Portola girls basketball goes the distance to beat Buena Park in 2AA quarterfinals

• February 20, 2025

BUENA PARK – Portola girls basketball coach Brian Barham was asked before his team played Buena Park on Wednesday what the Bulldogs would need to do to win.

“We might lose the first six rounds,” he said. “But we’re going to win the final six rounds.”

Portola fell behind by double digits early, had a great second quarter to take the lead and traded punches with Buena Park in the second half to beat the Coyotes 66-62 in a CIF-SS Division 2AA quarterfinal playoff game at Buena Park High.

The Bulldogs (17-14) will play at Oak Park (19-3) in the semifinals Saturday. It will be the first CIF-SS semifinal for Portola’s girls basketball program; the school opened in 2016.

By reaching the CIF-SS semifinals Portola qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin March 4.

Portola freshman reserve guard Yuri Ha scored a team-high 16 points including four 3-pointers.

“The freshman earned her stripes tonight,” Barham said. “Every player has that game where they announce themselves to the Orange County basketball community and tonight was her night.”

Kara Niho and Madison Nguyen scored 11 points each for the Bulldogs.

Nguyen was 5 for 6 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. She made two free throws with three seconds remaining to complete the four-point margin.

“That was a great moment for that kid,” Barham said. “I’m glad the basketball gods gave it to her.”

Buena Park senior Gloria Barrera went into this week averaging 30 points and that’s how many she scored Wednesday. She also had nine rebounds.

Coyotes senior Mya Barnes scored 14 points with eight rebounds.

Now, about that 12 rounds of boxing metaphor …

“Rumble in the Jungle,” Barham said, referring to the classic 1974 heavyweight championship fight in which Muhammad Ali voluntarily leaned back on the ropes to take a beating from George Foreman for the first few rounds until Ali suddenly turned on his energy in the eighth round to knock out Foreman.

“I show our kids the video of that fight every year,” Barham said. “Every year. George Foreman. ‘Rope-a-dope.’”

Buena Park surged to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter in which Barrera, with her large arsenal of moves, scored 13 points. Portola climbed back into the game with a late run in the quarter. Buena Park took a 20-16 lead into the second quarter.

Ha’s first 3-pointer put Portola ahead for the first time 26-25. Nina Saiki’s 3-pointer in the quarter gave the Bulldogs a 32-27 lead to complete a 24-9 run. Portola had a 37-33 advantage at halftime and a 49-45 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Buena Park’s Ava Wiley made a 3 to open the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game, 49-48. Barrera scored seven points in the fourth quarter to lead the Coyotes, but Portola kept hitting its shots, too. Ha made another 3 pointer, Bianca Morrell and Amelia Booth made clutch baskets, Saiki made four three throws and Nguyen made her five in the final moments to get Portola the win.

Portola was the quicker of the two teams, and had an abundance of energy in the fourth quarter.

“We’re not going to start strong all the time,” Nguyen said. “We’re smaller and play more of a 3-point game. But we knew once we got it going we were going to start winning from there.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers return from All-Star break with frustrating loss to Hornets

• February 20, 2025

LOS ANGELES — If the Lakers looked like a team ready for the All-Star break in their Feb. 12 road loss to the Utah Jazz, then Wednesday’s 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena showed what can happen when a team is away from the court for an extended period.

Because from the onset, the Lakers and Hornets played with a sloppiness of teams that looked like they hadn’t played in a week.

The teams combined for 37 turnovers (18 for the Lakers) and shot a combined 38.6% from the field (70 for 181).

But it was the Eastern Conference’s 14th-place Hornets (14-39) who made the plays when it mattered the most, outscoring the hosts 63-49 in the second half to hand the Lakers (32-21) their second consecutive loss. The Lakers, already facing one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NBA, bookended their All-Star break with defeats against two of the league’s worst teams.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 26 points (16 in the fourth quarter), 11 assists, seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, but he missed a pair of late 3-point attempts that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.

Rui Hachimura added 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but missed a pair of late free throws. Dorian Finney-Smith (12 points, five rebounds, three assists) also scored in double figures.

Luka Doncic, playing in his third game with the Lakers, finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, but struggled with his shot (5 for 18 from the field, 1 for 9 from 3-point range) and taking care of the ball (six turnovers – five in the first quarter).

The Hornets outscored the Lakers 43-32 after Austin Reaves was assessed a pair of technical fouls and ejected from the game after a brief exchange of words with referee Rodney Mott late in the third quarter. The Lakers led 65-57 at the time of Reaves’ ejection, but Charlotte went on an 18-1 run immediately after Reaves was ejected, putting the Hornets ahead 75-66 early in the fourth after the Lakers led by as much as 13 in the third. The Lakers missed 10 straight shots during a 6:39 span.

Doncic made a putback that put the Lakers back ahead 94-93 with 1:03 left, but the Hornets regained the lead at 96-94 on a corner 3-pointer from Nick Smith Jr. with 48 seconds remaining.

Hachimura drew a shooting foul on the Lakers’ ensuing possession but missed both free throws.

LaMelo Ball made a contested finger-roll layup over Jarred Vanderbilt to put the Hornets ahead 98-94 with 14.2 seconds left.

James made a 3-pointer out of a broken play to bring the Lakers within one 98-97 with 6.8 seconds left.

The Lakers intentionally fouled Ball on the Hornets’ ensuing possession, with Ball making both free throws to put the Hornets up 100-97 with 6.3 seconds left before James missed a pair of 3-point attempts as Charlotte won for just the second time in 11 games.

Miles Bridges scored 29 points and Ball finished with 27 to pace Charlotte. Mark Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds in his first game since the Lakers acquired the center in a trade and then rescinded the deal.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Sierra Canyon girls basketball ready for top-seeded Ontario Christian after rout of Sage Hill

• February 20, 2025

CHATSWORTH — The Sierra Canyon girls basketball team made adjustments on offense while staying steady on defense to beat Sage Hill 69-33 on Wednesday night.

The fourth-seeded Trailblazers improved to 2-0 in Open Division pool play and next travel to face top-seeded Ontario Christian on Saturday evening.

“They’re a really good team but our team is ready,” Trailblazers senior Ashely Redd said of Ontario Christian. “We only care about ourselves and how we’re doing. Our locker room only cares about what’s going on in our locker room.”

Jerzy Robinson scored 29 points for Sierra Canyon (27-1) and Redd added 10 points. Amelia Holguin led the Lightning with 14 points.

Sage Hill (19-10) will travel to Bishop Montgomery on Saturday for the final round of pool play.

Redd got the offense moving in the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a layup. Sierra Canyon was able to extend that to an 11-0 scoring run for a 43-17 lead late in the third quarter.

“Our team was in a lull and we were all trying to find different ways to turn up and make a difference,” Redd said. “I just happened to hit two shots. I’ve been practicing and I’m ready.”

@haleymsawyer

Sierra Canyon girls basketball beat Sage Hill 69-33 on Wednesday. Jerzy Robinson scored 29 points and the Trailblazers will play Ontario Christian on Saturday. #basketball #sportsreporter #sports #reporter #journalism #highschoolbasketball #girlsbasketball #sierracanyon

♬ Nosebleeds – Doechii

Sierra Canyon was generating good looks on offense but couldn’t get its shots to consistently fall throughout the first half.

While the Trailblazers struggled to settle in on offense, they were in control on defense. Edwards swatted shots down and 6-foot Robinson was tough on the boards to maintain defensive control of the paint.

Sierra Canyon gave up just four points in the first quarter.

“We just played hard,” Robinson said. “It’s about pride and heart and not letting anybody score on you. So we really focused on that, got that going and that propelled us to get this win tonight.”

Edwards and Robinson teamed up to generate scoring chances. Leia Edwards, a Lehigh commit, deflected a Sage Hill shot and passed to Robinson, who drove in for an easy layup and a 22-7 advantage late in the second quarter.

“Leia’s a great player,” Robinson said. “She’s got that good, that ‘Luka’ game where she can find people. I’m very happy to play with her.”

Robinson, who is the No. 3 2026 recruit in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings, scored 14 points in the first half as Sierra Canyon went into the halftime break with a 26-14 advantage.

Sierra Canyon hosted Ontario Christian in the Open Division regional semifinals last season and came out on top 76-69.

The Knights have plenty of young talent on their roster. Sophomore guard Kaleena Smith is the No. 1 prospect in the 2027 recruiting class in the HoopGurlz rankings and 6-foot-7 Sydney Douglas and 5-foot-11 Tati Griffin are both on the 2028 watch list.

“New year, new team, new mindset,” Robinson said. “We’re really focused on our preparation and ready to go out there and play them and play hard on Saturday.”

Other girls basketball scores Wednesday:

Division 1: Harvard-Westlake 65, Chaminade 49

Division 2AA: Palos Verdes 67, Hart 64

Division 2AA: Oak Park 64, San Juan Hills 49

​ Orange County Register 

2 charged in fatal Santa Ana drive-by shooting

• February 20, 2025

SANTA ANA — A man with a lengthy criminal history and a fellow gang member were charged Tuesday in a fatal drive-by shooting in Santa Ana.

Santino Javier Fausto, 28, and Stephany Vuelvas, 26, were both charged with murder in the Aug. 26 shooting of 32-year-old Erik Alegria of Santa Ana in the 800 block of South Townsend Street, near Jerome Park.

Vuelvas drove to rival gang territory and Fauston got out to shoot someone he felt was associated with a rival gang, the criminal complaint alleges.

Fausto is charged with murder with a special circumstance allegation of a drive-by shooting and gang activity with sentencing enhancements for discharge of a gun causing death, shooting at a building, possession of a gun by a felon and conspiracy.

Vuelvas is charged with murder, shooting at a building, drive-by shooting and conspiracy, all felonies, with sentencing enhancements for a gang member vicariously discharging a gun causing great bodily injury and gang activity.

Fausto pled guilty June 21, 2019, to carrying a loaded gun in public and possession of a gun by a felon, both felonies, and admitted sentencing enhancements for gang activity, according to court records.

Fausto pleaded guilty in June 2015 to car theft, buying or receiving a stolen vehicle and participating in gang activity, all felonies, with sentencing enhancements for gang activity. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a gun in a school zone with a sentencing enhancement for gang activity in January 2015.

The two did not enter a plea at their arraignment on Tuesday, which was rescheduled for March 7.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Wednesday, Feb. 19

• February 20, 2025

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Wednesday, Feb. 19

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES

BOYS SOCCER

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 5

Northwood 3, Godinez 1

Montclair 5, Sunny Hills 2

DIVISION 8

Magnolia Science Academy 2, Santa Rosa Academy 0

BASEBALL

NONLEAGUE

Sonora 2, Ocean View 1

Katella 7, Sunny Hills 1

Beckman 7, Redlands East Valley 2

Century 7, University 5

SOFTBALL

NONLEAGUE

Anaheim 17, Godinez 7

Cypress 9, Kennedy 2

La Quinta 13, Magnolia 2

Orange Lutheran 8, Santiago/Corona 2

Santa Ana 18, Orange 2

Crean Lutheran 12, United Christian Academy 0

Whittier Christian 5, Gahr 4

Dana Hills 14, El Toro 3

Tesoro 5, Irvine 4

​ Orange County Register 

Trump administration halts legal support for 26,000 unaccompanied children in immigration court

• February 20, 2025

Children so young their feet can’t touch the floor when they sit in courtroom chairs have been left without representation in immigration court because of Trump administration cuts, according to organizations that help these kids navigate the legal system when they arrive in the U.S. without a parent or guardian.

The organizations say the children are at risk because the Trump administration suspended a key program late Tuesday, ordering that the Acacia Center for Justice and its subcontractors immediately stop work on a $200 million contract to provide representation for children entering the country alone.

Daniela Hernandez, an immigration attorney who provides free legal services to about 60 children in Pasadena, said during a news conference Wednesday that some of her clients — who are as young as 2 — have court hearings as soon as Friday.

“What is this 2-year-old client supposed to do without her attorney?” she said. “Who will speak for her in court? Who will explain to her and all of our other clients in foster care who have not only nobody, no adult in the United States to care for them, that they will now have to navigate a very complex legal immigration system on their own?”

The Interior Department gave no explanation for the stop-work order, telling the group only that it was done for “causes outside of your control” and should not be interpreted as a judgment of poor performance. The halt remains in effect until further notice.

In a statement Wednesday, the department said it has agreements to support other agencies but does not fund or operate the program and couldn’t answer questions about it. The Department of Health and Human Services Department, which oversees unaccompanied migrant children, did not respond to requests for comment.

At a San Diego immigration court Wednesday, a 5-year-old girl from Mexico facing deportation sat before Judge Olga Attia. Attia asked if the girl could have some coloring books — “that may be a little more fun,” she told her.

As the girl drew, the judge explained the case to her, her 13-year-old sister and her 15-year-old brother. All three children were arrested for crossing the border illegally, without their parents, in March 2024. Their mother attended the hearing — she entered the U.S. at a different time than her children, who have their own immigration cases.

And they were navigating it all without a lawyer.

The mother said they couldn’t afford one. Attia recommended a nonprofit that might give guidance and scheduled another hearing in May.

But with the contract that was ended Tuesday, options for affordable legal guidance are narrowing for this family and thousands of others involving unaccompanied children.

Acacia has a network of 85 organizations nationwide that work with children under 18. About 26,000 migrant children get direct legal representation under the contract while roughly 100,000 get some kind of legal advice, often through presentations lawyers hold for children while they are in government-run shelters just after arriving in the U.S.

People fighting deportation do not have the same right to representation as people going through criminal courts, although they can hire private attorneys.

But there has been some recognition that children navigating the immigration court system without a parent or guardian are especially vulnerable.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 created special protections for children who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or a legal guardian. It said the government should facilitate legal representation for the children put into deportation proceedings, though it did not mandate every child have a lawyer.

Acacia and its subcontractors recruit and train lawyers and work with private attorneys who provide free legal representation for the children.

Unaccompanied children can request asylum, juvenile immigration status, or visas for victims of sexual exploitation. Most of the children don’t speak English and need interpreters.

“You have these kids who are thrust into this adult-like situation with very severe consequences,” said Jennifer Podkul, vice president for policy and advocacy at Kids In Need of Defense, citing that about 50% of children have legal representation in immigration court.

Children will be stuck in the system or off the grid, and cases won’t be processed, attorneys and experts said.

Melissa L. Lopez is executive director of a group that receives funding through the program that was suspended, and she said they have a legal and ethical obligation to continue helping the estimated 2,000 children they represent.

“We will do what is best for our clients,” said Lopez, of El Paso, Texas-based Estrella del Paso. The group also gives legal presentations in shelters so children know their rights, but they’ve been barred from doing that, she said.

“They will be expected to go to court alone and uninformed,” she said.

Acacia sys it runs the legal aid program through a network of 85 organizations nationwide that represent children under 18, like Immigrant Defenders in Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization providing legal services to immigrants in Southern California. Immigrant Defenders, or ImmDef, represents over 2,000 unaccompanied children across Southern California with legal services, according to Renee Garcia, ImmDef’s communications director.

The stop work order will mean children, some as young as toddlers who are barely learning to talk, will be expected to show up to immigration court to represent themselves against an attorney with ICE, according to Garcia. “It poses extreme due process rights issues for kids,” she said.

“Just imagine yourself as a child, you know, I think if you can do anything to humanize the scenario because people may not understand like, okay, so they don’t have an attorney so what? Like it literally means that nobody is in their is in their side fighting for their right to safety.”

The legal services provided to immigrant children in government custody by organizations across the country like ImmDef range from know your rights presentations, legal screenings, court preparation orientations, and pro bono legal representation.

Despite the stop work order, ImmDef attorneys are prepared to continue representing their clients at their own expense because of “ethical obligations”, according to Garcia, though ImmDef isn’t sure how long that’ll last.

“These are kids who are terrified because they’re alone… some of them walked hundreds of miles to come to the United States asking for help because there was simply no safety in their home country. Some of them came to reunite with family here. Some of them don’t have family,” Garcia said.

“For the ones that don’t have family, the government basically is their only hope for somebody to take care of them. And right now the government has chosen to turn its back on them for political purposes.”

People fihting deportation may hire attorneys at their own expense, but the government does not provide them. Groups that rely on federal support to represent children said the most vulnerable would suffer most under the decision to halt work on the $200 million contract.

“Expecting a child to represent themself in immigration court absurd and deeply unjust,” said Christine Lin, director of training and technical assistance at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies.

​ Orange County Register 

Sherman Oaks Buff and Hensman-designed home asks $3.5M

• February 20, 2025

A Sherman Oaks home designed in the mid-1970s by the Case Study architectural duo of Conrad Buff and Donald Hensman is on the market for $3.495 million.

Known as the Everts House after its first owners, this two-story modernist creation with a flat roof and walls of glass spans 2,820 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Its original built-ins, materials and finishes underwent years-long restoration and upgrades.

Records viewed at PropertyShark.com show the current owners bought the property for $1.24 million in July 2013, and immediately launched renovations. Now listed, the asking price includes architectural plans and zoning approval for a 1,200-square-foot addition with an outdoor deck.

The house, completed in 1979, sits on a quarter-acre-plus lot and accommodates indoor and outdoor living.

Floor-to-ceiling glass connect the indoors to the outdoor living space, secluded from the street behind double-entry doors. This walled-in area features seating areas and a long rectangular pool, offering mountain and San Fernando Valley views.

From there, you enter the home.

The airy open floor plan showcases European oak flooring throughout, and the newly updated eat-in kitchen features marble countertops, high-end appliances and locally crafted walnut cabinetry.

A low built-in cabinet separates the dining area from the living area with a fireplace.

Built-ins are found throughout the house, including in the primary bedroom suite with direct access to a private deck.

The house includes a small office, large study and a flat outdoor recreation area. An attached two-car garage completes the offering.

Brian Courville of Compass has the listing.

Buff and Hensman created hundreds of affordable postwar homes in Southern California, but Case Study House No. 20B (with architect Calvin Straub) in Altadena solidified their legacy. The Pasadena-based firm’s post and beam design commissioned by Saul and Ruth Bass and built of wood in 1958 wasn’t its only contribution to the Arts and Architecture Case Study House Program. Their portfolio also includes Case Study House No. 28 in Thousand Oaks. Constructed during 1965 and 1966, it is one of the last and largest homes built as part of the program.

​ Orange County Register 

4 Nations Face-Off: Team USA, Canada focused on playing a final for the ages

• February 20, 2025

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON — The U.S. and Canadian hockey teams tried to skate back the geopolitical tension that has infiltrated the 4 Nations Face-Off as they looked ahead to the championship game Thursday night for what has turned into one of the best international hockey tournaments in decades.

Setting aside the animosity that has been building over tariff talks, anthems and annexation, the players and coaches said they wanted to leave their fans with an appreciation for the game like the one they picked up from iconic events like the United States’ “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

“That event in USA Hockey inspired a generation of players: my generation,” said U.S. coach Mike Sullivan, who was 11 when the Americans won the gold medal in Lake Placid.

“I think this group that we have in our dressing room have an opportunity to do that and inspire the next generation. And I think they recognize that,” said Sullivan, who followed several of the U.S. Olympians to Boston University before an 11-year NHL playing career and two decades more as a coach. “Without a doubt, that 1980 team, still to this day, has had such an influence on American hockey.”

After sitting out the last two Winter Olympics, the NHL’s best returned to international play this month for a tournament that replaced the league’s All-Star Game, a midseason exhibition that mattered little and was treated by the players as such.

Instead, the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden all sent their stars. And something happened once they started playing for their countries: The hockey has been historic, especially the fight-filled round-robin matchup between the North Americans on Saturday that was the most-watched non-Stanley Cup Final game in a decade.

“Anybody that thought they were going to come in here and see an All-Star Game was sorely, sorely mistaken. This has been anything but,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday. “It’s been all-stars, but it’s not been an All-Star Game.”

Add in the cross-border tension following President Donald Trump’s tariff war and his calls for Canada to be made the 51st state, and the tournament has much of the flavor of the Cold War meeting with the Soviets in Lake Placid.

Canadian fans loudly booed the U.S. national anthem on Saturday night in Montreal. In Boston on Monday, when the TD Garden public address announcer called for respect, the payback for “O Canada” was tepid; instead, the Americans belted out “The Star-Spangled Banner” at full throat.

“All that stuff – throw it all out the window. It’s one game here, and one game for everything,” U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “Our team’s helped grow the game here in this country already. And I think a win can just knock that door right down and open up a whole new wave of hockey players throughout the whole country.”

Canadian forward Brad Marchand, who plays for the Boston Bruins and will be skating on what is ordinarily his home ice, dismissed the political angle, saying the hockey was good enough to sell itself. He recalled watching in his family’s basement when the Canadians beat the U.S. in the gold medal game of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

And he hopes some kid in Nova Scotia was watching when the Americans and Canadians matched up on Saturday in Montreal, or again on Thursday night in Boston.

“This will be another memory, another core memory for a lot of a lot of kids growing up, a lot of hockey fans for both American and Canadian players – and probably kids all across the world,” he said. “So it’s a gift and a privilege to play in these games. And definitely one you don’t take for granted.”

The 3-1 U.S. victory in the round-robin began with three fights in the first nine seconds, then settled into a fast-paced clinic that ranks among the top games in international hockey history.

The sequel “feels bigger than that,” Tkachuk said.

“It’s going to be an incredible environment,” he said. “Obviously, wearing the jersey and representing your country is such an incredible honor and what we play for. But the opportunity that we have is something that – I don’t even think we thought was possible and what we could create.”

That’s what compelled Ted Sells to make a five-hour drive from his home in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, to a 12-hour flight through Calgary and Dallas to get to Boston for the title game. He wandered through the TD Garden pro shop looking for Canadian gear and saw none; a clerk told him they were sold out.

Sells said he hoped the teams could set aside the politics and just play hockey.

“Everybody has their team and their favorite,” he said. “But they shake hands at the end. And that’s good.”

Across the store, James Kopacki said he had no animosity toward the Canadians; he was deciding whether to buy his wife, a Bruins fan, a Marchand jersey. The U.S. Navy veteran came up from Fort Worth, Texas, to watch the game, buying tickets after watching the Americans beat Canada in the opening round.

“That game turned out to be so good. That’s why we’re here,” he said. “I’ve never seen a game like that, as far as the tension and the desire to win. And not just that: the tension between our countries.”

Kopacki said he spent $1,500 on the tickets, and he’s been monitoring the price as the hype increases.

“If the tickets reach $5,000,” he said, “then we’re going to sell them and go to a bar in Boston and watch for free.”

MATTHEW TKACHUK, HAGEL TRADE BARBS

Matthew Tkachuk and Canada’s Brandon Hagel traded punches on Saturday night. Ahead of their rematch, they’re trading words.

Hagel said Tuesday that his fight with Tkachuk off the opening faceoff – one of three fights in the first nine seconds of Team USA’s electrifying win in Montreal – was done “for the flag and not the cameras.” He also called out U.S. players J.T. Miller and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for preplanning their fights against Canada via group chat.

“We don’t need to initiate anything. We don’t have any group chats going on. We’re going out there playing our game and then giving it everything and doing it for our country,” Hagel said, via Sportsnet. “We’re just going to play as hard as we can and do it for the flag on the chest.”

Matthew Tkachuk was asked about Hagel’s comments on Wednesday morning.

“Maybe their team doesn’t like each other then, if they don’t have group chats,” he said.

Tkachuk and Hagel are rivals in the NHL, as Tkachuk plays for the Florida Panthers and Hagel skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“That’s just a player enjoying his opportunity. Our team does not care about anything that they say. There’s been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals, but we care about one thing in this room,” Tkachuk said. “We have millions of people that are watching us and supporting us around this country and we’re very prideful in playing for them. So it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for us.”

QUINN HUGHES WILL NOT JOIN TEAM USA

Defenseman Quinn Hughes will not travel to Boston to join the United States team as an injury replacement option for the championship game, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Americans will have Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson and New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce as injury insurance for the title game.

Hughes, 25, was expected to join the Americans for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game after defenseman Charlie McAvoy was lost for the tournament. McAvoy was hospitalized Monday with an infection in his right shoulder and a significant injury to his AC joint.

Hughes initially made Team USA’s roster but had to back out because of an oblique injury. He still hasn’t been officially cleared by the Vancouver Canucks to return to play, having been out of action since Jan. 31. He wore a red non-contact jersey in Canucks practice Tuesday before being cleared for contact for Wednesday’s practice.

ESPN reported that Hughes recently flew across the country back to Vancouver from the East Coast. To fly to Boston, and then to Las Vegas for the Canucks’ next game Saturday, would have been a taxing travel week for him.

McAvoy, 27, had been a key contributor to the American team in the international tournament whose big hits on Canadian stars Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby were credited with setting a tone in the round-robin matchup.

Tournament roster rules would allow a player replacement only if the team did not have enough “able-bodied” players to skate a full team. Even without McAvoy, the Americans do have the required six healthy defensemen.

Sullivan said he expects his other players, including brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, to be available.

Matthew Tkachuk seemed to be favoring his groin at practice on Wednesday. Brady Tkachuck, who left Monday’s game with an undisclosed injury, skipped practice entirely.

Matthew Tkachuk said it wouldn’t keep him from playing.

“It’s going to be an incredible game,” he said, “and I don’t want to miss it.”

​ Orange County Register