Game 19 (31Jan10)

The Fearsome FoursomeWhite 12 - Dave P, Ahsan, George, Edwin, Mauro, Battle, Chris S (Goalie - bleacher side)Black 6 - Jimmy, Claudio, Luch, Leo, Rocky, Imran, Peter K (Goalie - wall side )The final score was "closer" than this game actually was. Team White had an 11-2 edge with about 10 minutes left to play. White sort of cruised at about 1:45 and Black scored a few lucky goals late in the game

Looking forward to Monday

A quick recap of  BU's Beanpot domination


The first ever Beanpot game was played on December 26 1952 and it saw BU take down Northeastern 4-1. The Terriers the next night fell to Harvard in the final, 7-4. Bu would not make the final again till 1957 and they would not win their first title until the next year.

Since BU won in 1958 they have dominated the tournament winning 29 championships including last year, when they beat Northeastern 5-2. Winning 29 out of the total 58 Beanpots, BU has won over half the tournaments ever played. The team with the second most titles is Boston College, with 14.

With the exception of 1994, BU won every Beanpot tournament played in the 1990's. The streak continued until 2001 when they lost to BC 5-3. In the 2000's BU has only failed to reach the final once, 2008. They would fall to BC in the semi's, but this time it was in overtime.

Tomorrow night BU will play Northeastern in semi final number two at 8:00 (if there is no overtime). The first game is BC and Harvard ant it will be played at 5:30.

The Beanpot website and past results

Union ties Brown again

It's not a loss, but it feels like one. On a night where the Dutchmen desperately needed a win they blew a two-goal lead and were unable to score on the power-play in overtime. It sounds like Kelly Zajac missed a golden opportunity when Brown goaltender Mike Clemente made a stellar save to preserve the tie. This is the second weekend in a row where Union didn't pick up a win, and if this continues they will drop out of the top four and can kiss their NCAA tournament dreams goodbye as they currently are tied for #17 in the PWR. Next weekend is a huge weekend as they return home to take on St. Lawrence, who is tied with Union in the ECAC standings, and last-place Clarkson. It is an absolute must to pick up at least two points on the weekend. The Dutchmen need to prove to their fans that they're not going to roll over and die.

You can read some recaps on the game on Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, and Times Union.com.

Union falls from top of ECAC standings

It sounds like the Dutchmen didn't really show up to play and that the score is not a reflection of the game. But, it's great to see Luke Cain playing well and giving his team a boost. Also, congratulations to senior forward Jon Lareau on his first collegiate goal. From the box score it looks like Coach Leaman has separated the Simpson twins. Both of these guys need to get going so I'm all for the separation. These guys really need to step their game up if they want to maintain in the top four spots of the league. The top of the standings is bunched up with many teams who can take a top four position. If Leaman and the Dutchmen can't figure out something soon they might be on the outside looking in. Also note, that Jason Walters' 15 game point streak was snapped.

You can read game recaps from USCHO.com, Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, Ken Schott's blog, and Times Union.com. Also, check out video of Ken Schott's post-game interviews.

The Dutchmen take on the Brown Bears tonight at 7pm. Check out game notes on the Extra Frame Blog.

Teddy bear toss in Traverse City Sunday

North Stars tender Flint's Scurfield

Flint Jr. Generals forward Nate Scurfield has been tendered by the Traverse City North Stars for next season.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Scurfield, an 18-year-old Midland native, has played in 39 games with Flint, scoring 15 goals and 30 assists to sit second in team scoring.

"Nate sees the ice very well and is a very strong skater," said Jr. Generals coach George Dritsas. "Nate should do well at the next level."

Nate's older brother, Brad, also played two seasons for the Jr. Generals and is now playing for D-III Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.

BU rolls into Beanpot

Ross Guadet's 2 goals propelled BU to a
6-2 win 

 Bonino hits 100 points


Coming from coach Parker, BU had a good week of practice and very good attitude. The week ended with an "unbelievably great" practice on friday and a great win over #15 Umass.

Sophomore, Ross Gaudet, missed his whole freshman year. But this year he has been all over the score sheet and last night was no exception. Gaudet scored the first goal of the game with about three minutes to go in the first. Nick Bonino from his knees found Eric Gryba at the point. Gryba one timed the pass,  Umass goalie Paul Dainton stopped but the puck found Gaudet's stick and the he found the back of the net with the puck.

The last five minutes of the second saw the light get lit four times (3 by BU and 1 by Umass). The first came when, Nick Bonino won a faceoff back to Gaudet who the hit both post and the cross-bar with his shot. The puck some how crossed the goal line and BU had a 2-0 lead. A minute later Max Nicastro found Colby Cohen for a one timer. Cohen drilled it past Dainton.

Umass would get one back 36 seconds later, when Brain Keane jammed home a rebound from Justin Braun shot.

66 seconds later BU scored what parker called, the biggest goal of the game. Colby Cohen had the puck at the point and then threaded the needle [with a pass] to Vinny Saponari. Saponari got it on the left post and shoved it in to the net.

In the third, Umass would score their final goal when Martin Nolet jammed home a rebound.

The game was over after David Warsofsky set up Nicastro for a slapper through traffic. Dainton never saw it, and BU had a 5-2 lead.

With less than a minute left BU scored a short handed goal to make it 6-2. Give Luke Popko credit for the goal and the assist goes to Nick Bonino who on this play locked up his 100th point as a Terrier

It might not seam like it, but BU goaltender Kieran Millan did in fact face a lot of shots. Millan made 39 saves on 41 shots. Parker said after the game: "We gave up a lot of shots but not a lot of grade ‘A’ shots.”


Bu will play Northeastern next in the Beanpot semi-final, monday night. Game time 8:00 (following the first game BC and Harvard)


USCHO recap and box score
Boston Globe recap
Fear The Triangle recap

Preseason NFCA Poll Is Out And Ferris State University Picks Up Votes

BIG RAPIDS - From a weather standpoint, it may seem a little odd to be discussing college softball right now.

But, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association is already on the ball with the announcement of its 2010 NFCA Division II Preseason Poll.
Ferris State University, which finished with a record of 35-10 overall and qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament, placed among "others receiving votes" in the poll. Head coach Keri Becker's squad has traditionally ranked among the top teams in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the region and at times the nation.

2010 NFCA Division II Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	2009 Record
1	Alabama-Huntsville (14)	54-6
2	North Georgia	50-5
3	Winona St. (1)	50-13
4	Dixie St.	41-13
5	Indianapolis	37-21
6	Valdosta St.	57-8
7	Le Moyne	45-12
8	Missouri Western St.	47-12
9	California (Pa.)	35-10
10	Saginaw Valley	39-11
11	Humboldt St.	38-20
12	Nebraska-Omaha	45-17
13	S.C. Aiken	34-16
14	Kutztown	46-12-1
15	Nova Southeastern	49-15
16	Metro St.	40-12
17	Abilene Christian	43-15
18	C.W. Post	34-18
19	Angelo St.	50-10
20	Wayne St. (Mich.)	40-16
21	Wayne St. (Neb.)	41-21
22	West Texas A&M	35-21
23	Mesa St.	30-21
24	Carson-Newman	32-17
25	Lock Haven (1)	51-6

Others receiving votes:
Bloomsburg 46, Rollins 37, Caldwell 31, Georgia College 29, Cal St.-Monterey Bay 28, Hawaii Pacific 21, Georgian Court 19, St. Edward’s 16, Emporia St. 15, Ashland 10, Augustana (S.D.) 10, Ferris St. 8, Midwestern St. 6, Southwest Minn. St. 6, East Stroudsburg 3, Montana St.-Billings 3, NYIT 3, Concordia-St. Paul 2, Florida Southern 1, Lewis 1, Regis (Colo.) 1

Ferris is scheduled to open up its 2010 season on Feb. 19-21 at the Alabama-Huntsville's Charger Chillout in Decatur, Ala. The Bulldogs will play six games during the three-day tourney, beginning Feb. 19 against North Alabama at noon.

♥ pimping my BB Bold & E71 ♥

soooo, I have been using the rubber case for my BB Bold.
it's cute but I wanna try something else..
so I found this little accessories shop for Blackberry in PIM (Pondok Indah Mall), Indonesia.
not only rubber case, but also the hard battery case. :)
they weren't much choices of colors because there were soo many people in the shop buying accessories so I guess the choices got ran out.
luckily, they still have the PINK one although the material was too glossy (the Bold battery case supposedly a bit leathery) but hey, it's still pink~ lol.
& the other color that I picked was the light green & the material was made from leathery so it matched my Bold. xD
I was kind of thinking to get the orange one too with a little bit of style of animal print, but i thought i wouldn't need that much case anyway.
those battery case costs about Rp.100.000,-
i'm not sure if it's expensive or not.
but they have the full set of case that comes with the keypad, battery case, and everything else but it was too expensive. it costs about Rp.1.500.000,-!!


soo what do ya' think, which one looks cuter?

as for my Nokia E71 case, I bought them in Bangkok while I was on quick holiday.
i chose the glittery bling bling cases just because I thought it looks fun~~ ^o^
it costs me about 350Baht/case. that's around Rp.100.000,- too just like my BB case.


soo which one looks cooler on my E71?

hehee pimping out gadgets it's fun.
although original case are not bad at all but i just want to 'dress-up' my gadgets sometimes. hahahaaaa~
maybe gadgets wants to look fashionable too.


love.love ♥♥

REVIEW: Freshlook Colorblends Contacts ♥

Hi hiii~


Recently, I purchased a brand new contacts lens. :)
I never use them before & it's quite an experience. lol.
I went to the mall with my BF the other day & saw a promotion in a new optical store.
They were having a promotion for a contacts lens which if I buy 2 box, I will get another box for free.
I thought, why not? I'm having troubles with eyesight too.
So Hney & I got our eyes tested & it turned out that I have a 0.75 minus while Hney's have a 1. something minus.
Which explains why we see blurred for the far sight. xD


There were a lot of choices of contacts brand, but we chose Freshlook Colorblends because it was the most natural color contacts.
I picked the Gray color, caz I thought I should try the less-obvious color before deciding to go all extreme with the contacts. 
The other 2 were for my BF because he has worser eyesight compare to me.
He picked the Brilliant Blue & the Sterling Gray which are the combination of gray & aqua-ish color.

So we did purchased them & it costs us RM120 for 2 box. 
So that means RM60/box for the power contacts or the contacts with prescriptions. (RM60 is around Rp.180.000,-) & I got another box for free^^

I think the non-power contacts would be around RM50 (Rp.150.000,-).


When we got home, we tried the contacts.
I was having a hard time putting them on & I search some YouTube videos that explains the technique.
After quite sometime, I finally got it. lol.
I hurts at first, my eyes were red, I cried naturally not because of the pain though.
My eyes need to take sometime to get used to it but so far I like them very much.
I like the color, the material, and everything else.
My eyesight is so much better too. I can see farsight now without even trying :)
The gray color also compliments my eyes.
These are some of the pictures~~

 

  

 

soo that's my review of the contacts. ask mee if you have questions^^
I will post the techniques that I use & some more review on the future posts. :)
byee..


love.love ♥♥

Canton native picks Western Michigan

USHL Press Release

The Chicago Steel announced this week that forward Greg Wolfe has committed to Western Michigan University and will attend the school beginning in the fall of 2010.

The 19-year-old native of Canton ranks third on the Steel in scoring with 30 points (15g, 15a) through 36 games this season. Wolfe was named team captain for 2009-10 and is second in goals (15) while leading the club with a plus-six rating. He began this season scoring a goal in each of Chicago's first four games. Wolfe is playing in his second USHL season after recording 27 points (21g, 6a) in 41 games during the 2008-09 campaign.

Wolfe will be joined by Steel teammate Nick Pisellini at Western Michigan. Three other current USHL players are also committed to attend the school following their USHL careers: Dennis Brown (Omaha Lancers), Dan Dekeyser (Algonac/Sioux City Musketeers) and David Donnellan (Youngstown Phantoms).

Photo courtesy USHL Images

Rangers off on roadie to Janesville

The race is on for four out of the five teams in the North American Hockey League North Division and the Marquette Rangers are right in the thick of it all.

Marquette is currently five points behind first place Traverse City heading into this weekend’s action. The Rangers lead third place Janesville by five points, with the Motor City Metal Jackets still well within the hunt in fourth place with 38 points on the season.

Alpena appears to be the odd team out as the IceDiggers are falling further behind as the season plays out. With eight weekends remaining, Alpena is 15 points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.

Traverse City plays a one-game set Friday at Motor City before coming to Marquette the following Thursday evening.

Marquette travels to southern Wisconsin this weekend as the Rangers and Janesville battle one another this Friday and Saturday night in a series that may very well set the tone for the remainder of the race. The Jets and the Rangers have played four games this season with Janesville holding a 3-1 record against Kenny Miller’s club.

Despite the struggles against the Jets, Marquette is in the midst of a four-game winning streak having swept both Alpena and Albert Lea.

As the Rangers continue to battle within the division, the battle for scoring leadership on the team has also begun to heat up. Garrett Ladd (14g, 26a, 40 pts) and Andrew Kolb (15g, 24a, 39 pts) continue to lead the team, with Michigan Tech recruit Tanner Kero (36 pts) and Collin Saint-Onge (34 pts) keeping pace.

Game Day Preview: Umass @ BU

Tonight is the final meeting between the two teams and it could shape the rest of the season. BU currently sits in tie for sixth in the Hockey East standing, with Vermont. While Umass is tied for second with BC. If the Terriers win and the season ended after the game the Minutemen and Terriers would play in the Hockey East playoffs.

Look for Millan (photo) to get the start in net for BU. Millan is coming off what some would say his best start of the season, after he beat BC in ot last friday night.

Notes On The Minutemen 
Umass on the season is 15-9-0. On Sunday Vermont upended the Minutemen, snapping their four game win streak. The streak was the longest of there season. Umass offers two Hobey Backer (the Heisman of college hockey) candidates in James Marcou and Justin Braun.

The Last Time The Met...
was back on the the 2nd of January. BU exploded for seven goal, the most the have scored in game all season, to down Umass 7-3.

Union travels south to take on Yale and Brown

Check out previews on this weekend's series on Concordy.com and Union Athletics.com. Also check out articles on Daily Gazette.com and Times Union.com. There are also game notes for the Yale game on the Extra Frame blog, and an article about the game from the Yale Daily News.

You can also read Ken Schott's predictions from this week on his blog, and see interviews here.

Also, read Ed Weaver's article about playing a Union-RPI game outdoors on Troy Record.com.

Be sure to notice that Union was briefly mentioned on ESPN.com.

Youth being served with Jets' Moeller

When the Metro Jets coaching staff went to scout players in last spring’s Midget A state tournament, one player kept grabbing their attention – Matt Moeller.

Admittedly, Jets coach Ryan Skop said he was at the tournament to watch other players he was told about, but after Moeller, then with the Troy Sting, caught his eye, he quickly became the one skater Skop wanted to get signed for this season.

“I really started to notice Moe because he was always stirring the pot,” Skop said. “It seemed like he was under the skin of every guy on the opposing team. He finished every check and just played with an intensity nobody else out there did. He has a pretty good skill set and he was one of the younger ones out there, too.”

Still just 16, Moeller is the youngest player on the Jets and one of the youngest in the Central States Hockey League. While he started out slow and then had to battle back from an early-season knee injury, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound Moeller has picked up his game as of late and scored his first goal of the season last weekend in Peoria.

“Being the youngest on the team comes with a lot of responsibility because I have to work extra hard to keep up with the older guys,” said Moeller. “I think by looking up to the older, more experienced vets, I have learned a lot about the game, which has made me a much better, all-around hockey player. I think the vets respect that I look up to them, as I respect them back, which has helped me fit in more this year with the guys.”

“Part of our plan when we set out last year to do some recruiting was to find a way to get a couple of real young guys who we can work and develop and have in the system here,” explained Skop. “Moe certainly plays the part. Coming into the season, I was hoping Moe wouldn't be intimidated playing with guys who were a bit older. I wanted him to keep that edge we like so much. To his credit, he did just that. After the two exhibition games we had with Flint, we were wondering if he would hold up through an entire season playing with the same kind of reckless abandon he was. For the most part, he's been bringing the same energy night in and night out.”

Moeller, a native of Fraser, has played the last few weeks on a line with Joe Rutkowski and Brad Tunesi and has also earned time on special teams

“He's starting to find a more complete game, too,” Skop said. “Moe does have the skill to be more than an energy guy. Lately, he's really had some good chances and he's getting those chances by working hard. He's been given a chance to start killing penalties here the past couple weeks and he's been pretty good with that, too.”

While Moeller still has four years left of junior hockey eligibility, Skop thinks it’s just a matter of time before Moeller makes the jump up the hockey ladder.

“For Moe, it's just a matter of continuing to develop his skills and maintaining the same style of game he plays,” said Skop. “With the work ethic he has, I'm sure in a year or so he'll be ready to move up.”

Moeller agrees with his coach.

“It has always been my dream to play Division I college hockey,” added Moeller. “With my goal in mind, I would hope to move up in my junior career to the NAHL. However, if nothing happens, then I am fully prepared to stay with the Jets and keep pushing myself and working hard until I do accomplish my goals.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

Metro swept the Peoria Mustangs on the road last weekend with a 5-2 win Saturday night and a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

The two wins pushed Metro’s record to 9-26-0-3 and give the Jets two more wins than all of last season. The Jets also take the season series from Peoria with three wins and a shootout loss.

Saturday night, Metro used five different goal scorers and a 28-save outing in goal from Ian Mercer to gain the win.

Brett Grech had a goal and an assist for the Jets, while Dylan Mantay and Moeller scored their first goals of the season. Jon Elliott added his tenth of the year and Steve Vandenberghe also lit the lamp.

Sunday afternoon, Elliott scored again to go along with a single from David Merkle and Mercer’s 36 saves.

The Jets play just one game this week, on Friday night on the road against the Motor City Chiefs. Metro returns home on Saturday, Feb. 6 against Queen City.

JET FUEL

Grech assisted on Elliott’s goal Sunday to take over the team scoring lead with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Aaron Davis, a forward with the Jets in the mid-1990s, is now in his eighth professional season after four years at Lake Superior State University.

Davis, a 30-year-old from Dearborn Heights, has 15 goals and 38 points in 37 games this season with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

Photo by Walt Dmoch

Weekly Sketch 1/27

Mixing Passion, Technology and Coaching

By Patrick Driessen

I am always looking for new innovative ways to improve things. Often it's just a matter of combining existing things with a couple of new things.

In this case I found a great tool which is combining my passion for helping others succeed, my passion for coaching and my passion for technology: Disciplanner! It helps you to get disciplined and succeed in meeting your personal goals! How cool is that!?

Normally I do not like to advertise something on my blog, but in this case I'm happy to make a positive exception: Disciplanner.com is an application for tracking long term personal goals and bad habits. No hourly schedules, just commit to weekly goals and record time, that's it. The basic Disciplanner account is free and the Disciplanner iPhone application will be released in the coming months!

So what's stopping you to try it out? If you use this innovative tool well, I am sure it will enable you to succeed faster & better!

Thanks, warm regards & success,


Patrick

45 and Counting

Joubert named to BU Hall of Fame


The captain of the 1995 National Championship winning BU hockey team  Jacques Joubert has been selected for induction to the BU Athletics Hall of Fame. Joubert is the 45th member to join the HOF and he is joining some greats such as Chris Drury, Mike Eruzione, Jack Parker.

Joubert player three years of great hockey with BU and did not play four because he had transferred from Princeton College, where he spent one year. The final goal the Joubert ever scored in a BU uniform, was the game winning goal of the 1995 national championship game in which BU beat Maine 6-2.

The two major national polls, USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and ESPN/USA Softball, have just released their pre-season Top 25 rankings. The defending NCAA champion Washington Huskies are picked No. 1 in both polls; in the USAT/NFCA poll, all 30 first-place votes went to U-Dub, whereas in the ESPN/USAS survey, the Huskies garnered 17 of 20 first-place votes. Alabama is ranked second in both polls. Michigan is slotted third by ESPN/USAS and fourth by USAT/NFCA, whereas Florida is picked third by NFCA/USAT and fifth by ESPN/USAS. Other consensus Top 10 schools include UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, and Missouri.

Play begins the second weekend in February with a bunch of tournaments!

Whalers playing at top of their game

The Plymouth Whalers are playing their best hockey of the season as they move into the last weekend of January.

A number of factors have played into Plymouth’s resurgence:

SEGUIN and CZARNIK: Tyler Seguin is the current Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week who surged to the top of the OHL scoring race (33-46-79) with an 11-point week over three games as the Whalers beat Windsor (7-4), Mississauga (5-1), and Peterborough (4-2) January 18-23 for a record of 28-20-0-1.

It’s hard to pick one play Seguin makes over another this year, but his goal in Mississauga on January 22 was a special play, one in which he made something out of nothing by sheer persistence and talent.

The Whalers were leading, 2-1, in the second period when Seguin – working along the left boards in the Mississauga zone – misfired on a pass to the left point to defenseman Austin Levi. The pass wasn’t hard enough and was not going to make it to Levi, so Seguin chased the puck down, skated to the high slot and snapped a hard low shot past Mississauga goaltender Chris Carrozzi to give Plymouth a 3-1 lead.

Not many players make a play like that.

Seguin has found some chemistry with Los Angeles prospect Robbie Czarnik, who scored in each of the wins against Windsor, Mississauga and Peterborough.

“We always talk and Czarnik’s one of my closer buddies on the team,” Seguin said after the Peterborough game. “He’s got great hands, great skill.”

Los Angeles Kings Director of Player Development Nelson Emerson and other Kings scouts are regulars at Plymouth games since Czarnik came over from the University of Michigan.

"It took a little bit of time for him to adjust to the different leagues," Emerson said in LAKings.com. "By that I mean there are more games, the style of play is different, and I think what you saw is that it took a little bit of time for him to get his feet wet. Now what you are seeing is he's more accustomed to his teammates and he's more comfortable. He's becoming more used to the players and to the style of play and he's using it to his advantage."

AJ JENKS: See any Florida Panthers scout at a Whalers game and they usually meet you with a smile. Jenks is developing into the player Florida projected when they selected him in the fourth round (100th overall) in the 2008 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

“We like AJ a lot,” said Florida scout Luke Williams last Friday in Mississauga. “He’s got good size, he’s scoring and he takes care of the defensive side of things, too. He’s coming along just like we hoped.”

GOOD HEALTH: The Whalers are injury-free for the first time this season. Any players who sit are now healthy scratches due to a coaches’ decision. Head coach Mike Vellucci, associate coach Joe Stefan, and assistant coach Brian Sommariva now have the good fortune to use the same lineup for an extended period for the first time all season.

HACKETT: A sign of Matt Hackett’s consistency is the fact he’s allowed more than four goals in a game just twice this season. He allowed five on September 19 against Oshawa in a 6-5 overtime victory and then six on January 6 in a 7-3 loss in Erie.

The Whalers as a collective unit battle hard for their goaltender and Hackett appreciates it.

“It’s always awesome to get a shutout,” Hackett said after posting a 3-0 shutout over Niagara on January 16. “But the team in front of me made it easy. They kept the shots to the outside, like always. It was a fun game to play. I wasn’t happy with my game last night, so I wanted to come out and make sure I had a good start. It paid off tonight.”

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Whalers have moved to the top of the OHL in penalty killing. According to veteran penalty killers Leo Jenner and Joe Gaynor, it's part preparation and a lot of perspiration.

“I think part of it is our effort in practice,” Jenner said. “There’s a lot of communication between our forwards and defense and everyone knows what they’re doing. We try to force turnovers. Everybody anticipates where the puck is going to be and we’re on it.”

It’s often said a team’s best penalty killer is the goaltender. Jenner agrees.

“Hack’s an excellent talent,” Jenner explained. “He talks to us non-stop and it’s great to know if you’re in his way. He’ll let you know for sure.”

“We pride ourselves on special teams,” Gaynor said. “Our goal every night is to try to be one hundred percent on the PK and then get a couple of goals on the power play. If we do that, we expect to come out of the game with a win.”

STEFAN and SOMMARIVA: They aren’t looking for any credit, but their pre-scouting and video work of the opposition helps a team looking for an edge. Board the Whalers bus before any road game and you’ll see Stefan watching video of the opponent. Come on the bus after the game and Sommariva is already looking to download the latest game of the Whalers’ next opponent, if he hasn’t done so already.

Visit Stefan’s room the morning of a home game and there’s a good chance he’s watching video.

LIVINGSTON and McRAE: Although the Whalers two acquisitions at the OHL trade deadline, James Livingston and Phil McRae, have scored just one goal apiece since joining the team, they both understand their role and have fit in well in their new surroundings.

“It was definitely strange for me,” Livingston said of the trade. “I played three-and-a-half years in Sault Ste. Marie, so it became a home to me and I loved it there, but when I got news that Plymouth was interested in making a deal, it was an exciting time. I’ve always heard that Plymouth is an excellent organization, a great rink to come play in with a great coaching staff, so I was very excited to come and work with these guys.

“Hearing that they added a couple of other players (Jay Gilbert and McRae), we’re making a push for the playoffs, so it’s very exciting.”

Livingston appreciates the depth of the Whalers.

“I look around the room and I see a lot of talented guys,” he said. “Hopefully, we can all be a part of something special. Hopefully I can bring something to the table and help this team.”

“I’m very excited – we have a lot of great players,” McRae said. “I think we have a good team that can make a run deep in the playoffs. I think everyone in the dressing room realizes we can beat anyone in the league.”

The Whalers play in Owen Sound on Wednesday before coming home on Friday to host Brampton and London on Saturday.

Text and McRae photo courtesy Plymouth Whalers

Cougar Time!

I did this one for the Las Vegas Weekly last week...when they pitched me the idea, I knew it was right up my alley. It's about a "Cougar Convention" held over the weekend at the Tropicana in Vegas. Although it's bordering on obnoxious overexposure, I still find the term "cougar" hilarious...but I wonder if there should be a term for older men who are into women in their late teens and early 20s. Oh, I forgot, there is a term for them: Men.

Dutchmen fall in rankings

• Union goes from #13 to #18 in the USCHO.com National Rankings


• In the USA Today/ USA Hockey Magazine Poll the Dutchmen go from #13 to out of the standings. But, they are the top team for teams receiving votes but are not in the Top 15.


• Most importantly the team goes from a very promising #7 to #19 in the PairWise Rankings. If the season were to end today there is only a 50/50 shot that they would make the National Tournament.

Streak snapped, streak continues

BU's two game win streak snapped but UNH's 11 game unbeaten streak continues.


Saturday night, UNH stopped would may prove to be the Terrier's best shot at gaining home ice in the Hockey East playoffs, after they were done tooling with BU in the second period.


UNH had a shot to go up 1-0 just 35 seconds in to the game when paul Thompson had a breakaway that Grant Rollheiser stopped. Later in the period the WildCats would take the lead when Mike Borisenok pushed in a rebound.


As you can tell the Terriers did not play well for most of the start of the game, but as the first period went on BU did get better.


But once the second period started BU looked like they did for much of the first, Only this time UNH banged home two goals. Damon Kipp scored the firs through a screen and BobBy Butler scored the third on one that looked like Rollhesier should have had. 


In the the third BU got on the score sheet when Chris Connolly found a rebound out in front then drilled the post but the puck did bounce into the net.


With only two minutes left in the game UNH just killed off a power play and the got one of their own. Mike Sislo scored on the power play giving us the final score of 4-1.


Parker blamed most of the poor preformance on the confidence of the team after Friday's overtime win against BC.

“It’s hard to comment on this game because I don’t want to take away from how well New Hampshire played,” Parker said. “I thought they played very well. But I thought we absolutely stunk. I just saw [former NHL player and NESN color commentator] Craig Janney, who said ‘Hey, you laid an egg tonight, but you had a good game last night.’

“That’s exactly what we did. We laid an egg tonight. It’s obvious to me with this team that leadership is lacking. Our juniors and seniors had horrible nights tonight in general, and I’m worried about our freshmen and sophomores thinking this is how you’re supposed to play. I thought we got a pathetic emotional effort tonight; our team was not ready to play.” -USCHO

“It’s a sad statement that my team cannot get mentally ready to play a hockey game,” Parker said. “They’re so easily satisfied, or it just isn’t that important to them. We don’t give a damn; that’s what it seems like. With so many guys, their give-a-[expletive] level is way down.” -USCHO

USCHO box score and recap 


The Terriers return to action next Friday night against Umass, for the final time this regular season. 


In Other News
The Bu BC rivalry was a question on Jeopardy, tuesday night. The question was worth $1600.

Union loses to Dartmouth for second loss in a row

What a disappointing weekend! As I said earlier in the week, this was a weekend where the Dutchmen should get four points, but they couldn't even get one. But hey, the Dutchmen are still in first place in the ECAC and Jason Walters extended his point streak to 15 games. But, Union has now dropped from #7 t o#19 in the PWR. This makes next weekend's road trip even more important.

You can read about the game on USCHO.com, Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, and Times Union.com. Also, check out Ken Schott's blog and video.

Union Hockey mentioned on ESPN's SportsCenter

I was just watching SportsCenter (12:10am) and in the closing remarks the two hosts (not sure of their first names) said a quick thing about college hockey. They first mentioned the Wisconsin-Denver game and then the last line of the show was "I think Union lost though." If I wasn't imagining this then this is absolutely amazing even though it mentioned that Union lost.

Union drops first league game

Well, you can't win them all. With last night's 4-1 loss to Harvard, Union became the last team in the nation to lose a league game. Even Coach Leaman recognized that in the post-game press conference. And honestly, a loss like this could be a blessing and could take some pressure off the players. I would much rather lose my first league game in January than in February while heading into the playoffs. Also, it's not like the Dutchmen played an awful game. It was basically a 2-1 game with two empty-netters. It is true that they weren't crisp with their passing or decisions with the puck, but they got a decent amount of scoring chances and threw 48 shots on net. They just happened to run into a goaltender who made a bunch of big stops and finished the game with a career high in saves (47), along with Union barely missing some golden opportunities in the third period (Presizniuk, Bodie). Harvard is starting to find their identity as a team and their highly praised freshman class is beginning to adapt to the college game. Each Louis Leblanc and Danny Biega were very impressive last night. The Dutchmen just have to go out tonight against Dartmouth, salvage two points on the weekend, and maintain their first place standing. Also, with the loss Union moves down to #13 in the PWR, which still is the best for any ECAC team. One positive thing to come out of last night's game was that Jason Walters extended his scoring street to 14 games.

Read some reviews of last night's game on:
USCHO.com (by myself)
Daily Gazette.com (by Ken Schott)
Times Union.com (by Tim Wilkin)
Union Athletics.com
You can also see Ken Schott's post-game thoughts and video.

Do Not Rescuisitate

A couple years back, in a move much-ballyhooed and made a big deal of by me, The Washington City Paper stopped using my illustrations with the Savage Love column. Though it was a blow to lose them (and their budget) as a weekly client, I continued to provide Savage Love illos (albeit not in color) to a couple other papers, Detroit's Metro Times and Philadelphia Weekly...that is, until last Monday, when I was notified by PW that their budgets had been cut, and that there was no cash left for my weekly spots. So,down to only one venue for my work, I know that this is the time to bow out for good.

I've been doing the spots for one paper or another for over ten years, and to be honest, I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself next Monday when it's time to send the art along and there's no one to send it to! Still, I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity...drawing the column every week for a decade was an invaluable experience, enabling me to hone and fine-tune my style, as well as challenging me to produce top-notch, funny work every week under a rigid deadline.

Thanks to Pete Humes for the initially hiring me to draw the spots for Punchline, and to Jandos, Pete M., Sean, Hawes and Tim for picking me up along the way! Here are a bunch of recent illos...thanks for the memories!

Game Day Preview: UNH @ BU

This is also the final time these two teams will meat this regular season. The first meating UNH owned the Terriers It only took a day for BU to turn it around and tie the Wildcats the next night.

Notes on the Wildcats
UNH is currently in first in the Hockey East standing with 21 points. They have also not lost a game since November 11 to Umass. Tonight the Terrier will look to stay hot and melt the UNH unbeaten streak.

The Last time they met...
was back on November 21 at Agganis Arena. the Terriers found them selfs down two nothing in this one but came back and tied the game 3-3.

Terriers take another OT thriller

Cohen's bomb ends it all 

During most of the game the Michael Jackson song Thriller, was playing in my head. And thats exactly what the game was. For most of the game the teams traded leads and that headed in to the overtime frame.

The Terriers drew first blood on the power play in the first period. David Warsofsky had to first break up an Eagles shorthanded bid before him and Alex Chiasson had a two on one. Chiasson made a perfect pas to Warsofsky that he roofed.

The Eagles got even on their own power play when Cam Atkinson found Ben Smith's between the legs pas in the slot. Atkinson then fired it past Millan to tie the game.

BC then took their only lead of the night after Eric Gryba was released from the penalty box, BC forward Pat Mullane threw a shot on net. There were a bunch of bodies in front and Chis Kreider found it an scored one of his two goals on the night.

The Terriers would tie the game at two before the end of the period on probably the best goal of the season. Vinny Saponari (photo) broke in on the left side and took a regular shot that BC backup-goalie Parker Milner stopped. The rebound popped up in the air,  Vinny Saponari then  thought that he was David Ortiz and hit the puck out of mid-air, Baseball stile, and in to the net.

In the second BU regained the lead when BC defender Malcolm Lyes lost the puck in the slot. Suddenly hot Wade Megan pick up the up and roofed it on Milner.

Later in the second added to their lead on the power play. Nick Bonino won the faceoff in to the conner. There he got the puck back and made a nifty move to the front of the net and slid the puck five-hole on Milner, giving BU a 4-2 lead.

In the Third it was all Eagles. The final five minute were hell on earth for this writer. BC came within one just 2:13 in to the third when Chris Kreider found the back of then for the second time. BC then tied the game with about five minutes to go. Pat Mullane scored the goal after getting a great pas from Steven Whitney.

With 39 seconds left BC forward Cam Atkinson was called for tripping. the Terriers could not do any thing in the 30 seconds of the third period that was remaining but oh could they ever in over time. The Terriers where able to set up Colby Cohen for a slapper and that pin-balled off a bunch of players in front before finding the back of the net, like they always say "the puck had eyes".

“That’s something that Colby does really well,” said Bonino of what he feels would have been an open-net opportunity had the puck not changed directions. “He’ll see me there. We made eye contact and he tried to get it to me.”- USCHO

The Terrier return to action tomorrow night against UNH. Game time 7:00

Tonight's Lineups (1/22/10)

It's not as crowded as the RPI game but still very full. The Union Pep Band is also in attendance.
Union:

Presizniuk - Walters - Valery-Trabucco

Welsh - J. Simpson - W. Simpson

Buote - Zajac - Boileau

Bodie - Lareau - Cain

Schreiber - Stuart

Matheson - Forgaard

Wakita - Coburn

Kinkaid

Milan

Harvard:

M. Biega - Leblanc - Killorn

Morrison - Fallstrom - Kroshus

Greiner - Moore - Valek

Everson - Michaud - Del Mauro

Morin - A. Biega

Huxley - D. Biega

Grimshaw - Christian

Carroll

Richter

Yep, that's not a typo there are 3 Biega's on the Crimson. Alex is a senior and is the team captain while Michael, a junior, is a first line winger, and Danny is a freshman defenseman. You can read about the trio on a website dedicated to them here. The brothers were also on the front cover of the New England Hockey Journal, and you can read the feature from the journal here. They have currently been featured in the Harvard Magazine. The brothers were even getting major attention in 2006 when they were featured on Canada.com and were compared to the Staal brothers who are currently tearing up the NHL.

Dutchmen to face Crimson and Big Green this weekend

Union fans should expect the Dutchmen to take four points a way from this weekend considering both Harvard and Dartmouth are in the lower half of the ECAC standings. Harvard has been on a nice winning streak lately so they could be dangerous, especially with freshman standout Louis Leblanc starting to heat up. The game against the Crimson should be the tightest game of the weekend but you should still favor the Dutchmen. The Dartmouth game should not be that close. The Big Green are currently second to last in the ECAC standings and do not have the offensive talent to keep up with Union's high flying offense. Also, Dartmouth goaltender Jody O'Neill has not put up the prettiest numbers this year. If everything goes as it should the Dutchmen should still be undefeated in league play and on top of the ECAC standings.

You can read some clips about the Dutchmen on Concordy.com, Union Athletics.com, Times Union.com, and Daily Gazette.com.

Be sure to also read Brian Sullivan's ECAC Midseason Report on USCHO.com where he names Mario Valery-Trabucco MVP and Top Forward, and Coach Leaman as Top Coach. Sullivan also names Union as a team most likely to take a tumble.

How to Live Your Life Twice!

TAU psychologist busts a myth and offers useful tips to counter a mid-life crisis!

Elliot Jacques coined the term "mid-life crisis" 40 years ago, when the average lifespan was 70 and "mid-life" came at age 35. Individuals could expect their quality of life to decline from that point forward, Jacques argued, so some extreme reactions to encroaching mortality were to be expected, such as having extra-marital affairs and buying a Porsche.

Not any more, says Prof. Carlo Strenger of Tel Aviv University's Department of Psychology. In an article co-authored with the Israeli researcher Arie Ruttenberg for the Harvard Business Review last year, and another in the journal Psychoanalytic Psychology, Prof. Strenger posits that the mid-life years are the best time of life to flourish and grow.

Citing research based on empirical evidence and studies from the field, Prof. Strenger says that adult lives really do have second acts! "Somehow this line has been drawn around the mid and late 40s as the time for a mid-life crisis in our society," says Prof. Strenger. "But as people live longer and fuller lives, we have to cast aside that stereotype and start thinking in terms of 'mid-life transition' rather than 'mid-life crisis.'" He dismisses the prevailing myth that reaching the years between the 40s and the early 60s means adapting to diminished expectations, both internally and from society.

Thirty-five years of learning
"If you make fruitful use of what you've discovered about yourself in the first half of your life," Dr. Strenger argues, "the second half can be the most fulfilling."

Most people make many of their most important life decisions before they really know who they are, he says. By age 30, most Americans have already married, decided where to live, bought their first home, and chosen their career. "But at 30, people still have the better part of their adult years ahead of them," Prof. Strenger says.

The good news is that extended life expectancy, better health practices, education, and a greater emphasis on emotional self-awareness and personal fulfilment have reversed the chances that one will have a mid-life crisis. Neurological research has also disproved the notion that the brain deteriorates after 40. "A rich and fruitful life after 50 is a much more realistic possibility," he says.

Four tips to avoid a mid-life crisis
How can you transition smoothly through the best years of your life?

1. "First, and most important," Prof. Strenger suggests, "invest some sincere thought in the fact that you have more high-quality adult years ahead of you than behind you. Realize what that means in planning for the future."
2. Second, he says, think about what you've learned about yourself so far. Consider what you've found to be your strongest abilities and about the things that most please you, not what your parents or society expected of you when you were young.
3. Third, don't be afraid of daunting obstacles in making new changes. "Once you realize how much time you have left in this world, you will find it is profoundly worth it to invest energy in changing in major ways. A new career choice is not an unreasonable move, for example," Dr. Strenger advises. And you may now have a better chance of succeeding, because your choices will be based on knowledge and experience, rather than youthful blind ambition.
4. Finally, Prof. Strenger says it is absolutely necessary to make use of a support network. Individuals should discuss major life changes with their colleagues, friends and families. The people who know you best will best be able to support you in the new directions you want to take, he advises, and a professional therapist or counsellor can also be helpful.

Prof. Stenger's book on the subject is The Designed Self, published by The Analytic Press. His latest book, Critique of Global Unreason: Individuality and Meaning in the Global Age, will be published by Palgrave this year.

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