The Friday night newscast anchor for Cronkite News on Arizona PBS. Reporter covering the Arizona Coyotes and college athletics. Editing, shooting, writing, and producing my own content to air on Cronkite News shows on Arizona PBS.
MULTIMEDIA WORK
Written, shot and produced by Nikki Pica.
FRAMES
 Steph Curry wins ACC |  Kyle Lewis smacks HR |  Kyle Lewis smacks HR |
|---|---|---|
 Kyle Lewis smacks HR |  Air Force dunk vs. Nevada |  Air Force dunk vs. Nevada |
 Kyle Lewis |  Akshay Bhatia wins Barracuda |  Barracuda Championship |
 Akshay Bhatia wins Barracuda |  Akshay Bhatia wins Barracuda |  Barracuda Championship |
 Kyle Lewis |  Kyle Lewis |  Kyle Lewis |
 American Century Championship |  Steph Curry wins American Century Championship |  Steph Curry wins American Century Championship |
 American Century Championship |  Steph Curry wins American Century Championship |  Jorge Barrosa rounding first |
 Brandon Pfaadt takes mound |  Air Force vs. Nevada |  Tre Coleman |
WRITING SAMPLES
HEARTBREAK AT THE FROZEN FOUR
By: Nikki Pica
One hundred and forty-two minutes and 13 seconds of game play. The hearts of many were broken on March 27, 2021 as the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team endured the longest game in NCAA tournament history.
The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks sat in the nation’s No. 1 seed going into the 2021 Frozen Four tournament. Their opponent -- the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs -- were back to defend national titles from the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
In the most unconventional situation, the Bulldogs played with fresh legs while the Fighting Hawks bore through back-to-back days on the ice.
Extensive protocols were enforced in the tournament. Teams that test positive would have to forfeit their spot in the tournament and if within the allotted time before locking in the bracket, a new team would replace them.
Shortly after the bracket was announced, three teams dropped out before game play started. St. Lawrence tested positive first as Notre Dame replaced the Saints. Notre Dame and Michigan then fell to the virus and had to drop out of the tournament. That gave their opponents a bye through to the semifinal game.
It was argued that the No.1 seed should have had a different outcome in the tournament bracket and seeding.
“They (Notre Dame) literally were the last team in and if we were the No. 1 overall, they should have been in our regional anyway,” UND Sports Information Director Mitch Wigness said. “So like there's a lot of naysaying… why did AIC (American International College) even come as the No. 4 seed. We should have had Notre Dame here and when they got zapped, everything would have worked out.”
Minnesota-Duluth was one of the teams that earned a first-round bye into the semifinals. The Bulldogs had an extra day to prepare for their matchup against the winner of the UND- AIC game. UND won 5-1.
The next day, the Fighting Hawks and the Bulldogs played, and the game turned out to be one for the record books.
No goals were scored until the third period.
The Bulldogs went up 2-0 within the first 5 minutes of the final period, the odds decreasing by the second for the Fighting Hawks.
With 1:41 left in regulation, senior Collin Adams made it a one-goal game with a shot from behind the net off the goalie’s back. Just 44 seconds later, senior captain Jordan Kawaguchi found the back of the net to send the game into overtime.
The Bulldogs scored eight minutes into the first overtime, only to have the goal reversed due to offsides.
This sparked energy back into the North Dakota bench.
“The first overtime happened, the second overtime happened, now you're seeing guys... just coming off the ice and... falling to the floor to get rest, or putting anything in their body that they can.,” Wigness said.
The players ran through all the Gatorade accessible to them and turned to soda to get quick sugars in their body. The staff made trips to the concession stands to grab mustard packets for players to help with cramping.
The game continued for another 74 minutes before Minnesota-Duluth got the bounce with a shot that hit off the goalie’s right pad through the five-hole to finish the seemingly never-ending contest.
“It was bogus that the NCAA couldn’t have come up with a way to fill spots rather than make a forfeiture,.” Senior defenseman Josh Ringer said. “One team gets a bye and gains an advantage that is supposed to be avoided in the first place. They (the NCAA) should have let us play on Sunday. I think that would have been the only way that could have made it more fair.”
Frustration ensued through the team, every emotion came to the forefront when the sudden-death goal sealed the fate of eight seniors.
Equipment manager Dan Johansson witnessed it all from the bench.
“I wouldn’t say fair opportunity is the term, but the new rule of playing Friday/Sunday now is probably for the best so the No.1 seed can get some rest that is more equal to the other teams,.” Johansson said. “Obviously you want your No.1 seed to play the prime time game, but then it creates an issue like what happens when that type of game happens?”
North Dakota was also predicted to take home hardware in the 2020 season before COVID-19 forced the NCAA to cancel the Rregional tournament.
UND returned all of their players that did not graduate with hopes to win the National Championship in the 2021 season.
A 2020 Hobey Baker finalist, Kawaguchi was one of the players that decided to come back for his senior year after receiving multiple offers to sign a deal to play in the NHL following his junior season.
Kawaguchi spoke after his final game with UND.
“Yeah, right now it’s kind of hard to do that (reflect on his career). We just played two games in one night. Emotions are all over the place. I don’t really have a lot to put into words.”
During one of the most draining games, there was one common goal among the players to help get through 142 minutes and 13 seconds of play.
“At the end of the day we wanted to go to a National Championship and that was our motivation,” Kawaguchi said. “We didn’t really need anything else to push us.”
The NCAA has implemented a change in protocols after the 2021 Frozen Four to option for an extra day in case scenarios arise similar to those UND faced during its run in the tournament.
CORONA DEL SOL HANDS MOUNTAIN POINTE FIRST REGION LOSS OF THE SEASON
In an epic 6A Central battle, the fourth-ranked Aztecs upset the top-ranked Pride, 66-63
PHOENIX – Corona del Sol bounced back in their second matchup in two nights against Mountain Pointe. The Aztecs ended the Pride’s 13-game win streak on Tuesday night, 66-63.
The Pride controlled the game for a majority of the 32 minutes. Roosevelt “Tru” Washington and Mark Brown controlled the floor. Washington rounded up 13 points in the first half while Brown racked up the assists, finding open looks for his teammates.
Mountain Pointe led entering the second half, but Corona del Sol remained unfazed. They used the halftime break to regroup and make necessary adjustments on the road.
“We were pretty calm at half time,” Corona del Sol head coach Neil MacDonald said. “We knew what we needed, we knew what we wanted. It was just a matter of staying focused, staying composed and sticking with the game plan.”
Senior guard Quinn Thorne amassed 22 points in the second half to pull the Aztecs back into the game. Thorne accounted for 71% of Corona’s points in the second half.
“I think we just really wanted to beat this team,” Thorne said. “We had them with a minute left yesterday and we couldn’t finish it, so I think our team just came together and said we’re going to win this game.”
A defining moment in the game was when Corona del Sol sophomore Preston Lee intentionally fouled Washington with :13 left in regulation instead of allowing the Pride an opportunity to take a long-range shot.
“We’re a really good defensive team and that is what we rely on,” MacDonald said. “That’s our bread and butter. It starts with that, we are not a tremendous scoring team, but we do play really good defense.”
Mountain Pointe struggled to take care of the basketball as the minutes dwindled down. Corona del Sol took advantage of their mistakes.
Lee went to the line to give the Aztecs their first lead since the middle of the first quarter.
Mountain Pointe remained calm and collected. Head coach Kaimarr Price called three timeouts to keep possession of the ball down and allowed his team to pinpoint a plan of attack.
Down three with :07 left in the game, Brown singlehandedly broke the press and headed to the left wing. He faked a dribble handoff to Tanner Pate towards the middle of the floor. Brown crossed over right to left and pulled up for the tie, but his jumper clanked off the back iron and the Pride’s 13-game win streak came to a shocking end.
Corona Del Sol joins Perry in elite company as one of only two schools to defeat Mountain Pointe (17-2) this season. Price and the Pride know that perfection is earned, not given.
“Habit will eventually catch up to us good and bad, and tonight the bad one’s caught up to us.” Price said. “We got a week to work and get better on those.”
With the regular season complete, Mountain Pointe (17-2, 9-1) and Corona Del Sol (11-7, 6-4) now wait anxiously for their 6A State Championship playoff seeds.
PUBLISHED ON: AZPREPS365 (https://www.azpreps365.com/articles/14082-corona-del-sol-hands-mountain-pointe-first-region-loss-of-the-season)
WHY NEW YORK YANKEES FANS NEED TO GET OFF THEIR HIGH HORSE
by: Nikki Pica
The New York Yankees are a team most people recognize. With 27 World Series titles, the Yankees have a large separation from the next most-successful MLB team.
The history of the Yankees goes beyond the surface level of the name and titles. The fans seem to like to avoid the present and hide behind the past.
Nearly every Yankees fan finds validation in using their past accomplishments to make up for their failures in the present-day world.
Of the 27 titles, only TWO came within the last 21 years. But don’t worry, I am sure you knew that after a Yankees fan reminded you for the second, third, fourth or even tenth time.
Although the Yankees have won the most World Series titles in all of Major League Baseball, it has not lived up to the expectation once crossing into the 21st century.
The Yankees have made 17 playoff appearances, winning two championships in 2000 and 2009. In the past 10 seasons, the Yankees have not had a title.
The Boston Red Sox have won four titles since the year 2000., The San Francisco Giants have three titles.
Bleacher Report writer Robert Demmett wrote an article, 10 Reasons Rooting for the Yankees Isn't Fun, from the Eyes of a Former Fan that included support about my stance on Yankees fans and their tendency to hide behind the past.
“(An arrogant Yankees fan will) also be the first to chant "Boston sucks" and bring up the fact that the Yankees have 27 championships even though he’s only been around for five. History’s nice, but what have you done for me lately is the real question.” Demmett said.
Although they may not be as annoying as Dallas Cowboy fans, Yankees fans are a close second. It would be understandable if the Yankees have done more in its last few seasons, but that has not happened.
The Yankees are one of the teams with the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball.
With over $231 million to spend on players, the Yankees have no excuse to get some of the best talent in baseball that is able to win titles. And those players are on its roster.
With players like Aaron Judge, who always ends up hurt for part of every season, Gerrit Cole, who is arguably one of the top pitchers in the MLB, Giancarlos Stanton, who either hits a home run or strikes out, the Yankees should be better.
New York has nine players with yearly salaries that sit over $10 million.
Stanton is the second highest paid player on the Yankees, sitting behind Cole, . In the years 2019 and 2020, Stanton only played in 41 games. In 2019, Stanton earned his full salary at $26 million. He played in 18 games, earning $1.4 million per game. He struck out 24 times in 59 at bats, with 17 hits and 13 RBIs. Doing the math on how much he got paid to strike out should make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Being a Red Sox fan outside of New England put an easy target on my back to receive ridiculous comments from Yankees fans. Going away to college in North Dakota got me in touch with many Midwesterners who follow the Yankees because the Minnesota Twins are just like every other Minnesota team, they choke when it comes down to making a playoff run.
Although the viewpoint of Yankees fans is probably unanimous among other clubs, it would be wrong to group all Yankees fans into being arrogant assholes. Most probably are, but there have to be a few who just like their dad’s favorite team, grew up in the area, or just wear Yankees hats to fit the trends.
If the Yankees want to bring back some credibility to the diehard fans that eat, sleep, throw history down the throats of innocent bystanders, and breathe Yankees baseball, winning a title would really help them out.