Blog matters

A sampling from the past week of entries in The Spokesman-Review blog SportsLink at spokesman.com/ sportslink.

Vandals

Josh Wright

After Idaho won just one game this fall in his first season as coach, Paul Petrino saw a number of holes on the Vandals’ roster. He took a key step in filling a few of them Wednesday with the signing of eight junior college players – two defensive tackles, two offensive linemen, two linebackers and two defensive backs.

“ … Those are all places that we felt like we had needs and needed to improve,” Petrino said. “I think it was a really good job by the whole staff in going out and finding guys that we feel like can fit the system and are good guys and can come in here and can compete right away.”

Petrino said all eight signees will enroll in January and be available for spring camp. “I think all of them can come in and compete and start,” he said of the eight who signed.

Bulldogs

Jim Meehan

It was media day Tuesday and the primary topic was the addition of forward Angel Nunez, who transferred roughly a year ago from Louisville.

Naturally, I put together a notebook on Kevin Pangos’ toe, Przemek Karnowski’s parents, finals week and Christmas wishes.

Chiefs

Chris Derrick

Spokane Chiefs forward Mike Aviani was named Western Hockey League player of the week on Monday. On Tuesday, the Canadian Hockey League bestowed the award on the 20-year-old Spokane player.

Aviani had three goals and five assists last week as the Chiefs went 3-0. Aviani has 26 goals and 50 points this season. Mitch Holmberg (Sept. 23-29) was the other Chiefs player to win the award this season.

Gonzaga women

Tom Clouse

Not long into the discussion of the second-half rout of the (UC Riverside) Highlanders – the defense kept them to 13 points in the entire second half – (GU coach Kelly) Graves mentioned a tough regional battle with the Washington State Cougars on Saturday in Pullman.

“Any time you play a regional team, it’s an acid test,” Graves said. “They got us here last year. We need to … make it right.”

Haiden Palmer was ready to talk about the Cougars as soon as the questions of the bitter taste of Stanford and the Highlanders blowout ended.

“They are a good team,” Palmer said. “But we are definitely going down there expecting to get a win.”