VINTAGE GIRL by Courtney's digiscrappin

VINTAGE GIRL

by

Courtney's Digiscrappin

The wonderfull Courtney from Courtney's digiscrappin has a beautiful new kit out called "Vintage Girl". Its filled with some Gorgeous vintage pieces in the most beautiful colours, 77elements and 14 papers.

You can grab this gorgeous kit right now at Angel Baby Scraps for only $2 up until the 13th of Feb. It will then go to regular price of $4. So head over now to grab this great Vintage Girl kit while its on sale.

Here are my LO's made with Vintage Girl

I also have a little freebie for you. A gorgeous vintage PU QP.

Download HERE

Also, Head over to Courtney's DigiScrappin To grab her gorgeous FREE QP.

For some more great freebies head on over to CBH and Craft Crave

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Jets' Kilgore makes NAHL debut

Jason Cirone grabbed his cell phone just minutes after his Metro Jets team wrapped up practice last Wednesday at Lakeland Arena and saw he had a missed call.

“Bill Warren called,” said Cirone, noting Warren is the head coach of the Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the North American Hockey League. “I need to call him back. Can you guys keep it down in here for a few minutes?”

A brief phone call and a huge grin later, Cirone looked at the Jets’ staff and beamed, “They’re going to play him both games this weekend.”

The “him” Cirone was referring to was forward Tommy Kilgore, an 18-year-old from Pinckney, Mich., who had been practicing with Port Huron all week and impressed the Fighting Falcons’ staff to where he earned himself a roster spot.

“Jason had called me into his office a few days before that and asked if I’d be interested in playing for an NAHL team this season and I, of course, said I was,” Kilgore said. “He told me Port Huron wanted to give me a shot, so I went up there and skated with them for three days and then they decided to keep me.”

Kilgore played in both games in Traverse City last weekend and even though he was held without a point playing on a line with Ian Miller and Matt Ragains, the experience of playing in the NAHL, bus ride included, was priceless.

“Everyone was very nice on the bus, asking me where I was from, where I played, things like that,” explained Kilgore, who had 12 goals and 25 points in 31 games with the Jets this year. “I already knew Miller from when we played spring hockey for Compuware a few years ago. Matt and I talked a little bit on the bus about some things we wanted to do on the ice, so it was definitely a good time.”

When game time came Friday night, the jitters came to Kilgore quite heavily.

“I was very nervous right before my first shift and I think even more during my first shift because I didn’t want to make a mistake,” Kilgore said. “After that first shift and maybe the second one, I felt very comfortable and it just seemed like another game to me.”

Kilgore joins a long list of Metro skaters who have joined NAHL teams straight from Waterford, including recent players Jacob DeSano, who played for the North Iowa Outlaws in 2008-2009, Sam Bell, who played for the Motor City Metal Jackets in 2009-2010 and Port Huron this year, and Steven Oleksy, who was with Traverse City North Stars during their inaugural season of 2005-2006.

“It’s just crazy how fast everything has happened,” said Kilgore. “My goal last year playing high school hockey (for Pinckney High School) was to eventually get to the NAHL, but I never expected it would happen so fast.”

Ask Cirone, and he feels it was only a matter of time.

“That’s what we’re here for – to move these kids to the next level,” said Cirone. “Around Christmastime, Tommy really picked up his game and showed that he wanted to be a hockey player. I think I might be happier than Tommy that he’s in the NAHL, but he’s earned everything he has and is being rewarded for his hard work and desire to be a hockey player.”

Kilgore said heeding Cirone’s words all season long with the Jets helped him land his spot in Port Huron.

“One thing Jason has touched on all year is that if you work hard in practice, that will make it easier to work hard in games,” said Kilgore. “Now that I’ve made it to the NAHL, I know that I’ll have to work even harder.”

No word yet on whether the Fighting Falcons are keeping Kilgore for the rest of the season or returning him to the Jets, but even if he’s returned, odds are great that he’ll be in the NAHL next year.

Photo by Andy Grossman/Detailed Images

An Overall Good Weekend *UPDATED*

Millan during his freshman year.
(Photo by Mat Dresens) 

Whenever a team goes up to Maine and takes three out of four points it is a good weekend. BU did just that last weekend. This is the second time in three years (only played Maine once at Alfond last year) that the Terriers have three points from the Black Bears. That last time came back in 2009 and in 2007 BU swept Maine in a weekend series in Orono.

Millan Named Hockey East Defensive Player Of The Week
BU Net Minder Kieran Millan was named Hockey East's defensive player of the week after he stoned the Maine Black Bears this past weekend. He had an expressive 41 save game Saturday night. After being scored on only 21 seconds into the game, Millan responded to stop every other shot he faced that night.

BU, Hockey East's Team Of The Week
After a win and a tie in Maine, BU was named the team of the week by Hockey East.

In Other News 

Joe Pereira scored his first career short-handed goal in Saturday's 1-1 tie.

John Curry, BU former goaltender, took part in the AHL Skills Competition and in the All Star Game over the weekend. 

Former BU Captain Sean Sullivan had the hit of the year a few nights a go. Here is the video:

At The Polls 

For the second time this season, Boston College submitted the USCHO rankings. They were followed by Denver, Yale the former #1, Minnesota Duluth, and North Dakota round out the top five. BU moved from 16th to 14th. 

They were also 14th in the USA Today Poll and 15 in the INCH Power Rankings 

Hawai'i, Fresno State lead WAC preseason poll

As expected, defending WAC champion Hawai'i has edged out Fresno State as the preseason pick in the conference coaches poll that was released this afternoon. In a bit of a surprise, the Rainbow Wahine were not a unanimous selection. Since coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams, most expected Hawai'i to be the top pick on seven of the eight coaches' ballots. But UH earned the top spot

Rated PG

Face needs work.

Inks:

Running Out of Time, Canucks Call Up Cody Hodgson

Surprise news this morning, as the Canucks announced that they had called top prospect Cody Hodgson up from the Manitoba Moose. Hodgson will be meeting the team in Dallas, and Ian Walker has tweeted that he'll likely play, suiting up as the fourth-line centre and bumping Tanner Glass back to his natural position on the wing.

Fans are excited to see Hodgson finally make his regular season debut with the Canucks, but they're also a bit confused by the timing. Hodgson is recovering from a broken orbital bone that caused him to miss six weeks, and is still wearing a full shield to protect his face.

Worse, in four games since returning to the Moose lineup, Hodgson has 0 goals, 0 assists, and is a minus-2. This from a guy that was the Moose leading scorer before his injury. He's had 10 shots, but if he's not scoring and he's not coming down on the plus side, fans are right to wonder: why now?

In truth, it's either now or never (never being next season). I would wager that the team was days away from calling Hodgson up before he broke his cheekbone, and that the timing of that injury couldn't have been worse. Now, they can't afford to wait any longer.

We're just under a month away from the NHL trading deadline, and Cody Hodgson is quite nearly the only guy on the farm with NHL potential that hasn't seen a turn in the big leagues, especially among possible fourth-line centres. The Canucks have said numerous times this season they want all those guys to get some big-league experience, but they're also auditioning prospects to see what the organization has, and what they need.

Furthermore, if Hodgson can't play centre at this level, Mike Gillis likely needs to acquire somebody via trade. None of their fourth-line centre candidates have worked, and the team doesn't want to go into the playoffs without one. Since these moves don't happen overnight, Gillis needs time to begin seriously putting something together. He needs to see Hodgson now, in order to formulate a plan going forward. If Hodgson can show he's an NHL centre, then the Canucks can stand pat.

There's an additional benefit. If Hodgson shows he can play at this level, the Canucks could move him into a larger role. Most of the Canucks' forwards aren't scoring, and it's a genuine cause for concern. An injection of youthful skill might be the antidote. The Canucks appear to be in need of one more scorer. If Hodgson, a convertible centre, can be that guy, team depth will have increased exponentially. A best-case scenario might be that Hodgson gets promoted to third-line centre duty, while Malhotra moves down, making the Canucks' exceptionally deep down the middle, like last year's Blackhawks.

Another possibility is that Hodgson winds up on the wing in the top nine and the Canucks get a fourth-line centre after all, knowing there's no need for an upgrade anywhere else in the forwards corps. Much to the chagrin of Gillis and Vigneault, auditions for Kesler's wing remain open.

What Cody Hodgson can be to this team this season remains to be seen, especially since he doesn't appear to be back in top form. But the Canucks can't wait any longer.

Union Moves Up In The Polls

This past weekend the Dutchmen upset #1 Yale 3-2 and then beat Brown 4-2, both at Messa Rink. RPI also beat Yale over the weekend. The Bulldogs have now lost their #1 ranking.

Here's where Union stands:

USCHO: up two spots to 11th
INCH: up one spot to 8th
USA Today/ USA Hockey Magazine: up one spot to 11th
PWR: tied for 12th with Merrimack
RPI: 9th
KRACH: 10th

This weekend Union travels to Princeton (who is ranked in the top 20) and Quinnipiac.

College Hockey Video Of The Week (1/31/11): Robert Morris Sweeps #1 Miami in 2010

This past weekend Union and RPI both won their games against #1 Yale making it a Capital District sweep.

Last season unranked Robert Morris swept two games from #1 Miami first in Pittsburgh and then at Miami two days later. Personally, I think this feat is more impressive than the one that took place this past weekend. So, I think this video if fitting.

This video is of highlights from the Colonials' win over the Red Hawks in Pittsburgh. Enjoy!



Bonus Video! RPI goaltender Allen York freaks out on Yale's Chris Cahill at the Big Red Freakout:

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Causes For Concern, For the Canucks Fan That Knows No Other Way

Don't Panic, Canucks Fans. There Are Still Plenty of Reasons to Panic.

Welcome to the stretch drive, the unpredictable and unstable back half of the NHL regular season. With All-Star weekend now in the rearview, the next break in the schedule is the part where it ends, and the looming conclusion to the campaign is enough to send teams and their fans into a tizzy. A win streak or an untimely losing skid can alter one's position faster than drawing a character card in Candyland. With so much on the line, the questions can come fast and furious. Are we good enough? Are we tough enough? Do we have enough depth? It's a nervous time.

Canucks fans should be used to this by now: we go through it every year. But, this year is different. This year, the Canucks appear to be in good standing, and there are seemingly few reasons to panic. Longtime fans could be forgiven for not quite knowing what to do with themselves. PITB is here for you. In the past, we've tried to inject perspective into the fanbase by Babcocking the Canucks, but this time, we need not dream up doomsday scenarios willy-nilly. These are real concerns. Here, for your masochistic pleasure, are a myriad of reasons to caress that familiar panic button--enough worries to make this whole situation feel delightfully familiar. Pure, abject terror after the jump.

Can the Canucks really win the President's Trophy? Vancouver has never finished on top of the league. Despite sharing the top spot, for the moment, with Philadelphia, they'll likely have to close out the season in record-setting fashion to keep it. The Canucks are currently on pace for an 112-point season. So are the Flyers. Can they hold them off? If not, can they win the Western Conference? Neither have the Canucks ever accomplished this feat. They currently hold a respectable 5-point lead over the second place Detroit Red Wings, but the Red Wings have won the West six times in their history, and twice in the last three years. When it comes to winning the conference, they have experience the Canucks don't.

How about that fourth line? This season alone, 12 separate guys have started a game in one of the three spots on the Canucks' fourth line. Some of these guys don't even play in the NHL anymore. The line has yet to develop any consistency or identity. The team has effectively gone the entire season without a fourth-line center. At times it's seemed like the Canucks have no idea what they want from the position at all.

Rick Rypien remains on leave for personal reasons. Will he come back? Will he come back in playing shape? Does the team even want him back? Will Alex Bolduc return? If he does, can he stay healthy? Is Aaron Volpatti ready for the playoff grind? In last year's playoffs, coach Alain Vigneault basically benched the entire fourth line in favour of a three-line rotation. The Canucks have said they don't want to repeat this, but with the questions surrounding their fourth line, one has to wonder how they'll suddenly become comfortable with the guys they've got. Apart from Tanner Glass, nobody appears to have the coach's trust.

The organization has called up Cody Hodgson. Is he going to play? Are they going to try him as the fourth-line center? I wonder if this is a bit of a gambit to see if the Canucks have an internal candidate before Mike Gillis targets a fourth-line center at the trading deadline. Every other guy on the farm who might be capable of filling the spot has seen a look, and nobody's stuck. Hodgson's really the last possible option down there. If he doesn't pan out this season, what's next?

What about the rest of the forward corps? The third line hasn't scored since the Jurassic period, and Ryan Kesler's linemates from last season have not been able to duplicate their success. Mason Raymond has gone cold, and Mikael Samuelsson has been spotty, leaving Kesler without a real scoring threat on his wing. He'll be an easy target in the playoffs if, when he's on the ice, he's the only forward teams have to worry about.

There are questions surrounding Kesler too. Kesler has a tendency to improve drastically in the back half of NHL seasons. The Canucks would dearly benefit from a continuation of this trend, but Kesler's really in uncharted waters here. He's an All-Star center now. He's third in the league in goals scored, having already surpassed his career-high in this regard. He and Daniel Sedin have scored nearly one-third of the Canucks' goals. The success of the team depends on Kesler continuing his torrid pace. Can he? Will Gillis make a splash at the deadline and perhaps acquire another scoring forward as insurance, or to complement him?

And once we're doing worrying about the forwards, let's look to the defense, where one could be forgiven for thinking things look somewhat bleak. Alex Edler has undergone a microdiskectomy and is projected to miss somewhere between eight weeks and the rest of the season. Will he return? If he does, will he return to form? What if he doesn't come back at all? A primary ingredient of the Canucks' success this season has been the consistency of their top two defensive pairings. Can the Canucks overcome the shake-up?

Can Keith Ballard fill in while Edler's away? Is either Chris Tanev or Lee Sweatt an NHL regular? They say Sami Salo is making strides, but he's still not strong enough to return. Nobody's certain he ever will be. Will Salo play this season at all? If Gillis feels that neither Salo nor Edler are going to return this season, does he trust the other guys to get it done or does he turn his attention to acquiring another depth defenceman?

HAVE YOU PRESSED THE PANIC BUTTON YET?

If not, good for you, because I think we're gonna be okay.

Which Jersey Should I Wear?

Folks, the big Ginger Classic tournament is coming up next week, and while I don't imagine my meager hockey skills will distinguish me in any way, I'd like to at least look good while I'm playing third wheel on my three-man team. Problem is, I have too many jerseys in the running, and I'm just waaaay too indecisive. So I'm leaving it up to you readers.

To the right of this post you'll find a poll where you can select which jersey I'll wear in the tournament. You'll have 'til midnight Friday, February 4 to make a selection, and then I'll wear whichever sweater gets the most votes the next night in the tournament. To entice you further, everybody who makes a comment to this post will be eligible to win a copy of the Atom-Bomb Bikini book and a few stickers and a few other goodies. I need opinions, people...don't let me down!

And the nominees are:

1. Chicago Blackhawks 2009 Winter Classic

2. 2004 Eastern Conference All-Star

3. 1992 Quebec Nordiques Away

4. 1995 Winnipeg Jets Home

5. 2004 Calgary Flames Alternate

Ryan Kesler Uncovers Shocking All-Star Game Bribery Conspiracy Among League Officials

Even in an all-star game, Ryan Kesler takes his assistant captaincy seriously enough to question a call. Here's Kes, mic'd up for Versus, asking referee Kevin Pollock about his decision to blow the whistle. The ref's response? "Twenty bucks for the first guy that blew an offside." Funny stuff.

Hat tip to Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy for uncovering the clip.

Dutchmen Participate in Center for Disability Services Telethon

Today the Union College hockey team helped out at the 51st Center for Disability Services Telethon by working the phones. This is just one of a number of community service acts the team partakes in.

The telethon was also on Channel 8 today, so when I was flipping through the channels while taking a break from writing my thesis I saw that the team was on TV. Humanitarian Award nominee Stephane Boileau is sitting in the front row.

For more on the event check out Union Athletics.com.

I took a few pictures and video:

Game 19 (30Jan2011)

The Offence was simply better than the DefenceBlack 15 - Jimmy, Claudio, Leo, Mauro, Rocky, Chris S (Goalie -Wall side)White 8 - George, Peter K, Ahsan, Edwin, Sam, Chris G (Goalie - Bleacher side)The combination of Jimmy and Claudio clicked often today, with Claudio getting at least 5 one-timers past Chris G. Jimmy had some beautiful breakaways goals today, making no mistake when in close. By

Union's Tentative 2011-12 ECAC Schedule

So, RPI's season ticket brochures for next season have been released. It contains next season's schedule in it, and since Union is travel partners with RPI we now have an idea at what the bulk of Union's schedule will look like next year.

Here it is:



Messa Rink

 November
Fri. 4 - at St. Lawrence
Sat. 5 - at Clarkson
Fri. 11 - Yale
Sat. 12 - Brown

December
Fri. 2 - at Quinnipiac
Sat. 3 - at Princeton
Sat. 10 - at RPI

January
Fri. 6 - Harvard
Sat. 7 - Dartmouth
Sat. 14 - RPI
Fri. 20 - at Brown
Sat. 21 - at Yale
Fri. 28 - Clarkson
Sat. 29 - St. Lawrence

Februrary
Fri. 3 - Colgate
Sat. 4 - Cornell
Fri. 10 - at Dartmouth
Sat. 11 - at Harvard
Fri. 17 - Princeton
Sat. 18 - Quinnipiac
Fri. 24 - at Cornell
Sat. 25 - at Colgate

Also, RIT will be playing at RPI on November 25, so maybe the Tigers will be coming to Schenectady the following night.

My only complaint about this schedule is that Union will be playing at RPI when Union students are on break. It's so much better when the students travel, and the RPI game is really the only time students do so.

I'll see what I can do to find out about what non-league games Union will be playing in next season.

Union Tops Brown 4-2

Adam Presizniuk

What a great weekend for the Dutchmen! They start off by beating #1 Yale and then back it up with a nice win over Brown. Because RPI beat Yale last night behind some great goaltending from Allen York, the Dutchmen are just one point behind the league-leading Bulldogs. While the Dutchmen came out a little sloppy against the Bears, this weekend could be a weekend that Union builds off for the rest of the season.

Adam Presizniuk had a great game with two goals, and an overall great weekend. He scored a combined three goals and all of them were important goals scored in the second period. I wouldn't be surprised if Prezie was named the ECAC Player of the Week. It was also nice to see John Simpson and Justin Pallos score for the Dutchmen. Both guys work extremely hard and do very valuable things on the ice that aren't always seen on the scoresheet, so it's nice to see them get recognized. And once again, Keith Kinkaid played a good game.

Also, not to toot my horn or anything but I definitely called that Coach Leaman was going to put Stephane Boileau in the lineup on Saturday. It was great to see "the Professor" back on the ice. And I think I was also pretty spot on about Harry Zolnierczyk who picked up 12 penalty minutes in the game, including at 10 minute misconduct with under two minutes left in regulation. I'm also pretty sure that he dove at least once during the game. He has now accumulated 101 penalty minutes on the season, while Union's leader in penalty minutes, Matt Hatch, has picked up 29 penalty minutes on nine penalties. Captain Harry Z is just a goon.

By the way, I had a great time in the student section last night. I got to hang out with the mascot and interact with the improving pep band. Doing the cheers was fun, but I do have to say that the campus safety officers are a little too strict. I understand that you can't say f-bombs and other words of that variety, but there were words like "suck" that were said by that crowd that are said at every college hockey rink in the country. A fan should talk to somebody who controls this sometime soon. Having an energetic and fun student section is very important to the rink atmosphere and the team.

Next week the Dutchmen travel to Quinnipiac and Princeton for more important ECAC action.

For more on last night check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics.com
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union - Sean Martin

Millan Stands On His Head As BU Ties Maine

Last night BU's netminder, Kieran Millan made 41 saves in a 1-1 tie against the Black Bears. Millan is the only reason that the game resulted in a tie, because BU was way out played and out chanced in all phases of the game.

This may have been the best game that Millan has ever played
as a Terrier. The only other game that comes to mind is the
Northeast Regional Final against UNH in the '09 playoffs.

Maine grabbed the lead just 21 seconds into the game. Will O'neal's blast from the point was the only shot that got by Millan the whole night. He was definitely screened and never had a good look at the shot.

Later in the frame, BU picked up their fourth short handed goal goal on the season. After a tape to tape pass from Chis Connolly, Joe Pereira it past Maine goalie Martin Ouellette to tie the game. The score would stand for the remainder of the game.

Both teams had great chances to break the tie throughout the game. BU had a five minute power play after Ben Rosen got caught with a cross check to the face. During the five minute man advantage, Maine was called for another penalty and the Terriers had a full two minute 5 on 3. They did not score.

Maine had their own two man advantage in the third period. Thanks to Millan the game stayed tied.

The important thing is, BU came away with tree points in Orono, something that is never easy. Next weekend BU and Lowell will face off for their final meeting of the season. Then next Monday is the Beanpot showdown with Boston College.

Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Ryan Kesler at the Skills Competition

Courtesy of the invaluable and highly beloved CanucksHD, the dedicated Youtuber who is to blogging what the flux capacitor is to time travel, here are the Canucks-related highlights from the NHL Skills Competition. They reinforce three things we might have already known:

1. Ryan Kesler's pretty fast. But you already knew that. He can make five million dollars and a baby in the same day.
2. Daniel Sedin is mighty accurate. I know you knew that too, but did you know he was the most accurate guy in hockey? Eklund is, of course, a close second.
3. Henrik Sedin enjoys all types of passing, but his first love is the saucer pass. We've long suspected it might be an addiction. Once, at thanksgiving dinner, Daniel asked him to pass the mashed potatoes and Henrik launched a spoonful over the gravy boat, right onto his plate.

Anyway. I like these guys, I think they're good, let's keep them.

UNION UPSETS #1 YALE!!!

There are no words that can describe the feeling at Messa Rink last night once that final buzzer went off. It was a combination of joy, relief, pandemonium, excitement... the list can go on. The place was rocking! I think every Union fan can agree that this was the greatest regular season win in the history of Union Hockey. It's not everyday that you get to play the top ranked team in the country in your own barn and knock them off.

We are truly living in the glory days of Union Hockey, and for that I am extremely thankful. I mean the year before I came to Union, the Dutchmen were at the bottom of the ECAC standings and were the joke of the ECAC for awhile. BUT LOOK AT US NOW! Union College Hockey is now known throughout the college hockey world!

Other things I took away from the game:
- Keith Kinkaid was great. When Yale was pressing in the third he really came up big.
- Adam Presizniuk's goal might be a sign that he's ready to break out of this goal scoring slump. He will be a major key for the offense down the stretch.
- Union did a great job limiting Yale's transition play. It's the key to their game, and is probably the best in the country.
- The Union PP looked really sharp.
- You know what, the Union pep band was actually ok... but just ok. Sometimes they sounded like a real pep band and at other times they were weak. But, maybe there is hope.
- Did anybody else see the Dutchman mascot? It was in the student section and none of my buddies there knew who it was. This was the first time I saw a mascot at a Union game in my four years.
- Ryan Forgaard had very minimal ice time. I guess the coach's weren't happy with his decisions early on.
- This was the first time Union has beaten a #1 team.
- The black jerseys are definitely a good luck charm. Union is now 2-0 when wearing the jerseys (beating RPI and Yale). The team was planning on selling the jerseys at the end of the year, but maybe they should reconsider.

Also, I just want to say that I thought Yale Head Coach Keith Allain and forward Brian O'Neill were pretty classless after the game. Not only did Coach Allain not shake any of the Union players hands, he was pretty brutal in the post-game interviews. He barely said anything, mumbled, and was just bad overall. I didn't expect him to be happy after the game, but come on man. The press have to do their job, so just man up, face the press, and say something. Your team lost to a good team... deal with it. O'Neill wasn't much of a talker either after the game, and we had to do a make-shift interview in lobby, so I really didn't expect much from him (or captain Jimmy Martin who was there). But, when he said "It's not anything they [Union] did at all. We just didn't work hard enough," I got a little ticked off. You're team played well, but Union was just a little better. Once again.... deal with it! When Union loses, Coach Leaman and his players have no problem talking to the press at least at the home games I've covered.

But now this game is in the past and it's on to Brown. As Corey Milan tweeted this morning, "Big game tonight, last night was last night, tonight is the test." The Dutchmen have to win tonight in order to back up last night's win.

Oh and what's the over/under on how many penalty minutes Captain Harry Z picks up tonight? I say he picks up at least six.

For more on last night check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics.com
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union - Sean Martin
Times Union - Mark McGuire
CHN
Yale Daily News

In other news, I will be attending tonight's game as a fan for the first time this season at Messa Rink (I went to the game in Lake Placid as a fan). I am also very excited to wear my Union Hockey jersey for the first time. So, I will be doing very minimal Twitter updates and stuff like that. But, I will do my best to capture some video of the student section. If you can't make the game, but want to stay tuned in you can follow Ken Schott's Blog, or on Twitter (Ken Schott or Union Hockey).

If you want to see a double header of Union Hockey action stick around after the varsity game to check out the Union Club Hockey team as they take on Medaille. Yours truly will be playing.

Here are videos from last night. The first being the reaction of the rink once the final buzzer went off, and the second being the post-game press conference with Coach Leaman, Keith Kinkaid, Daniel Carr, and Adam Presizniuk... Oh, and Coach's son Ty.

Also, check out some fan interviews I conducted before last night's game as a part of my internship with the Union Sports Informaiton department. It features our guest blogger, Justin Zolot, and two of my best friends, Brendan Lichtenthal and Kyle Anderson. (Official Blog of Union Hockey)
,

BU Comes Back And Dumps Maine

After trialing 3-1 in the second period, BU scored three unanswered goals to beat the #12 ranks Black Bears 4-3 last night. Corey Trivino scored the first Terrier goal followed by Alex Chiasson, Wade Meagan and David Warsofsky's winner.

Millan played well in net, again and Trivino came up clutch on faceoffs towards the end of the game.

Video Highlights:

01.29.11

Phil Kessel Was Picked Last, Not Picked On

After much speculation about who would get picked last at the NHL All-Star Draft, Phil Kessel suffered the ignominy of being the final guy. For the concerned: he'll live. In fact, I thought the only embarrassing thing about Kessel's turn as Mr. Irrelevant was the way the NHL tried to pacify him. In an infuriating bit of babying, host James Duthie coaxed an ovation out of the audience, verbally consoled Kessel (who couldn't have cared less) and then gifted him $20,000 to a charity of his choice as well as a brand new 2011 Honda CR-Z.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the hundreds of children picked last in schoolyards across the country that day were given nothing, save a wedgie and an insecurity complex. Come on. These are NHL players, not grade-schoolers. Picked last does not mean picked on, and this was a room full of grown men capable of making that distinction. By reaching to console Phil Kessel, the NHL turned a relatable moment into another instance of millionaire ego-stroking.

Kessel didn't need to be given any consolation prizes. He was already at the All-Star Game. Know who wasn't? Tanner Glass. Where's his car?

Simply being invited was good enough for Kessel, and he said as much to Duthie. Not mentioned, but also a fairly decent consolation, was the fact that Kessel makes $5.4 Million a year, and if he wanted a new car, he could have paid cash for one. I hate talking about player salaries, but Kessel really didn't need that car, and you could tell by his reaction. Have you seen what happens when normal people are given a car? Their heart explodes. Did you see what happened when Phil Kessel was given a car? He smiled appreciatively, like he'd been given a gift card to Denny's.

It was a startling lack of perspective for the NHL to A) showcase Kessel's corresponding lack of perspective and B) take a very human moment like being picked last and turn it into another example of the divide between athletes and normal people. Most kids who are picked last can be consoled with a trip to Marble Slab Creamery. For a millionaire athlete, however, it had to be much more extravagant than that. Granted, they tried to balance it out by giving Kessel twenty grand to donate to charity, but that's about as meaningful as being given a Christmas present by your baby brother. Yes, I'm sure he picked this out himself.

These guys are still role models, after all. Considering the audience for this event was likely a lot of younger kids, I would have much preferred for the NHL to simply show what a good sport Kessel was being. Everything after that was overkill.

**********

That said, if the event lost some of its relatability with this moment, we can thank Alex Ovechkin for saving the day. The highlight of the draft: Ovechkin's sheer glee at Kessel sitting alone--an image so comical to him he snapped a picture with his phone. Hilarious. Part of Ovechkin's charm is that, despite being one of the best hockey players on the planet, he's also plainly human. His parents live with him; he often gets caught sneaking a peek at the ladies; he can't dance. Heck, is there anything more human than the place where schadenfreude and camera phones intersect? That exact place is where the Internet was born.

WEEK 2 Entry for Scrap HAppens To Me in The Designer Darling Comp.

Scrap Happens To Me

Designer Darling comp Entry 2

'Just Sayin Hi'  Free Mini kit

The Wonderful Scrap Happens To Me has her 2nd entry for

The Designer Darling Comp at Stuff To Scrap - click here to find her entry and to find your download.

A great little mini kit, with a beautiful colour combination, 8 papers and 15 elements. I found this to be a very versatile kit, so could be used for many different photos.

Make sure you follow Scrap Happens To Me in FaceBook and her BLOG to keep up with all her great kits along the way.

Here are some of my LO's made with this Gorgeous kit

I hope these inspire you to make some great LO's with this awesome kit by Scrap Happens To Me

Kate   :)

UTSA head coach Cook steps down

When the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners join the Western Athletic Conference in the 2012-13 season, they apparently will do so without head softball coach Lori Cook.Cook resigned yesterday just two weeks prior to the start of the 2011 season. In the news release offered by UTSA, the school announced that Cook was resigning "to pursue other career opportunities."In five seasons at UTSA, Cook went 141

Tonight's Lineups vs. Yale

Daniel Carr

Union
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Sullivan - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - K. Bodie

Forgaard - Julseth-White
Coburn - Stuart
M. Bodie - Matheson

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Broc Little

Yale
Agostino - Root - Balch
Cahill - Miller - O'Neill
Ziegler - Mason - Brockett
Kearney - Limbert - Little

Trentowski - Jaskowiak
Dueck - Peel
Matczak - Martin (C)

Rondeau
Maricic

Tonight's Officals:
Referee - Robert St. Lawrence
Referee - Peter Feola
Linesman - Richard Patry
Linesman - Glen Cooke

Things To Watch For This Weekend

This weekend the Dutchmen host the Yale Bulldogs and Brown Bears, in what might be the toughest home weekend of the season. The Bulldogs come into the weekend as the #1 team in the country and sport the nation's top offense, which is clicking at a 4.79 goals per game (BC is second with 3.74), and the third best defense allowing just 2.05 goals per game (Union is tied for tops in the country with Wisconsin with 2.04). While the Bears aren't ranked, they are still an extremely tough team as they proved last season when they shocked RPI and Yale in the ECAC playoffs.

My biggest concern about this weekend is the possibility of falling into a "trap game" with Brown. While the Dutchmen are not overlooking the Bears right now, there is a lot of focus being placed on Yale. I'm just afraid that the Dutchmen will put all of their energy and emotion into the Yale game and won't match it the following night whether if they beat Yale or not. Let's just hope the guys play hard against Yale and no matter what happens they instantly put the game in the past.

I think a great way to make sure this doesn't happen is to make a few lineup changes on Saturday night. I think that it might be smart if Leaman plays faster guys like Justin Pallos and Kyle Bodie to match Yale's speed on Friday night, but then replace them with Luke Cain and Stephane Boileau on Saturday night to match Brown's hard-hitting game style.

Also, the Dutchmen offesne is relying too heavily on the underclassmen (Carr, Welsh, Jooris, Mat Bodie). In important games like these you need the seniors to step up their game and take control. The experienced players need to set the tone, and the younger guys will follow. But, this doesn't mean that the underclassmen have an excuse to be intimidated. They, along with the rest of the team, should follow the example of Matt Hatch who flies all over the ice with no regard for his body. That's the type of hard work and intensity that will win big games.

Here are some fun facts:
- The last time Union played the top-ranked team in the country was on January 2, 2009 when they lost 3-1 to Nortre Dame at the Shillelagh Tournament. Brendan Milnamow '09 scored Union's lone goal and Corey Milan picked up 24 saves.
- In Union's first game back from the Shillelagh Tournament they traveled to Princeton where they beat a fifth-ranked Tigers team 3-2. This was the last time Union has beaten a Top 5 team. In the game Mario Valery-Trabucco '10 and Stephane Boileau scored goals, while Matt Cook scored the game-winner back in his hometown (he's from around Princeton).
- The last time Union played a #1 team in league play was on November 9, 1996 when they hosted Vermont. The Catamounts had future NHL stars Tim Thomas (Boston) and Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay) on the team that year. Union lost to Vermont that night 1-0 behind 43 saves from Thomas.

Yale
Ryan Rondeau: the senior goaltender has only lost one game this season and is third in the nation with a 1.80 GAA.
Broc Little: leads the team with 13 goals and 27 points. He is extremely fast.
Brian O'Neill: second on the team with 12 goals and is third with 25 points. Also leads the team with five power-play goals.
Andrew Miller: leads the team with 21 assists in 19 games, meaning he sets up a goal every game. He has only scored five goals this season, but four of them have been game-winners.
Chris Cahill: has been a beast in ECAC play, leading the Bulldogs with eight goals and 19 points.

Harry Zolnierczyk

Brown
Jack Maclellan: leads the team with 13 goals, 16 assists, and 29 points.
Harry Zolnierczyk: the Bears captain has the reputation of being one of the dirtiest players in the league and has accumulated 83 penalty minutes in just 18 games this year. But, Harry Z can also put the puck in the net as he is second on the team with 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points. In Brown's upset of Yale, he picked up a 10 minute misconduct penalty only to return to score the game-winning goal late in the game. Also, watch out for him and Maclellan on the PK as they have both netted two shorthanded goals this season.
Dennis Robertson: the freshman leads all Brown defenders with five goals and 12 points. Four of his five goals have come on the power-play, which is tied for best on the team with Captain Harry.

Union
Adam Presizniuk: this is the type of weekend when your best player needs to show up and contribute. His line is really clicking right now and he just got the pin taken out of his thumb, so this could be the weekend where he finally explodes.
Brock Matheson: Captain Brock has been stellar of late and needs to lead the defense this weekend as they take on fast Yale forwards and hard-hitting Brown forwards. He needs to be the one to prove that they are not going to give the opposing forwards too much respect.
Daniel Carr: the freshman phenom leads the team with nine power-play goals. Union's special teams has been struggling a bit of late, but if they want any chacne to knock off Yale they have to convert on these PP opportunities. Carr will be the go-to guy.

For more about this weekend check out:
Union Athletics.com
Daily Gazette
INCH
Yale Daily News
Brown Bears.com

Here are highlights from Union's 5-0 loss at Yale earlier this season:

ESPN.com softball guru Hays tabs Hawai'i 11th

Women's sports and college softball guru Graham Hays of ESPN.com has selected Hawai'i No. 11 in his season preview today.Hays writes, "Given the amount of time the team spent on the road in May, the quality of the opponent in top-seeded Alabama and the nature of the walk-off home run against the Tide in Tuscaloosa, Hawaii did indeed score one of the most memorable upsets in NCAA tournament

Terriers Trip To Orono

Alex Chiasson slips a pass through
the legs of Maine's Joey Diamond

BU will travail to the Maine Black Bears tonight to kick off a weekend series at Alfond Arena. For both teams this is a pivotal weekend. Maine and BU could not be closer right now. Just one points separates them in the Hockey East Standings and Maine is only point slot higher then the Terriers  in the Pair Wise, at 17.

If BU were to sweep this weekend or even get three points, they would be in the drivers seat for home ice in the conference playoffs. After this weekend, BU plays the bottom half of the league, Lowell followed by a trip over to Amherst to play UMass between the Beanpot games and then two game series with Providence, Vermont, and Northeastern to close out the regular season.

Players to watch 

• Gustav Nyquist, Maine Forward. Nyquist this season leads his team in points at 28 but only has six goals on the year. Last year he had 30+ goals and was a Hoby Hat trick finalist. 

• Spencer Abbott, Maine Forward. Abbott is second on the team in overall points, 26 and goals with 12.  

The Last Time They Met..

was back in November. After being down in the third period, BU came back and tied the Black Bears 2-2 at Agganis Arena. Last Year the Terrier fell 3-2 at Alfond Arena

From the Archives: Let the NHL All-Star Game Stay Meaningless

Way back in November, well in advance of the NHL's announcements regarding changes to this year's All-Star game, I made a pitch for an All-Star format very similar to the one we're about to see.

Before you get too worked up, I should clarify that nobody stole my idea. It turned out that Brendan Shanahan had pitched the idea about six months earlier at the annual NHL GM meetings. But, though I didn't get flown out to New York and given a job as an idea man, I was excited to know I would see my idea implemented nonetheless.

A summary of my argument is as follows: the All-Star Game is completely meaningless, and by its very nature, it has to be. But, meaningless though it is, that doesn't mean it can't also be fun. Hockey is fun. The NHL players like to have fun. I wanted the NHL to drop the desperate efforts to give some edge to the game and, instead, ratchet up the efforts to make the game more fun.

I felt like having player captains pick their teams--a pond hockey throwback--was one way to toss out the austerity and celebrate the game. That's effectively what they're doing. That said, you'll see in the article that I would have done a few things differently. I would have kept it simpler, and I thought it was useless to let fans vote for a starting six rather than the team captains. But these are small quibbles; the basic idea remains the same. Take a gander at Let the NHL All-Star Game Stay Meaningless, an original PITB article.

| Continue Reading |

North Stars' Dienes chooses Broncos

To call Chris Dienes’ season a whirlwind affair is putting it mildly.

He started the year with his Traverse City West High School team, preparing to help the Titans defend their Big North Conference crown.

Four months later, he has committed to play Division I college hockey at Western Michigan University.

In between, a call-up to the Traverse City North Stars cemented Dines’ station as an up-and-coming defenseman earmarked for duty in the elite CCHA conference.

“It’s been a little overwhelming at times, to be honest,” said Dienes, a 6-2, 180-pounder with just 16 games of junior experience under his belt. “Obviously, it’s a dream come true to get the opportunity to play college hockey.”

Western’s staff began to take notice of Dienes during the Michigan Developmental Hockey League season in September – a league that showcases the top high school talent in the state.

When the North Stars called on Dienes to join the NAHL ranks in early November, WMU staffers again got the chance to see him play his first junior series in Springfield and Dienes agreed to take a visit.

“I don’t know if I was ready for it, but it was great,” he explained. “They played Ohio State in front of a sellout crowd, which was awesome, and the campus was great too. I got a chance to talk to (former North Stars) Patrick Nagorsen and Travis Paeth and they told me all about the school and the program and how much they loved it, and that was good to hear.”

Dienes, who plans to study computer engineering at WMU, didn’t get a chance to help West seek another title, as Traverse City head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo didn’t hesitate to bring him aboard when veteran blue-liner Trevor Campbell was dealt to Topeka. Dienes has seen action in 16 games for the Stars, and scored his first junior goal on Dec. 4 at Motor City. He also assisted on a key score in a 5-4 win against Michigan on Nov. 27.

“Chris has tremendous upside,” said Palumbo. “He’s already very good – he’s a big kid with that long reach, he skates well, and plays his position. Those are attractive qualities for colleges when they’re looking for kids who can play at that level. We’ve seen Chris play all the way through from his Grand Traverse Hockey Association days, and seen him develop into a high-end hockey player with a great work ethic.”

Dienes, who began playing hockey at the age of four, followed in his brother P.J.’s footsteps as a Titan, and cites his family’s heavy involvement in their sport of choice as one of the reasons for his successes.

“My mom and dad were always driving us to practices and games and tournaments, and they deserve many thanks,” he added. “And my brother really helped guide me through, along with support from family and friends. I’ve also had some great coaches along the way, like coach (Bob) Spence and coach (Jeremy) Rintala at West, and Chad (Fournier), coach (Mike) Mattuecci and coach Palumbo here. They’ve had a real impact on my later development.”

As Dienes’ stint at Western isn’t slated to begin until the 2012-13 season, he isn’t sure where he’ll ply his trade for the next two seasons.

Burrows Interviews Bieksa, Unwittingly Reveals Himself as Passionate Romantic

If you haven't seen this fantastic video of Alex Burrows interviewing Kevin Bieksa from ESPN.com, you are missing out. It is remarkably hilarious.

Many stick taps and gloved taps on the helmet to Nucks Misconduct.

University of Michigan: The Big Chill

Last December, the Michigan Wolverines hosted the Michigan State Spartans in an outdoor game at Michigan Stadium. The record-setting crowd of 113,411 is not only the largest to ever watch a hockey game, but the largest in the history of Michigan Stadium, period. Most of them went home happy too, thanks to a 5-0 drubbing of the Spartans by the Wolverines.

This gaudy sucker was the jersey sported by Michigan that day, a throwback to the ones worn by the NCAA Champion 1947-48 team. STRIPES!

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Predators, January 26, 2011

Canucks 2 - 1 Predators

With a win versus Nashville last night, the Canucks go into All-Star weekend having collected at least one point in 27 of their last 30 games. Yes, that's the stat Don Taylor reported postgame on Sportsnet Connected, and I want to take a moment to marvel at it. Consider that this stat--this very positive stat--incorporates the points from the amazing mini-slump that now seems so long ago, and ignores the fact those games were eventually lost. Remember when they were cause for concern? Now they're just part of an extremely positive stat. You'd think the Canucks had been rolling, uninterrupted, for months.

It's incredible to me what shootouts and overtime points do to perception. A four-game losing streak can be a four-game point streak at the same time. Typically, only one side is reported, and the fires of the fanbase are stoked by a few well-placed omissions. It's silly, and maybe a little dishonest, too. Well, I'm here to tell you that, if we at PITB stand for anything, it's hardcore honesty. For example: truth be told, I watched this game:

• Roberto Luongo was rightly named the game's first star tonight. He made 26 saves, several of the category spectacular, and one of the category wowie zowie. For those that have forgotten the transformative power of new goaltending coach Rollie Melanson, consider how deep Luongo is in his crease for the Joel Ward kick save. Last year, that gets past Funny Bob before he has time to react. In fact, there were a few tonight that might have. Instead, Luongo was in the right place at the right time all night (except on the goal against, when he accidentally went swimming at a nearby leisure center).
  

• Jeff Paterson is absolutely correct, too. You hear a lot about Luongo when he plays badly, and very little when he plays well. This speaks to how expectations warp our satisfaction. The moral of the story? Never try. Keep expectations low and you're more likely to impress.

• Of course, the real question about Luongo isn't whether or not he's going to stellar. It's whether or not he's going to come out and give away his goalie stick. After singlehandedly keeping his team in the game, he owes us that much. If you'll recall, he skipped the last two star twirls to be privately upset, but he made up for it tonight, giving away three goalie sticks. Why not four, I say? Why couldn't he make it seven? I think Luongo should give away a Sportchek.

• Your game-winning goal scorer? Lee Sweatt, the defensive call-up so comically undertall that teammates were chanting "Rudy! Rudy!" as he was suiting up. Frankly, though, after scoring on his first shot in his first NHL game, Lucky might have been a better moniker. Brad Lukowich and Wade Brookbank can attest to being the fortunate son that gets to receive a pass from the Sedins, too, especially one as pretty as Daniel's. Give Sweatt credit for the shot, though. He couldn't have picked a better spot. Into the net is always the best spot to pick. I also loved his goal celebration. What's the old saying? Act like you've been there before. Lady Gaga is jealous of that poker face. James Bond, too. Sweatt played a grand total of 8:49 in this game. In that time, he was on the ice for both Canucks goals and none against. He was bouncing off checks a little bit, but that's to be expected. You can't expect a much better effort in a guy's first NHL game.

• That said, sometimes it's a bit of a shame that scoring the game-winner automatically means a three star selection. Sweatt was in the right place at the right time, but he definitely didn't have a better overall game than Alex Burrows. Burrows scored the crucial game-tying goal with a tip and a rebound, nearly identical to the game-winner he scored in San Jose at the beginning of the month. Furthermore, while he didn't get an assist on the game-winner, that was him causing the turnover to Daniel Sedin when he knocked Joel Ward off the puck.

• Plus, Burrows was the star of the night's most hilarious story: his ongoing battle to get into Shane O'Brien kitchen. O'Brien had a game-high seven hits tonight, and I'm pretty sure six and a half were on Burrows. The camera crew caught them chirping back and forth all night, and they were having a whale of a time doing it. Burrows: f*** you, Shane! Ha ha, but seriously, can I get a ride home? In the night's finest moment, Shane O'Brien dragged Burrows to the ice, then trampled him a little for sport. Burrows went for his instinctual shot to the groin, but upon remembering he and Shane O'Brien were pals, he relented, giving SOB's jollies a kindly pat instead. Graeme Horton snapped a pic. Kudos to Burrows for being considerate enough to remember there's a lot less to do at the Roxy when your testicles are bruised.

• That said, Burrows missed an empty net in the game's final minute. Unacceptable. Do we really want him?
  

• With an assist on the Lee Sweatt goal, Daniel Sedin is now three points up on his brother for the team scoring lead. Out for blood. Even Beatrix Kiddo is alarmed at his need for retribution.

• Get this: Keith Ballard led the Canucks in icetime. It's true. Ballard was on the ice for a team-high 23:53. How did this happen? Originally, he remained paired with Tanev and seemed again headed for bottom-pairing minutes, but Christian Ehrhoff (who Vigneault played for over nine minutes in the first and clearly wanted to ride), was running around like crazy. It was a tad irresponsible; there were shifts where it looked like Ehrhoff though he was playing right wing, and you can't do that when you're paired with a guy playing his first NHL game. I don't think Vigneault was comfortable with Sweatt as the lone man back when Ehrhoff jumped, so Ballard was reassigned to keep an eye on things. That's right. Between his initial pairing with Tanev and his new job keeping Ehrhoff honest, Keith Ballard has become this team's babysitter. He's the Canucks' answer to Rosalyn.

• Dan "Community Man" Hamhuis also stepped in to fill a need, as he often does. He had some first unit powerplay time, he attempted a game-high 9 shots, and he played a team-high 30 shifts. He also had 2 hits, two takeaways, and 3 blocked shots. As usual, you hardly noticed anything he did. Two of his shifts were at the nearby children's hospital.

• Give the Canucks credit for winning da turd tonight. After allowing an early goal, they took over the final frame. They had discipline: after 3 penalties in first and 2 in the second, the team avoided taking any penalties in the third. They applied pressure, outshooting the Predators 17 to 7. In fact, after being outshot 12-4 in first, the Canucks responded well by outshooting Nashville 31-15 through the rest of the game.

• That's even more impressive when you consider Nashville blocked 19 shots tonight. Give them credit, but make sure you give a ton to Shane O'Brien, who gives his teammates shot-blocking practice at nightclubs: Shane, I think you've had enough.

• Chris Tanev played 11:26 tonight, including 1:47 of shorthanded time on ice. He has earned Vigneault's trust remarkably quickly. Good for him. Let's hope he doesn't make like M. Night Shyamalan and coast on that early goodwill until it becomes apparent we'll have to kill him to get rid of him.
  

• And finally: you've gotta feel bad for the Nashville line of Jarred Smithson, Nick Spaling, and Joel Ward. They were on the ice for both Canuck goals, and they came on back-to-back shifts. Impressively, they got two more after that, and more impressively, they didn't give up goals during either of them.