GAMES PUT ON ICE
Islanders postponed, Duquesne hoops team is stranded
THE ISLANDERS had a snow day on Saturday.
The NHL postponed Saturday night’s Islanders-Flyers game at Barclays Center because of dangerous conditions caused by the winter storm. No makeup date was announced as of Saturday afternoon; ticket-holders must keep their tickets to attend the rescheduled game.
The Islanders travelled back to New York after Friday night’s 5-2 win in Ottawa and did not experience any issues.
Three NHL games have been postponed because of the snowstorm. The Capitals’ Friday home game against the Ducks and their Sunday game against the Penguins were previously postponed.
“Adult snow day,” Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan tweeted.
Before the Islanders’ win on Friday, injured defenseman Johnny Boychuck tweeted he’d help his teammates clean off their snowed-on cars if they came home with a victory.
“Win tonight @NYIslanders and I personally will make sure your vehicles aren’t covered in snow when you get back tonight…” he wrote.
Saturday morning, forward Ryan Strome shared a photo of four cars with different faces crafted on the snowy windshields and hoods.
“Big thanks to @joboych for the snow removal last night,” Strome tweeted.
The Islanders ( 2 5 -1 5 - 6 , 56 points) trailed 2-1 in the middle of the second period against the Senators on Friday, but Cal Clutterbuck tied the game 19 seconds after Erik Karlsson gave Ottawa the lead. They then exploded for three goals in the third period, with Travis Hamonic, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo putting the game on ice.
Their next scheduled game is Monday against the Red Wings at Barclays Center.
FROZEN
Snowbound college athletes spent a night stranded in a mileslong backup on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with hundreds of other motorists, munching on snacks and watching movies to pass the time, before National Guard members and heavy construction equipment began digging vehicles out Saturday.
More than 500 cars, trucks and buses, some carrying the Duquesne University men’s basketball team and the Temple University women’s gymnastics squad, got stuck Friday night as snow started to fall. The Duquesne and Temple buses were freed Saturday night, and Duquesne posted online video of 15 basketball players, coaches and support staff members helping to push their bus.
A turnpike official said no one was expected to spend a second night on the snowchoked highway. Crews were removing barriers between the eastbound and westbound lanes and allowing vehicles to fuel up at a turnpike maintenance shed before getting off the highway.
Temple gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley said National Guard members handed out military rations. “They are one by one trying to plow out vehicles and trying to get them moving,” she said.
Duquesne’s bus got stuck Friday night on its way home from an 86-75 win over George Mason in Fairfax, Va. The stranded passengers along the turnpike put on brave faces. The players mostly got by on leftover pizza and Gatorade and watched movies including “Invincible.” It was difficult for some of the players, who were quite tall, to sleep on the bus.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said the problems in Somerset County began after westbound tractor-trailers were unable to climb a hill. As traffic backed up behind them, more trucks became unable to go up the hill, backing up all vehicles and preventing emergency crews from getting heavy-duty tow trucks to the scene and road crews from being able to clear the snow.