Yesterday the Blackhawks fell to the Nashville Predators, the Bulls eked out a victory against the Charlotte Bobcats, Butler topped Loyola of Chicago, and Ball State defeated Northern Illinois. more ›

An extra-alarm broke out in an apartment building near Loyola University today and injured 11 (or 12, according to the Sun-Times), two critically. more ›

• Twelve people were injured this afternoon when a CTA bus struck a school, but none were seriously hurt.
• The tragic story of the car crash in Steger that killed 5-year-old Michael Langford dead.
• The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals could take up the issue of delaying Rod Blagojevich's trial.

Bike sharing programs have taken off in Europe in the past few years and in the U.S., well, they're moseying along. Loyola University Chicago's two-year-old campus bike share program, one of the largest in Chicago, has been popular so far, and it just got a vote of confidence: Bike and Roll Chicago donated 30 new bikes to the program. more ›

There may be four medal winners on the Blackhawks' roster, but there were no winners last night as the New York Islanders cruised to a 5-3 victory in the post-Olympics return to the ice for both teams. Brian Campbell opened the scoring to give the 'Hawks a 1-0 lead and Patrick Kane scored on a power-play to give them a 2-1 edge going into the first intermission. But that's where the 'Hawks' edge would end: the Isles scored four straight goals in the second period, enough to see Antti Niemi pulled in favor of Huet in goal. Dustin Byfuglien managed a late power-play goal in the third, but it was too little, too late. The 'Hawks hope their home return tonight against Edmonton will give them more of a bounce (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls didn't have quite enough gas to get by the Pacers last night, falling 100-90 in Indianapolis. It was a close game early, but the Pacers used a 12-3 run in the second quarter to stretch out their lead to seven at the half and never looked back. Derrick Rose had 27 points to lead the Bulls (31-28) while Luol Deng scored 13 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Bulls get tonight off before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to town tomorrow night (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

• It probably won't be enough to get them to Big Dance, but Northwestern tied a school record for wins in a season (18) by beating Iowa 74-57. John Shurna led all scorers with 29 points; Jeremy Nash also had 15.
• UIC overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to topple Green Bay 78-71, the struggling Flames second win in a row. Robo Kreps had 24 points, Zavion Neely had 18, and Jeremy Buttell had 16.
• Loyola suffered their third straight loss last night, falling to Milwaukee 63-61. Geoff McCammon had 22 points to lead the Ramblers.

• Loyola took an early lead against No. 15 Butler and held a slim two-point lead at the half but Butler proved too strong, rolling past the Ramblers 62-47. No Loyola players broke double-digits in scoring but Geoff McCammon and Walt Gibler each scored nine points.
• UIC slid back into the losing column Monday night as Valparaiso squeaked past the Flames 83-82. A late Flames run put UIC back in contention but Valpo nailed some late free throws to pull away. A last second three pointer by Robo Kreps (who had 17 points) closed the final score gap but wasn't enough. Jeremy Buttell led all scorers with 25 points.

The Blackhawks snapped a three-game losing streak as they skated past the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday night. Patrick Sharp scored his 17th goal of the season early in the first period and Jonathan Toews scored his 19th later in the period to give the 'Hawks a 2-0 lead. The lead held until late in the third period when St. Louis scored a power-play goal. Antti Niemi had a sterling night in goal, making 34 saves on 35 shots faced. The game also had some spicy moments, including a nice little tussle in the first period. The 'Hawks still trail the Sharks by four points for first place in the Western Conference. Next up is Dallas on Tuesday night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

• Notre Dame got a huge performance out of Luke Harangody (37 points, 14 rebounds) as they cruised past Big East foe Cincinnati 83-65. Tim Abromaitis added 22 points.
• It took some extra basketball but Loyola pushed past Youngstown State 92-85. Geoff McCammon led all scorers with 25 points.
• UIC's losing streak reached nine games as Cleveland State upended the Flames 74-63. Jeremy Buttell and Zavion Neely both scored 17 points.

The Blackhawks wrapped up their Disney-On-Ice road trip last night but found themselves having less success than their United Center counterparts as they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. The 'Canes took the lead with a goal in the waning seconds of the first period and Chicago answered with a Marian Hossa goal a few minutes into the second. Carolina answered late in the second to take a 2-1 edge and the 'Hawks once again tied the game up as Andrew Ladd scored a few minutes in to the third period. But the 'Canes scored twice in a 26 second span at the midway point of the third to take a two-goal lead they wouldn't relinquish. Huet got 20 saves but allowed all four goals while the 'Hawks out-shot the 'Canes 41-24 but still wound up with the loss. The 'Hawks still lead the division comfortably and are in second place in the Western Conference, just 3 points behind San Jose. The team also gets 4 of the next 6 games at home before the two-week Olympic break. Next up is a return to the UC to face St. Louis on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

We should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The 'Hawks, second place overall in the Western Conference, jumped out to a big lead early on the first place San Jose Sharks but would have to go to overtime to earn the 4-3 victory. Chicago scored a trio of goals in a 3:21 span early in the first period to take a big 3-0 lead: Dustin Byfuglien got his 100th NHL career point with the first goal of the game, Troy Brouwer followed up less than a minute later, and Andrew Ladd netted his 10th goal of the season to round out the attack. But San Jose proved why they're one of the NHL's elite teams and fought back, scoring before the end of the first, once more in the second, and getting the equalizer early in the third, and Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stopped 32 straight shots after allowing the early goals. But, despite the comeback, it was the 'Hawks night as Brouwer scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime to give Chicago the win. Huet had 34 saves overall in net for the 'Hawks who remain in second place, one point back of San Jose in the Western Conference. Last night's meeting was the last of the season between the two teams. The 'Hawks are now 5-2 on the eight-game-Disney-on-Ice roadtrip and wrap it up Saturday night in Carolina (6 p.m., WGN). more ›

With Joakim Noah hurt, Brad Miller made the most of his start at center, scoring 25 points to lead the Bulls to a 104-97 victory over Houston. The Bulls have now won two straight road games, a great improvement for a team that's struggled mightily on the road all season. All five Bulls starters scored in double-figures including 20 from Derrick Rose and a 16-14 from Taj Gibson as the team shot over 50 percent from the floor for another night. The Bulls hope their trip to Texas continues on a winning note as they take on the Spurs tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Blackhawks got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory over struggling Calgary. After a scoreless first, the 'Hawks jumped on top with a Patrick Kane power play goal midway through the second, Kane's 21st goal of the season. Calgary took advantage of their own power play opportunity late in the second to tie the game at 1-1. But the 'Hawks came back in the third with a Ben Eager goal early on to give the 'Hawks the lead for good. An empty net goal from Duncan Keith in the final minute extended the game out of reach. Antti Niemi made good on his nod to start in goal for the 'Hawks, stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced. The 'Hawks hope to start a new winning streak Saturday night when they head to Vancouver (9 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls hit the road on a winning note after edging the Washington Wizards 121-119 in double overtime, their fourth-straight win. A tight game throughout, Washington led by as man as seven early in the fourth, but Chicago chipped away at the lead and a Derrick Rose jumper with less than 30 seconds left tied the game to force overtime. A John Salmons layup with 14 seconds left in overtime forced the second extra period where a late 5-1 run, capped by a Derrick Rose jumper with five seconds left, clinched the win for the Bulls. Rose had a monster game with 37 points, 9 rebounds, and six assists. Kirk Hinrich added 19, Joakim Noah had a 17-15, and Luol Deng added 17 points of his own. In spite of the struggles and the calls to fire Coach Vinny, the 18-20 Bulls would make the playoffs if the season ended today, sitting in eight place in the NBA's Eastern Conference and only a half-game back of seventh. The Bulls now begin their long Disney-on-Ice roadtrip, tipping off Monday at Golden State (3 p.m., WGN). more ›

Bulls Thump T-Wolves more ›

The Boston Bruins jumped out to an early lead, but the Blackhawks stormed back to bust an Original Six foe by a 5-2 final. A pair of early Bruins goals put the 'Hawks down 2-0 halfway through the first period but Duncan Keith and Tomas Kopecky both scored before the first intermission to send the game to the second tied. From there, the 'Hawks kept rolling. Andrew Ladd scored next for the 'Hawks early in the second and Keith followed at the halfway mark with his second goal of the game. Patrick Kane scored late in the third with the cherry-on-top goal. Keith had an assist to go along with his pair of goals and Ben Eager had a pair of assists as well. After allowing those first two goals - one even-strength, the other a power play - Antti Niemi settled down, saving the rest of the shots he faced (19 overall). The win was the 'Hawks fifth straight and 12th in their last 14, a streak they hope to keep going when they visit the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Blackhawks kept rolling into the New Year burning the New Jersey Devils 5-1, the 'Hawks eighth win in their last 10 games. Five different Blackhawks scored: Troy Brouwer on a power play in the first followed by Ben Eager; Andrew Ladd in the second; and Jonathan Toews and John Madden in the third. With a little over a minute and a half left to secure another shutout, Cristobal Huet let one slip by him, the only New Jersey goal of the night, he had 26 saves on the night. The 'Hawks try to keep rolling as 2010 starts in St. Louis tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

Cristobal Huet locked things down in goal for the Blackhawks as they skated to a 3-0 shutout victory over the St. Louis Blues. The game was Huet's 2nd shoutout of the year and the 22nd of his career as he stopped all 27 shots he faced. Troy Brouwer scored late in the first and Brian Campbell followed a few minutes later with a power play goal to put the 'Hawks up 2-0 at the first intermission. Marian Hossa netted his fifth goal of the season late in the second and the 'Hawks cruised the rest of the way for the victory. Jonathan Toews had two assists on the night. Now at 21-8-3, it's the best start for the 'Hawks after 32 games since the '82-'83 season. The 'Hawks host the Bruins tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Blackhawks Nip Pens more ›

It was a light night in Chicago sports with only a pair of local college basketball teams in action, but fear not: both the 'Hawks and Bulls are in action tonight. more ›

Things keep getting worse on this current road trip for the Bulls as they lost their third straight game, this time 122-98 to the Portland Trailblazers. Not only do the losses keep coming (the Bulls are now 2-6 on the road this season), but the margin of those losses grows as well: 15 to the Lakers, then 19 to the Nuggets, and now 24 to the Trailblazers. The Bulls had a hard time stopping big men like Greg Oden, who scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in less than 27 minutes on the floor. For the Bulls, Luol Deng led the team with 25 points and John Salmons added 22, but Chicago was out-rebounded by a wide 47-27 margin, something Coach Vinny said was the difference in the game: "they outrebounded us by a lot, and that was the difference in the game - their control of the glass. We gave up way too many easy field goals underneath." The Bulls hope they can be thankful for an end to the losing streak when they visit Utah Thursday night (9:30 p.m., TNT/WGN). more ›

No pro sports last night but there was a trio of area college hoops game. more ›

The Bulls are off to a good start on this year's Circus Trip and are also off to their best start overall in 12 years (6-4) after a 101-87 victory over Sacramento last night. It was also the first time the Bulls broke 100 points in a game and they were paced by John Salmons who scored 23; Joakim Noah (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Luol Deng (16 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles. With the hot start, the Bulls are already hearing the whispers about the echos of Jordan and Pippen. After the win, Derrick Rose tried to keep things in perspective, saying, "We're not even near them right now, hopefully one day we'll get there but it's going to take a lot of time." Next up on the road trip are the Lakers tomorrow night (9:30 p.m., TNT). more ›

• CPS officials are boasting about higher test scores, but are they misleading?
• Police caught a man accused of a rape in Logan Square.
• An Amtrak train bound for Chicago crashed into a sedan today, killing all five people in the car.

To keep overnight parking free at two lots in his ward, Alderman Joe Moore (D-49) said he will pay the Park District $89,000 a year for three years according to Chi-Town Daily News. Moore says the money will come out of his city stipend (taxpayer money) which aldermen get each year for improvements in their wards. The Park District’s Loyola and Leone parking lots used to be free but the Park District recently approved a 25 cents an hour overnight parking fee to generate revenue needed to balance the budget. The daytime fees at Loyola will increase to $1 an hour. Moore told NBC Chicago, “I don’t have any real serious problems with them increasing the meter rates during the day when parks are open” he said, “But leave us alone at night.”
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The Chicago Blackhawks skated away with two points Tuesday night, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in OT. The 'Hawks got off to a quick start, when Troy Brouwer scored the game's first goal at the 18:57 mark of the opening period. Andrew Ladd added to the lead later in the first, after Duncan Keith stole the puck to set up an odd-man rush for Chicago. Anaheim then got a break early in the second, when the Ducks' Corey Perry caught goalie Cristobal Huet out of the net trying to retrieve the puck and flipped it to teammate Drew Miller for the score. Two minutes later Bobby Ryan would get Anaheim's second goal, and a scoreless third period would lead to overtime. Chicago struck swiftly in the bonus period, as Martin Havlat charged down the ice on a breakaway and fired the thrilling game-winner as he fell to a knee. The 'Hawks next play the Bruins in Boston on Saturday. more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks gave it a go on Friday, but ultimately fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in OT. Trailing by scores of 2-0 and 4-2, the 'Hawks twice made impressive comeback bids, but the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin had the final say with a power-play goal in the bonus period. Chicago's Jonathan Toews took full advantage of the 'Hawks promotional hard-hat night, turning in his first career hat trick. The plastic contruction caps rained down a bit prematurely, however, as Toews' third score was waived-off for a high stick. Determined to reclaim his three-goal night and keep his team in the contest, Toews netted another in the third period to make it official. Dave Bolland had the fourth Chicago goal, tying the game on a backhanded shot with five minutes in regulation. more ›

The Blackhawks scored a 3-1 victory over the Stars on Saturday, completing a four-game, season sweep of the Dallas skaters. Patrick Kane poked in the game-winner seven and a half minutes into the second period, bookended by one-timers from defensemen James Wisniewski and Matt Walker as Chicago took a 3-0 lead. Cristobal Huet was once again stellar in net with 30 saves on 31 attempts, the spoiler coming on a breakaway goal midway through the third. The 'Hawks will return to a hero's welcome when they host the Minnesota Wild tonight, having amassed nine wins in their last 12 games, 11 of which were played on the road. more ›

College Basketball more ›