Merry Christmas to All!

Well it's that time of year again. Yes Yes its Christmas time. With tonight being Christmas eve, now is as good a time as ever to unveil a few Christmas presents to all of my readers. Everybody is familiar with the popular song the 12 Days of Christmas. Well now I present to everybody my favorite remake sports versions of the 12 Days of Christmas. First up is the 12 Days of Hockey:




That was just the appetizer, now for the main course. Here are my all time favorite sports renditions. First up is the 12 days of Rick Jeanneret:




And now for the final course of this holiday treat here is the 12 Days of Mike Lange:



So there you have it the best remakes of the 12 Days of Christmas! I hope you have enjoyed this musical feast. But on a serious note: To everybody out there who does celebrate christmas I wish you all a very merry christmas and to every body around the world I wish you all the happiest of holidays and a happy new year! I wish a happy holidays to all and to all a good night!

OSU Women's Hockey First Half Recap

It's been a solid start to the season for the Oswego State Women's hockey team, and some new heroes have started to emerge for the Green and Gold, although the start to the season was a bit bumpy. OSU began its season with a weekend set at home against the Adrian Bulldogs, and things didn't turn out the way the Lakers wanted. Adrian took both games to start the season, the first being by a 3-0 score. Freshman goalie Bridget Smith got the start and allowed 3 goals on 30 shots, and played pretty well, but the offense didn't show up. The next night the offense finally found its game but it wasn't enough as Adrian skated away with a 5-3 win. Catherine Cote was in goal for this one and allowed 5 goals on 31 shots. The first laker to find the back of the net this season was Mackenzie Lee, last season's leading scorer. Also lighting the lamp on this night was Carly Henderson, named alternate captain at the start of the season, and Kelly Collins. Oswego only played two games in October and they had a 0-2 record in the month.

So after dealing with Adrian, the Red Dragons of Cortland came into town for a weekend series, and in the past Oswego and Cortland have always played close games. This series was no different. Game One of the set ended in a 1-1 tie. Lauren Gilpin scored for the Lakers and Julia Rapp for the Red Dragons. The second game of the set was again a close one but this did not require overtime, as Oswego walked away with a 2-1 victory thanks to Mackenzie Lee and Melissa Seamont providing the scoring punch to give Bridget Smith her first career victory. Now in the 12 times that Oswego has played Cortland, 7 of the 12 games have gone to overtime including 6 ties. The other game was a 1-0 victory for the Lakers back on January 31st 2009 when Jenna Kirkwood won it for the Lakers.

After dealing with Cortland, Oswego played a home and home weekend set with the Pioneers of Utica, the first game being played at the Aud in Utica. Oswego was able to somehow come away with a comeback 3-2 victory. Oswego got on the board thanks to Melissa Seamont, but Utica scored 2 unanswered goals to take a 2-1 lead. Then with 1 second left on the clock Kelly Collins scored to force overtime. Finally the comeback was capped off 3:15 into overtime thanks to alternate captain Carly Henderson. Last time Oswego was able to win a game in overtime was back on February 6th of 2010 when Kelly Collins won scored the winner against Utica at home 3-2. Well after Carly Henderson showed her heroics in Utica, the two teams finished the series back in Oswego, but the result would not be the same, as the Pioneers walked away with 3-1 win. Jillian Bergeron scored the lone goal in the tough loss. After the loss Oswego took its talents to Potsdam to take on the Bears in Potsdam. The first game of the set ended in a high scoring 5-5 tie. Bridget Smith made 26 stops in the contest, Melissa Seamont and Leslie Jarvis each had two assists and the team got goals from Megan Howe, Jocelyn St. Clair, kelly Collins, Emma Smetaniuk (a former Potsdam Bear) and Kathryn Sbrocchi. The next night the two teams met again, this time the Bears got the better of the Lakers with a 3-2 victory. Carly Marchment (Her first career) and Kathryn Sbrocchi scored the laker goals. So through the first month of the season Oswego stood at a 2-4-2 record.

The Lakers responded nicely after thanksgiving break against Neumann. Neumann is the team that knocked Oswego out of the playoffs in double overtime last year. And Oswego got it's payback by sweeping the weekend series from the Knights on home ice. Oswego took the first game by a 4-1 score. Catherine Cote got the win making 21 saves, Melissa Seamont had two assists Mackenzie Lee scored two goals and Olivia Boersen and Megan Howe provide the rest of the scoring on this night. Oswego would cap off the series sweep with a 3-1 victory. Bridget Smith got the win in net making 17 saves, while Carly Marchment, Mackenzie Lee and Carly Marchment provided the offense. Once Neumann had been swept Oswego went out on the road for a rare Tuesday night game against the Continentals of Hamilton at Hamilton. This game would again require overtime and Oswego would walk away with the 3-2 victory. Chelsey Draker scored her first career goal to give Oswego the lead but Hamilton would score two unanswered to take a 2-1 lead. Megan Howe tied the game at 2 late in the 3rd to force overtime. And once the extra period got going it took 43 seconds before Carly Henderson won it for the Lakers. The Lakers ended the first half of the season with a disappointing 6-0 loss at Amherst. So through the first half of the season Oswego stands at a record of 5-5-2.

Now the record for the team this season is slightly off the pace from last year, which was 6-4-3 at this time last year, its still on pace for a very good season for the team. Mackenzie Lee leads the team in goals with 5 and is tied for the team lead in points with Melissa Seamont, each having 8 points. Seamont is tied with Jillian Bergeron for the team lead in assists with 6. Carly Henderson has been the hero in overtime so far this season scoring both of the OT winners the Lakers have this year. Henderson is now 1 goal behind Jenna Kirkwood for the club record for the most career Overtime goals. Kirkwood has 3 (11/4/06 at Buffalo State, 1/27/08 vs Castleton, 1/31/09 vs Cortland) Henderson has 2 (11/16/11 at Utica, 12/6/11 at Hamilton). The only Lakers to score OT winners are Sarah Hannon (11/22/08 at Buffalo State) and Kelly Collins (2/6/10 vs Utica). As for the goaltending Catherine Cote has started 8 games earning a record of 3-4-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .894 SV% while Bridget Smith has appeared in 5 games with a record of 2-1-1 with a 2.72 GAA and a .894 SV%.

Now that you know what has happened so far this season, here is a look at what the Lakers have coming up in the 2nd half of the year:

Fri Jan 13 at Chatham EW 8:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 14 at Chatham EW 2:00 pm ET
Tue Jan 17 HAMILTON NC 7:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 21 PLATTSBURGH EW 7:00 pm ET
Sun Jan 22 PLATTSBURGH EW 3:00 pm ET
Fri Jan 27 at Buffalo State EW 7:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 28 at Buffalo State EW 3:00 pm ET
Fri Feb 3 RIT EW 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 4 RIT EW 3:00 pm ET
Fri Feb 10 at Sacred Heart NC 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 11 at Sacred Heart NC 2:00 pm ET
Fri Feb 17 at Elmira EW 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 18 at Elmira EW 3:00 pm ET

LETS GO LAKERS!!!!!

OSU Men First Half Recap

A very enterntaning first half of the year for your Oswego State Lakers. After 12 games through the season the Lakers stand at 9-1-2. It started with a season opening home and home against Elmira, and it ended with two victories for the Lakers. Oz won both by scores of 7-3 and 6-2. In the first game, Jon Whitelaw, Tyler Leimbrock, Taylor Farris, Luke Moodie, and Paul Rodrigues each had 2 point nights. In game two of the series Oz walked away with a 6-2 win. Jon Whitelaw and Jesse McConney each having 2 points and McConney scoring two goals. Cortland was next on the schedule and Oswego rolled through the Red Dragons without a thought, walking away with a 6-0 victory. Andrew Hare recorded the shutout making 19 saves. Luke Moodie scored a goal. Paul Rodrigues (2 goals 1 assist 3 points), Chris Brown (Goal Assist 2 Points), Jon Whitelaw (3 assists), Ian Boots (2 goals 1 assist 3 points), Andrew Mather (2 assists), and Zach Josepher (2 assists) each had multi-point nights. The next night in Utica Oswego was upset by the Pioneers at the Aud with Utica walking away with the 3-2 win. Oz got goals from Taylor Farris and Tyler Leimbrock but it wasn't enough to come back on the Pioneers who played a more inspired game on this night. So by the end of October Oswego stood at a record of 3-1-0.

November kicked off with a weekend home series against Geneseo and Brockport. The Ice Knights were up first and got beaten by a tough and fired up Lakers team 4-2. Jon Whitelaw (goal assist) and Andrew Mather (2 Goals) had multi point games that night. The next night the Golden Eagles of Brockport made the trip to Oswego, and they got handled easily by the Lakers, to the tune of 7-1. 5 guys had multi-point games against the Soaring Eagles: Zack Josepher (4 assists), Luke Moodie (Goal, Assist), Jon Whitelaw (2 Goals), Paul Rodrigues (goal 2 assists 3 points), and Chris Ayotte (goal assist). The following weekend brought the Morrisville Mustangs into town, and for the 2nd time in 4 years the Lakers and Mustangs skated to a 3-3 tie. Oswego was down 3-0 in this one but came back to tie thanks to Jesse McConney, Chris Brown and Chris Muise. Last time Oswego tied Morrisville you have to go back to November 14th, 2008 which was a 5-5 tie at the Campus Center. Morrisville gave Oswego another scare during the 2010 SUNYAC playoffs at the Campus Center as well.

After the Morrisville tie, Oswego took its act on the road again, this time to western new york against Buffalo State and Fredonia. Fredonia was up first and it was a 4-1 win for the Lakers. Ian Boots had a two point night with a goal and an assist. Other Lakers to score goals on this night were Chris Muise, Andrew Mather, and Luke Moodie. The next night at Buffalo State, the Bengals gave the Lakers a scare but Oswego was able to come away with a 5-3 win. Buffalo State actually led 3-2 early in the 3rd period, before Oswego stormed back with 3 unanswered goals to walk away with the victory. Ian Boots, Luke Moodie, and Jon Whitelaw each had two assists, and Paul Rodrigues had two goals and a helper en route to the victory. So Oswego went into Thanksgiving break with a 7-1-1 record.

First games back from Thanksgiving were not easy to say the least, as Oswego had to make the North Country trip to take on Plattsburgh and Potsdam. First up was Plattsburgh at the Stafford Ice Arena in Plattsburgh. This was a very hard fought hockey game and it ended in a 2-2 tie. Jon Whitelaw and Chris Ayotte scored for the Lakers, while Paul Puglisi and Alex Jensen scored for Plattsburgh. The last time Oswego and Plattsburgh played to a tie was December 2nd 2006, which was a 5-5 tie. Since then every time Oswego and Plattsburgh had gone to Overtime in Plattsburgh the Cardnials had skated away with victories. So after tying Plattsburgh, Oswego took on the Bears at Potsdam and whooped the Bears by a 6-4 score. Tyler Leimbrock scored two goals, Taylor Farris had a goal and two assists, Jon Whitelaw had a goal and assist, and Paul Rodrigues had two helpers as well. Oswego wrapped up the first half of the season with a 2-1 over Hobart at home, a game in which Chris Brown and Jesse McConney scored goals. Oswego ended the first half of the season with a 9-1-2 record, which is good enough to have Oswego Ranked #2 in the nation in the USCHO coaches polls (as of December 12th).

Through the first 12 games of the season, Jon Whitelaw and Paul Rodrigues are tied for the team lead in scoring with 17 points each, Whitelaw leads the team in goals with 6 and is tied with Zach Josepher for 2nd on the team in assists with 11. Paul Rodrigues leads the team in assists with 12. Luke Moodie (5 goals 7 assists 12 points), Ian Boots (4 goals 8 assists 12 points), Zack Josepher (goal 11 assists 12 points), and Chris Brown (4 goals 6 assist 10 points) are the other Lakers in double digits in points through the midway point of the season. Dan Jones has seen action in two games this season with a 1-0-0 record, a 2.54 GAA and a .907 SV%, while Andrew Hare has played in 11 games this year with a 8-1-2 record, a 1.86 GAA and a .928 SV%. Paul Beckwith started the first game of the year but was lifited after the first period with a knee injury and sadly hasn't played since.

Here now are the first half highlights:




So now that everybody is all caught up, heres a look at what's ahead in the 2nd half of the season for the Lakers:

* Fri Dec 30 CONN. COLLEGE NC 7:00 pm ET
# Sat Dec 31 HAMLINE /NEUMANN NC 4:00 pm ET
Fri Jan 13 CURRY NC 7:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 14 UTICA NC 7:00 pm ET
Fri Jan 20 CORTLAND SU 7:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 21 at Hamilton NC 3:00 pm ET
Fri Jan 27 at Geneseo SU 7:00 pm ET
Sat Jan 28 at Brockport SU 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 4 at Morrisville SU 7:00 pm ET
Fri Feb 10 FREDONIA SU 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 11 BUFFALO STATE SU 7:00 pm ET
Fri Feb 17 PLATTSBURGH SU 7:00 pm ET
Sat Feb 18 POTSDAM SU 7:00 pm ET

So there you have it !

(Highlight video provided by Michael Keeley)

Scott Niedermayer Honored Tonight with His #27 Raised to Rafters in New Jersey

Tonight from the Prudential Center in New Jersey the Devils will retire Scott Niedermayer's #27. He will join Scott Stevens (#4) and Ken Daneyko (#3) as the only men to have their numbers retired by the team. Scott was and still is the 3rd best D-man in team history behind the two other men just listed and is by far the best offensive defenseman to ever play in Jersey. It may also be safe to say he is one of the top five best defenseman to EVER play in the New York Metro area along with Stevens, Denis Potvin, Brian Leetch, and Brad Park (in my opinion).

Niedermayer was one of five players to play on all three of the Devils’ Stanley Cup-winning teams, along with Scott Stevens, KEn Danekyo, Sergei Brylin and Martin Brodeur. Selected third overall by the Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Niedermayer played the first 12 seasons of his 17-season career in New Jersey and then played five seasons with Anaheim from 2005-06 through 2009-10. Niedermayer served the Devils’ captain from Jan. 9, 2004 through the end of the 2003-04 season and won Norris Trophy that season as the NHL’s top defenseman.

He captained the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs. In his career with the Devils he registered over 500 of his 740 points.

During his playing days in New Jersey Niedermayer won Three Stanley Cups, was on the NHL all rookie team in 93, played in three NHL All Star Games (97-98, 00-01, and 03-04) was named to the 1997–98 NHL — Second All-Star Team (defenceman), and won the 2004 Norris Trophy as NH'sL Top Defenseman. During his playing days, Scott won every major championship in Hockey: Stanley Cup (4 Times), World Junior Championship, Gold Medal, and Memorial Cup Championship, the only player in hockey history to ever accomplish this feet.

For all that Scott has ever done for the Devils organizations and for the sport of hockey, I can safely speakly for most hockey fans when I say this: THANK YOU SCOTT!

Albert Pujols Signs Big Contract with Angels

Here is the story thanks to ESPN!

DALLAS -- Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols agreed Thursday to a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

Pujols' contract, which is subject to a physical, is the second-highest in baseball history and only the third to break the $200 million barrier, following Alex Rodriguez's $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas before the 2001 season and A-Rod's $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees before the 2008 season.

"This is a monumental day for Angel fans and I could not be more excited," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement.

More on Pujols' new home
The Los Angeles Angels pulled off a pair of mind-blowing deals on the final day of the winter meetings, landing both Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Story

Without question, Albert Pujols' decision to leave St. Louis is a tough pill to swallow for Cardinals fans. But it's not a death sentence for the organization. Story

The Angels will get plenty of value from Albert Pujols over the next couple of years, writes ESPN Insider's Keith Law, but they are paying a major premium for his decline phase.

Los Angeles also agreed to a five-year, $77.5 million contract with C.J. Wilson, who was considered the top starting pitcher on the free-agent market.

Pujols had turned down an offer from the Cardinals, the only team he has ever played for, about a year ago, but St. Louis was still in the bidding as of Wednesday.

The Cardinals had planned to talk with Pujols' agent one more time Thursday before heading home. But sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Cardinals' latest offer was for nine years and a little less than $200 million. That would have made him the fourth-highest paid first baseman. With the Angels deal, he is tops.

One source who spoke with Pujols' camp Wednesday came away with the impression the two sides were farther apart than had been widely portrayed earlier in the day.

"We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis," Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. "Albert is a great champion and we will always be thankful for his many achievements in a Cardinals uniform, as well as his contributions to the St. Louis community. I have the highest regard for Albert both personally and professionally, and appreciate his direct involvement in this process. I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."

Pujols' deal includes a full no-trade clause, which Pujols had been seeking and may have been a sticking point in his negotiations with the Miami Marlins.

"Albert's career performance clearly speaks for itself," general manager Jerry Dipoto said in the statement. "He has proven to be the best player of his generation."

Pujols is a three-time MVP who batted .299 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs in 2011, the only season in his 11-year career that he didn't have 100 RBIs or hit better than .300. But the 31-year-old did battle an arm injury.

Pujols won the rookie of the year award in 2001. He has a lifetime .328 batting average and has hit 445 home runs.

To add perspective to the Pujols signing, Arte Moreno paid only $184 million for the Angels franchise in 2003. He will pay Pujols much more than that over the next 10 years.

Pujols has spent all 11 of his major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming a franchise icon second only to Stan Musial. He is fourth in career slugging percentage at .617, trailing only Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (.690), Ted Williams (.634) and Lou Gehrig (.632). But he had his poorest season in 2011 and at 31 is likely to spend the majority of his career with the Angels at designated hitter rather than first base.

Pujols led the Cardinals to a World Series title this fall -- his second with the team in the last six seasons. He also had been pursued by the Miami Marlins, but they dropped out Wednesday after agreeing to a deal with left-hander Mark Buehrle that raised their free agent-spending to $191 million for three players following deals with closer Heath Bell and shortstop Jose Reyes.

Some have questioned whether it's smart to give a 10-year deal to a 31-year-old.

"I will say that Albert Pujols' age to me is not a concern," DiPoto said. "He's an honorable man and a very respectful man. I'm not a scientist, but I can tell you he hits like he's 27. ... I will say this, that in regard to the evolution of a hitter, as hitters begin to age, into their 30s and to whatever point you can project, there is a certain quality and a trait in a hitter, the patience they exhibit. Albert has had an extraordinary career with regard to maintaining control of the strike zone. Albert is still as big an impact guy after 11 years as there is in this game."

The Angels jumped into the bidding for Pujols relatively late, after the Marlins' serious run and the Cardinals last-ditch attempt to keep their icon.

"This ramped up the last couple of days, certainly since we've been here in Dallas," DiPoto said. "Prior to that, we were spreading that net wide. We contacted a variety of agents and had discussions with a variety of teams about ways our club could improve."

Information from ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney and The Associated Press was used in this report.


This is a huge thing for baseball and the Cradnials in perticular. St. Louis is really getting the shaft if you will. The Cardnials were a good ball team but now without Albert, I think the cards will be in the bottom of the NL Central. Sorry to dissapoint the Cards fans out there but he was your offense and now he is gone.

But looking at this makes me sick as to how large the contracts in not just baseball but in sports in general. With Baseball, this is the second contract signed recently over 100 million, looking at the contract Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins earlier this winter. It's sad really that some baseball players are getting contracts this big. Its reasons like this that some teams can't compete. It's total bull and it has to stop. I understand the need to get the best players but as a fan it's not making it as much fun seeing teams like say the Cubs or the Marniers not being able to compete with high power money teams like the Angles or Yankees. I know its fact in all sports that money talks but if the one sport I think has it right right now is Hockey which is where you see the most balance among the leagues member clubs. I really wish all sports had an equal competitive balance but the systems will always have its faults.

Oswego Women Heat up with 3 Game Winning Streak

After coming off a tough loss to Potsdam right before the thanksgiving break, the Oswego State Womens Hockey team played host to the Neumann College Knights. Game One of the weekend series was on friday and was Dominated by the Lakers who skated away with the 4-1 victory. Here is the story as per the Oswego State Sports Information department:

In the first meeting since last year's double-overtime game in the ECAC West Quarterfinals, the Oswego State women's ice hockey team avenged its playoff loss, defeating Neumann, 4-1, on Friday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena.

Forward Mackenzie Lee (Sr., Caledonia, N.Y.) scored twice on the power play, helping the Lakers to pick up their first victory since an overtime victory against Utica on November 11. It was their first home victory since November 6.

Although the Lakers controlled the tempo during the first half of the first period, it was Neumann that got on the board first on a goal by Lynsey Nakamura. Nakamura's goal was the result of a turnover in the Oswego State defensive zone. The Knights' Jennie Greenlee poked the puck from a defender and wristed a shot on net that was saved by Oswego State goaltender Catherine Cote (So., Val D'Or, Quebec). Greenlee's shot ricocheted off Cote and nearly crossed the goal line, but careened off the far side post. Nakamura collected the rebound on the left side and beat Cote for the game's first goal.

Trailing by a goal after the first period, the Lakers tied the game at one on Lee's power-play goal at 12:23 of the second period. Just 13 seconds after a tripping penalty, Oswego State forward Melissa Seamont (So., North Bay, Ont.) fired a shot on net from the slot that was blocked aside by Neumann goaltender Shannon Donnelly. Lee corralled the loose puck in front of the net, putting the puck past Donnelly to tie the game at one.

The Lakers took the lead late in the second period when forward and assistant captain Olivia Boersen (So., Stratford, Ont.) picked up a loose puck in the slot and slid the puck past a couple Neumann defenders for a 2-1 lead heading into the second period intermission. Moments before Boersen's goal, forward Carly Marchment (Fr., Courtice, Ont.) wristed a shot from the slot that deflected off the crossbar.

Oswego State increased its lead to two at 2:17 on forward Megan Howe's (So., Stratford, Ont.) second goal of the season. The Lakers' third goal was scored in similar fashion to their second goal, with the goal being preceded by a shot that deflected off the crossbar. Forward and assistant captain Jillian Bergeron (Sr., Brockville, Ont.) saw her shot from near the blue line hit off the crossbar behind Donnelly. Howe collected the rebound on the far side faceoff circle and beat Donnelly stick side.

Lee scored her second power-play goal of the game at 14:20 to give the Lakers a three-goal lead. Lee took a pass from forward Leah McNaughton (Sr., Embro, Ont.) in the slot and wristed a shot past Donnelly glove side. Lee leads the team with four goals this season.

Cote finished with 21 saves for the Lakers and Donnelly finished with 32 saves for the Knights.

The Lakers went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Knights finished 0-for-4.


The two teams met again the next day and it was once again a victory for Oswego, this time by a 3-1 score. Here again is the story as per the Oswego State Sports Information Department:

The Oswego State women's ice hockey team followed up an impressive performance on Friday night with another strong showing against Neumann University, defeating the Knights, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at the Campus Center Ice Arena.

The Lakers won the battle of special teams, scoring two power-play goals and limiting Neumann to just one power-play goal on five attempts with the extra skater to complete the series sweep of the Knights.

Scoreless for the first half of the opening period, the Lakers got on the scoreboard first on forward Carly Marchment's (Fr., Courtice, Ont.) second goal of the season at 12:24 of the first period. The play was set up by forward Emma Smetaniuk (So., Frankford, Ont.), who sent a pass from the right side of the ice to teammate Kathyrn Sbrocchi (Sr., Mississauga, Ont.) in the slot. Sbrocchi wristed a shot that was saved by Neumann goaltender Allie Frank, but Marchment was in position in front of the net for the rebound and beat Frank glove side for the game's first goal.

Oswego State broke the game open in the second period with a pair of power-play goals. Forward Mackenzie Lee (Sr., Caledonia, N.Y.) scored the first power-play goal of the game at 11:23 of the second period. Following a Neumann cross-checking penalty, Lee took a pass from forward Melissa Seamont (So., North Bay, Ont.) inside the right faceoff circle and wristed a shot that deflected off Frank, but trickled just past the goal line for the goal. Lee's goal was the third in two games and fifth of the season.

The Lakers scored their second power-play goal in as many attempts at 7:29 of the second period on defender Jocelyn St. Clair's (So., Cambridge, Ont.) second goal of the season. After a hooking penalty, St. Clair received a pass from forward Jillian Bergeron (Sr., Brockville, Ont.) at the blue line and fired a slap shot through traffic, beating Frank for a three-goal lead after two periods.

Neumann spolied the Lakers' attempt at a shutout, scoring its only goal of the game with 11 seconds remaining in the third period on the power play. Metcalfe tallied the goal, with Edie Brenning earning the assist.

Oswego State goaltender Bridget Smith (Fr., Hamburg, N.Y.) finished with 17 saves for the Lakers, earning her second win in net this season. Frank finished with 20 saves for the Knights.

With the win, Oswego State improves to 4-4-2 overall and 4-2-2 in ECAC West play. The loss drops the Knights to 1-6-2 overall and 1-5-2 in ECAC West play.

To wrap up this winning streak Oswego had to go to overtime to do it but they pulled out a 3-2 win at Hamilton. Here again is the story as per the Oswego State Sports Information Department:

Forward and assistant captain Carly Henderson (So., Markham, Ont.) netted the game-winning goal 43 seconds into overtime, as the Oswego State women's ice hockey team defeated Hamilton College, 3-2, in overtime on Tuesday night at Russell Sage Rink.

Trailing 2-1 late in the third period, Oswego State forward Megan Howe (So., Stratford, Ont.) tied the game at two at 13:09 of the period to force overtime. With the victory, the Lakers improved to 2-0-2 in overtime games this season.

Oswego State struck first on the scoreboard, as forward Chelsey Draker (Fr., Listowel, Ont.) tallied her first collegiate goal at 18:48 of the first period. Forward and assistant captain Jillian Bergeron (Sr., Brockville, Ont.) and Howe were credited with the assists on Draker's goal.

Hamilton responded in the second with two unanswered goals to take a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Laura DiCarlo tied the game at one at 11:56 of the second period before Abby Runyon gave the Continentals the one-goal lead at 14:41 on the power play. Runyon and Riley Smith were credited with assists on DiCarlo's goal, while Meredith Bitterman and DiCarlo earned the assists on Runyon's power-play goal. Runyon's power-play goal came with just five seconds remaining on a cross-checking penalty.

The Hamilton defense limited the Laker offense to just six shots over the first two periods, while the Continentals recorded 18 shots. Oswego State registered 16 shots alone in the third period, one of which made its way past Hamilton goaltender Tori Bogen to tie the game at two. Draker and forward Leah McNaughton (Sr., Embro, Ont.) earned the assists on Howe's game-tying goal with under seven minutes remaining in the third period.

The Lakers had the only two shots of overtime with the second shot by Henderson proving to be the game-winner. Forward Mackenzie Lee (Sr., Caledonia, N.Y.) registered the assist on Henderson's game-winning goal, which was her third of the season.

Oswego State goaltender Catherine Cote (So., Val D'Or, Quebec) earned the win in net for the Lakers, recording 21 saves on 23 shots faced to improve to 3-3-1 this season. Bogen finished the game with 21 saves on 24 shots faced.

With the victory, the Lakers improved to 5-4-2 overall. The loss dropped Hamilton's record to 2-4-0 overall.

Sophmore forward Carly Henderson has been the OT hero this season scoring both of the winners in the extra session this season. In recent OT victories the hero has been Kelly Collins, but now its Henderson stepping her game up in the extra period. The Lakers close out the first half of the season this Saturday night December 10th when they play fifth-ranked Amherst College at 7:30 p.m.

Oswego Men Cap off North Country Trip with Win and Tie

The Oswego State Men's hockey team completed the trip to north country this past weekend with a win and a tie against Plattsburgh and Potsdam. It started with Friday with the renewal of one of the greatest rivalries in all of Hockey......Oswego vs Plattsburgh. Before a sellout crowd of 2288 fans, Oswego got on the board first when Jon Whitelaw buried his 5th of the season at the 9:16 mark of the 1st off a great feed from Paul Rodrigues. Paul Puglisi tied the game for the Cardnials with his first of the year at the 1:15 mark of the 2nd period. Oswego would get a quick response to retake a 2-1 lead thanks to the third of the year from Chris Ayotte at the 6:06 mark. But the lead would not hold as Alex Jensen scored his 2nd of the year at the 7:21 mark of the period to tie it at 2. That was all for pucks finding the back of the net on this night.

Both teams had plenty of quality scoring chances throughout the game and espically for Oswego in overtime when they had a powerplay, but they were unable to convert. Andrew Hare made 35 saves for Oswego allowing only the 2 goals. As for Plattsburgh, Mathieu Cadieux stopped 34 shots allowing only 2 goals. Plattsburgh had one powerplay and Oswego had two but neither club was able to convert. The last time these two teams played to a tie was on December 2nd 2007 at Stafford and that game ended in a 5-5 tie. The last two meetings between these two clubs that required overtime were both back in the 07-08 season and were both Plattsburgh victories. Here now are the video highlights for Friday night:





That was friday. Now lets look at Saturday against Potsdam. This one also proved to be a bit of a challenge for the Lakers but they managed to skate away with a 6-4 victory. Jon Whitelaw got Oswego on the board first with his 6th of the season and 2nd goal in as many nights at the 4:37 mark. The lead was stretched to 2-0 at the 7:08 mark thanks to Taylor Farris 2nd of the year. Potsdam got on the board at the 9:40 mark thanks to a powerplay goal from Trevor Cope. Oz would again up the lead to 3-1 thanks to a powerplay goal from Jesse McConney his 4th of the year at the 14:42 mark.

To the 2nd period we go and Potsdam scored at 10:46 to cut the lead to 3-2 thanks to the goal from Max Fogel. Then at 14:56 Trevor Cope scored for the Bears to tie the game at 3. The lead would not last however as Tyler Leimbrock ripped home his 4th of the year at the 16:11 mark. Leimbrock would score his 2nd of the night and 5th of the year at the 15:03 mark of the 3rd period to give Oz the 5-3 lead. Potsdam would cut the lead again to 5-4 thanks to Erick Ware on the powerplay at 16:07. Oswego would ice the game and take a 6-4 lead thanks to chris Muise 3rd of the year into an empty net at 19:25.

For the game Potsdam went 2 for 4 on the powerplay while Oswego went 1 for 4 on the man advantage. Dan Jones started the game for Osweo allowing 3 goals and making 12 saves. Andrew Hare finished the game for Oz making 11 saves allowing only 1 goal. Dylan Ellis made 46 saves and allowed 6 goals in net for Potsdam. Here are the video highlights:



So after this weekends road trip, Oswego remains at #2 in the USCHO national coaches polls. Jon Whitelaw leads Oswego in Goals with 6 and is tied with Paul Rodrigues for the lead in points with 17. Rodrigues leads the team in assists with 12. Ian Boots (4 goals 8 assists 12 points), Luke Moodie (5 goals 6 assists 11 points) and Zach Josepher (1 goal 9 assists 10 points) are the other Lakers in double digits in points. Oswego closes out the first half of the season this Saturday December 10 against the Hobart Statesman.


(Video Highlights provided by Michael Keeley)

Oswego Women Have Tough Weekend Against Potsdam

Oswego struggled a little out of the box this season and this past weekend was a tough go of it against the Potsdam Bears. Saturday afternoon was a rough game for Oswego. Alexandra Holowka got Potsdam on the board first at the 10:41 mark. The Lakers respond quickly at the 14:24 mark thanks to Megan Howe's first of the year. Then three minutes later Jocelyn St. Clair hit the back of the net with her first of the season to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead at the end of the first. Oswego stretched the lead to 4-1 by the end of the second thanks tho Kelly Collins 3rd of the year and the first of the year for Emma Smetaniuk who also scored against her former club, as she played for the Bears last season. Moving into the 3rd period Caitlin Manahan would cut the lead to 4-2. The lead was cut to 4-3 on a goal from Izzy Fayerman. Oswego would regain a lead of 5-4 thanks to captain Kathryn Sbrocchi, but the lead would not hold. Izzy Fayerman and Jessica Silveira would score for the Bears to tie the game at 5. Overtime went without a goal and the game ended in a 5-5 tie for the 2nd tie of the year for Oswego.

Moving on to the Sunday afternoon contest, Breanna Roy got the Bears on the board first at the 5:27 mark. But the lead would last a total of nine seconds as Carly Marchment connected for her first career goal. However this tie would not last long as Potsdam would tack on two goals before the end of the period as Brittany Lucky and Jessica Silveira would connect on the powerplay both times to give the Bears a 3-1 lead at the end of one. There was no scoring in the 2nd period and Kathryn Sbrocchi got Oswego close early in the 3rd with her 2nd of the year but it wasn't enough as Potsdam held on for a 3-2 victory. Not only was this weekend a tough one for the Lakers on the scoreboard but it may have come at a price as it has been reported that forward Mady Paul came away from the weekend with an injured shoulder. Now no details have been given at this time as to the extent of Paul's injury. Here's to hoping she can come back to the lineup quickly and better than ever.

It's been a month into the season Oswego sits with a 2-4-2 record, which is close to the same record at this time last season. Melissa Seamont leads the team in scoring with 2 goals and 3 assists for a total of 5 points. Kelly Collins leads the team in goals with 3. Freshman Bridget Smith has played in 3 games and has a 1-1-1 record with .885 save % and a 2.93 GAA while Cathrine Cote has played in 7 games with a 1-3-1 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .892 Save %

Oswego Men Sweep Western NY Road Trip

OVer the weekend the Oswego State Men's Hockey Team took their show on the road again, this time to Western New York as they took on Buffalo State and Fredonia. The trip kicked off with a 4-1 win over the Blue Devils of Fredonia on Friday night. Andrew Mather got Oswego on the board at the 7:24 mark of the first with a powerplay goal. Then about three minutes later Luke Moodie potted his 5th of the season to put the Lakers up 2. Chris Muise added to the lead with his 2nd of the season late in the 2nd period to give Oswego the 3-0 lead. Oswego upped the lead to 4-0 early in the 3rd thanks to Ian Boots 4th of the year. The shutout was broken up mid 3rd thanks to a Mike Muhs powerplay goal but it wasn't enough as Oswego held on for a 4-1 victory. Andrew Hare got the win making 16 saves for the Lakers while Oswego blasted 41 shots on both Mark Friesen and Jeff Holloway in the win. Here are the video highlights:






So after knocking off Fredonia it was on to Buffalo State on Saturday night. Buffalo State jumped on the Lakers and threw them off their game. Oswego got on the board first 4 minutes in thanks to Paul Rodrigues's 4th of the year. Buffalo Stat tied the game up midway through the period on the first goal of the year from Nick Melligan. It seemed as if the period started off in favor of Oswego but shifted to Buffalo State. Osdwego connected on the man advantage late in the 2nd thanks to Chris Brown's 3rd of the year. The Bengals responded three minutes later thanks to Justin Knee's 3rd of the year to tie the game at two. Moving into the 3rd Justin Knee gave Buff State the lead 1:34 into the final frame. But Oswego would wake up scoring three times in the 3rd on goals from Paul Rodrigues (2nd of the game), Tim Carr and Kyle Badham. Oswego would walk away with the 5-3 win but it was a battle they didn't expect to really be in. It sounded a bit sloppy through most of the first two periods. Here are the highlights:




So after about a month of hockey, Oswego stands at 7-1-1 and is that is good enough for #2 in the USCHO National Coaches Poll behing national champion St. Norbert. Jon Whitelaw and Paul Rodrigues are leading the offensive charge with 14 points each, Rodrigues has 4 goals and 10 assists and Whitelaw comes in with 5 goals 9 assists. Rodrigues leads the team in assists and Whitelaw is tied with Luke Moodie for the team lead in goals. The boys have off for the thanksgiving break here in the states but when they do return to action next it will be in North Country in New York as they take the trip to Plattsburgh on Friday December 2nd and Potsdam Saturday December 3rd.

(Highlight Videos Provided by Michael Keeley)

Oswego State Men Roll Past Brockport and Geneseo

This past weekend the Oswego State Men's Hockey team may have found their game again with a pair of wins over Geneseo and Brockport, both home victories. The Lakers got it started Friday night with a 4-2 win over Geneseo. Jon Whitelaw got the scoring going for Oswego at the 12:20 mark of the 1st period. For Whitelaw it was his 2nd on this young season. Geneseo responded at the 13:34 of the period thanks to Zachary Vit's 3rd of the season. The Lakers ended the period with a 2-1 lead thanks to Captain Andrew Mather's 1st of the year at the 16:13 mark. Bobby Gertsakis got his first ever point in college, getting an assist on the Mather goal.

Moving to the middle frame, it took only 1:01 for Andrew Mather to score again, his 2nd of the night, to stretch the Lakers lead to 3-1. Zachary Vit would score his 2nd of the game and 4th of the season at the 6:14 mark. Oswego woul;d put the icing on the cake when Matt Singleton scored his first of the year at the 12:41 mark of the 3rd period to seal the 4-2 victory for Oswego. Adrian Rubeniukn stopped 46 of 50 Oswego shots, while his counterpart Andrew Hare stopped 20 of 22 Geneseo Shots. Andrew Mather and Jon Whitelaw each ahd 2 point nights with Mather scoring 2 goals and Whitelaw adding a goal and an assist. Here are the highlights from the tilt:






Then Saturday Oswego played host to Brockport, and this one was a bit more lopsided as the Lakers rolled to a 7-1 victory. Jon Whitelaw kept up his red hot play scoring his 3rd of the season just 40 seconds into the contest. Then at the 1:34 mark Matt Singleton scored his 2nd in as many nights to give Oswego a 2-0 lead. Moving on to the 2nd period Oswego would up the lead to 3-0 thanks to Chris Ayotte's 2nd of the year at the 5:31 mark. The offense would explode out of the Lakers in the 3rd period to the tune of 4 goals. Luke Moodie connected on the powerplay 1:21 in, then Kyle Badham 2nd of the year at 5:50, Paul Rodrigues connected for his 3rd of the year on the powerplay at 8:30, and to cap it all off Jon Whitelaw 2nd of the night at the 12:33 mark. Bobby Conner got Brockport on the board at just past the 18 minute mark but by then it was already too little too late. Joe Reagan gave up all 7 Oswego goals and faced 50 shots. Meanwhile Dan Jones stopped 27 of 28 Brockport shots. Jon Whitelaw (2 goals), Luke Moodie (Goal, Assist), Paul Rodrigues (Goal, 2 Assist), and Zack Josepher (4 Assists) each had monster nights on the score sheets. Here are the highlights:




Whitelaw currently leads the team in scoring with 4 goals and 8 assists, good for 12 points. Paul Rodrigues is 2nd in scoring with 3 goals and 6 assists good for 9 points. Zach Josepher leads the team with 7 assists. As of yesterday, Oswego was ranked #1 overall in the USCHO Coaches polls. Not a bad start for a 5-1 hockey club!

(Highlight videos provided by Michael Keeley)

Oswego Women's Hockey Earns Split with Cortland

This past weekend Oswego State Women's Hockey Team kicked off its conference schedule with a two-game series against the Red Dragons of Cortland. First game of the series was on Saturday afternoon at the Campus Center Ice Arena with the teams skating to a 1-1 tie. Lauren Gilpin got Oswego on the board first at the 16:27 mark of the 2nd period. However Cortland answered with a powerplay goal in the 3rd period, scored by Julia Rapp 5:28 into the 3rd.

Neither team could score in the extra period but by far the best chance to win the hockey game went to Oswego about 15 seconds in. Megan Howe (Pictured Above) got a clean breakaway from the blueline in on Cortland goalie Katie Double and beat her clean glove side but the shot rang off the crossbar. Cortland had pressure late in the Overtime but could not bury a winner, as the game ended 1-1. Double faced 44 Oswego shots allowing only the Gilpin Goal. As for Oswego netminder Catherine Cote she turned away 19 of the 20 shots she faced, allowing onnly the Rapp Powerplay goal.

That was Saturday. Sunday's afternoon contest was a bit more high scoring, as Oswego walked away with a 2-1 victory. Oswego got on the board first in the opening period thanks to Mackenzie Lee 2nd of the season. The shot on this goal was good, but the credit has got to go to Melissa Seamont for the beautiful setup pass from behind the net. Oswego then stretched the lead to 2-0 when Melissa Seamont scored her first of the year at the 18:57 mark on the Powerplay off a great tip of an Olivia Boersen shot. So Seamont had a nice 2 point game. Cortland would get on the board in the 2nd period with a Kellie Micillo powerplay goal. That was all Cortland could muster on this afternoon as Oswego walked away with the victory.

Bridget Smith got the win for the Lakers, her first ever in college. Smith made 16 saves on 17 shots. Meanwhile Cortland goalie Katie Double stopped 39 of 41 Oswego shots in taking the loss. After the Lakers first 4 games of the season, Mackenzie Lee leads Oswego in scoring with 3 points on 2 goals and assist. Following close behind with two points each are Kelly Collins, Melissa Seamont, and Jillian Bergeron. Next weekend the Lakers play a pair with the Utica Pioneers. The first game will take place at the Aud in Utica at 4pm Friday, while the game Saturday afternoon between the two clubs will be at 3pm from the Campus Center in Oswego.


(Photo provided by Oswego State Sports Information)

Oswego Women Drop First Two Games of The Season to Adrian

It was a tough opening weekend for the Oswego State Women's Hockey Team, dropping both games of their opening weekend to the Adrian Bulldogs at home. Game One of the series was Friday night and Freshman Bridget Smith got the start in net for Oswego. She faced 30 shots and made 27 saves, getting beat for goals from Ashley Gniewek, Hannah McGowan (Powerplay Goal), and Kristin Maton. Oswego was able to manage 40 shots on net, but Adrian netminder Emily Michelin turned aside every single one of them. The scoring chances where there but Oswego just wasn't able to convert.

Saturday afternoon, Oswego's offense FINALLY woke up, but so too did Adrians. Danielle Smith got Adrian on the board first with a powerplay goal with about two minutes left in the opening period. Less than a minute later Oswego scored there first goal of the year, and it was last years leading scorer Mackenzie Lee got on the scoresheet. Moving to the 2nd Adrian took a 2-1 lead on a Ashley Gniewek goal, her 2nd of the weekend 2:44 into the middle frame. But Oswego answered right back thanks to a Carly Henderson Powerplay goal at 9:28. Courtney Millar gave Adrian the lead back at the 12 minute mark of the 2nd and held that 3-2 lead after 2 periods.

The third saw the flood gates open up for Adrian as Olivia Rork and Lauren Zachwieja would give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead. Kelly Collins, last years leading goal scorer, cut the lead to 5-3 but it wasn't enough as Adrian held on by that score. Emily Michelin got the win again for Adrian making 31 saves. Cathrine Cote took the loss for Oswego making 26 saves.

Oswego State Men Split Weekend Series

It was a weird weekend for the Oswego State Men's Hockey Team earning a split of their games this weekend with Cortland and Utica. It started Friday night with a dominating 6-0 over the Cortland Red Dragons in Cortland. The 1st period was a quite one, with neither team being able to find the back of the net. The 2nd period saw the Oswego offense explode for 5 goals in the frame. Paul Rodrigues got things going with a powerplay goal 2:17 into the period. Less than a minute later Ian Boots connected to up the lead to 2-0. The Lakers Powerplay clicked again for the 2nd goal of the period thanks to Luke Moodie stretching the lead to 3-0. Oswego just kept pouring it on, stretching the lead to 4-0 thanks to a Chris Brown powerplay goal, his first of the year and the 3rd on the man advantage in the period. Paul Rodrigues would add a 4th powerplay goal in the 2nd to make it a 5-0 Lakers lead after 40 minutes of play. To add the icing on the cake, Chris Brown connected in the 3rd for another powerplay goal to capp off the scoring at 6-0.

On this night Andrew Hare made 19 saves for the shutout, the 2nd in his Lakers career as Oswego improved to 3-0 on the young season. Oswego went 5 for 11 on the powerplay and cranked out 40 shots on a shell shocked Brittan Kuhlman. Six Oswego players had multi-point games: Chris Brown (2 Goals), Ian Boots (Goal, 2 Assists), Jon Whitelaw (3 Assists), Paul Rodrigues (2 Goals, 1 Assist), Zack Josepher ( 2 Assists), and Andrew Mather (2 Assists). All around good game for the Lakers on this night.

However the party would be short lived as the Lakers were upset by the Utica Pioneers in Utica on Saturday night. Before a big crowd of 3499 at the Aud in Utica, the Pioneers took the fight right to Oswego, converting on a powerplay goal half way through the opening period from Evan Chlanda. But with three minutes left in the 1st Oswego evened the score thanks to a slapper from Taylor Farris to tie it up. Mike Slowikowski and Trever Hertz got Utica a two goal lead at the end of the 2nd to grow the lead to 3-1. Tyler Leimbrock cut the lead in half at 3-2 but it wasnt enough as Utica was able to hold on for the victory.

Utica outshot Oswego 31-28 and controlled a good chunk of the play in this contest. Andrew Hare made 28 saves and played well but his offense wasn't able to give him enough support as Utica skated away with the victory.

After this weekend Oswego now stands at 3-1, heading into a home series this weekend at the Campus Center Ice Arena against Brockport and Geneseeo. Jon Whitelaw leads the team in overall scoring with 1 goal 7 assists for 8 points. Tyler Leimbrock is the teams leading goal scorer at 3. Whitelaw's 8 points are good enough to tie him for first overall in the nation in scoring with Branden Gay and Kevin O'Donnell of Wisconsin-Stout. Whitelaw's 7 assists are good enough for top marks in the entire country in helpers. As a team the offense has averaged 5.25 goals a game good for 6th in the country. They have the 8th best powerplay in the country and are tied for 9th in the nation on the penalty kill. Despite the Utica Loss Oswego has played great hockey over the first 4 games of the young season!

Oswego Completes Weekend Sweep of Elmira

Oswego started off the 2011-12 season same way it did last season, with an opening weekend sweep of the Elmira Soaring Eagles. It all started friday night at the Murry Athletic Center in a surprising comback win for Oswego. Jesper Strale got Elmira on the board 20 seconds in and gave the Soaring Eagles jump. Then about five minutes later Wes Consorti stretched the Elmira lead to 2-0. By periods end Chris Ayotte got Oswego on the board and cut the lead in half. Paul Beckwith got the start for the Lakers but only played one period making 11 saves on 13 shots before leaving the hockey game. No word has been given on Beckwith's departure from the game.

Andrew Hare stepped between the pipes for the final 40 minutes for Oswego replacing Beckwith and did good in net stopping 20 shots over the final two periods, teh only Soaring Eagle to beat him on this night was Kevin Willer on a powerplay goal in the 3rd. Oswego dominated the middle frame getting goals from Luke Moodie, Jon Whitelaw, and Tyler Leimbrock, with Leimbrock's coming on the Powerplay. Willar got Elmira close with his goal but the Laker offense just rolled right along in the 3rd adding goals from Zack Josepher, his first as a Laker, Kyle Badham, his first goal in college, and David Titanic. Leimbrock, Whitelaw, Moodie, and Paul Rodrigues all had two point games in the victory.

Moving on to saturday night, the scene shifted to the Campus Center Ice Arena for the home opener. And it was much of the same from the night before. Jesse McConney got Oswego on the board with a powerplay goal that ripped the roof of the net 5:17 into the game. Ten minutes later Tyler Leimbrock stretched the lead to 2-0 with his 2nd goal in as many nights. Jesse McConney would connect again for another powerplay goal 36 seconds into the 2nd period, showing he should be deserving of plenty of playing time this season. Ian Boots tallied his first of the year a few minutes later to stretch the lead to 4-0, in retrospect it may have been Chris Muise who got the goal but they gave it to Boots. Luke Moodie got in on the act late in the 2nd to increase the lead to 5-0 before Elmira finally got on the board very late in the 2nd thanks to Rick Acorn.

So we went to the 3rd with Oswego up 5-1. Tim Carr got his licks in scoring midway through the 3rd to make it 6-1. Elmira added a powerplay goal late in the game from Wes Consorti but it was too little too late as Oswego held on to the 6-2 victory. Andrew Hare got the start in net again making 28 saves for his 2nd win of this season. Jon Whitelaw picked up 2 helpers saturday night, and with a combination of the two games is the teams leading point scorer at 4 with a goal and three assists. McConney, Leimbrock and Moodie are all tied for the team lead in goals with two each. Oswego is off to a very good start again this season, going 2-0 for the 2nd year in a row and starting the season with home and home against Elmira for the 3rd year in a row.

Next up for the Lakers is a two game road trip going to Cortland to face teh Red Dragons on Friday October 28th, and Utica to face the Pioneers on the 29th. Both games set for a 7PM faceoff.

(Photo courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information Department)

Hockey's Back! Oswego State Women's Hockey Gears Up for 2011-12 Season

After having a very strong and record breaking season the Oswego State Women's Hockey team gears up to take the ice for the 2011-12 season. Head Coach Diane Dillon looking to improve on last years team and may have the talent to do just that. Last season the team went 13-10-3 and made the playoffs for the second time in the programs history. The new talent to last years team had a huge impact, most notable were Mackenzie Lee and Megan Howe, both had monster seasons and set new program records. How will the team improve from last years performance heading into this year? Lets take a look at how it might happen.

The first major change will be in net. The teams best goalie Emi Willams graduated and leaves a hole to fill. Cathrine Cote and Megan Amlinger are still around to fill the nets. Also added to the mix is freshman goalie Bridget Smith who comes in standing at 6 feet tall. The way things look playing time will be split down the middle between Cote and Smith. Now no disrespect to Megan Amlinger by any means but she has had one start in here career and gave up 6 goals in that hockey game. Amlinger has gotten the shaft in the three years in Oswego being behind Emi Williams Erin Robson and Cote the past few years. Amlinger will get a few starts this year that's for sure but Smith and Cote will get the bulk of the time in net this season.

The defense core remained in tact for the most part. Brenna Weber and Megan Bigsnake left the program due to graduation. Otherwise the core is still there. The team returns Jocelyn St. Clair, Breanne Reith, Leslie Jarvis, Chelsea Hunt, and captain Kathryn Sbrocchi. Added to the mix on the blueline will be Samm Reimer, and Emily Marks. Reimer sadly there was little to find out about except she is coming to Oswego Via the Ridley College Tigers. Emily Marks joins the Laekrs blue line from Durham West where in the past two season she registered 8 points. Tow very solid blueliners who will get plenty of playing time this season, most likely switching in and out with eachother on a game by game basis.

Finally we take a look at the forwards. Coach Dillon returns her top six scoring forwards from last season in Mackenzie Lee, Kelly Collins, Megan Howe, Jillian Bergeron, Carly Henderson, and Olivia Boersen. Expected to add to the scoring punch will be transfer Emma Smetaniuk. Coming in from Potsdam Semtaniuk adds 10 goals and 16 points from the Bears, this after registering 27 points in final years in Juniors. Next up is Carly Marchment, who comes in adding 39 points from her last two years in Juniors. Also joining the firepower will be Chelsey Draker who scored 41 points in Juniors the past two season. With this much firepower joining a potent offense the scoring may go up from last year.

The lose on offense comes from losing Emily Grippin and Sarah Hannon the teams two best penalty killers by far. From the returning club it seems that Mady Paul and Leah McNaughton will be expected to pick up the slack on the kill. The Captain and one of the Assistants stayed the same from last year. Kathryn Sbrocchi kept the C and Jillian Bergeron kept her A. The other two players to get an A were Carly Henderson and Olivia Boersen. All four leadership ability will be able to help this team reach the next level and hopefully go deep into the playoffs and maybe make a run at a national championship.

Here is what the Oswego State Schedule looks like for the 2011-12 season:

Fri. 10/21/2011 Durham Lightning Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 10/28/2011 Adrian Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 10/29/2011 Adrian Oswego, NY 4:00 PM
Sat. 11/5/2011 * Cortland Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Sun. 11/6/2011 * Cortland Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Fri. 11/11/2011 * Utica Utica, NY 4:00 PM
Sat. 11/12/2011 * Utica Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Sat. 11/19/2011 * Potsdam Potsdam, NY 2:00 PM
Sun. 11/20/2011 * Potsdam Potsdam, NY 2:00 PM
Fri. 12/2/2011 * Neumann Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 12/3/2011 * Neumann Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Tue. 12/6/2011 Hamilton Clinton, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 12/10/2011 Amherst Amherst, MA 7:30 PM
Fri. 1/13/2012 * Chatham Pittsburgh, PA 8:00 PM
Sat. 1/14/2012 * Chatham Pittsburgh, PA 2:00 PM
Tue. 1/17/2012 Hamilton Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 1/21/2012 * Plattsburgh Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sun. 1/22/2012 * Plattsburgh Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Fri. 1/27/2012 * Buffalo State Buffalo, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 1/28/2012 * Buffalo State Buffalo, NY 3:00 PM
Fri. 2/3/2012 * RIT (Pink at the Rink) Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/4/2012 * RIT (Senior Day) Oswego, NY 3:00 PM
Fri. 2/10/2012 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/11/2012 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT 2:00 PM
Sat. 2/18/2012 * Elmira Elmira, NY 7:00 PM
Sun. 2/19/2012 * Elmira Elmira, NY 3:00 PM

ECAC West Championships
Sat. 2/25/2012 ECAC West First Round High Seed
Sat. 3/3/2012 ECAC West Semifinal Top Seed
Sun. 3/4/2012 ECAC West Championship Top Seed

The most interesting game on the schedule is against RIT senior weekend. As we all remember from last year the Lakers upset RIT on their senior night and handed the Tigers their only loss of the season. So there might be a chance RIT will be looking for revenge. With the talent Oswego is returning to the ice plus throw in the new talent to the program and things are going up from here in a very competative ECAC West. Oswego is ready to rock and roll for a big BIG season and will make an impact for a long time to come. LETS GO LAKERS!!!!!

It's Back! Oswego State Men's Hockey Hits the Ice For 2011-12 Season

It's that time of year as the Oswego State Lakers Men's Hockey team prepare to take the ice for the 2011-12 season. Head Coach Ed Gosek is returning a substantial amount of talent to the ice from last season, a year in which saw the club reach the Final Four for the 2nd time in as many years. Heading into this year coach will be without the services of Joe Hall, Justin Fox, Owen Kelly, Stephen Mallaro, Chris Laganiere, Kevin Huinink, and Dan Bremner. With those 7 guys leaving the team a total of 34 goals or 3.4% of the offense is gone. Another big impact of the departure of these 7 is the impact on defense as Huinink and Mallaro were two of Coach Gosek's more reliable D-Men. But fear not the coaching staff did a good job of bringing in new talent to this hockey club to fill the void left by the graduating seniors.

We start by looking first at the lone transfer to this years team, defenseman Zack Josepher. After spending the past 2 seasons at Michigan State Josepher has some big shoes to try and fill. He was able to register 18 in 55 games for the Spartians after a very solid career in Juniors. Standing at 6'0 and weighing 190 pounds he has solid size to him and can be a good puck moving defenseman. Nexy we have two freshman joining the blue line in the form of Bobby Gertsakis and Nick Rivait. Gertsakis registered 52 points in Juniors over the past three seasons and add that to his size at 5'10 and 175 pounds he could have something unique to bring to the table. Then we have Nick Rivait. He is very big boy at 6'2 and 205 pounds so he should fit in nicely with the bigger D-Men the Lakers currently have on the roster. Also he seems to be a good puck moving D-man with totalling 66 points in the last two years in Juniors and 86% of those points coming via assists, so it seems to me that the ability to move the puck is there. Now how much playing time these three get this season is tough to judge espically with the talent that's coming back to the Oswego State Blueline this season with the returns of Assistant Captain Jared Anderson, Hank Van Boxmeer, Michael Gilchrist, Tim Carr, Taylor Farris, and Jesse McConney all back for another season, it will be tough for the new guys to get ice time but I'm sure they will see some playing time.

Now looking at the offense the Lakers have added some fresh faces up front one of whom is Chris Carr, the younger brother of defensman Tim Carr. Chris is a speedster at 5'10 and 157 pounds and can move the puck as he registered 50 assists last season in juniors. His point totals have gone up the last few years while in Juniors, so I'm looking for him to be making some noise this season. The biggest addition to the team is Stan Smrke coming in at 6'4 and 200 pounds. This makes him the 2nd biggest guy on the team behind Matt Singelton. Smrke scored 20 points last year in juniors so judging by that it seems he was brought in to add more of a physical presence to the hockey club but again who knows. Another addition to the team is Peter Rodrigues. There is NO relation between Peter and Paul Rodrigues. Peter comes in having scored 31 points in just 18 games last season in juniors. Again this may be another case of limited playing time depending on how the coaching staff mix and match with line combinations. Adding to this new mix will be Eli Kim-Swallow who produced what seems to be decent numbers in his career in Juniors. Judging from stats it seems that Kim-Swallow will be joining the Lakers for his defensive abilities which will be a great asset for Ed Gosek, who as we know is big on defensive forwards. And last but certainly not least is RJay Berra. Berra put up good numbers playing in juniors and may have some playing time on this talent heavy hockey club.

The freshman forwards are going to be fighting it out with the veterans for ice time. With a lot of returning scoring from last year including Captain Andrew Mather, Assistants Ian Boots and Jon Whitelaw, Luke Moodie Tyler Leimbrock, Chris Muise and others, there will plenty of guys fighting for more ice time this season. There are a few guys from last year's club I'm expecting to have bigger seasons from, such as Chris Brown, Chris Ayotte, and Chris Muise. I think these three will be seeing more time on ice this year then the past two seasons have alotted. I'm also expecting a bounce back year from Tyler Leimbrock, who had a good year last season don't get me wrong, but without Neil Musselwhite and Brad Dormidy on his line had a bit of a down year as compared to freshman year. I also expect to see more of Kyle Badham, Corey Domenico and David Titanic. Titanic was big down the stretch and in the playoffs when he got playing time, so I would hope the more playing time he gets the better he will play. As for Badham and Domenico, both guys got sort of the shaft last season and didn't play much so here's to hoping they can make a bigger impact this seaosn.

Finally we take a look at the goaltending. Nothing has changed during the offseason as Paul Beckwith, Dan Jones, and Andrew Hare are the three goalies for the Lakers. For the third time in his career Paul Beckwith was hit with the injury bug midway through last season and Jones and Hare did a very good job holding the fort down till Beckwith came back. The way I see things Paul Beckwith is the number one man in the Pipes for the Lakers, but I do see Jones and Hare getting a few more starts this season and Beckwith getting a few games off to be rested for the playoffs. Again I could be wrong but that is just the way I see things.

Just to refresh everybody's memory here is the schedule for Oswego State this Season:


Fri. 10/21/2011 Elmira Elmira, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 10/22/2011 Elmira Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 10/28/2011 * Cortland Cortland, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 10/29/2011 Utica Utica, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 11/4/2011 * Geneseo Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 11/5/2011 * Brockport Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 11/12/2011 * Morrisville Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 11/18/2011 * Fredonia Fredonia, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 11/19/2011 * Buffalo State Buffalo, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 12/2/2011 * Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 12/3/2011 * Potsdam Potsdam, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 12/10/2011 Hobart Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Pathfinder Bank/Oswego Classic
Fri. 12/30/2011 Neumann vs. Hamline Oswego, NY 4:00 PM
Fri. 12/30/2011 Connecticut College Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 12/31/2011 Conn. College vs. Neumann/Hamline Oswego, NY 1:00 PM
Sat. 12/31/2011 Neumann/Hamline Oswego, NY 4:00 PM
Fri. 1/13/2012 Curry Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 1/14/2012 Utica Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 1/20/2012 * Cortland Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 1/21/2012 Hamilton Clinton, NY 3:00 PM
Fri. 1/27/2012 * Geneseo Geneseo, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 1/28/2012 * Brockport Brockport, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/4/2012 * Morrisville Morrisville, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 2/10/2012 * Fredonia Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/11/2012 * Buffalo State Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Fri. 2/17/2012 * Plattsburgh Oswego, NY 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/18/2012 * Potsdam (Senior Night) Oswego, NY 7:00 PM

SUNYAC Championships
Wed. 2/22/2012 SUNYAC Play-In Top Seed 7:00 PM
Sat. 2/25/2012 SUNYAC Semifinal Top Seed 7:00 PM
Sat. 3/3/2012 SUNYAC Championship Top Seed 7:00 PM

NCAA Championships
Wed. 3/7/2012 NCAA 1st Round
Sat. 3/10/2012 NCAA Quarterfinal
Fri.-Sat. 3/16-17/2012 NCAA Championship Lake Placid, NY

So with the new team ready to hit the ice, it seems like a good season ahead. Andrew Mather was named Captain during the summer, and Jon Whitelaw, Ian Boots, and Jared Anderson named assostants the team is in great hands going forward. Coach Gosek always finds a way to find talent to be in contention year in and year out for a National Championship. LETS GO LAKERS!!!!!!

Islanders and Rangers Renew Rivalry Tomorrow

Tomorrow night the Islanders and Rangers renew their historic rivalry from Nassau Coliseum. This rivalry was established when the NHL awarded a second franchise in the New York metropolitan area. With the impending start of the World Hockey Association in the fall of 1972, the upstart league had plans to place a team, the Raiders, in the then-new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County. The National Hockey League did not want competition in the nation's largest metro area, so despite having expanded two years before, the NHL awarded franchises to Atlanta and Long Island to preempt the WHA. The fledgling New York Islanders had an extra burden to pay in the form of a $4 million territorial fee to the nearby New York Rangers.

With both teams' fans visiting "enemy territory" for games, organized shouting matches and fights break out in the stands. Ranger fans often refer to the Nassau Coliseum as "Garden East" or the "Mausoleum", as Ranger fans often make up at least half and recently much more of the crowd when they visit. The Rangers' fanbase generally comes from the city's five boroughs, Westchester, Fairfield, Long Island and Rockland Counties, and from Northern and Central New Jersey, while the Islanders tend to draw fans from Nassau and Suffolk counties, and parts of eastern Queens. Fans will direct derisive chants at their rivals regardless of whether the teams are actually playing. At each home game, Ranger fans engage in perhaps their most popular chant: whistling the song "Let's Go Band" and punctuating it with "Potvin sucks". This is a reference to retired Islander Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin, who angered Rangers fans by breaking Center Ulf Nilsson's ankle on a clean check. Rangers fans also occasionally bring out the chant "Beat your wife, Potvin, beat your wife", a reference to unconfirmed allegations that Potvin has committed domestic abuse. Lastly, Rangers Fans have taunted Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro by chanting "DP Sucks!"

Islander fans taunted Rangers fans for many years with the chant "1940!" referring to the Rangers having the all-time longest drought without winning the Stanley Cup, until the Blueshirts finally won in 1994.[10] For a period in the late '90s and early 2000s, Islanders fans would punctuate the "Chicken Dance" with chants of "the Rangers suck." The Islanders had stopped playing the song at games for a length of time but as of the 2007–08 season the song is played solely at Islanders-Rangers games. Rangers winger Theoren Fleury used the chant as an excuse for flapping his arms to taunt Islanders enforcer Eric Cairns.

In addition a popular chant was "Crackhead Theo!" referring to Fleury's erratic behavior and history of substance abuse at the time. Islanders fans also sing a song to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It", replacing the standard lyrics with "If you know the Rangers suck, clap your hands." In the early 1990s a group of boisterous fans at Nassau Coliseum would sit in section 329 and mock Rangers announcer Sam Rosen's tag line "It's a power play goal" by announcing in unison "it's a power play goal, screw you Sam Rosen" after each Islander Power Play Goal.

One well-known incident at an Islanders/Philadelphia Flyers game in 2003 turned an innocent holiday promotion at Nassau Coliseum into a on-ice shoving match between Rangers and Islanders fans in Santa suits.
One incident that has been rumored was a brawl between fans of the two teams at a New York Mets game at Shea Stadium in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

As of 2008, the Rangers and Islanders are tied in the all-time series with 100 wins, 100 losses (including overtime and shootout losses), and 19 ties. In the playoffs, however, the Islanders hold the lead with a 20-19 record, and have won five of the eight playoff series' between the two teams.


And to make things more interesting, this is the first ranger game in the united states all season. The Rangers played over in Europe last weekend and have not played since. As for the Islanders they will be without the services of Rick DiPietro who has a concussion after getting hit in the head with a shot in practice. So this is the first meeting of 6 this season between the two clubs and if any of the past games have been an indication this should be a fun game to watch!

2011-12 NHL Season Preview

That time of year is finally here once again. Yes the 2011-12 NHL season is ready to get underway at the end of this week. And here and now on this very sports blog we will take a look division by division in the NHL and get you ready for the new season. We kick things off with the Western Conference and the Central Division.

First with the central are the winners and losers in the offseason. Winners so far are the Blues, for signing Arrnott and Langenbruner, the Predators signed Nick Bergfors from florida, and Cheecho siging with the Blues. Other than that it was all resignings in the division. Looking at this Division as it stands right now I can see it going to either the Wings Hawks or Predators, all three of whom will make the playoffs. Sorry but for St. Louis and Columbus I think there are still too many holes to compete in this division. The Blues are just too weak on offense and the Jackets don't have enough offensive support for Rick Nash. Division standings look like this:

1. Detroit*
2. Chicago*
3. Nashville*
4. St. Louis
5. Columbus

Now we move on to the Northwest Division. The Canucks were the only team from the division to make the post season and went all the way to the cup finals before losing to Boston. They did enough to recharge their lineup and will be back in the playoffs. The Oilers, who were the worst team in the NHL are in rebulding mode but looks like they have something solid in place in Oil country but sadly it won't be enough for a playoff birth as they will be in last again. Colorado is another club in rebuild but I will give credit where it's due for solidifing their goaltending picking up JS Gigure. But it won't be enought the Avs will be near the bottom again. The Flame were quite in the offseason and will make noise but not enough for the playoffs. The Minnesota Wild have made a few big moves this offseason in picking up Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi will add much needed scoring punch. The only question mark I still have with the Wild is in net but I think they have enough to make the playoffs this season. Here is how I see the division:

1. Vancouver*
2. Minnesota*
3. Calgary
4. Colorado
5. Edmonton

Finally in the West we look at the Pacific and start with the Dallas Stars. Dallas was quiet in the offseason again but look like they will try and make some noise in the division. Goaltending is a bit of a question with Raycroft, who hasn't been the same since his calder trophy winning season and Lehtonen has been so so the past few years. But being this is one of the toughest divisions in hockey Dallas has a fight on its hands. next is the Los Angeles Kings who like the Stars were quiet this offseason. LA Made the playoffs for the 2nd straight year and were bounced in the 1st round. With Dustin Brown leading the offensive charge the Kings will be in good contention for the playoffs but I don't think have enough. Now on to the Phoenix Coyotes a team who has surprised a lot of people in the NHL by making the playoffs the past few seasons. Not much has changed for the Coyotes since last year except the addition of Raffi Torres so the Coyotes will once again play in the playoffs. Now for the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks saw a few changes to their club since last season but are still loaded enough to not only make the playoffs but be a serious threat for the division title. Now for last years winners of this division the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks will once again walk away with a division crown with the man reason being no player movement as the Canucks were quiet in the offseason and kept the core in tact for another strong playoff run. Here is how I see the division:

1. Vancouver
2. Anaheim
3. Phoenix
4. Los Angles
5. Dallas

Now that the West is taken care of lets move over to the East and start with the southeast division and a totally revamped Florida Panthers. The Panthers needed to do something big this offseason for 2 reasons 1) they were the worst team in the East last year and 2) they needed to reach the Salary Cap floor. So what do they do? They go sign a whole host of new players including: Sean Bergenheim, Brian Campbel, Marcel Goc, Kris Versteeg and Scottie Upshall just to name a few. Now on paper the panthers look like a very solid hockey club who is playoff contenders but it depends on if it translates well to the ice. i say if not making the playoffs it will be damn close for the Panthers. Now on to the Winnipeg Jets who just relocated from Atlanta as the Thrashers. The Jets didi make some noise picking up Blake Wheeler from Boston but that's about it. The Jets sad to say it I think will miss the playoffs on the fact that they have talent yes but not enough to REALLY contend in the east. Next up is the Carolina Hurricanes who will be very strong contenders this year for the playoffs. A big reason will be Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner. Skinner had a monster year last year coming out of nowhere and will have another big year this year helping the Canes Make the playoffs. Next is the Tampa Bay Lightning another club bound for the playoffs. Last Year the Bolts came within a game of playing for the cup. This summer they sured up the blue line with Bruno Gervis and Eric Brewer. They still have St. Louis Stamkos and Lecavelier as their three biggest guns and there is no stopping this team. Last is the division winners the Washington Capitals. The biggest problem here is the Caps getting it done in the playoffs as they really are the Sharks of the East. Now Washington did bolster the blueline with Roman Hamrlik joining the club, which will be a big help. And Yes the Caps will make the playoffs. Here is how I see this division going this year:

1. Tampa Bay*
2. Washington*
3. Carolina*
4. Florida
5. Winnipeg

Now for the Northeast Division and the division winner from last year and also Stanley Cup Champions is the Boston Bruins. Boston is the defending champs and will is a lock for the post season the reason being there were almost no changes to the lineup save a few minor moves. Next is the Montreal Canadiens who had a good run in the playoffs last year before falling to Boston. The Habs added some much needed scoring punch with the signing of Erik Cole their biggest pickup. The Habs will be a playoff team of course but will they go far is the big question. Next up is the Buffalo Sabres who were huge players in the offseason with the signings of Christian Ehrhoff, Ville Leino, and Robyn Regehr will bring back some much needed stability and spark to the club. Plus getting Derek Roy back and healthy will be a big key. Buffalo goes deep in the playoffs. Now on to the Toronto Maple Leafs who sad to say will not be making the playoffs this year. Yes they have solid goaltending with James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson and of course team captain Dion Phaneuf but its not enough. Finally we have the Ottawa Senators who much like the Leafs have a lot of holes and will miss the playoffs. Here is how the division will look:

1. Boston*
2. Buffalo*
3. Montreal*
4. Toronto
5. Ottawa

Last we look at the Atlantic Division and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens were quite this offseason making no noise in free agency. They will get back Geno Malkin to start the year but will still be without the services of Sidney Crosby who is on injured reserve with concussion problems steming from the injury suffered in January. As good as the Pens are Crosby really carries this team and without Sid in the lineup for any length of time the team struggles and will actually miss the playoffs. Now for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers made big noise this summer trading Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in separate deals and signing both Jaromir Jagr and Ilya Bryzgalov. Signing Bryzgalov was huge because it finally gives the Flyers a #1 goalie. But signing Jagr is a huge risk since he is 39 and hasn't played in the NHL in a few years. The Flyers are good enough though to still make the playoffs. Now for the New York Rangers who had noise all over the place this year. The team saw Chris Drury retire, cut Sean Avery and gave a huge contract to Brad Richards. Throw those elements in with what the Rangers already have I can see them making the post season. Now for the New Jersey Devils who just named Zach Parise team captain. As far as signings go they did nothing this year for new coach Peter DeBoris. Devils make it fun but I have them out but not by much. Finally the New York Islanders. I will go into a full Islanders preview later this week but for here I see them missing the playoffs. Here is how I see the Atlantic:

1. Flyers*
2. Rangers*
3 Devils
4. Islanders
5. Penguins

(* means playoff team)

Mike Modano Announces Retirement!

One of the greatest American born NHL scorers Mike Modano Announced his retirement. Here is the story as posted on NHL.com:


Mike Modano turned to social media to announce his retirement on Tuesday.

Modano, the all-time leading NHL scorer among U.S.-born players, posted the news on his Facebook and Twitter accounts and also announced he will be holding a press conference Friday.

"After a long summer of thinking about my future, I've come to the decision that it's time to retire as a player from the NHL," Modano wrote on his Facebook page, a link to which he also posted to his Twitter account. "There's way too many people to thank here at this time and too much to say, so I have a press conference scheduled for early Friday afternoon. Check back Friday late afternoon for more. What a great ride it's been!"

Modano played 1,499 regular-season NHL games, including 1,459 with the Minnesota/Dallas franchise, and finished his career with 561 goals and 813 assists for 1,374 points. The first pick of the 1988 Entry Draft, he made his NHL debut with the North Stars in 1989 and played 21 seasons. The native of Livonia, Mich., returned home last season to play with the Red Wings, but injuries limited him to only 40 games.

"The greatest American player ever," former teammate Brett Hull told The Hockey News. "I don't think there's one better. He's by far No. 1."

A number of current players took to social media to congratulate Modano on his career.

"Congrats to (Modano) on a great career," tweeted Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul. "One of my favorites growing up. Always enjoyed playing against him, Sakic and Yzerman the most.

"Congrats to mike modano on a great career, did alot of great things for hockey in the US over his career," tweeted Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk.

"Congrats to Mike Modano on a great career!" added Anaheim Ducks forward Bobby Ryan on his Twitter account. "The reason I picked number 9! What an awesome player, thanks for showing young Americans the way!"

Modano won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999. He holds NHL records for the most goals, points, playoff points (145) and games played by a U.S.-born player.

He also holds Minnesota/Dallas franchise records for games played in the regular season, games played in the playoffs (174), goals in the regular season (557), goals in the playoffs (58), assists in the regular season (802), assists in the playoffs (87) and points in both the regular season (1,359) and playoffs (145).

Modano was named to the NHL's All-Rookie team in 1990 and played in eight All-Star Games over his career.



It is safe to make this statement, Modano is the greatest scoring americans of all time, one of the best forwards in the history of USA hockey and without a doubt will be in hall of fame in Toronto!

Big Surprises in NFL Week 1

The 2011 NFL Season kicked off with a big BANG! IT started last thursday with the first game of the year and a battle of the last two Super Bowl Champions in the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. This was a highs scoring affair as the Packers pulled one out by a 42-35 score. Arron Rogers showed why he has the reigns and making sure quickly that Packers fans forget all about Brett Farve. Of the local football clubs the Giants fall short to the Redskins 28-14. Eli Manning went 18 of 32 for 288 yards. His favorite targert was Hackem Nicks who caught 7 passes for 122 yards. The Giants offense shown good life through the first half but then all of a sudden no showed in the second half and allowed the Skins to walk back into the contest. If this is a sign of things to come in the future weeks for the Giants then it could be a very long season for Big Blue.

As for Gang Green the Jets had a tough go around with Dallas. The Jets took the game 27-24 in a close contest. Mark Sanchez of the Jets went 26 of 44 for 335 yards 2 TDs and a Pick. Looking at this as a Jets fan I'm a bit worried. I was a bit alarmed to find he threw 44 passes and barley completed half of them. I don't know how long he can hold up and get the Jets to the Playoffs. The other question I had from this game was the Jets running game. The Jets only ran the ball 15 times 10 carries by Shawn Greene for 26 Yards and LT had 5 Carries for 16 yards. Again as a Jets fan I'm hoping the running game turns up again or this could be a long season for us Jets Fans. There were a few bright spots for Gang Green. The biggest one on offense was Plaxico Burress. He had a TD Catch and started to show some flashes of his former self before his prison sentence. On Defense the punt unit came up huge blocking a Cowboys punt leading to the Game Tying Touchdown. And of course there was Derrel Revis interception that set up the game winnning field goal. Tony Romo of Dallas came out flying but after he lost his two biggest targets at wide reciever he seemed to shut down. But if your looking at the Jets next week against The jaguars.

So looking around the rest of the NFL one of the biggest surprises was the Buffalo Bills who exploded for 41 points as they blasted the Chiefs 41-7. The Buffalo Bills had been what most would call a bad team, I just never knew the Bills had it in them. Another surprise was the Miami Dolphins as they put up a fight against the New England Patriots but the Pats proved to be too much taking the game 38-24.

The two biggest performers from Week 1 for me were both Quarterbacks. First was Cam Newton. The rookie QB for Carolina played a great first game in the NFL throwing for 422 yards breaking the old record held by Payton Manning. Have to admit it was a pretty good opening day for Newton and I have to admit he put up a good fight on the opener. But the big question for him is how he handles next week against the Packers. The other big story was Tom Brady of the Pats who threw for over 500 yards in the monday night win over the Dolphins. I knew the guy was good but come on!

NHL Takes Another HIt as Plan Crash Kills 43

More sad news has struck the National Hockey League today as a plane crash kills members of a KHL team from Russia which included former NHL Talent. Here is the article from nhl.com this afternoon:

Plane crash in Russia involves KHL teamWednesday, 09.07.2011 / 2:07 PM / News
NHL.com
CommentPrintA plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia has claimed the lives of at least 43 people, according to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. The majority of victims were members of the Kontinental Hockey League club, Lokomotiv.

Lokomotiv has confirmed that the entire main roster, plus four players from the youth team, was on the plane.

"We have no team anymore," Vladimir N. Malkov, the team spokesman, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. "All our starting players, and all the service people, they all burned in the crash."


Former NHLers among crash victims
PAVOL DEMITRA teams: OTT, STL, LAK, MIN, VAN
RUSLAN SALEI teams: ANA, FLA, COL, DET
Karel Rachunek teams: Ott, NYR, NJD
Karlis Skrastins teams: NSH, COL, FLA, DAL
Josef Vasicek teams: Car, NYI
Alexander Vasyunov teams: NJD
Brad McCrimmon teams (as coach) NYI, CGY, ATL, DET teams (as PLAYER)
BOS, PHI, CGY, DET, HFD, PHX

Coach Brad McCrimmon, forward Pavol Demitra, defenseman Ruslan Salei, forward Josef Vasicek, defenseman Karel Rachunek, forward Jan Marek, forward Alexander Vasyunov, defenseman Karlis Skrastins and goalie Stefan Liv are among the confirmed fatalities.

The deaths of McCrimmon, Salei, Vasicek, Rachunek, Skrastins and Liv were confirmed by the Russian Emergency Ministry. Demitra's passing was confirmed by his agent, Matt Keator, while the New Jersey Devils confirmed Vasyunov's death.

The crash, one of the worst in the history of sports, occurred at 4 p.m. Moscow time and the weather was sunny and clear, according to reports.

Eight crew members are also among the dead, according to reports. According to Russian aviation officials, two passengers survived the crash, but are in critical condition. According to Sovetsky Sport, one of the survivors is Russian forward Alexander Galimov.

Several hundred mourning fans wearing jerseys and scarves gathered in the evening at the Lokomotiv stadium to pay their respects.

"I knew half the team. I didn't believe it at first … then I felt sick," New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimov said according to Newsday's Steve Zipay.

Anisimov is from Yaroslavl and is a product of the Lokomotiv hockey school. He played for the team in the old Russian Superleague for two seasons, 2005-07.

"This is just awful," said Matt Keator, who was Demitra's agent. "He was such a popular guy with everyone he has ever played with."

Keator was in Russia visiting Demitra just three weeks ago. He spent some time with the Yaroslavl team during his visit.

"I was over there three weeks ago and they were a fun bunch. They seemed to be a great group of guys. Very tight," Keator said.

The Czech embassy in Moscow confirmed the deaths of Vasicek, Rachunek and Marek.
Vasicek played for the Carolina Hurricanes during part of his NHL career and McCrimmon played for the Hartford Whalers, which eventually became the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina GM Jim Rutherford issued a statement on the tragedy.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of today's tragedy in Russia. Josef was a key part of the Hurricanes for six years, helping us achieve some of our greatest successes. More importantly, he was a great teammate on and off the ice, and was respected as a person as well as a player.

"Brad McCrimmon was a member of our team while we were still in Hartford, and was well-liked by all who came in contact with him. His presence in the hockey community will be greatly missed.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to the Vasicek and McCrimmon families, and the loved ones of all of today's victims."

The Lokomotiv roster was full of players with NHL ties.

McCrimmon played in the NHL and most recently served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings before taking the Yaroslavl job in May. The Russian Times confirmed that McCrimmon also died in the crash.

Defensemen Rachunek, Salei and Skrastins, as well as forwards Demitra and Vasicek all spent a good deal of time in the NHL.

Forward Vasyunov played 18 games with the New Jersey Devils this past season. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Vasyunov died in the crash.

"I can't say enough about him," Lamoriello told reporters Wednesday. "(Vasyunov) wanted to go over (to Russia) and play a lot and come back here. He was so proud to be a Devil."

"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League. Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished."

Former NHLers Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev were listed as assistant coaches for Lokomotiv.

McCrimmon played defense for six NHL teams -- Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix -- in a 17-year career, appearing in 1,222 regular-season games in the NHL, collecting 81 goals, 322 assists and 1,416 penalty minutes.

He was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and the Red Wings. He also served as head coach of the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades.

According to the reports on the crash, the plane, a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger jet, went down and caught fire shortly immediately after taking to the air, crashing less than 2 kilometers from the airport.

The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in service since 1980. This particular plane has been in operation since 1993, according to officials. It was en route to Minsk, Belarus for a Thursday night game against Dynamo Minsk, Yaroslavl's opener to the 2011-12 KHL season.

Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Brent Sopel, who is now playing in Russia, tweeted shortly after the crash: "In shock. Prayers out to all of the KHL families."

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the plane crashed immediately after taking off from an airport near the city on the Volga River, which is approximately 150 miles northeast of Moscow.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has sent his transport minister to the site of the crash.

A game between KHL teams Salavat Yulaev and Atlant in the central Russian city of Ufa was called off midway Wednesday after news of the crash was announced by KHL president head Alexander Medvedev.

"We are working to find an appropriate way to honor this club and begin the healing process from the deep loss so many of us feel today," the league said in a statement Wednesday

Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak also expressed his feelings on the crash.

"We will do our best to ensure that hockey in Yaroslavl does not die, and that it continues to live for the people that were on that plane," he said.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport."

"Despite the substantial air travel of professional hockey teams, our sport has been spared from tragic traffic accidents," Fasel said. “But only until now. This is the darkest day in the history of our sport. This is not only a Russian tragedy, the Lokomotiv roster included players and coaches from 10 nations."

"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished."

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, founded in 1949 as the team of the Railways Ministry, is one of Russia's leading hockey teams and came runner up in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2008 and 2009. In 1997 it took the Russian Superleague title and won back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003.



This is becoming an alarming trend for the NHL as there have already been a few other players who have passed away since the stanley cup finals. Since the finals, besides the gentleman listed above, the League has lost Wade Belak, who died of unknown causes on August 31st, Rick Rypien, who had committed suacide on August 15th and Derek Boogaard, who on May 13th died of an accidental death due to mixing of drugs and alchol. The hockey world has taken a big hit the last few months and those gentelmen will be missed both on and off the ice.