retroceded at least one multi-goal lead in each of their past four games, including a two-tally advantage for the Vancouver Canucks, whom they rallied to defeat, 5-2, on Thursday night at Honda Center in their first home game in 3½ weeks.

Five unanswered goals earned the Ducks their fifth consecutive home win, moving them to 8-1-1 in their past 10 games at the arena formerly known as The Pond. They’ve secured 17 of their last 22 possible points overall – their most productive stretch of play since November 2021 – and are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the NHL lead in multi-goal comeback wins at home (four).

For Vancouver, its three-game win streak came to an end, leaving three teams within three points of the Canucks for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Ducks (26-25-7, 59 points) – on pace for a 24-point improvement in the standings from last season – now sit six points back as they try to end a playoff drought that dates to 2018.

Ryan Strome and Troy Terry combined for six points, notching a goal and two assists apiece. Cutter Gauthier, Frank Vatrano and Jackson LaCombe all scored goals, while Mason McTavish and Isac Lundeström each chipped in two assists. Lukáš Dostál held the Ducks in the game with 22 saves.

For Vancouver, Tyler Myers scored a goal and assisted on one by Pius Suter in the first period. Arturs Silovs stopped 20 of 24 shots.

The final 20 minutes of the match tested Dostál early during a power play, but gradually the Ducks seized control.

Just 4:14 showed on the clock when LaCombe surveyed the slot patiently and roofed a shot that iced the victory and got him into double digits for the season. All four goals against the goalie were highlight reel-worthy, with Vatrano noting that “guys were seeing the net well.” Terry’s 17th goal of the season was launched into the vacated cage with 2:06 to play, sending the crowd home with a decisive win and free chicken to boot.

“It’s nice to score [five goals], my kids are going to be excited that there’s free chicken now. That’s all I get told at home,” Strome joked. “At this time of year, we don’t care if it’s 2-1 or 5-2 … you’re seeing contributions from everybody and a lot of selfless acts out there.”

In the second period, the Ducks turned the tilt completely by flipping a two-goal deficit into a one-goal edge by the second intermission, scoring at 5:27, 9:09 and 18:41.

The Ducks’ top line cycled the puck with Terry flicking a low-flying shot that created a recovery for Strome, who found Vatrano for a far-side one-timer from the left faceoff dot. Vatrano’s 18th goal of the year sliced the Ducks’ deficit in half.

“They got us going, just by putting the puck deep and getting it back,” Coach Greg Cronin said of his go-to trio. “They had a couple offensive-zone shifts in the second period that allowed us to get a lot of energy.”

They leveled the count when Gauthier, who tied for the game high with four shots on goal Thursday, delivered a counterpunch for his 12th goal of the season. He skated into Lundeström’s lead pass and dashed ahead to rip yet another far-side shot from the left dot.

“He can look like he’s not involved in the game, and then, the next thing you know, you see his speed and his shot, and, bang, he’s got that game-breaking ability,” Strome said.

Strome, who had been visible all night, gave the hosts their first lead. His timely break into a skating lane and McTavish’s authoritative pass synergized perfectly to turn a rush without numbers into a go-ahead goal, Strome’s ninth.

The Ducks buzzed early and fell flat later in the first period, bookending the frame with goals against at the 3:17 and 16:52 marks.

After scoring two power-play goals for the first time in about 14 weeks in Buffalo, the Ducks had the game’s first power play on Thursday. Not only did they fail to convert, but as Myers’ penalty expired, Gauthier tried to jam a puck into the slot with an off-balance heave, a pass that was effortlessly disrupted to key a counterattack. Myers exited the box, received the puck and wrapped up the rush with a missile from high in the right circle to take a 1-0 lead.

Gauthier nearly redeemed himself instantaneously with a potent shot, but Silovs made a glove save that was later one-upped by Dostál’s ensnaring of Quinn Hughes’ dangerous against-the-grain wrister from the left dot.

Myers factored centrally into the Canucks’ second goal, this time with a primary assist. Again he activated, gliding to the puck atop the right circle and weaving his way below the goal line. He circled the net, selling a pass high with his eyes before zipping a centering feed that Suter redirected through the wickets of Dostál.

Dostál stopped all 17 shots fired at him during the rest of the contest, enabling the Ducks to find their footing and storm back for a victory.

“He was terrific. Goalies are game managers, and I thought he managed the puck well,” Cronin said. “He made the big saves when he needed to. He’s probably been our best player, him and (John Gibson), the entire year.”

BY THE NUMBERS

Vancouver dropped to 0-16-4 when trailing at the second intermission, while the Ducks are now 15-2-2 when leading after 40 minutes despite blowing a late lead in Buffalo on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

The Ducks host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at 7 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

5 freeway through Grapevine under a high wind warning until Friday evening

• February 28, 2025

On Thursday at 11:54 p.m. a high wind warning was issued by the National Weather Service in effect until Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. for 5 freeway through Grapevine.

“Southeast winds 25 to 45 mph with gusts up to 60 mph,” can be anticipated according to the NWS Hanford CA. “Strongest wind gusts at the higher elevations, gusts along the I-5 around 40 to 50 mph.”

“Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” according to the NWS. “Remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Watch for falling debris and tree limbs. Use caution if you must drive.”

Emergency alerts in Southern California

For “considerable or catastrophic” hazards, emergency alerts will be sent to all enabled mobile phones in the area. To monitor lesser risk, residents are advised to sign up for county alert systems and to monitor agencies’ social media. How to sign up for alerts in your area:

LA County

Orange County

Riverside County

San Bernardino County

​ Orange County Register 

Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran girls water polo teams reach CIF SoCal Regional final

• February 28, 2025

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The girls water polo showdown that many expected last weekend will surface this weekend in another championship format.

Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran each won their respective Division I semifinal matches Thursday in the CIF Southern California Regional to advance to Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship at Long Beach City College.

The Monarchs held off Newport Harbor 10-8 at Costa Mesa High while Orange Lutheran handled CIF-SS Open Division champion and host Oaks Christian 12-2.

Last week in the CIF-SS Open Division semifinals, top-ranked Mater Dei was stunned in overtime by visiting Oaks Christian. Orange Lutheran, the two-time defending Open Division champion, was upset in double sudden-death overtime by Newport Harbor.

On Feb. 22, Oaks Christian defeated Newport Harbor 7-5 in the section final.

On Thursday, Mater Dei (26-4) scored the first five goals and led by as many as six in never trailing against Newport Harbor (25-7).

After trailing 8-4 at halftime, the Sailors continued to chip away at their deficit in the second half and had a chance to make it a one-goal game in the final minute of regulation. But with 50 seconds left, Newport Harbor turned the ball for a stalling violation in their backcourt.

The Sailors held Mater Dei scoreless in the fourth period, which made the Monarchs’ buzzer-beating goal to close the third period loom significant. Mater Dei executed a 7 on 6 attack with sharp-shooter Kirra Pantaleon — who missed most of the third with two fouls — as the goalie in the field. Riley Johnson scored to give the Monarchs a 10-6 lead going to the fourth quarter.

Mater Dei went 4 for the 7 on the traditional, power play while Newport Harbor finished 1 for 5.

Both goalies played well. Mater Dei’s Sienna Sorensen had nine saves, including one against a 6 on 4 power play in the opening period. Newport Harbor’s Lydia Soderberg made eight saves.

U.S. national team member Allison Cohen had four goals and five assists and Kyla Pranajaya made 11 saves to lead Orange Lutheran (26-4) in its semifinal. The Lancers finished 4-0 against Oaks Christian this winter.

During the regular season, Mater Dei defeated Orange Lutheran in three of the teams’ four matches. The Lancers won the Trinity League showdown for the league title.

The other regional finals on Saturday at Long Beach City College will pit Clairemont-Valhalla in Division II at 12:30 p.m. and Cathedral Catholic-Birmingham in Division III at 11 a.m.

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine routs Cal State Fullerton to keep Big West title hopes alive

• February 28, 2025

FULLERTON — In Thursday night’s game between the UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball teams, it was apparent early which team was near the top of the Big West standings and which team was at the bottom.

Jurian Dixon had a career-high 21 points, Justin Hohn scored 18 and Bent Leuchten had another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) as UCI dominated both ends of the court and handed Fullerton its ninth consecutive loss, 76-51, at Titan Gym.

The Anteaters had a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the game, held a 20-point cushion at halftime and led by as much as 32 points in the second half, holding the lead for nearly 38 minutes.

UCI (24-5 overall, 14-3 Big West) had a season-high 11 blocked shots and held Fullerton (6-23, 1-16) to 38.2% shooting from the floor and a 3-for-16 showing from 3-point range to stay in the hunt for the Big West regular-season title and one of the top two seeds in the conference tournament.

UCI is one game behind first-place UC San Diego (25-4, 15-2) and two games ahead of third-place Cal State Northridge (20-8, 12-5) with three games left. The top two seeds in the 10-team Big West Tournament receive double byes into the semifinals.

Elijah Chol had a team-high five blocks for the Anteaters, matching his career-high from earlier this season against Duquesne. Leuchten added three and Kyle Evans had two.

“Defense is what we know we can do to separate ourselves from other teams,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “We’ve been good on the road because we’ve had a good defensive mentality. We have some dynamic shot blockers. I feel good about the overall defensive effort.”

Turner’s comments about UCI being good on the road is an understatement. This was the Anteaters’ NCAA-best 12th road win of the season. They also have three wins at neutral sites and their 15 wins away from their home court are tied with UCSD for the most in the nation.

Dixon, a redshirt freshman, shot 9 for 11 from the field while pacing the offense and added three steals.

“Jurian is getting better and better,” Turner said. “I’m really excited for the way he both defends and makes unselfish plays on the offensive end. He’s coming into his own right before our eyes.”

UCI went on a 17-2 run early in the first half and added an 11-2 surge later in the half.

The Anteaters led by as many as 24 points in the first half and shot 58.6% from the field compared to just 25.8% from Fullerton.

UCI shot 6 for 13 from 3-point range in the first half and finished the night 10 for 28. Fullerton was daring UCI to shoot from outside in the first half and the Anteaters gladly accepted the open shots.

“Fullerton was packing the paint against us, challenging us to move the ball, find 3-point shooters with rhythm and knock them down,” Turner said. “That’s probably what I would have done if I were in their position, and we made them. We have guys who shoot at a really high percentage and we create good shots for one another.”

UCI’s dominant defense was even more impressive after the intermission. The Anteaters blocked seven shots and had eight steals in the second half.

Kendrick De Luna (10 points) was the only player to score in double-figures for Fullerton, which has lost its last three games by an average of nearly 31 points. Antwan Robinson added eight points and six rebounds, Donovan Oday had eight points and Kaleb Brown grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.

UCI hosts Long Beach State on Saturday night in its final home game of the season. LBSU pushed UCI to overtime in their first meeting this season.

“(They) are a team whose record doesn’t indicate how good and dangerous they can be,” Turner said. “We’re going to need to bring it.”

The Titans play at UCSD on Saturday night.

BIG WEST STANDINGS

Through Thursday, Feb. 27

UC San Diego – 25-4, 15-2

UC Irvine – 24-5, 14-3

CS Northridge – 20-8, 12-5

UC Riverside – 19-11, 12-6

UC Santa Barbara – 19-10, 11-7

UC Davis – 15-13, 9-8

CS Bakersfield – 13-17, 7-11

Hawaii – 14-14, 6-11

Cal Poly (SLO) – 11-18, 5-12

Long Beach State – 7-22, 3-14

CS Fullerton – 6-23, 1-16

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ Luka Doncic creating off-ball opportunities for LeBron James, Austin Reaves

• February 28, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick said last weekend that Luka Doncic would need to be the player who controls the offense.

And through his first five games, it’s not only played out that way, but it’s also allowed LeBron James and Austin Reaves to create offense in other ways.

Since making his Lakers debut in the Feb. 10 home win against the Utah Jazz, Doncic leads the team in usage rate (31.1% entering Thursday’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves), just a smidge above James (30.4%) and significantly higher than Reaves (22.2%).

With the way the Lakers stagger the three within different lineup combinations, James and Reaves still get their fair share of on-ball opportunities, leading units on their own but also in scenarios when it’s two of the three are on the court together.

But Doncic’s presence has opened more off-ball scoring opportunities for James and Reaves.

In the five games before Doncic made his debut, Reaves averaged 2.8 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game (28.6% shooting), while James averaged 1.8 (42.9%) in the four games he played from Jan. 30-Feb. 9.

Since Doncic’s debut, those catch-and-shoot opportunities have been more present.

Reaves has averaged 4.3 catch-and-shoot 3s since Doncic made his debut (30.8% shooting) while James has averaged 3.8 (56.5%).

But Doncic’s impact on James and Reaves goes beyond allowing them to shoot easier shots.

“The biggest effect of that is with Austin because of how much ball-handling he had to do,” Redick said before Thursday’s game. “It wasn’t even just the shot creation part for himself and others. It was literally just getting the ball across halfcourt.

“He was in the lineup a lot of times without a ball-handler. And now, I think in five games, I there’s been one scenario where we’re in an [out of timeout play] and I’m like, ‘let’s do this’ and we only have one ball-handler out there. Now, we have Gabe [Vincent], Austin, Luka, sometimes [Jordan Goodwin] even, we have four guys that can do it. And that’s what we try to do all year with LeBron is not tax him with just bringing the ball up. We want him obviously to have the basketball, but in his spots and in the halfcourt.”

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch acknowledged the kind of threat James is off the ball.

“I mean such a great downhill player on the catch, so if you’re over helping in the gaps, you’re gonna open a massive like runways for him to get downhill,” he said. “That’s a not going to end well for a defense, generally. That’s probably the biggest thing.”

Finch added: “Generally, you’ll throw double-teams at Luka, but when LeBron’s off the ball and try receiving it quickly, he’s such a great passer, he can pick you apart. It’s funny. We spent a lot of our coaches’ meeting talking about LeBron off-ball and what that does to a defense. So just a whole other threat level.”

​ Orange County Register 

Edison says it acted prudently even if found liable in Eaton fire

• February 28, 2025

By Mark Chediak | Bloomberg

Edison International said transmission operations of its Southern California utility were managed responsibly, even if investigators determine the equipment sparked a deadly fire near Los Angeles.

The company is confident Southern California Edison “would make a good faith showing that its conduct with respect to its transmission facilities in the Eaton Canyon area was consistent with actions of a reasonable utility,” Edison Chief Executive Officer Pedro Pizarro said during the company’s earnings call Thursday.

Edison is facing mounting scrutiny for the possible role its equipment may have played in the Eaton wildfire. California’s utilities have started some of the state’s worst wildfires, pushing one of them — PG&E Corp. — to declare bankruptcy and leaving investors on edge. Edison has lost about a third of its market value since the Eaton Fire erupted Jan. 7, destroying more than 9,000 structures and cause damage estimated at $7 billion to $10 billion.

Under California reforms designed to improve utility wildfire safety practices, a utility can recover from customer damage claims related to a fire tied to its equipment if regulators determine that it acted prudently.

Pizarro said the size and scope of the Los Angeles wildfires have raised investor concerns about the durability of the state’s $21 billion wildfire insurance fund set up to cover claims from blazes started by utility equipment.

The company is certain policymakers will strengthen the fund and make other changes to shore up the financial health of the state’s utilities. Pizarro added the utility would like to see near-term fixes to help reassure its investors.

Edison said it continues to look into the possibility that its transmission facilities started the fire.

​ Orange County Register 

Former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley appeals her firing by Mayor Bass

• February 28, 2025

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley announced on Thursday, Feb. 27, that she has formally appealed her removal by Mayor Karen Bass, escalating an already contentious political battle.

The uphill fight now shifts to the City Council, where Crowley will need support from at least 10 of 15 council members to be reinstated–an outcome that remains highly uncertain.

“Today I notified the City Council of my appeal as provided for in Los Angeles Charter, Article V, Section 5.08(e), due to Mayor Bass’s removal of me, on February 21, 2025, from the position of Fire Chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department,” Crowley said in a statement.

Mayor’s spokesperson Zach Seidl said in a statement Thursday that “former Chief Crowley has the right to appeal her dismissal.”

After the firing, the mayor’s office said Crowley had chosen to exercise “her Civil Service rights to stay with the Fire Department at a lower rank.” However, it remains unclear what position she has been assigned, as the mayor’s office did not directly answer that question Thursday.

The move comes less than a week after Bass announced Crowley’s immediate removal and named former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, who recently retired, as interim fire chief.

Bass cited Crowley’s refusal to submit an after-action report on the Palisades fire as a key reason for her removal. The mayor also criticized her handling of staffing decisions, saying that when the Palisades fires broke out on the morning of Jan.7, up to 1,000 firefighters could have been on duty but were instead sent home under Crowley’s leadership.

“Let me be clear: our firefighters acted heroically during the Palisades fire, and they act heroically every single day. That is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what they and the people of Los Angeles deserve,” Bass said during a Feb. 21 press conference announcing Crowley’s removal.

Under the City Charter, Crowley has 10 calendar days to appeal her firing to the L.A. City Council. The council could overturn Bass’ action if two-thirds of the governing body – meaning 10 of the 15 council members – vote to reverse the mayor’s decision.

The political turmoil has been building for weeks, with Crowley criticizing the city and Bass firing back. In an interview soon after the Eaton and Palisades fires erupted, Crowley said the city had “failed” her and the fire department by making budget cuts that hampered firefighters’ ability to respond to the recent deadly wildfires.

Bass, meanwhile, has reportedly blamed Crowley and others, saying that if she had been properly informed about the severity of last month’s windstorms, she would not have traveled out of the country just days before the first wildfire erupted.

​ Orange County Register 

Their mosque burned down in the Eaton fire. They’re still determined to gather for Ramadan

• February 28, 2025

By DEEPA BHARATH | Associated Press 

All that remains of Masjid Al-Taqwa is a sign that bears its name.

The mosque in Altadena, which served a tight-knit Muslim community for 42 years, burned to the ground in one of the Los Angeles area’s deadliest fires in January — leaving the congregation heartbroken and without a place to pray and break their upcoming Ramadan fast together.

With that weighing on their minds, about 20 mosque members and a few connected families met on a recent Saturday at a local Islamic school to pray and share a meal, their first together since the fire. Many who came are living in motels or with family after losing their homes in the Eaton fire, which killed 17 people and scorched thousands of homes and over 14,000 acres across Los Angeles County.

With Ramadan just days a way, their volunteer imam, Junaid Aasi, had good news to share. Clad in a white robe, black jacket and prayer cap, he walked onto the plush blue prayer rugs and placed a small karaoke machine in the middle of the multipurpose room at New Horizon Islamic School.

Aasi announced the school was offering this space for four nights each week during Ramadan. There were gasps of relief, and utterances of “Alhamdulillah,” an Arabic phrase that means “praise be to God.”

Aasi said many in the community have been anxious about Ramadan and having this room, even if only for some days each week, is a blessing.

“Ramadan is not only a time when we pray and eat together, but we also help and support each other and others in the community,” he said. “This year, with so many who have lost so much, it’s going to be more important than ever.”

The imam, with a secular job as an IT professional, has volunteered at the mosque for the past 25 years. He has revisited the property since the fire. Sometimes, he says, he can still see everything the way it was when he closes his eyes.

The place where people would perform wudu — the ritual washing of hands, feet and face before coming in to pray. The thick carpets where they prayed. Copies of the holy Quran. A fig tree outside.

“I still can’t believe it’s all gone,” Aasi said.

He said many members are still displaced and hurting emotionally.

“One member just texted me that they were on their way here but stopped to check out their (burned) home,” Aasi said. They were so overwhelmed, he added, that they couldn’t bring themselves to the gathering.

Aaron Abdus-Shakoor, one of the mosque’s founders and current board president, lost his home, the building that housed his real estate business and several investment properties around Altadena. He said the mosque, which began in the 1970s as a meeting place for Nation of Islam members, evolved into a mainstream, multicultural Muslim community. It was called the Pasadena-Altadena Daawa Center until members in 1997 renamed it Masjid Al-Taqwa, which means “pious and god-conscious.”

“All these years, we’ve been good citizens,” Abdus-Shakoor said. “We’ve always kept our doors open and have tried to be a positive influence in the community.”

In the early days, the communal Ramadan celebration only happened on Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month, he said. But for many years now, members have hosted a daily community iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan, which breaks the day-long fast.

For many, the mosque has been a second home.

Salah Eddine Benatia, an Algerian immigrant, has only been in the country three months. He discovered Al-Taqwa online and had been riding the bus from Pasadena for prayers.

“I felt so warmly welcomed by this community,” he said. “I miss home a lot especially around Ramadan. I was so sad when I heard the mosque burned down. Being here gives me a sense of being with family.”

Farzana Asaduzzaman, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2016, said Ramadan at the mosque has always been “a family affair.”

“Everyone brings food, we fast, we break our fast together,” she said. “The kids would play Uno, make arts and crafts, and assemble Eid gift bags. We would put up heaters in the outside area, sit down, sip hot chai and talk for hours.”

Asaduzzaman, her husband and their three children, ages 14, 10 and 3, lost their home in the fire as well. They spent two and a half years renovating the property before it burned down.

“Our masjid may be gone and our neighborhood may be gone, but our community is strong,” she said. “This is our support system. We’ll be together for Ramadan, no matter where it is. We’ll find a place where we can see our kids run around and where we can gather and be together again.”

For Mohammed AlDajani, a second-year medical student, the mosque was a five-minute walk from his condo, which was also lost in the fire. For AlDajani, who had no relatives or friends nearby, the mosque fulfilled the need for social and spiritual nourishment.

“The masjid was actually a nice incentive for me to move here,” he said. “It’s a place that has helped ground me in this community.”

AlDajani said, unlike many mosques he has attended, Masjid Al-Taqwa’s members represent many nationalities and ethnicities — Arab, African American, Afghan, Indian, Bangladeshi, Turkish and North African among them.

“I found that very unique,” he said.

Last year was his first Ramadan in Southern California. The mosque’s youth painted a mural of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a disputed holy site that has become a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a Palestinian American, AlDajani said the community project touched him profoundly at a time when his heart was broken by the suffering of those in Gaza.

He said he learned about the Altadena mosque’s destruction even before he found out his home was gone.

“It’s just like my chest sank when I saw the images,” AlDajani said. “It was difficult because I was there for morning and night prayers every day. It was my little haven. It doesn’t feel right, having that empty space there.”

As he tries to find a place to rent, AlDajani says the mosque community has been “keeping him afloat.”

“Our prayer group still meets on the weekends,” he said. “I was anxious about Ramadan. It’s nice to know we’ll still be able to gather and pray, and this haven will still exist.”

Sakeenah Ali’s children, who attended Elliott Magnet Middle School across the street from the mosque, lost their school in the fire.

“They would hear the afternoon call to prayer from their school, which was very special,” she said, adding that she went out and saw the mosque burn and the parking lot covered in ash.

“Cars were on fire, trees were smoldering,” Ali recalled. “You could hear explosions everywhere – boom, boom.”

But she believes that her community is resilient.

“The key is to keep showing up,” Ali said. “Make sure we have our prayer time, stay connected and be consistent. We are going to rebuild.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

​ Orange County Register