Monday, November 25, 2013
Football in November 2013
Last weekend in Quebec the Laval Rouge et
Or captured the Vanier Cup as the best
university football team in Canada ,
disposing of the Calgary
The 101st
Grey Cup game was played in Regina
Those of us who have
become reasonably adept with a channel changer were treated to a fine NFL game
on Sunday night. In a battle between two of the very best quarterbacks of all
time, Peyton Manning laid a severe beating on the New England Patriots, and
their QB Tom Brady, in the first half. An almost insurmountable lead, 24-0. For
those of you who managed to stay up for the entire game, AND the overtime, it
was truly a remarkable result. Their place kicker, Stephen Gostowski, split the
uprights in the overtime to grab the victory.
Closer to home, the
Trojans from Moira Secondary School captured the National Capital Bowl
title, defeating the Gananoque Trojans 26-8 in Belleville Ontario title, the only
Belleville Toronto
All in all, the Grey
Cup victory was a very satisfying achievement for the Saskatchewan Edmonton
Home cooking may have
contributed to the success of the Green Riders. Twelve of the starters for the
Riders are Saskatchewan
Durant was on the
money most of the game, completing 17 passes on 24 attempts for 245 yards. His
pass to diminutive Weston Dressler in the end zone sealed the deal for the Riders.
Dressler is listed at five feet, seven inches, on the charts, but that may be
stretching it a little. With teammates in the huddle, he looks a little out of
place; however, since entering the league in 2008, he has made his mark. He
gained Rookie of the Year status, and always ranks with the best as a pass
receiver.
The Buffalo
Bills spent the weekend gearing up for their game against the Atlanta
Falcons this Sunday in Toronto St. Catharines will be using the fast lane through customs
in Fort Erie a number of times this weekend.
Speculation has it
that the Bills will spend a lot of time in the Falcons’ backfield. The Atlanta
The grid iron in late
November? It is where you should be.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
November 25,
2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
On the Road again...
Between forty and fifty times a
season, National Hockey League players stuff all of their gear in their hockey
bags. The bags are then carted to a truck, loaded onto an airplane, and carried
to the next town on the schedule. Fortunately for the players, the trainers and
equipment managers are responsible for getting the bags into the right
locations at the arena. (One equipment manager once told me he would prefer to
be the equipment manager of a basketball team. Think about it: shorts, top, warm
up suit, shoes, a roll or two of tape. It all fits in a small gym bag!)
Following their victory over the
Ducks last week, the Florida Panthers tossed their stuff into the bags. I
caught up with former Belleville Bull Shawn Matthias as he finished zipping up
the bag. He was quite pleased with the result of the game. The Panthers have
struggled this year, to the extent that the coaching staff was replaced last
week. General Manager Dale Tallon also let it be known that he expects more
from each player every night.
Matthias scored his second goal of
the season on a nifty play from the slot. The Panthers trailed by two goals
heading into the second period. Unfortunately, that situation has been all too
common for the Cats this year. Matthias received a pass from Brian Campbell,
wheeled around and threw a backhand shot at the Duck’s net. It slid under
Frederik Andersen’s pad to put the Panthers on the board. Florida scored twice
more gain the victory.
Tim Thomas made some fine saves in
the third period to lock down the win. One of their best players, Ryan Getzlaf,
was missing from the Duck’s lineup, as was Matt Beleskey. I was looking forward
to chatting with Beleskey, another former Belleville Bull. He was injured in a
pre-season game, and is on a conditioning assignment. Teemu Selanne did skate
for the Ducks, in his final visit to Sunrise, Florida.
Selanne has experienced a remarkable
career in the NHL. He scored 76 goals in his rookie season, and has continued
filling nets since that time. He currently has 678 goals in his career, a few
behind the incomparable Jaromir Jagr. He needs 12 goals to reach Mario Lemieux,
who stands in ninth place on the all time list. This is Teemu’s 22nd
season in the NHL, and he has accumulated 1 437 points in 1 401 games. He is a
lock for the Hall of Fame when he retires. You can take that to the bank.
Like so many of the Panthers,
Matthias has struggled somewhat this year. “We’re really pleased to get this
one for Coach Horachek. It’s his first win. It’s a great way to get the ball
rolling as we head out on a five game road trip. We have put ourselves in a
tough situation, so we are really happy with this win.” Someone asked about the
puck on his goal. “Soupy threw it to a fan,” he chuckled. I asked Bryan
Campbell about it, and he also smiled about the situation. There will be
others, they both know that.
Coach Horachek was also pleased with
his first win. “We played with a lot of energy, and a lot of gumption. Up to
this point, we have not played up to our capabilities. There have been too many
unforced errors. We need to keep our emotions in check. We’re looking for more
consistency.”
The Panthers knocked off the Colorado
Avalanche on the weekend, yet another team near the top of the heap. But, as
Matthias hinted, they will need to play really well to get themselves into
playoff contention in the near future. Especially on the road.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
November 18, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Big Win For Eagles!
Big Win for the Eagles
The Florida Gulf Coast University
Eagles clawed their way back from a twelve point deficit early Tuesday morning
to defeat the Hartford Hawks 65-51. It was the first home game of the season,
following a disappointing loss last Friday night in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Winning in Nebraska, as I learned
after the home game, would have been a very tall order. The Cornhuskers were
playing their first game in a new site in downtown Lincoln. The place was
jammed to the rafters, more than 15 000. They started long before tip-off with
tailgating, pep rallies, and cheerleading. At that point, they cranked up the
music, spinning hits from Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, and the like. And then….and
then…..
The Hartford Hawks coach was asked in
his post-game interview why the Eagles might have had trouble in Nebraska. He
replied: “After all that, they had Tommy Lee come out on the court to juice up
the crowd! The Eagles had no chance.” Tommy Lee, as you may recall, is a rock
and roll legend who sang with Motley Crue. He married Pamela Anderson and
Heather Locklear, amongst others, and was famous for mooning his audiences at
every show.
Tommy Lee cruised the campus at the
University of Nebraska as part of a reality television show in 2004. He did not
actually enroll at the school. But he was there long enough to establish a
link, and he was successful in jacking up the crowd.
I digress. Apologies.
Head Coach of the Hartford team, John
Gallagher, had a few nice words to say about his counterpart in Fort Myers.
“With Joe Dooley, FGCU got one of the best coaches in America.”
His comments centered around the
outstanding performance of the Eagles’ Chase Fieler. Fieler scored almost half
of the Eagles’ points, netting 30 of the 65. He drained two of three from the 3
point rage, was perfect from the line, and 13 for 17 from the floor. Not too
shabby. Gallagher: “we just didn’t have an answer for Fieler. We were trying to
front him. We set a defensive play as you would in a football defense where the
safety would come in to break up a play. In our case, the safety didn’t show
up.”
When asked about playing so early in
the morning, Fieler indicated it was not a new situation for him. “We had a few
games like that in high school. We just tried to treat it as a normal game. By
7:00am, we had already been up for three hours, and had eaten well before game
time.” About the game itself: “We were more calm than we were against Nebraska.
I personally tried to be more aggressive, on offense and defense. And yes, it
did feel good to dunk!” (Which, incidentally and understandably, brought the
crowd to its feet.)
Brett Comer is also one of the
mainstays from last year’s team. He had great praise for the folks at Alico:
“This had to be the most energetic crowd that we have ever had. It was packed
on other occasions, but this was the loudest. And we hope it continues that
way!” When questioned about comparing this year’s team to last: “Every year,
every team is a new team. We will try to build off this win”.
Following the game, the Eagles packed
their bags to head to Furman. They return home to play Eckerd on the 18th
of November.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles Start Early!
FGCU Eagles Set the
Alarm Clocks Early!
On Tuesday morning, several thousand
supporters of the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles and the players, had to
rise early for their first basketball game of the season. The event was part of
a special day of basketball promoted by the sports network ESPN. Game time?
7:00am. It was advertised as “Breakfast at the Beach”. Hartford supplied the
opposition.
At first I thought it was a printing
error on the schedule. It is simply not a concept I would ever consider;
nonetheless, it is what it is, and the Alico Arena near Fort Myers was packed
to the rafters.
The Eagles gained national attention
last year as the “Cinderella Team” in the NCAA basketball mix. They played
their way into the “Sweet Sixteen”, quite unexpectedly. They knocked off
Georgetown and San Diego State to advance last March. It is a relatively young
school, with players not expected to be drafted high by the NBA teams.
Call it what you will: a fine mix,
great chemistry, a perfect storm. Once they got into the playoffs last season,
they had a magnificent run, waking the basketball world. Coach Andy Enfield
vowed to stay with the team for years to come, then saw the colour of
California money and flew the coop, heading to the University of Southern
California in Los Angeles. He apparently signed for $ 1.5 million a season,
just a touch more than the $ 150 000 he
had been paid at FGCU.
Some of the key players from last
year’s team have moved on. Brett Comer, Chase Fieler, and Bernard Thompson are
returning players, and are expected to lead the team this year. Two other
outstanding players transferred to FGCU last year, but were ineligible to play,
according to NCAA four year transfer regulations. Nate Hicks and Jamail Jones
cannot wait to get on the floor.
“We have an enormous amount of talent
on this year’s roster as well as an extremely knowledgeable coaching staff. We
have the ability to be every bit as successful as we were last season,” Hicks
reported to the FGCU newspaper.
Joe Dooley has taken over the
coaching duties at the school. He was an assistant the past ten years at
Kansas, under coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks won nine straight Big 12 regular
season titles, and one national championship under Self and Dooley. Brett Comer
described Dooley as being “intense,” and “more vocal and strict” than Enfield. Dooley
is more defensive-minded than Enfield, which will involve some adjustment by
the players.
The Eagles played their first game on
the road last Friday, and lost to a strong opponent in Nebraska. The
Cornhuskers started fast, and never trailed, winning 79-55 in their new stadium
in downtown Lincoln. But the night is young, and there is a strong movement for
more success here in “Dunk City”!
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
November 12, 2013
Monday, November 04, 2013
Blades off to Great Start!
Blades off to a Great
Start!
The Florida Everblades lost a
heartbreaking game against the Orlando Solar Bears in a ECHL shootout last Friday
night; however, they defeated the Bears the following night to maintain their
lead in the South Division. A good thing, as well, because the South Carolina
Stingrays have had an identical start: 8 games, 7 wins, and one shootout loss.
Due to the nature of the game itself,
the start is quite remarkable. There are about a dozen returning players on the
team. The nature of the league is transitional; players move up to the NHL, or,
most often, to the AHL. There is even a lot of movement between the teams, as
most teams are affiliated with two AHL teams and two NHL teams. The Blades are
tied in with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL,
and the Charlotte Checkers and the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Just before the
game last Friday, forward Danick Gauthier was called up to Syracuse, joining
goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis.
Forward Matthew Pistilli began his
pro career with the Blades in the 2009-2010 season. He has spent time with the
Charlotte Checkers and the Albany River Rats in the AHL. He is off to an
excellent start this year, leading the team in scoring, and has been named the
CCM ECHL Player of the Week. Not far behind Pistilli is a first-year player
with the Blades, Kyle Bonis. That name may sound familiar to Dukes fans, as
Bonis played some of his minor hockey for the Bancroft Hawks. He moved on to
the Port Hope Predators in the 2006-2007 season and spent the next two seasons
with the Traverse City North Stars of the North American Hockey League.
In 2009, Bonis entered Ferris State
University, graduating in 2013 with a degree in Business. “It was an awesome
place,” he told me after last Friday night’s game. “I went there to work out before
beginning the season here in Fort Myers. I still talk to a lot of the guys from
the school, friends forever.”
Bonis hails from Lindsay, Ontario,
and knows a thing or two about hard work. His family has a two thousand acre
farm, with soy beans, corn, wheat, and a herd of a hundred beef cattle. He
returns to the farm every summer to help out with the chores. Hockey players raised
on farms have a toughness that is hard to beat.
Bonis chuckled as we discussed his
time at the old “Duke Dome”. “I hated that place. It was a terrifying place for
us to play in the playoffs, especially with that “Whiskey Corner” right beside
our bench.” He appreciated hearing about the new arena.
Bonis noted that the Blades’ start
was especially fine due to the fact that six of their wins were on the road.
They spent several days in the west, at Ontario
and Bakersfield, in California, and Las Vegas. He noted the great
support the team receives at home, and loves the Fort Myers area. “But I’m not
a beach guy,” he added.
He enjoyed his time in Bancroft,
playing for one of his favourite coaches, John Johnson. He remembers his
amazement one day at North Hastings Secondary School, when he arrived to
half-empty classroom. The reason? “The first day of deer hunting season,” he
told me. His father coached him until he was about twelve years old. He also
credits his coach at Traverse City, Anthony Palumbo, for his success.
The Bonis family follows his game via
the internet. “They have a huge television, and they watch the games at home.
After the game, I hear from them. They are my best fans, but also my keenest
critics.”
He also keeps in touch with Adam Wood,
now with the Dukes.
The Blades face the Elmira Jackals
and the Toledo Walleye this week, at home. Try to get to the Wednesday game:
Hot dogs, Bud light drafts, and wine are two bucks each! There should be curb
service to Whiskey Corner!
November 4, 2013
Sportslices.blogspot.com
