Did NBA Get It Right In Donald Sterling Ruling?

The NBA, as we know, has been in a major uproar over the last few days over the comments made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling. After this came down, it was almost a guarantee that the league was going to do something as a form of punishment for the Clippers owner for making these comments. Most of the people playing in the league, almost half the people who attend NBA games, are of African American decent, so you know this was going to cause a major problem. Players were planning walk outs and protests, other owner around the league were planning on doing the same thing. Some companies had even pulled sponsorship from the Clippers and the league because of Sterling's comments. So you knew that with all of this going down, that the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver were going to do something. And they did in a big way.

In a press conference yesterday, Silver made the announcement that Donald Sterling has been banned for life, fined $2.5 million, and Silver was going to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. The ban went into effect immediately, a ruling which barred Sterling from attending NBA games or practices, being present at any Clippers office or facility, or participating in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He also cannot participate in any league business going forward. In regards Sterling and his ownership of the Clippers, if Sterling can't sell the team, he can still be removed as owner of the franchise. Under the terms of Paragraph 13 of the constitution, the owners can terminate another owner's franchise with a vote of three-fourths of the NBA Board of Governors, which is composed of all 30 owners (ESPN). All of these measures that have been taken against Donald Sterling by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver are clearly outlined in the NBA Bylaws, so Silver is within full right to do what he as done with this ruling. To date, this is the harshest penalty ever issued by the league and one of the stiffest punishments ever given to an owner in professional sports.

Now for the big questions in this matter. Did the NBA get the ruling right and make the right decision?

It is a unanimous YES that this is the right ruling. From a legal perspective, the punishment is well within the bylaws of the NBA. Adam Silver didn't go over his limits in making this punishment. In regards to Sterling selling the team, if he doesn't do it on his own he can be legally removed on a vote by the other owners, which from every indication will probably happen anyway.  The NBA went about this the right way in handling the whole situation, squashing any further problems that this could have caused in the future. The league went about it the proper way with their investigation and handed out a proper ruling for the situation. Reaction coming down from this ruling, from the fans, to players, to other owners, and to groups outside the league who may have had an interest in the NBA, all agreed with this ruling and were pleased with the way things went down.

This ruling from the NBA also leads to another question. Could something have been done sooner in regards to Sterling's actions? It has been well documented in the past that Donald Sterling has not had a liking to minorities. For the most part, his racist comments and actions have been acted out in his business world, never getting into the basketball side of things. There was one thing of note that Sterling had been involved in with the Clippers. He did have that messy little incident with former Clippers General Manager, and legendary NBA Player Elgin Baylor. Baylor sued Sterling and others in February 2009 in L.A. Superior Court for wrongful termination and discrimination on the basis of age and race. Baylor, who spent 22 years as Clippers general manager before departing in 2008, later dropped the race accusation. A jury ruled in favor of Sterling in March 2011. So you knew then that there was a problem with Sterling and a race issue in the league. It wasn't as big a deal as this incident last week, but still it was something that former Commissioner David Stern should have addressed. If it had been addressed when it happened, Sterling might not still be owner and this latest incident might not have happened.

Current Commissioner Adam Silver did a great job of handling the situation in the manner he did. He was swift and came down hard on Sterling. This was a statement that Adam Silver will not be pushed around and will do what needs to be done for the best interest of the league and the players!

2014 NFL Schedule Announced

It's a day that most football fans look forward to. The National Football League has announced its schedules for the 2014 season. We will list the full regular season schedules for both the Giants and Jets here, don't worry. But before we get to that, there are a few other notable dates for games around the league this year that are really worth looking at that have nothing to do with the local area teams. So here now are some interesting matchups around the rest of the league.

First game of the year is Seattle starting off at home against Green Bay September 4th at 8:30.The Seahawks ended the 2013 season by thumping the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. They'll begin the 2014 season by aiming to do the same against a healthy Aaron Rodgers and a new-in-green Julius Peppers. Will Pete Carroll's crew return with the same fire? Or will they suffer from a dreaded post-championship hangover? Week three of the season host two great matchups on September 21st. First is Washington at Philadelphia......Nothing to see here. Just another entry in this heated NFC East rivalry ... turned up to a boil by the return of ex-Philly receiver DeSean Jackson. Then you have a Superbowl rematch when the Broncos head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. And if you thought that Redskins Eagles in week three was going to be fun, then your going to love Week Four when the Carolina Panthers head to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. Like Jackson versus Eagles, only with wide receiver Steve Smith's old team coming to his new house. Good thing Smith isn't the fiery type. Then  we head to Week Nine when the Denver Broncos head to New England to take on The Patriots. Manning vs Brady once again. Then, of course, we have the week 13 thanksgiving day tradition, which has three great games to watch. First up the Bears travel to Detroit to play the Lions at 12:30, then the Eagles head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys at 4:30, and closing out the night will be the game of the night will see the Seahawks head out to San Francisco to take on the 49ers at 8:30.

Those are just some of the best matchups from around the rest of the league. Now lets get down to it. Here are the schedules for the local teams. We start it off with Big Blue

Week 1: Monday, Sept. 8, at Detroit - 7:10 p.m.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, vs. Arizona - 1:00 p.m.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, vs. Houston - 1:00 p.m.
Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 25, at Washington - 8:25 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5, vs. Atlanta - 1:00 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12, at Philadelphia — 8:30 p.m.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19, at Dallas - 4:25 p.m.
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: Monday, Nov. 3, vs. Indianapolis - 8:30 p.m.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, at Seattle - 4:25 p.m.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, vs. San Francisco - 1:00 p.m.
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, vs. Dallas — 8:30 p.m.
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, at Jacksonville - 1:00 p.m.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Tennessee - 1:00 p.m.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, vs. Washington - 1:00 p.m.
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, at St. Louis - 4:05 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, vs. Philadelphia - 1:00 p.m.

Of course the divisional matchups are going to be big for the Giants. But there are a few other games that stick out to me. One is the fact that they play both Seattle and San Francisco on back to back weeks, which is going to be really tough to play. They also start the year off against Detroit and Arizona who are two teams that are up on the rise. It's not going to be an easy schedule for the Giants this year, but then again it looks like it could be enough to get back in the playoff hunt in the NFC.

That's what the Giants have to deal with. Now here's what the Jets have to face.

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 vs. Oakland, 1 p.m.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14 at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Week 3: Monday, Sept. 22 vs. Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Detroit, 1 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5 at San Diego, 4:25 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12 vs. Denver, 1 p.m.
Week 7: Thursday, Oct. 16 at New England, 8:25 p.m.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26 vs. Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Week 9 :Sunday, Nov. 2 at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Week 11:  Bye
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23 at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Week 13: Monday, Dec. 1 vs. Miami, 8:30 p.m.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7 at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14 at Tennessee, 4:05 p.m.
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21 vs. New England, 1 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28 at Miami, 1 p.m.

There's a few things that intrigue me about this schedule. For one thing is that the Jets close out the season against the Miami Dolphins for the 3rd time in the last five seasons. Also worth noting is that the team doesn't play their first divisional game until they play the Patriots in Week Seven. With who the Jets have to play out of their division, this puts them in a bit of a tough spot as they have the 2nd toughest schedule in the league. The only team who has a tougher schedule than Gang Green is the Oakland Raiders, who they play Week One. It's going to be a tough season for the Jets, one they will be lucky to get back to .500 with, at least on paper.

Ten Years Later, Pat Tilman Still Having A Profound Impact

Ten years ago today. April 22nd 2004 has become a fateful day. That was the day that Pat Tilman, a former NFL star Safety with the Arizona Cardinals, was killed in action over in Afghanistan by "Friendly Fire." Here's a guy who turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army. This is nothing new. professional athletes have served their time in the military during their playing careers. We saw it a lot amongst Major League Baseball players during World War II. But this was sort of a first that a pro football player.

Tilman was killed in action, April 22nd, 2004, in the initial reports were that Tilman was killed by enemy combatants. But this turns out that it might not exactly be the case. An investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) concluded that Tillman and the Afghan militia soldier were killed by friendly fire when one allied group fired upon another in confusion after nearby gunfire was mistakenly believed to be from enemy combatants. The CID Report summary, dated 19 March 2007, stated that: "during their movement through the canyon road, Serial 2 [Tillman's platoon had to split up because of a broken Humvee; the parts were called Serial 1 and 2] was ambushed and became engaged in a running gun battle with enemy combatants. Serial 1 [Tillman's portion of the platoon] had just passed through the same canyon without incident and were approximately one kilometer ahead of Serial 2. Upon hearing explosions, gunfire, and sporadic radio communication from Serial 2, Serial 1 dismounted their vehicles and moved on foot, to a more advantageous position to provide overwatch and fire support for Serial 2's movement out of the ambush." Upon exiting the gorge, and despite attempts by Serial 1 to signal a "friendly position," occupants of the lead vehicle of Serial 2 opened fire on Tillman's position, where he was fatally shot.

Even now, ten years after his tragic death, Pat Tilman still has a lasting legacy that has touched the lives of millions of people. Shortly after his death, the Pat Tillman Foundation was established to carry forward its view of Tillman's legacy by inspiring and supporting those striving for positive change in themselves and the world. The foundation was started with a $1.25 million pledge to Arizona State University to help kickstart the program, which invests in military veterans and their spouses through educational scholarships – building a diverse community of leaders committed to service to others. Since the beginning of the Tillman Military Scholars program, the venture has awarded more than $4.6 million in direct scholarships for 290 Tillman Military Scholars at 85 academic institutions nationwide. Roughly 70 percent of the scholarships awarded have gone to those seeking graduate degrees, and 29 percent have been used for a doctoral program, showcasing the ambition of these returning soldiers (SB Nation).

He impacted so many people's lives, both defending our freedom and even after his passing. He left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country, and even in his passing, he allowed for others to follow in his footsteps and provide for a better education for solders who return home from war. He tried to make lives better for both the people who have served as well as others. We thank him for everything he did, and the work that still continues to be done in his name today.

2014 NBA Playoffs Opening Round Predictions

The time has arrived. After six long months and over 1,200 regular season games, the top 16 teams in the league are left standing. The march to crown an NBA Champion is on. Through the first weekend of the playoffs, we have seen a few surprising starts to series, most notably with the Hawks taking game one from the Pacers. Then you have Golden State knocking off the Clippers in game one, which is only considered a surprise because of the seeds, but I still feel the Warriors may be the better team in that series. All of that and so much more has made for an interesting start to the post season.

But what we have here is predictions for the opening round. Of course all of these predictions were made BEFORE the start of the first round. These predictions have no way been influenced at all by the first weekend of the series.

So with that in mind, here's my predictions.

Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Pacers were the best team in the East for most of the year, batteling it out with the Miami Heat for the top spot in the conference. But down the stretch the Pacers have struggled, even though they won the final two games of the regular season, they still went 4-6 in the last ten games of the year. They were going up against an under .500 Hawks team that won 37 games this year. Atlanta came in heating up, going 7-3 down the stretch.  Atlanta got the jump on the Pacers in game one, getting balanced attack from the whole team. Paul George paced Indiana in the ball game but it wasn't enough.

Still going in I felt that the Pacers were the better basketball team. They have been a dominating team all season, for the most part at least. The Hawks were a decent basketball team that played well below the bar. I had going in the Hawks winning one game in the series but that was it. I guess the Hawks got it out of the way now. I think the real Pacers basketball team is going to show up the rest of the series.

The Pick: Pacers in 5!

Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Bobcats
This is another one of those interesting matchups heading into the start of the playoffs. The Heat came in struggling, dropping their final three games of the season and going 4-6 in their final ten games. Lebron and the boys struggled down the stretch, which is a little un-Heat like. The Bobcats came on strong at the end of the season, winning their last 3 games and going 8-2 over their final ten in the regular season. Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson were pulling their weight and then some to help get the Bobcats into the place they needed to be going into the series with the Heat.

Then again they are still facing the Miami Heat, the two time defending NBA Champions. The team still has the core together and they still are a top tier team in the league. Sure the Bobcats will be able to hang in there with Walker and Jefferson in the lineup but the Heat will prove to be too much. In game one the Heat showed up and played their game.

The Pick: Heat in 5!

Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets
This may be the most even series amongst that in the east.  Amir Johnson and Kyle Lowery have been leading the charges for the Raptors, leading them all the way to the Atlantic division title. They haven't had any real competition from anybody else in the division outside of Brooklyn. Toronto came in somewhat hot down the stretch, going 7-3 in the last ten during the end of the season. The Nets started off really slow but got their act together and pulled out a playoff spot  Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were brought in for the experience factor. Sure this made them the oldest team in the league, on average age.

Garnett and Pierce were brought in for being able to come up big in big spots and thats what they did in game one of this series, with Garnett hitting big shots in the 4th quarter. Toronto is going to put up a great fight but the Nets still have too much experience which will lead to victory.

The Pick: Nets in 7!

Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards
Both of these teams are coming into the playoffs hot. Chicago lost their last game of the year but went 8-2 in their final ten games. They are doing well this year without Derek Rose, who has played only five games in the last two seasons.  Jokim Noah has stepped up bigtime for the Bulls this year and has seemed to take charge of this team since Derek Rose is not here. Also stepping up has been Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin. But the Wizards have come on strong to close out the regular season. Nene has played out of his mind. Same goes for Jon wall and Trevor Areza as well. Washington came in on a four game winning streak and went 7-3 in the last ten to close out the regular season.

A lot of people had the Bulls pegged as a heavy favorite in this series, and so do I. But Washington pulled out a tight contest in game one. This series going in may have been tougher to pick than Nets/Raptors. Both teams are well balanced and can push the pace. Its going to be a very tough series but I don't think Washington is going to have enough to get the job done.

The Pick: Bulls in 6!

Western Conference
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
Surprise surprise the Spurs are the best team in the West. San Antonio has been team in the conference and one of the best teams in the league for a while now. Tim Duncan is still a top talent in this league and he has a solid supporting cast with him with the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili coming off the bench. This team is just too good not to be where they are right now. Sure the Spurs dropped their last two games of the season, but by that time they were already resting their best players because they had the best record in the league already locked up. As for Dallas, they too came in to the post season in an OK spot going 6-4 in their last ten games. Sure Dallas still has Dirk Nowitzki and sure he has a decent supporting cast with the likes of Shawn Marion and Devon Harris and Samuel Dalembert. But lets be honest here, there really isn't much of a comparison between the two clubs. The support for Duncan in San Antonio is better than that of the one Dirk has in Dallas.

I know Dallas won a title a few years back, but the Spurs are the defending Western Conference champions and they have all the tools to do it again. They showed their dominance over the Mavericks in game one with the win. Dallas will be able to take at least one game in the series, but the Spurs are going to prove to be too much.

The Pick: Spurs in 5!

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies
This series is going to be a fun one to watch, but not if your a Memphis fan. The Thunder have one of the top one two punches in the league in Russell Westbrook and some guy named Kevin Durant, who just might be the best player in the game today, not named LeBron James. The Thunder came within one win of the magic 60. Still one of the top tier teams in the entire league, they figure to be a big factor in the West yet again this year. Memphis is no slouch either, having won 50 games during the regular season. Zach Randolph and Mike Conley have been the big reasons that the Grizzlies are where they are in the West Playoffs.

We saw this happen in game one where Memphis put a bit of a scare into the Thunder late in the ball game. But it turned out that the experience of the Thunder won out. That's exactly what will happen in this series. Memphis will throw a scare into Durant and the boys but their experience will take over and pull away.

The Pick: Thunder in 6!

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors
This is the one series in the West I'm really looking forward to. Lob City has Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan and oh yeah two of the better shooters in the game in Chris Paul and J.J. Redick. But Golden State is no slouch either. Their starting five of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee and Jermaine O'Neal are going to pose a real threat for not only the Clippers, but for anybody else they go up against in the post season. But there is one thing to note heading into this series that could have been key. In the four meetings between the teams this year, the home team won every game.

Well that notion went right out the window in game one as the Warriors walked into Staples Center and took home court away from the Clippers. Klay Thompson had a nice game in the opener to pace the Warriors to the win. This series is going to be the upset of the 1st round. The Warriors have come in playing great basketball, and so too have the Clippers. But this is going to be Golden State's time. Don't ask me why but its a gut feeling in this series we will see an upset.

The Pick: Warriors in 7!

Houston Rockers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Houston dominated Portland during the regular season, winning three of the four games. Portland came into the series hot, ending the regular season on a five game winning streak. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard have carried the Trail Blazers this year, and should be able to match the play of Dwight Howard and James Harden. But I think the bench of Houston will be able to help them pull it out.

The Pick: Houston in 6!

2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs Opening Round Preview

The time has arrived. After seven long months and 1,230 hockey games, we have reached the promise land, so to speak. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. Out of the 30 teams in the league, there are now 16 left standing. Some of the teams that are left, most people saw coming when the season started. Some teams that are left, where surprised they are still here. Whatever the case may be, the teams that are left have set the stage for some great matchups in the opening round of the post season.

There's been a lot of great hockey that's been played to get us where we are during the course of the season. We have division rivals batteling, some new playoff matches that haven't been seen in quite some time and some teams that really surprised you by making the playoffs. So without further ado, here's the matchups for the opening round as well as the date and times of each game, and predictions for each matchup.

We Start in the Western Conference.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild
The Avs enter the playoffs with 112 points, 2nd best in the Western Conference, 3nd best in the league, just 5 points behind the Boston Bruins. This is the highest point total for Colorado since they hit the 100 point mark in 2003-04. That year the Avs were bounced in the 2nd round by the Sharks. This is also the first division title for the Avs since 2002-03. Colorado has hit more than 110 points in a season once before, that was in 2000-01 when they won 52 games and had 118 points. That season was the last time the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. Minnesota enters in with 98 points, which was good enough for the last wild card spot in the West, which just goes to show you how dominate the West was this year. This marks the 2nd straight year the Wild have made the playoffs, they were bounced in the first round last year by the Blackhawks. The 98 points the team had marks just the 2nd time in franchise history they've hit that mark, last time was in 2007-08 when they won the division.

This is the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Wild earned a seven-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Avalanche earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Avalanche won four of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times of the games between Minnesota and Colorado:
April 17 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 19 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 21 Colorado Avalanche 7:00 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 24 Colorado Avalanche 9:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 26 Minnesota Wild TBD Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 28 Colorado Avalanche TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 30 Minnesota Wild TBD Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center

Colorado has been getting balanced scoring from everybody in their lineup, with the likes of Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog leading the offensive charge. Semyon Varlamov has played outstanding in the net for the Avs, making this a very successful season for rookie head coach Patrick Roy. Lets not sleep on the Wild here, they are a very talented hockey team. Goaltending has been a bit of an issue for the Wild, as they have had to use five different netminders. Josh Harding and Nick Backstrom have missed time do to injuries this year, leaving the Wild to scramble to find goalies. But they have managed to pull it together. scoring has been pretty balanced for the Wild, with Jason Pominville and Zach Parise leading the charge.

Colorado has owned the Wild during the regular season, taking four of the five games this year. Minnesota will put up a good fight, they may take a couple of games at home but I'll take Colorado in 6!

St Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
For the 3rd year in a row the St. Louis Blues are back in the playoffs, and for the 2nd time in three seasons the Blues have cracked the 100 point mark. St. Louis finished the year with 111 points, 2nd highest point total in club history, they finished with 114 and a division title before being bounced in the first round in 1999-00. St Louis is looking to capture their 1st Cup in franchise history. In fact the Blues are looking to get out of the 2nd round, something they have not done since the 2000-01 season. As for the Blackhawks, they are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, finishing the season with 107 points. This is the 5th straight year the Blackhawks have made the playoffs, winning two Cups. This was the eleventh playoff meeting for these two teams, with Chicago having won seven of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which St. Louis won in five games. The Blues won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for the games in this series:
April 17 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 19 Chicago Blackhawks 3:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 21 St. Louis Blues 8:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 23 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 25 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 27 St. Louis Blues 3:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 29 Chicago Blackhawks TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center

Heading into the series, the Blues come in a little bit banged up, with key players like Brendan Morrow and TJ Oshie questionable for the start of the series. There's no doubt that the Blackhawks can score goals, that has never been in question. But what is in question is goaltending and defense. The Hawks are solid in net and on the blueline, but its not as solid as it was at this time last year. Its going to be a long series, going six games at least. But the Hawks have been one of the best teams all year long and they move on.Blackhawks in 6!

Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks had the best record in the Western Conference with 53 wins and 114 points, two points better than Colorado and two points back of Boston for best record in the league. This is the best point total for the Ducks in team history, and the 2nd time ever they have cracked 110 points. Last time they did that was 2007 when they won the Stanley Cup. In team history the Ducks are 11-8 all time in series, heading to the finals twice winning the cup once. Dallas comes in as the 2nd wild card team, finishing the year with 91 points. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Stars since 2007-08. All time in the playoffs, the Stars are 14-11 with two trips to the finals, winning in 1999 and falling just short in 2000. This was the third playoff meeting for these two franchises; the Mighty Ducks earned a six-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, while the Stars earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Stars won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for games played in this series:
April 16 Dallas Stars 10:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 18 Dallas Stars 10:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 21 Anaheim Ducks 9:30 p.m. Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 23 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m. Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 25 Dallas Stars 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 27 Anaheim Ducks TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 29 Dallas Stars TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

Both the Stars and Ducks have talent heavy hockey clubs. Anaheim's dynamic duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf where able to outpace the Stars duo of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin by six points. What it's really going to come down to in this series is going to be goaltending. I feel more comfortable right now with Kari Lehtonen and Tim Thomas in the Stars nets than I do Jonas Hiller and whoever else in the Ducks nets. Both teams are good and this series will go a full seven games but Anaheim will prove to be too much for Dallas. Ducks take it in 7 games!

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings
The battle of California set to take place in the opening round. San Jose comes into the opening round with 11 points, making the playoffs for the 10th year in a row. Not including the year of the lockout, San Jose last missed the playoffs in 2002-03. San Jose is 14-16 all time in the playoffs, never once playing in the Cup Finals. As far the Kings, they come in with 100 points, 2nd time they've hit that mark in the last five seasons. LA has made the playoffs each of the last five years, winning the cup two years ago and going to the West finals last year. This is also the 4th time in the last five years the Kings have won 40+ games, the only time they didn't was last year, the lockout shortened season. LA is 17-26 all time in the playoffs. This was the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Sharks earned a six-game series victory in the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Kings earned a seven-game series victory in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals. The Kings won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 17 Los Angeles Kings 10:30 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 20 Los Angeles Kings 10:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 22 San Jose Sharks 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 24 San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 26 Los Angeles Kings TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 28 San Jose Sharks TBD Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 30 Los Angeles Kings TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center

Things are getting tight in the city by the bay. San Jose always seems like they are on the cusp of breaking through but they always somehow fall short. They still have their core of big guns with Boyle and Thornton and Marleau. In place is a solid supporting cast of Pavelski, and Hertl, and Couture and Burns. So the Sharks have plenty of talent. So to do the Kings, lets not sleep on LA here, they too finished over 100 points. They have just as balanced a lineup as San Jose does. This is going to be the toughest series to pick but I think the Kings come up short as they won't be able to match the firepower of the Sharks. San Jose takes it in 7 games!

Now we move on to the Eastern Conference.

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings
This is a perfect example of how the new divisions can make for some interesting, and fun to watch, playoff matchups. Boston is the Presidents trophy winners, finishing the season with 117 points, the first time the Bruins have won the Presidents trophy since 1989-90. This will mark the 7th straight year the Bruins have made the playoffs, as they have played in the Finals two of the last three seasons, winning the Cup in 2011 and losing in last years finals to the Hawks. Now the last time the Bruins had the best team in the league, 1989-90 also marked the last time their opponents the Detroit Red Wings had missed the playoffs. This year marks the 23 straight year the Wings have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In that time span the Wings have played in six Cup Finals, winning 4 and losing twice. The Wings finished the year with 93 points, their lowest point total in a full 82 game season since since 1999. This is the eighth playoff meeting for these Original Six teams, with Boston having won four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1957 Stanley Cup Semifinals, which Boston won in five games. The Red Wings won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for each game in this series:
April 18 Detroit Red Wings 7:30 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 20 Detroit Red Wings 3:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 22 Boston Bruins 7:30 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 24 Boston Bruins 8:00 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 26 Detroit Red Wings 3:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 28 Boston Bruins TBD Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 30 Detroit Red Wings TBD Boston Bruins TD Garden

This series is going to be a fun one to watch. Both teams are missing key players. Boston might be without Patrice Bergeron and Chris Kelly for the start of the series, and Detroit is going to be without Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit has been getting inspired play from Gustov Nyquist and Thomas Tatar over the final two weeks of the season and they have Pavel Datsyuk back in the mix but without Zetterberg at full health its going to make things tough on Detroit. Even with a full lineup, I still feel that Boston is going to overpower the Wings. The Bruins are the most balanced team in the East, maybe the entire league. Its going to be too much Bruins in the opening round, Boston wins in 5!

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens
Tampa Bay is having a bounceback season. This is the 4th time since the lockout of 2004 that the Bolts are back in the playoffs. They have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons, last making the playoffs in 2011 when they lost to Boston in the East finals. Tampa finished over the 100 point mark for the 3rd time in team history, as they hit 106 points in 2004 when they won the Cup and then again with in 2011 with 103 points. Tampa is fired up and ready to go. So to are the Canadiens. Montreal missed the playoffs a season ago, something that has rarely happened to them since the turn of the century. This marks the first times since 2007-08 that the Canadiens have broken the 100 point mark in a season. Montreal is looking to break a long drought as they haven't played in the cup finals since their last title win in 1993. Their only previous meeting was in the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which Tampa Bay swept Montreal out of the playoffs en route to their Stanley Cup victory. The Lightning won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 16 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 18 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 20 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 22 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 24 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 27 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 29 Montreal Canadiens TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum

Tampa Bay may be going into this series in a bit of a hole. They are going to be without star goalie Ben Bishop and offensive studs Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula. Without Bishop, Tampa has to go with Andreas Lindbeck, who isn't as good as Bishop. Didn't really matter I feel because neither one can stack up to Carey Price. Tampa has some offensive punch with a guy like Steven Stamkos in the lineup, but the Bolts can't compare to the Depth if the Habs. Montreal takes the series in 6!

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Penguins are still the Penguins. They haven't missed the playoffs since 2006. They have made the cup finals twice winning it once in 2009. Since 2007 the Penguins have failed to hit the 100 point mark in a full season just once, the year they won the Cup. This is where the new realignment has come into play as they will be playing the Blue Jackets. This is the 2nd time in team history the Jackets have made the playoffs, the only other time they were swept out by the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams. The Penguins won all five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 16 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 19 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 26 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 28 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 30 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center

What is going to be the biggest factor here, just like in any other series in the whole playoffs is goaltending. It has been well documented how bad at time Marc-Andre Fleury has played in the playoffs. He has, at times, looked down right abismal. last year if Fleury sputtered, he had Thomas Vokoun to bail him out. This year it isn't the case, as Jeff Zatkoff is the backup. That could mean bad news for the Penguins if Fleury faulters again. Looking from the Columbus perspective, they have a solid netminder in their own right in Sergei Bobrovsky, the current Vezina Trophy winner as the leagues top goalie. With him playing the way he has been playing lately, which is in top form, goals will be hard to come by. taking everythign into consideration here I still think the Penguins have enough firepower to be able to pull this one out. The jackets will give them a run for their money but I say Penguins in 6!

New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
This will probably be the most physical and hard hitting series of the opening round. For the Rangers this marks the 4th year in a row they have made the playoffs. In fact, since the 2005 lockout the boys from Broadway have only missed the post season once, that being in 2010. This also marks the 2nd straight year the Rangers have finished 2nd in their division. As for the Flyers, they are looking to bounce back after missing out on the playoffs a season ago, so the Flyers are looking to get back to winning form. The Flyers finished in 3rd in the division, and the last time that happened Philly made it to the 2nd round, so its something to note going into this series. This is the eleventh playoff meeting for these two teams, with Philadelphia having won six of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, which Philadelphia won in five games. Each team won two games in this year's four-game regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for games in this series:
April 17 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 20 Philadelphia Flyers 12:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 22 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 25 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 27 Philadelphia Flyers 12:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 29 New York Rangers TBD Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 30 Philadelphia Flyers TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden

This series is going to be hands down the most physical one of the playoffs in the opening round. lets face facts neither team likes the other at all. The scoring advantage goes to the Flyers but goaltending and defense have to go to the Broadway Blueshirts. The Flyers have Claude Giroux leading the charge but the Rangers can counter with Rick Nash. Steve Mason will be out for the start of the series, so Ray Emery gets the nod and that leaves the Flyers in a bit of a hole because Mason is the better of the two netminders. Going to be a physical series and if the Rangers can stay in it and get some pressure going, this series is all theirs. Rangers take it in 7!

So there you have it the predictions for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

(Note all predictions made before start of playoffs)

Connecticut Kings Of The Court. Huskies Down Wildcats to Claim Championship

Things had been rough go of it over the past few seasons for the Connecticut Huskies Men's Basketball program. The players stuck through it and look where they are now. UConn is on top of the basketball world as the National Champions, beating Kentucky 60-54 to claim their 4th title in program history, all of which coming since their first title win back in 1999.

The National Championship goes to the Huskies only a short year after the team was barred from the tournament because of grades problems. That, among other things, lit a fire under the champions that nobody, and we mean nobody, was able to put out. Missing out on last years tournament was just one of a number of factors were in play here to allow the Huskies to walk away with a championship.

One factor was tournament MVP Shabazz Napier. The senior bookended his career with National titles, winning in 2011 as a freshman and now in 2014 as a senior. Napier dropped 22 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Huskies win. It wasn't just this game that Napier had an impact on the Huskies. He had been an all around factor in every game that Connecticut played in the tournament. He stepped up big when the game was on the line, walking away with the MVP of the tournament. In fact, with this performance in the tournament, Napier becomes the 4th member of the "125-25-25" club, which is 125 points, 25 Assists and 25 Rebounds in a Single NCAA Tournament. (ESPN) The other guys to do it were Kemba Walker (2011), Derrick Rose (2008) and Larry Bird (1979). Of the four, only Napier and Walker did it with their teams winning the National Title.

Connecticut never trailed at all during during this championship game, employing the same fast pace that worked well in their final four win over Florida. The Huskies held a lead as large as 15 in the first half. Then the team watched as Kentucky started fighting back, trimming the deficit to one with 8:13 left. But Aaron Harrison missed a 3 from the left corner that would have given the Cats the lead. Harrison had hit big shots like that in earlier games in this tournament to get Kentucky to the title game. The miss late may have taken the air out of the sails of the Wildcats, because that's as close as Kentucky would get in this basketball game.

Another key stat to look at in this ball game: Kentucky's 11 missed free throws. In order to win in the tournament, you have to be able to hit at least 60% of your free throws and the Wildcats didn't do that. They finished going 13 of 24 from the line, while Connecticut went a perfect 10 for 10.

Tight defense for the Huskies was a big storyline in the final three games. Each team they faced, Michigan State in the Elite Eight, Florida in the Final Four and Kentucky in the Championship game, were held to under 60 points and well below their averages. All three teams failed to hit more than 40% of their shots from the floor and were held under what they had been scoring in earlier games. The Huskies played a solid all around game all tournament long, in a season in which nobody had them pegged to go this far and win the whole thing.

For head coach Kevin Ollie, this is a sweet victory. Ollie is the 12th coach to win a National Championship at his alma mater (per ESPN). Olie played for four years at Connecticut and was the assistant coach under Jim Calhoun. Ollie took over after Calhoun retired. Not a bad way to really kick off your coaching career is it?

Congratulations to the Connecticut Huskies on claiming the 23014 Men's Basketball National Championship!

Rough Start To Baseball Season In New York

There's no real major reason to hit the panic button yet folks, but both New York Baseball teams, the Mets and Yankees, have gotten off to rocky starts. The Mets have dropped both games to the Washington Nationals, 9-7 in 10 innings on opening day, and 5-1 yesterday. In both losses to the Nationals, Mets hitters have struck out 31 times in the two games, the most strikeouts over a two game stretch since 1914. And the Mets shattered the franchise record of 23 strikeouts set in 1998 and 2003, according to Newsday.

Things have been tough for the Mets, with a couple of guys getting hurt and Curtis Granderson getting off to the rocky start. With Granderson, he has been getting booed after the first two games of the season. Why is he getting booed? Well he has gone 0 for 9 with five strikeouts over the first two games. Mets fans are getting impatient, since Granderson was signed for four years and $60 Million.

But lets slow our roll here folks with Granderson. There's a couple of reasons I say this. First of all, you kind of knew going into the season that Granderson had a tendency to strike out a lot. He can make up for it when he gets hitting so it sort of balances itself out. One theory for why Granderson is off to this start is that he is coming over from the American League to the National League, he is facing pitchers that he hasn't faced before so its going to take time to get adjusted. You have to give Granderson time to get adjusted. He will come through and start to show why he was given the contract he was given. It takes a little time, but Granderson's hitting ability will come through, you just have to be patient.

That's just part of what is going on with the Mets two games into the season. The Mets are now getting hit with the injury bug. We knew John Niese had problems at the end of spring training with his pitching elbow, but he should be healthy and good to go for his first start of the year, which is scheduled for Sunday April 6th against the Cincinnati Reds at home. But there has been two new names to be added to the walking wounded for the Mets. Bobby Parnell has been placed on the 15-day DL with a torn MCL in his pitching elbow. Parnell blew the save in the 9th on opening day. The injury was revealed after the opener, which might explain why he had trouble making his pitches in the 9th on that day. Surgery won't be required for Parnell, but he's going to need time off to let it heal before he can start throwing again. With him hurt, that means that Jose Valverde is set to be the closer for the time being. Valverde hasn't saved a game in the Majors since he saved 9 games for the Detroit Tigers last year.

Parnell isn't the only Mets player to go down, as yesterday the team announced that Chris Young is going on the 15-day DL with a strained quad. Young has played one inning this year, never getting a chance to bat in the game ysesterday before coming out of the game with the injury. The Mets payed him $7.25 million for this season, and he showed some potential during spring training before getting hurt. The injury is sort of showing a little lack of depth on this Mets ball club. At the same time though, the current outfield is consisting of Juan Lagares Eric Young Jr and Granderson. It has looked average the first two games, but the injuries and the slow start are getting on the nerves of Mets fans.

Here's the thing it's two games into the season, lets not hit the panic button folks.

Same thing can be said about the New York Yankees too. After spending as much money as the team did to improve itself, the fact that the team has gotten off to an 0-2 start has surprised a lot of people. Even more surprising is that the two losses have come against the Houston Astros, who are projected to be one of, if not, the worst team in the American League. Houston has taken the first two games from the Yankees by scores of 6-2 and 3-1. The Yankees offense hasn't really clicked yet during the first two games of the year, as they have gone 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position in two losses. But the Yankees players aren't too worried.

Both Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano said in an interview with Newsday that they are going to be fine.

“We’re going to be fine,” Beltran said. “We haven’t been able to put anything together, but this team has what it takes to play better and win ballgames. We don’t need to worry about it.”

“It’s only two games. It’s nothing,” Soriano said. “One-hundred-sixty games left, so we’ve got to keep working hard to get better.”

The Yankees are still in a better position to be a success than the Mets are at the moment. There really is no reason to hit the panic button for either team. The Yankees have the type of lineup where, once it gets its mojo working, can really put up runs. It's going to take a little time sure, there are 160 games still remaining on the schedule. Once the Yankees find their stroke, they will be off and running.

I know its two games into the season but there's no real reason to hit the panic button for New York baseball. The teams will find a way to bust out of the slumps and get right back on track!

Oswego Women's Hockey Season Recap

Over the last few seasons, the Oswego State Women's Hockey team has started to establish itself as one of the better programs in ECAC West play. This season, they took one giant step forward, setting new records all over the place. The team had eight seniors on the roster, looking to go out on a high note in their final season. This year they had new recruits and transfers join the team, giving the team a full 213 player roster, which is something they didn't have the year before. With a full roster and new faces in the mix, Diane Dillon's squad was ready to rock and roll on a big year.

The season kicked off with the Oswego State Classic, the first tournament hosted by the program since it was relaunched. Oswego started the year off with a strong 5-0 win over New England College. Catherine Cote picked up the win, making 11 saves in the shutout, while Bridget Hamlin, Erika Truschke and Ashley Lyman each picked up their first career goals. Oswego followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Castleton. Meggan Hagg buried a rebound in overtime to win the game for the Lakers. Oswego followed those first wins up with a trip to Potsdam to take on the Bears. Potsdam took the 1st game 3-2, but Oswego was able to pull out a 1-1 tie the very next day. Oswego returned home to play budding rival Neuman, a weekend series which saw plenty of excitement. Oswego came back to take the 1st game in overtime, 2-1. Megan Hagg got the game tied halfway through the 3rd, setting the stage for Emma Smetaniuk's heroics, as she won the game with 41 seconds left in overtime. Oswego rolled over Neumann the next day with a 3-0 win. Cote got the shutout, while Melissa Seamont scored twice. Oswego kept the shutout streak rolling right before thanksgiving, with a pair of shutouts of Chatam. The first win, a 4-0 win saw Cote get her 2nd straight shutout, and Melissa Seamont (twice), Olivia Boersen and Megan Hagg providing the offense. The next was almost an exact replica as the day before, an Oswego 3-0 victory. Leslie Jarvis, Emma Smetaniuk and Alexa Aramburu provide the offense, while Tori Trovato made nine saves in the shutout, her 1st win of the year. The streak ended right before thanksgiving as Oswego fell 2-1 to Hamilton. Oswego got off to a great start, going 6-2-1 in November.

Oswego only had two more games to close out the 2013 portion of the schedule with a pair of home games against SUNY Canton, both Laker victories. The first win was a solid 3-1 victory, followed up by a dominating 6-1 win, a game in which Bailee Goodon and Kendall Appelbaum each scored twice while Megan Hagg chipped in two helpers. Oswego went into the 2014 part of the year at a very solid 8-2-1 record. The Lakers stumbled out of the blocks in the new year, dropping their first two road games of the new year to St. Norbert, by scores of 4-2 and 3-2. Oswego bounced back nicely on the road with a pair of 3-0 wins over Buffalo State. Tori Trovato picked up her 2nd win and shutout of the year in the 1st win, with 17 saves. The 2nd win of that weekend, Bridget Smith got her first shutout of the year, stopping 16 shots in the victory. The first home series of the new year saw the Elmira Soaring Eagles come to town, a team Oswego hasn't been able to beat in program history. Elmira took the 1st game by a 5-2 score, but in the 2nd game, the Lakers pushed the Soaring Eagles to the limit. Leslie Jarvis scored with a minute left in regulation to force overtime, but it wasn't enough as Brooke Wilgosh won it for Elmira with about a minute left in the extra period.

So after trading off weekends sweeps, Oswego settled itself down, rattling off a small win streak. It started the first weekend of February with a pair of victories over Stevenson at home. First up was a strong 6-1 win, a game which saw Brennan Butler and Alli Ullrich each score their first career goals. Oswego followed it up with a 2-1 victory thanks to the early scoring from Olivia Boersen and Ashley Lynman. Next up was a pair of road games against the Cortland Red Dragons. Oswego has always had success playing in Cortland, a trend which continued this year. First Tori Trovato made 16 saves, picking up her 3rd shutout of the season as Oswego came away with a 3-0 win. Oswego followed it up with another 2-0 shutout the next night, as Trovot picked up her 4th shutout of the year, making 15 saves in the win, while Emma Smetaniuk and Melissa Seamont provided all the scoring. After dipatcing the Red Dragons, the Lakers played a home and home with Utica, a stretch which proved to be a showcase for Melissa Seamont. Oswego took both games by identical 2-1 scores, with Melissa Seamont scoring all four goals that weekend. In fact she scored the last five Oswego goals. The team was heating up at the right time.

Then Senior weekend rolled around, and Oswego ran into a bit of a buzzsaw. In the final two games of the year, Oswego played rival Plattsburgh, a team they have never beaten in history. Oswego was blanked in both games senior weekend, by 1-0 and 2-0 scores. With that being said, Oswego finished the year 10-5-1 in ECAC West play, which was good enough to get them the 3rd seed and a playoff spot in ECAC West tournament.

Oswego got to host a playoff game at the Campus Center for the 3rd year in a row. This year, the opponent was the Buffalo State Bengals. The Bengals jumped out to an early lead, but Oswego responded with three unanswered goals in the third, with Emma Smetaniuk, Melissa Seamont and Mady Paul finding the back of the net. Oswego headed to the ECAC West semifinal against Elmira. Oswego put up a fight but Elmira proved to be too much for the Lakers, ending Oswego's season with a 3-0 victory.

Still there is plenty to be proud of this season. Oswego finished the year with a 17-9-1 record, while going 10-5-1 in ECAC West play, 2nd most wins in conference play and the most regular season wins in program history.

Senior Olivia Boersen lead the team in assists with 12 and points with 18, while Melissa Seamont lead the team in goals with 11. The two of them etched their name in the program record books by the end of the season. Seamont finished her career with 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 103 games played. The 63 points sets the new program record for career points, breaking the old record of 50 which was set by Kelly Collins during her four year career. Seamonts 28 career goals ties her with Jenna Kirkwood for 2nd most goals in program history. Olivia Boresen also past Collins point record. Boersen finished her career with 18 goals and 35 assits for 53 points in 99 games played. The 35 assists by both Boersen and Seamont are tied for the program record for most career assists, breaking the old record of 31, which was set by Jillian Bergeron. Leading the way in goal, time was split among the three netminders. Tori Trovato went 6- 4- 0 with a .953 SV % and a 1.10 GAA to go along with 4 shutouts. Catherine Cote went 5- 4- 0 with a .909 SV% and a 1.66 GAA to go along with 3 shutouts. Finally Bridget Smith went 6- 1- 1 with a .956 SV% and a 0.99 GAA to go along with 1 shutout.

The team will be losing eight seniors due to graduation: Mady Paul, Melissa Seamont, Olivia Boersen, Jocelyn St. Clair, Emma Smetaniuk, Chelsea Hunt, Megan Hagg, Leslie Jarvis and Catherine Cote. These ladies have left an incredable mark on this program in their four years of playing here, and will be greatly missed. They are leaving the team in very capable hands, leaving behind a very bright future for the program to be able to reach even greater heights!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Oswego Men's Hockey Season Recap

Coming into the 2013-14 season, the Oswego State Men's Hockey team looked to be in a rebuilding mode. The team had lost 14 players from the previous squad, thus ushering in the arrival of a slew of new faces, either freshman or transfers. After making the NCAA Final Four for four straight years prior to this year, it looked as if, with all the new talent on the team, that a return to the Final Four was going to be a possible long shot. And as they have done so many times in the past, this team proved critics wrong. Oswego made it all the way to the Final Four for the fifth year in a row, before falling in the national semifinals. But during the wild and crazy ride the team had this season, there were plenty of memorable moments to go around.

The season started off on November 1st with a tough 3-2 overtime loss to the Fredonia Blue Devils, a game in which saw new Lakers Shawn Hulshof and Brandon Adams score their first career goals. Oswego would bounce back nicely the next night, picking up their first win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo State Bengals. Dylan Smith, Alex Botten and Matt Galati each picked up their first career goals, while freshman Kenny Neil added his first two collegiate points (both assists) and Freshman Matt Zawadzki picked up his first career win. Oswego kept on a roll, winning their next two games. First was a 4-1 win over Cortland on November 9th, a game which saw Mac Scott score his first goal in a Lakers jersey. They followed that up with a big 7-3 win over Elmira at home on November 16th, a game which saw Kenny Neil chip in a three point night, including his first career goal, a pair of goals from Matt Galati, and the first career points for Evan Schultz (2 helpers) and first Lakers points for Morgan Bonner (2 assists). Oswego would close out the month of November with a road split in Western New York. They fell to Geneseo 7-4, a game which Chris Waterstreet scored his 1st career goal and Mike Montagna chiped in a 3 point game (goal and two helpers). Oswego bounced back with a big 4-0 shutout win over Brockport. Matt Zawadzki picked up his 1st career shutout, while Dylan Smith, Matt Galati (twice) and Chris Raguseo (1st career goal) provided all the offense. The Lakers were able to go 5-2 in the opening month of the season. Returning from the quick break, Oswego kick off the month of December with Whiteout weekend, playing host to Potsdam and Plattsburgh. The Lakers rolled over the Bears to the tune of a 7-1 win, thanks to a four assist night from Mike Montagna. After that blowout, Oswego skated to a hard fought 3-3 tie with rival Plattsburgh to close out the 2013 portion of the schedule.

Oswego returned to the ice in 2014 to host the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic, their annual New Years Tournament. 2014 picked up where 2013 left off, with a 3-0 win over Curry. In the championship game of the Tournament, Oswego skated to a 2-2 tie in regulation against Utica, but won the game in a shootout to claim the title. The team followed up the Tournament win with a 5-0 shutout of Connecticut College at home with Justin Gilbert picking up the shutout victory. Next up for the Lakers was a pair of road victories, both by the same 5-3 score, over Nazareth and Utica. Next was a pair of home wins for Oswego, first a 9-3 win over Salve Regina and a 3-0 win over Nazareth, with Matt Zawadzki picking up his 2nd shutout of the season. With the Win, Oswego had now gone on a ten game unbeaten streak, going 8-0-2 in that time.

The unbeaten streak came to an end at the hands of the Elmira Soaring Eagles, on the road, with a 3-2 loss. Oswego would bounce back the next week with a 5-1 win at Fredonia. Very next night, Oswego falls for the first time ever the the Buffalo State Bengals, in Buffalo, as they fell 4-0. Oswego had struggled but was able to bounce back from the Buffalo State loss with a three game win streak. First up was a 4-2 win at home against Cortland, then a pair of road wins at Morrisville, with 9-2 and a comeback 5-3 win. Oswego headed into senior weekend on a roll but stumbled badly in the final home games of the regular season. They dropped both games on the weekend, first a 3-2 loss to Geneseo followed by another 3-2 loss to Brockport. That was the last time Oswego would fall during the regular season.

The Lakers closed out the season with their North Country trip. First up was a busting of the losing streak, on the strength of a 4-3 win at Potsdam. Oswego closed out the regular season with a thrilling 4-3 at Stafford against rival Plattsburgh. The green and gold went rolling into the opening round of the SUNYAC tournament, winning each game in the tournament by just one goal. First it was a 3-2 win at home over Fredonia, thanks to Matt Galati's powerplay goal early in the 3rd period. Oswego had to make another trip to Plattsburgh for the 2nd time in as many weekends. The result was exactly the same. Oswego skated away with a nail biting 2-1 victory, thanks to Josh Timpano's first career goal half way through the 3rd period. To claim the SUNYAC Crown once again, Oswego had to go through the Ice Knights of Geneseo. The Lakers defended their conference crown in a wild 7-6 game that was capped off by Shawn Hulshof's 8th of the year with 28 seconds left in regulation.

With the conference title in their back pocket, Oswego headed into the NCAA Tournament on a hot streak, keeping it going with an opening round, come from behind, 4-3 win over Bowdin at home. Oswego overcame a two goal deficit late in the hockey game, with three unanswered goals, the winner coming off the stick of Alex Botten with a little over 2 minutes left in regulation. Next up Oswego faced Babson, with a chance to go to the final four for the fifth year in a row. Shawn Hulshof, Matt Galati and Brandon Adams provided the offense, while Matt Zawadzki stopped all 27 shots he faced, as Oswego headed to their 5th straight final four.

Oswego headed into the final four riding a seven game winning streak as they went into their matchup against Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Shawn Hulshof scored the lone Oswego, but it wasn't enough as the Lakers fell 2-1 in the Semifinal game for the 3rd time in five years.

Still with all things considered, Oswego impressed a lot of people with what they were able to accomplish this season. The Lakers found a way to climb to the final four for the fifth year in a row, finishing the season with a 22-7-2 record. The 22 wins was the lowest win total for the Lakers since 2008-09 when they won 18 games. This year, it wasn't the upperclassmen really powering the offense. In fact it was the freshman leading the charge. Matt Galati lead the team in goals with 24 and points with 36, the highest point and goal totals by a freshman since Jon Whitelaw had 38 points as a freshman. The 24 goals by Galati was the most by a freshman since 21 goals by Ryan Ellis in 2005-06. Leading the team in assists this year was freshman Alex Botten who had 24 helpers. Matt Zawadzki and Justin Gilbert did a great job splitting time between the pipes this season. Zawadzki finished the year with a 15- 3- 2 record, a .922 SV % and a 2.16 GAA to go along with 4 shutouts on the year. The 15 wins are the most by a freshman goalie since Ryan Scott had 11, while the 4 shutouts beat Scott's 3 shutouts as a freshman, both of which Scott posted in 2004-05. As for Justin Gilbert, he went 7- 4- 0, with a .901 SV %, a 2.50 GAA to go along with the 1 shutout.

The lone seniors on this team, David Titanic and Kyle Badham, will be sailing off into the sunset after a great four year career. In the 100 career games David Titanic suited up for, he scored 23 goals while adding in 27 helpers for 50 career points. Titanic was a major factor on the Lakers Penalty Kill during his career. Same thing can be said about Kyle Badham. In 73 career games for Badham, he chipped in 6 goals and 15 assists for 21 career points. Both guys left some great memories for the fans of the Green and Gold during their four year careers. Both guys will indeed be missed!

Oswego had a few question marks going into the start of the season. By the time the dust settled and all was said and done, the Oswego State Men's Hockey team left their fans with more memorable moments!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)