Bill McLean Sports

A Letter to Nathan Kotylak

2011-06-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.sportstream.ca/sports-ns-nb-pei-nf/34-blogroll/18823-a-letter-to-nathan.html

CIS Basketball Championships Recap: Quarter Finals Belong to CanWest

2011-03-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Josh Whyte scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead UBC to victory over Acadia.

(Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick)

by Armaan Ahluwalia

The first day of the CIS Final 8 has now come and gone with tones of action taking place at the Metro Centre. There was some great basketball and some memorable moments and its not even close to being finished just yet. Day 1 was not really full of too many surprises but it had a bunch of thrills and some great basketball.

#1 UBC vs. #8 Acadia.

If there was a David vs. Goliath in this tournament this would be it. Unfortunately the outcome was all but expected. The Thunderbirds coming of an impressive victory over the Huskies in the Canada West Finals and the #1 ranking in the country. The Acadia Axemen were just lucky enough to get here to say the least.

This game started out with the makings of a classic. UBC only lead by 3 after the 1st quarter. By halftime it was only a 5 point deficit for the Axemen who were keeping pace with the Thunderbirds. This game was turning heads as this gritty Acadia team was giving problems to the #1 ranked team in the country. By the 3rd quarter’s end the Thunderbirds were up by 7 and they never looked back heading into the 4th quarter. They just took control and ended up winning by 19 points. Final Score 96-77.

A lot closer game if you take out the 4th quarter which did not go Acadia’s way, possibly because of the talent on the UBC team which started to show in the final stages of the game. Acadia’s Klassen had 22, Sears 19, McLaughlin 16 and Boutilier 8. UBC’s Doug Plumb lead the way with 20 points, Malish 17, Burke 13, Whyte 19. In the end the Thunderbirds out rebounded Acadia 50-28. The deeper bench helped UBC as they rotated often and with success. They move on to play TWU in the semi final.

#4 Lakehead vs. #5 Trinity Western University.

This was the most predicted upset of the day. Well the 4 vs. 5 seed is never really an upset but it has the makings for a great game thats for sure. The Thunderwolves OUA champs are not a flashy team and the TWU spartans are considered to be one of the top teams in a tough Canada West conference.

TWU started out strong in the first leaving the quarter with a 20-6 lead. From that point on it was pretty much the spartans game from there on in. The spartans had a huge height advantage over the Thunderwolves and it was made apparent early on. The second quarter was better for Lakehead but TWU lead going into half 39-28. Lakehead managed to have a very strong 4th quarter but was still unable to take the lead. TWU showed some signs of weakness as they found it hard to close out the final quarter when it should have been easily done.

This game was the spartans from the start as they dominated a favourable matchup. The Spartans leading scorers were Jacob Doerksen and Kyle Coston who both scored 20 points, Calvin Westbrook 16, Tyrell Mara 11. Lakehead was lead by Ryan Thompson with 18, Jamie Searle 15, Venzal Russell 13. The Thunderwolves were out rebounded by the Spartans 52-35. They move on to play UBC in the 1st semi final.

#3 Saskatchewan Huskies vs. #6 Dalhousie Tigers

This was anticipating to be the most intense game of the evening. They were right this was a great game. The Huskies coming up just short in the Canada West Finals against UBC. The Tigers winning the AUS against an exhausted Acadia team in thrashing style.

The Huskies went on to win but it was not easy. The first half was back and forth through out as both teams were trading baskets all the way through the game. There was a lot of intensity as the crowd was filled with masses of Tiger fans and a small but loud section of Huskies fans. The atmosphere was electric the entire game. I’m not sure what was said in the Huskies locker room at half but they sure started playing a lot better. The Huskies started rebounding better and capitalizing on Tiger turnovers. The 4th quarter belonged to Jamelle Barrett who dominated. The Huskies managed to shut down Farine and the offensive machine he is.

Jamelle Barrett lead the way for the Huskies with 27 points, Michael Lieffers had 19 points and 17 rebounds, Rejean Chabot 19 points, Nolan Brudehl 14. The Tigers were lead by Joseph Schow who would not quit and managed 24 points and 13 rebounds, Simone Farine 22 points, Juleous Grant 10 points who was quiet in the 2nd half. The Huskies move on to play the Carleton Ravens in the 2nd semi final.

#2 Carleton Ravens vs. #7 Concordia Stingers.

This game had much anticipation about it as well as everyone knew what Carleton was able to do after going 22-0 and then losing a close game to Lakehead in the OUA finals. Many people were not too sure what to expect from the Stingers as Quebec Basketball doesn’t get much coverage.

This game like the one before it started off with a back and forth swing as both teams traded baskets and after half time the lead was only one 34-33 for the Ravens. The ability of the Ravens to go with some bench players helped the Ravens as a majority of the Stingers played long minutes. The 3rd quarter was much of the same basket trading as the Ravens increased their lead to 2 points heading into the 4th. The 4th quarter was where the Ravens experience took advantage and they pulled ahead to win by 7 points. 73-66.

The Stingers were led by Decee Krah with 21 points, Kyle Desmarais 17, Evans Laroche 10, Zach Brisebois 9. The Ravens were led by CIS player of the year Tyson Hinz who had 19 points, Elliot Thompson 15, Willy Manigat 14, Thomas Scrubb 8. Their ability to spread the scoring helped them pull away. They meet Saskatchewan in the Semi finals.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.blogspot.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

AUS Shut Out; Tigers and Axemen Fall to Canwest Powers

2011-03-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

The Top Seeded Thunderbirds held off a scrappy Axemen team to pull away in the fourth quarter

by Joel MacDougall

It was a tight game with neither team able to pull out to a big lead. Dal big man Joseph Schow led the way in the first half with thirteen points and six boards, staking the Tigers to a one point lead going into half. But in the end the Huskies were too much downing the Tigers 91-79.

The Saskatchewan Huskies rode a strong third quarter from Rejean Chabot to retake the lead going into the final frame.

Dalhousie failed to get the same offensive production from Schow in the second half. They abandoned the screen and roll game that got them the halftime lead. Instead they tried to rely on Schow’s low post game.

Simon Farine, AUS Championship MVP from the previous week, had 16 of his 22 points in the second half, but little else was added to him and Schow in the second half.

The Huskies meanwhile continued to get strong performances from their big 4. Nolan Brudehl, Michael Lieffers, Chabot and especially Jamelle Barrett continued their strong balanced attack and slowly began to put some distance between them and the Tigers.

Barrett, the Canada West MVP, took over the game in the fourth finishing with a dominating 27 points and 11 assists. He put the final nail in the Tigers coffin with a “HON candidate” behind-the-back pass that resulted in a three-point play (don’t tell TSN I used that – they’re touchy).

In the end it seemed that depth was the difference was too much for Dalhousie. Saskatchewan pulled away in the fourth and Dal couldn’t keep up.

In early action:

Acadia – 77
UBC – 96

Lakehead – 74
Trinity Western – 82

Joel MacDougall lives in Halifax and writes about all sports. Follow him on twitter @jmdougall.

CIS Basketball Championships Preview: Tigers Play Host to the Defending Champion Huskies

2011-03-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

Simon Farine's Tigers Return to the big stage two years after being brushed aside by UBC.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

On Friday night the 3rd ranked Saskatchewan Huskies will do battle against the 6th ranked Dalhousie Tigers at the Metro Centre in Halifax. Here is an individual breakdown of the teams, players and numbers.

#3 Saskatchewan Huskies – Canada West (20-4)

Key Players:

Jamelle Barrett 5’10, 25.3 ppg
Rejan Chabot 6’0, 21.6 ppg
Nolan Brudehl 6’6, 11.4 ppg 8.7 rpg

Meet The Huskies

This team has been described to be super athletic and fast. With bigs who can get up and down the floor causing problems for slower big men. Led by Barrett and Chabot who scored 25 points and 21 a game respectively. This team is set in the back court, with experience and explosiveness. The Huskies averaged 96.1 points a game and allowed only 80.7 during the regular season giving them plenty of breathing room. Now the scoring in the Canada West conference typically tends to be a run and gun shooting league with higher point totals than the more defensive AUS.

They have three guys at 6’8 with two of them getting substantial playing time. This is a team that has experience as they won it last year with a talented roster. They came in as an underdog and pulled off victories against UBC and Carleton on their way to winning it all. That team last year was different but with a lot of veteran guys in the mix this will help their cause. Their head coach is Barry Rawlyk who is the interim head coach, he is in his 4th year with the team.

#6 Dalhousie Tigers – AUS (14-6)

Key Players:

Simone Farine 6’2 19.1 ppg 6.4 rpg 4.5 apg

Joseph Schow 6’9 14.8 ppg 9.5 rpb
Juleous Grant 6’3 11.5 ppg

Meet The Tigers

Do not let their record fool you. This team is tough, gritty and knows how to shut down all-stars. This Dalhousie team is loaded with experienced players who are in their final year of eligibility. Their depth has been a strong point as they have a solid rotation going with players coming in to fill the roles everywhere. They are led by AUS All-star Simone Farine who was the MVP of the AUS tournament this past weekend. Helping outFarine is 5th year senior Joseph Schow who is a tough, passionate player who gets rebounds and creates matchup problems for defenses. The Tigers are a very strong defensive team who like to dictate the style of the game and shut down their star players. They shut down St. FX to 7 points in the first quarter of the semi-final and only allowed Acadia to 6 in the first quarter of the Championship.

This past AUS championship marks the 2nd time in three years for the Tigers and only the 3rd in school history. Last time the Tigers were a young team who made it to the CIS Final 8 and that experience will now play some dividends going back for a second time with a great chance. They average scoring 80.2 points a game and allow 68.2 points per game. In a league filled with All-Stars (Haywood, Upshaw, Carter) the Tigers have done their job in slowing down opposing offenses. John Campbell is their head coach in this 9th season.

Breakdown

This game is going to be televised on TSN 2 (live). I wonder why, this game has all the makings for an instant classic. Both these teams have fire power and explosiveness which make them so deadly. Let’s throw away the seeds for a minute as in the CIS it is hard to gage how a team does in different leagues.

The Huskies have great scoring ability and possibly one of the best players in the country Jamelle Barrett. They have great speed and athleticism which can cause teams a havoc. If the Huskies turn this game into a shootout, they will have the upper hand. Dalhousie is not a major scoring team that goes out and scores 100 points a game. That is just not who they are. They grind out games slowly by wearing down a team. The Tigers were exposed a little bit in the Acadia game as big and explosive 6’10 Owen Klassen gave Schow a tough time. For those that don’t know Joseph Schow he is a big 6’9 guy who is a great rebounder and a physical guy. He is also a tad slow which is something that Klassen is not. This could be important if the Huskies use their quick and explosive big men to try and get by the slower defensive Schow. Although in the second half of the Acadia game Klassen was ineffective due to a zone defense which made a difference. If the Huskies can increase the pace of the game which forces Dal to keep scoring they will have a good chance.

The Tigeres are extremely good defensively and do not allow teams to make good shots and really shut down key players when needed. Stephen Lopez might not show up on the scorers sheet with big numbers, but his biggest contribution is his speed and defensive skill. Lopez has been key with shutting down big offensive threats all season and with a deep bench their bench has been able to do the same. Schow and Sandy Veit have been absolute monsters on the offensive glass as their size has been causing problems all year. This is an advantage that Dal can use, with the 2 big men up front they will be able to control the glass against a slightly smaller Saskatchewan team. Their X-Factors in this game could be either Juleous Grant who usually starts and has that great scoring touch and plays solid minutes, he could get hot at any point in the game. Another player who could come off the bench and give some scoring to the Tigers is Peter Leighton, the 3 point shooter who is around a 50% shooter. Look for them to be key to help Dal control the style of game and not let it run away into a shootout.

Results / Prediction

I think that game will be extremely close as the Huskies can score lots of points and the Tigers can be good defensively. I think that the Tigers can pull the upset here at the Metro Centre already having some experience playing on it a week prior. I think that the Saskatchewan team will have some explosive athletes but I like Farine after having a monster AUS tournament where he dominated. I think that the deep bench will also play to Dal’s advantage and make a difference late in the game. Experience will play a big factor in this game as they made it 2 years ago and now their goal is to win it this time. I also think that Dal will be able to slow down the offensive machine in Saskatchewan even though they too have CIS Final 8 experience.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dal Gazette. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Sportstream is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies and the Halifax Rainmen. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_. Email:comments@sportstream.ca

AUS Women's Basketball Championships Recap: Capers Go Back to Back

2011-03-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Capers won thier Fourth AUS Title of the Fabian Mackenzie era.

(Photo Credit: Memorial Sports Information)

by Dave Chafe

St. Francis Xavier 73 - St. Mary's 64

Game 1 of the 2011 AUS Championship tournament saw the St. Mary's Huskies fall to the St. Francis Xavier X-Women in a game that was closer than the final score, 74-63, indicated. The X-Women opened the scoring with Ashley Stephen converting a layup directly off the opening tip and were clearly intent on keeping SMU's Justine Colley at bay by denying her the ball on SMU's ensuing possession. The Huskies responded with a spirited, energetic start of their own attacking X's interior defense with Maegan Seaward and Susanne Canvin. Seaward scored eight of the Huskies first 10 points with an assortment of drops steps and short hook shots powering past the smaller Kirsten Jones and after hitting only two three point shots all season, Canvin hit threes on consecutive possessions to further pace the SMU attack. The X-Women's pressure defense kept them within striking distance of SMU and allowed them to overcome some shooting woes for much of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw a return to regular season form for the Huskies' offense as Colley started handling the ball more against the steady pressure of Victoria Anderson and SMU seemed to forget about Canvin's post presence. X-Women posts Donisha Young and Jones also became more active sending Seaward to the Husky bench with her second foul early in the period. Seaward was replaced by Amanda Smith who gamely battled Young and Jones despite giving up considerable size. SMU's starters were further plagued by foul trouble as Rebecca Nuttall picked up her third which seemed to be a turning point in the game as the momentum clearly shifted to the X-Women. X continued to press their advantage taking their first lead of the game in dying seconds of the half to go into the break up 42-41.

The Huskies started the second half with purpose but after missing a number of relatively easy shots and having some unforced turnovers, were back on their heals as X raised their own intensity coming out of the locker room. Some highly productive offensive rebounding (10 in the second half, 15 in total) saw the X-Women start to stretch their half-time lead which ballooned after Nuttall picked up an early fourth foul and returned to the SMU bench. Both teams appeared to be tight in the fourth quarter as the game went without a field goal for either team for a stretch of almost five minutes. The Huskies applied a 2-2-1 press with some success forcing a number of turnovers and extra possessions but may have left it too late and resorted to fouling the force the X-Women to close out the game from the free throw line.

Donisha Young and Ashley Stephen finished with 17 points each for X with Stephen and Kirsten Jones combining for 26 rebounds to allow X to finish with a 48-33 edge on the boards. Justine Colley and Susanne Canvin both replied with 21 points each with Canvin also pulling down 11 rebounds.

Memorial 83 - Acadia 79

The host Memorial Seahawks and #5 seed Acadia played an entertaining opening quarter with the teams trading baskets in early going. Abbey Duinker scored Acadia's first seven points sending MUN's All-Star post Ally Forsey to the bench after an ineffective two minutes. The remainder of the period was a shootout between's MUN perimeter players and Acadia's Duinker sisters with Emma Duinker hitting several tough shots both inside and out. The three point shot featured prominently throughout the game with the teams combining for 18 threes on the night. Grace Fishbein's hustle and aggression sparked a huge second quarter run by Memorial giving the Seahawks a 16 point lead but the heady play of Emma Duinker helped Acadia stay within striking distance. The teams went into the half with MUN up 47-33 lead by Fishbein's 17 first half points. The Duinkers paced Acadia in the half with 12 points each.

The third quarter started much the way the second ended as Acadia held their composure during another MUN surge. However, the Seahawks attack remained one-dimensional with Forsey still unable to get on track and the perimeter shooting eventually cooled off just as Acadia's Ariel Smith started to find the range making three three-point shots in less than two minutes. Lindsay Harris and rookie Kristy Moore also joined the attack which saw the Axewomen finish the game with five players scoring in double figures. Memorial closed the period leading 66-55.

Acadia showed championship calibre resiliency in responding to a third attempt by the Seahawks to put the game out of reach with a scoring run. This time the Axewomen went on a run of their own as the Seahawks continued a season-long trend of struggling to score down the stretch and Acadia's final push brought them to within three points with 26 seconds to play. Fierce pressure by the Axewomen forced a Memorial turnover on an inbounds play with Moore hitting one of two free throws after a MUN foul. Acadia was in turn forced to foul Grace Fishbein on the ensuring possession to stop the clock. Fishbein, who tied with SMU's Susanne Canvin as the conference's best free throw shooter at 81% on the season, hit both free throws to seal the win.

Fishbein finished with a game high 31 points supported by Kim Devison who shot four from four from the three point line and Brittany Dalton who came within one assist of a triple double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Abbey Duinker had a stellar all-around performance of her own with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Ariel Smith added 16 points with Emma Duinker and Lindsay Harris contributing 14 each.

Cape Breton 72 - Memorial 66

Cape Breton had an inauspicious start in their semi-final matchup with Memorial as their leading rebounder and defensive presence Denisha Haywood picked up her second personal foul on a questionable call with 7:41 remaining in the opening period and spent the remainder of the first half on the Capers bench. In her limited action Haywood displayed the type of impact she can have grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots in the game's first two minutes.

Memorial was unable to fully take advantage of Haywood's absences however, as their leading scorer Grace Fishbein followed Haywood to the bench with two first period fouls of her own after scoring Memorial's first eight points. Despite losing Fishbein, Memorial was able to build a 24-12 lead on the strenght of Brittany Dalton's hot hand. Playing their first game of the tournament, the Capers were unable to establish any tempo offensively which limited their ability to get into their full court man defense.

Second quarter action saw the Capers' leading scorers Kari Everett and Jahlica Kirnon become more active offensively. Kirnon in particular proved to be a difficult matchup for MUN's defense as the Capers stormed back outscoring Memorial by nine to go into half-time leading 39-36. Also notable in the second quarter was an ongoing tough but ultimately clean war waged in the low post between Ally Forsey and Jen Parsons of Memorial and the Capers' Stephanie Toxopeus.

Denisha Haywood's return in the third period was short-lived as she almost immediately picked up two more fouls and took her place on the bench again. Kirnon picked up from where she left off in the first half again hitting several contested shots in traffic while Dalton and Fishbein answered for MUN. Dalton hit a huge three point shot to end a Capers' run that threatened to blow the game open. Despite Dalton's shot, Cape Breton was clearly building momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

The game remained a close physical contest throughout the second half but Memorial was never able to regain the lead. The physical nature was never more obvious than a play in which Capers guard Nicole Works sent Grace Fishbein to the floor with a hard play-off foul that might have been worthy of a flagrant call in a regular season game. Trailing by three in the dying seconds, Memorial resorted to fouling to stop the clock but the Capers hit three of four from the free throw line to seal a six point win.

Kirnon finished the game with 19 points for the Capers while Kari Everett and Toxopeus also hit double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively. Memorial's offense was dominated by Dalton and Fishbein who scored 21 and 19 points. Cape Breton held a 34-26 edge in rebounds while also hit 20 of 27 free throws to Memorials 11 of 15.

UNB 78 - St. Francis Xavier 58

As has become a common trend for them, the X-women got off to a fast start scoring the first basket and then forcing a five second violation on UNB's attempt to inbound the ball after the basket. X quickly built up a 12-4 lead with Kirsten Jones doing much of the early damage. The X-women had no trouble handling UNB's 1-2-1-1 zone press while applying their usual full court pressing and trapping against UNB's Corby sisters, Leah and Megan. Conference Rookie of the Year Claire Colborne and MVP Amanda Sharpe were non-factors for UNB in the opening period.

UNB's Varsity Reds found their legs in the second period as the game became a “run and gun” affair with both teams racing through each other's full court pressure for quick transition baskets. UNB's zone press started to take its toll as the X-Women inexplicably changed their press break tactics sending the ball up the sidelines in an effort to avoid traps instead of reversing the ball back to the middle where they had early success. UNB's guards starting tipping passes, forcing held balls, and eventually making clean steals off ill-advised X-Women passes. X coach Matt Skinn chose to allow his team to play through UNB's run rather than taking a timeout to stop the carnage that saw UNB going into the half with a commanding lead.

The X-Women never recovered their early game form as UNB remained the aggressor throughout the second half finishing with a comfortable 78-58 win booking their ticket to Sunday's championship final.

St. Francis Xavier 56 - Memorial 35

With a berth in next weekend's Eastern Regional at Carleton on the line, the AUS third place game pitted the St. FX X-Women against Memorial's Seahawks. Although both teams were playing their third game in three days, it was evident that the X-women had moved beyond their semi-final disappointment while MUN were perhaps still feeling the effects of their near miss against Cape Breton the night before.

The X-women seized the initiative with their smaller but more athletic posts Kirsten Jones and Donisha Young stepping out to hit several mid range jump shots. Memorial struggled offensively unable to convert a number of good looks from the paint on post feeds and dribble penetration. The Seahawks capably handled the full court pressure brought by X but were guilty of perhaps over-passing the ball turning down good shot opportunities and passing repeatedly from within the paint. During the second quarter, the X-women had offensive problems of their own as Memorial turned up their defensive intensity forcing the X-Women to primarily play on the perimeter. With the defenses holding the upper hand on both ends of the floor, the teams limped into the half-time break with X holding a 27-16 lead.

The game remained an offensive nightmare in the second half for both sides. However, the X-Women were able to take advantage of some timely offensive rebounding to manufacture points while their defense was able to force several Memorial turnovers that were converted into easy transition baskets. Seahawk's coach Doug Partridge cleared his bench with 7:12 remaining and his team trailing 52-29. The Memorial starters returned briefly but came out of the game for the final time with 3:17 to play allowing their younger players to gain some play-off exposure and experience.

In what proved to be a less than brilliant performance by either team, Memorial finished the game shooting 28.3% from field with 28 turnovers and taking a season low total of four free throws. The X-Women were marginally better offensively shooting only 34.8 from the field. The teams combined to shoot three for 20 from three point range. After her fast start, Kirsten Jones finished with a double-double on 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the X-Women. Brittany Dalton was the only Seahawk of note with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Cape Breton 65 - UNB 60

The 2011 AUS Championship game saw the UNB Varsity Reds jump out to an early double-digit lead despite receiving minimal offensive contributions from leading scorers Claire Colbourne and Amanda Sharpe. The veteran leadership of Leah and Megan Corby allowed the Reds to play with confidence despite the fact that the Cape Breton guards easily ran around and through UNB's zone press. After a relatively quiet semi-final outing against Memorial, Kari Everett was a much more assertive force offensively for the Capers providing ample support for Jahlica Kirnon's frequent forays to the hoop. The Capers closed the first period on a small run to take a 17-14 lead.

Capers post Denisha Haywood continued to dominate inside against a clearly frustrated Sharpe until late in the second quarter when Sharpe found her way to several baskets on some highly polished low post moves and mid-range jump shots. Claire Colbourne also started to find some success after being equally frustrated by a very physical defensive effort by the Capers' Nicole Works. Colbourne's fitness may have also been a factor in her slow start as she removed herself from the game on three different occasions. Both teams put on a display of solid, fundamental basketball and concluded the first half with Cape Breton holding a 31-26 lead despite some foul trouble that sent Kirnon to the bench with 5:35 to play in the half.

A well-played third period by both teams had Cape Breton up 47-44 going into the fourth, a lead the Capers managed to build to 10 points midway through the period behind the experience of championship veterans Everett and Kirnon. The last two minutes saw impressive execution by both teams amid frantic pressure by UNB as the Reds put on a final push in the last two minutes. Back to back three point shots by Leah Corby including one from deep in the corner off an inbounds play tied the game with less than 30 seconds remaining. After the Capers took a late timeout to try to end the game in regulation time, the Reds' bid to force was foiled by a missed call on a clear carry by Jahlica Kirnon who then drove to the hoop making the basket and drawing an intentional foul from Amanda Sharpe. Kirnon hit her free throw to complete the three point play and then added two more to seal the Capers' third consecutive AUS title.

Tournament All-Star Kirnon led the Capers with 17 points in the game backed up by Kari Everett's 16 and Denisha Haywood's 14 rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Everett duplicated her 2010 MVP performance being named tournament MVP for the second straight year. UNB's tournament All-Star duo of Amanda Sharpe and Leah Corby responded for the Reds with 20 and 18 points respectively with Sharpe also pulling down seven rebounds.

Dave Chafe lives in Newfoundland and played varsity basketball for the Memorial Seahawks.

Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_. Sporstream is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, and Metro Marauders.

AUS Women`s Basketball Preview; Capers vs Reds today in NL.

2011-03-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

Kari Everitt will be looking to close out her career with another AUS Championship.
(Photo Credit: T.J. Colello)

by Dave Chafe

The Cape Breton Capers enter the tournament with the opportunity to become the first school to win three consecutive championships since UNB's run of titles from 1990 to 1992. The Capers enter the tournament having won nine of their last 10 games including a decisive 74-60 win over fellow contender UNB to close the season giving them a split of their two game season series with the Varsity Reds. The Capers also split their season series with Memorial, while taking both games from the St. FX X-women and winning three of four against the St. Mary's Huskies.

The return of Kari Everett with her 17.6 and 6.1 rebounds per game along with the emergence of 6-2 Denisha Haywood as a dominant rebounder and interior defender sparked an 11-2 post-Christmas run for the Capers. Haywood joins fourth-year Stephanie Toxopeus to give the Capers one of the toughest interior post tandems in the conference. Everett is capably supported offensively by Jahlica Kirnon (15.3 ppg) and veteran Nicole Works (8.8 ppg). Despite some major losses from last season's roster including the graduation of perennial All-Star Kelsey Hodgson, the Capers remain an experienced, battle-tested team capable of bringing another AUS Championship back to Sydney.

UNB coach Jeff Speedy brings his most talented team to the play-offs seeking UNB's first title since the 1998-99 season. The Varsity Reds stormed out to a dominant first half with an 8-1 record that saw the team ranked as high as #5 in the CIS. The Reds boast the country's highest scoring offense at 82.0 points per game fuelled by their transition game, full court press, and the return of guard Leah Corby (14.4 ppg) for her final season of eligibility. Thriving in this offense along with Corby are stalwart post Amanda Sharpe (19.7 ppg/7.8 rpg) and likely conference Rookie of the Year Claire Colborne (18.6 ppg).

Coach Speedy's team lost some of its luster after the Christmas break as the team struggled through a three game losing streak in January and closed the season with decisive losses at St. FX (98-69) and Cape Breton (74-60). The 1-2-1-1 zone press that served the Reds so well during the first semester became less effective as teams adjusted to it and, after a stellar start to her rookie season, Colborne's productivity has tailed off of late as she draws more attention from defenders. Of particular concern to the Reds may be the difficulties they experienced against potential semi-final opponent St. FX who won three of four games from the Reds including 98-69 and 91-73 thrashings on the road.

Having just missed a first round tournament bye (five four point wins to six for UNB), the 14-6 St. FX X-women enter the AUS tournament capable of bringing a banner of their own to Antigonish matching their rugby counterparts. Although inconsistent at times, the X-Women finished with the fourth highest scoring offense in the CIS at 74.8 ppg. During those spans in which they struggle to score, their trademark pressure defense in both the full and half court enables the X-Women to remain competitive while also facilitating several impressive second half comebacks.

The X-Women roster includes four players averaging double figures in scoring including Kirsten Jones (11.0 ppg), post Donisha Young (11.2), Sheryl Chisholm (13.4), and fifth year senior Ashley Stephen (12.6 ppg). Aside from her offensive contributions, Stephen's rebounding (8.6), leadership, and perpetual hustle are invaluable to St. FX's frenetic, up-tempo style. Under-rated guard Victoria Anderson's on ball defense is also pivotal in spearheading the team's overall defense. If X can get by first round opponent St. Mary's, a team they swept in two competitive games during the season, they should enter a semi-final date with UNB brimming with confidence having taken three of four games from the Reds during the season.

Tournament hosts Memorial Seahawks will see their prospects of winning an eighth conference crown boosted by the home court advantage but whether or not the home court can overcome the team's inconsistency remains to be seen. The Seahawks profile includes wins over every other tournament team including splits with Cape Breton, St. FX, and first-round opponent Acadia to end the season last weekend in Wolfville. A win over the Axewomen could set up a semi-final game against Cape Breton with whom Memorial has combined to win 10 of the last conference titles including nine straight.

The Seahawks are lead by third year guard Grace Fishbein (16.7 ppg/6.0 rpg), post Ally Forsey (14.2 ppg/8.2 rpg), and senior guard Brittany Dalton (10.0 ppg/6.5 rpg). The trio of Fishbein, Forsey, and Dalton, who has battled a knee injury all season, hold the key to the Seahawk's fortunes and Dalton's ability to play through her injury will go a long way in determining if Memorial can hold serve at home.

After a 1-4 start to the season, coach Bev Greenlaw's fifth seeded Acadia Axewomen enter the play-offs having won seven of their last ten games. It is no coincidence that Acadia's second half surge occurred during a similar surge by forward Abbey Duinker (12.0 ppg/6.0 rpg) as she recovered from early season injury. At 6-3, Duinker is a defensive challenge due to her ability to battle in the post while also having the quickness and foot work to step out on the perimeter with range to the three point line. As good as Abbey has been, it is her sister Emma who is the main catalyst for the Axewomen leading the team in scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.4rpg). Rookie Kristy Moore (13.2 ppg) gives Acadia a third offensive threat as the school seeks its first championship since winning the very first AUS women's basketball title at the end of the 1951-1952 season.

Taking advantage of a rebuilding season by both the Dalhousie Tigers and UEPI Panthers, the sixth-seeded St. Mary's Huskies have an opportunity to atone for a disappointing regular season if they can mirror last year's play-off run to the championship game. Having upset Memorial and then battling Cape Breton in the 2010 championship game, the Huskies were widely expected to ride the superb talent of second year guard Justine Colley to the top of the AUS standings this season. Colley lived up to expectations leading the CIS in scoring (25.8 ppg) and tying Kelsey Hodgson's AUS record for points in a single season. She also contributed 6.6 rebounds from the guard position while dishing out 100 assists. Colley's ability to penetrate is complimented by the shooting prowess of Robbi Daley (11.3 ppg) and post Susanne Canvin (12.2 ppg/10.5 rpg). Colley's wizardry and the post presence of UPEI transfer Canvin, the fourth leading rebounder in the CIS, could be enough to send the Huskies to another play-off upset or two (or three).

Dave Chafe lives in Newfoundland and played basketball for the Memorial Seahawks. Follow us on twitter _sportstream_.

Subway AUS Championships Team Profile: Dalhousie Tigers

2011-03-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

AUS all stars Simon Farine and Joe Schow lead the Tigers into a highly anticipated match up with the X-Men on semi final Saturday at the Subway AUS Championships.

Seed at the Championships: Second
First Game: Semi Finals, Saturday Night at 8:15 versus Third Seed Saint Francis Xavier
Head Coach: John Campbell
Last AUS Championship: 2009
2010/11 Record: 14-6, 44 points.

Meet The Tigers

Key Players

Simon Farine- The fifth year senior averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists a game in a season that would have garnered him an AUS MVP if it had been any other year than Joey Haywood of Saint Mary`s leading the nation in scoring.

Joe Schow - Second Team All star averaged a double double this season finishing with 15 points and 10 rebound per game. Schow is an aggressive scorer in the post and a tenacious competitor on both ends of the floor.

Stephen Lopez- Lopez blossomed after the Christmas break into the Tigers third leading scorer and their defensive stopper at the guard position. The Toronto native is prone to turnovers but his constant hustle was a driving force behind Dalhousie`s focused and determined effort down the stretch.

Strengths

Coaching – The Tigers have three AUS Coaches of the Year on their staff. Head Coach John Campbell won his first this season, Assistant Coach Dave Nutbrown won six during his career at Acadia and Assistant Coach Thom Gillespie won the award twice at UNB in 2002 and 2004. Enough said.

Defence – No team in the AUS gets after it in half court man to man defence like the Tigers. Dalhousie finished first in points allowed per game with 68. Post players Sandy Veight and Schow rotate as well any tandem in the country, and expect to see at least three charge calls on the speedy X-Men.

Variety – The Tigers are able to put a lot of different lineups on the floor. Ideally they prefer a traditional 3 guard and 2 post lineup, but they have the diversity to go with a 4 out 1 in. They`ll even put 6`7`` Robert Nortman at centre and surround him with Simon Farine and three athletic swing men for a small but speedy five.

Simon Farine- The consummate floor leader. Farine seems to know exactly when to take charge and when to facilitate to teammates. Assuming he stays out of foul trouble, Farine will play start to finish and has several signature moves that are seemingly unstoppable.

Weaknesses

Psyche – It would seem after going 3-1 vs. X and CBU this year that the Tigers have vanquished the ghosts of last season in which they lost every game to the X-Men and Capers by double digits. But if they fall behind by big numbers again, it will be interesting to see if they crumble or come back.

Toughness – Whether it`s fair or not, many AUS pundits feel that the Tigers still aren`t as gritty and mentally tough as the X-Men and Capers.

Tigers Notes

The Tigers held AUS opponents to under 40 percent shooting in the regular season.....we interviewed Head Coach John Campbell and he said the Tigers are completely healthy and ready to go for Semi Final Saturday......the Tigers have five 5th year seniors with Farine, Schow, Veight, Peter Leighton, and Jason Wang.....Dalhousie finished the season 8-1 over their last 9 games.....Tigers have beaten the X-Men twice during conference play but lost to the X-Men in the final of the Rod Shoveller Classic......newcomer Juleous Grant averaged 11 points per game and has one of the sweetest shooting strokes in the AUS.......Peter Leighton is shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc for the Tigers after playing four seasons at Acadia......Simon Farine`s assist to turnover ration is nearly 3:1 (90:36)......the Tigers will be looking for their second AUS championship in three years and the first for assistant coach Thom Gillespie......in an attempt to match up with the athletic X-Men don’t be surprised to see a lot of Alex Arthur off the bench. Arthur had seen his playing time diminish in February but was recruited with the purpose of matching up with the athletes of X and CBU.....the Tigers were 3-1 vs. CBU and X this season.

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men`s Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Matt Robertson Leads Underdog Chargers Versus Former Team

2011-03-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Matt Robertson will be taking on his former team this weekend at the ACAA Championships

by Brandon Wile

It only seems appropriate that Matt Robertson’s ACAA basketball career
could end against the team where it all began.

The fifth year centre for the Crandall University Chargers will take
on his former alma mater, the St. Thomas Tommies in the opening game
of the ACAA playoffs at Mount Saint Vincent University this weekend.

In his final year of eligibility, Robertson leads the underdog (6-15)
Chargers against the (14-7) Tommies in hopes of upsetting the school
which he called home for four years.

“My goals are simple, I want to win,” said Robertson when asked his
objective for the upcoming game.

The thought of playing against former teammates is something Robertson
uses as motivation rather than a deterrent to playing hard.

“It's really easy to get motivated playing against those guys because
of the relationships I have with them. You don't want to let them get
the best of you, because they'll never let you forget it. So these
games are for bragging rights.”

So far, Robertson and his Chargers haven’t had much to brag about in
regards to the Tommies as they have lost all three matchups this year.
After being blown out in the first game by 22, the Chargers made the
second and third meeting much closer losing by nine and ten
respectively.

Robertson was a highly decorated member of the Tommies basketball team
for four years, where he received team MVP and all-conference honours
in 2009.

This time last year, Robertson wasn’t sure if he would ever play
basketball again at the ACAA level. His then Tommies were just knocked
out of the playoffs by the Holland College Hurricanes and he was
gearing up for graduating with a degree in journalism. By the time
Robertson decided to pursue an additional degree in education, St.
Thomas’ application deadline had already passed.

The Moncton, New Brunswick native was lucky enough to make the
deadline at Crandall, which allowed him to continue playing close to
home. The opportunity to further his education while continuing to
play basketball made the choice of leaving St. Thomas a little easier.

“It wasn't a tough decision at all. I knew it would be busy and I knew
it would be kind of weird having to play against STU, but I knew that
I would regret it if I didn't lace up the shoes for one more year.”

It’s been an up and down season for the Chargers as they snuck into
the playoffs with the sixth and final seed. The team only had nine
players at tryouts, one subsequently was dismissed for being
academically ineligible, dwindling the number to eight. However, the
low number of bodies is something Robertson attributes to being a
strong point of the team.

“When you only have eight [players], you have to be tight or else
you'll fall apart when the going gets tough. We've pushed through the
adversity and it's been an unforgettable year.”

An unforgettable year for a player who left an unforgettable footprint
on St. Thomas University which reached far beyond the hardwood.

Robertson was on first name basis with the schools President. He
received arguably St. Thomas’ highest honour, the John Frederick Walls
Award for community commitment, not once but twice. On top of all of
that, he was offered a recruiting job for the university after he
graduated.

His reach in the St. Thomas community could be seen in late November
when Robertson made his return to the South Gym in Fredericton, this
time entering the visitors locker-room. He was greeted by cheers and
boos every time he touched the ball. The pressure may have gotten to
him as he had a less than stellar night.

“I was so nervous. Going back home in front of all my friends, playing
against all my ex-teammates. I stunk up the joint. I shot like 2-14,”
Robertson joked.

As the season progressed, Robertson became more comfortable against
his old team. Game two saw him get a double-double with 18 points and
10 rebounds, while he added 16 points in the third game.

Being one of the veteran leaders, Robertson hopes his experience and
strong post presence will help lead the undermanned Chargers over the
Tommies and make a deep playoff run.

Robertson admits that he will always be a Tommie at heart, but when
he goes for the opening tip Friday, he will put aside the memories of
his four years at St. Thomas, the friendships that he made and the
times he’s worn the green and gold. All that will be on his mind is
knocking out the school he used to call home.

ACAA men’s and women’s basketball playoffs takes place March 4,5,6 at
Mount Saint Vincent University.

Brandon Wile lives in Halifax and is a local writer and broadcaster. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Subway AUS Championships Team Profile: Saint Francis Xavier X-Men

2011-03-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

2nd Team All Star Will Silver has been a rock this year for the inconsistent X-Men.

Seed at the Championships: Third
First Game: Quarter Finals, Friday Night at 8:15 versus Sixth Seed Saint Mary's
Head Coach: Steve Konchalski
Last AUS Championship: 2006
2010/11 Record: 15-5, 38 points.

Meet The X-Men

Key Players

Christian Upshaw - First team all star and AUS MVP in 2009 and 2010. Averaged 19 points, five assists, and 2 steals a game.

Will Silver – Second Team All star is one of the best defensive players in the country and is the player who really creates tempo for the X-Men. Had a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio in regular season and averages five rebounds a game from the point guard position.

Charlie Spurr – Fifth year senior and electrifying three point shooter averaged 12 points a games and shot 46 percent from beyond the arc. Has the ability to hit multiple three pointers in succession and in a short time period, often providing the impetus for an X-Men comeback.

Strengths

Christian Upshaw – Without a doubt the X-Factor of the tournament. Has seemed distracted at times this season and has had off court issues. However, if Upshaw is focused and ready for this weekend, he could easily be the most dominating player at the Metro Centre and propel the X-Men to run the table.

Full Court Game – No team in the AUS can create havoc with full and half court pressure like the X-Men. When they get it going it seems like they have six people on the floor.

Experience – The X-Men have four players in their fifth year including Silver and Upshaw who will be playing in their fifth AUS tournament and looking for their first AUS Championship.

Weaknesses

Injuries – The X-Men are suffering from injuries to significant players heading in to Friday. Gone for the season is Alberto Rodriguez after suffering a sinus injury at Memorial. Fifth year senior Dwayne Johnson is battling a back injury, and solid bench player Chad Warren is day to day with an injury. There are rumours that even the super sophomore guard Jordan Clarke is battling an injury.

Chemistry – Hard to believe we're talking about this issue with the X-Men but the team just hasn't quite seemed themselves this season. There have been glimpses of that characteristic X-Men swagger and grit at times, specifically the Rod Shoveller championship on New Year's and their comeback win at the Tower versus SMU, but for most of the season the X-Men just haven't seemed all on the same page.

Christian Upshaw – Upshaw's bizarre mental absence from several games this season has been puzzling to fans and pundits. If Upshaw mentally checks out of a game this weekend and doesn't get involved, the X-Men won't have much of a chance against Dal or CBU, let alone SMU.

X-Men Notes

The X-Men place in the upper tier of 17 of 19 overall statistical categories. Their lowest placement is fifth (defensive rebounding and three point defence)......the X-Men have been nationally ranked all season long, many weeks ahead of CBU and Dalhousie despite trailing them in the AUS standings..........As incredible a back court as Upshaw and Silver have been throughout their five year careers, they still do not have an AUS Championship.....Jeremy Dunn averaged 13 points and five rebounds this season and has the best shot fake in the conference......First year sensation Terry Thomas ( 11ppg) has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the AUS with his dynamic athleticism. Expect a couple of highlight dunks this weekend from Thomas.....Sportstream would like to extend congratulations to Alberto Rodriguez for an outstanding career. The fifth year senior suffered a career ending injury at Memorial and will not be on the Metro Centre floor this weekend. Alberto was a consistent starter for the X-Men who you could pencil in for at least 10 points and 7 rebounds a game. His athleticism and speed at the center position created match up problems for coaches and havoc for opponents in the AUS..... The X-Men defeated SMU twice this season, 97-84 in Antigonish and 93-92 at the Tower.....St FX is 0-4 this season versus Dal and CBU

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men`s Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Sportstream Announcement

2011-03-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Sportstream.ca regrets to announce that their new partnership with 123photo.ca will not be in effect this weekend for the Subway AUS Men`s Basketball Championships.

The two websites will be working together in the future to allow fans, parents, and alumni to receive a multimedia experience as they follow sports in Atlantic Canada on Sportstream, but the service will not be available for the championships.

Sportstream extends it`s apologies to all the fans and parents.

Our webcasting coverage begins Friday night at 6:00 with UNB Varsity Reds vs. Acadia, and the Saint Mary`s Huskies vs. Saint Francis Xavier.

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships and the Saint Mary's Huskies. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Armaan Ahluwalia's AUS Championships Preview

2011-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

The Metro Centre will be rocking this weekend for the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships

by Armaan Ahluwalia

The post season has arrived and it couldn’t have come quick enough. We have finally finished the regular season and now move on to the Championships. This year the AUS finals are being held at the Halifax Metro Centre where thousands of students and fans will join to watch some of the premier players in the country compete for AUS Supremacy.

The regular season ended with the CBU Capers finishing in first with a 10 point advantage. The Capers also manged to only lose one game in the entire season which happened to be to the second place team. Second place is held by the Dalhousie Tigers who started off the year strong and had a few speed bumps along the way but managed to secure the first round playoff bye.

Just behind them in 3rd place is the St. FX X-Men who less losses than the Tigers but fewer 4 point Wins which made the difference. Following them in 4th is the Acadia Axemen who managed to grab the closely contested 4th place with a few key victories down the stretch including one against the Tigers. 5th place is held by the UNB Varsity Reds who have pulled off some surprising victories this season including a surprise victory over the X-Men. Rounding out the final playoff spot is the SMU Huskies who with all star Joey Haywood at the helm managed to hold on to that final and competitive spot just edging out the UPEI panthers.

ST. FX X-Men (3) vs. SMU Huskies (6)

ST. FX X-Men - 3rd in the AUS – record (15-5) The X-Men were heavily favoured going into this season but with a slow start head’s were starting to be scratched. Although they had 5 losses this season they lost 4 out of those 5 to Dal and CBU. The other loss was to UNB in a surprising game at UNB. In the games that they have lost at home it has been extremely close losing both games by only 3 points. This being said X is a much better home team. Bad news for them is that this is at the Metro Centre and will not be a home court feeling for them. They are currently on a 5 game winning streak scoring 100+ points in 4 of the 5 games and limiting their opponents to under 80 in 4 of the 5 games. This is a positive to take away but they were against Memorial x2 (8th), Acadia (4th), UNB (5th) and UPEI (7th). Now the AUS has good competition but these are games that should be won when they are home. The X-Men are lead by Christian Upshaw who is averaging 18.1 pts per game. Also giving solid contributions to the team are Will Silver and Charlie Spurr. With big man Rinny Ngot giving little big man help they are stronger on the front court than they are the back.

SMU Huskies – 6th in the AUS – record (7-13) Do not let this record fool you. These Huskies mean business. They are a tough team which does not go away easily. The season started off fairly slow with the Huskies as they lost their first 4 games. Now in those 4 games they played some very good competition CBU x2 (1st), St. FX (3rd), and Acadia (4th). Unfortunately 3 of those games were at home, now to be fair they did bring in a lot of new players so it takes time to get used to playing with new teammates. The last stretch of the season has been tough on the Huskies as in their last 7 games they have gone an abysmal 1-6. Not a championship type record right there. Again they played some very good teams, but in this league if you want to win you have to beat the best teams. The Huskies are lead by AUS All-star Joey Haywood who set the single season record for points in a season. Joey started and played in all 20 games this season posting a 28.8 pts per game average. He also had a few 40+ performances in there as well. With a relatively young bench Tony Fassett has picked up some of the offensive load averaging 16 pts per game. Another player that has helped the Huskies Harry Ezenibe who is averaging 10 pts per game but just under 7 rebounds a game.

Decision: In the last game between these two the Huskies gave up a 4th Quarter lead defensively allowing the X-Men to score 34 points in the quarter and take the game 93-92 at the Tower. This game is going to be another close one as the Huskies have been less than par down the stretch while playing good teams. On the other hand the X-Men have been playing well on a 5 game win streak but against middle of the pack teams. The Huskies will need Joey Haywood to carry the offensive load and have supporting players contribute to the attack. For the X-Men they will have to shut down Joey Haywood completely as once and if that happens the Huskies offense slows down to nothing. In the end I like the X-Men to emerge victorious only by a slim margin because these Huskies have a lot of determination and could pull a shocker early.

Acadia Axemen (4) vs. UNB Varsity Reds (5)

Acadia Axemen – 4th in the AUS – record (7-13) These Axemen are one streaky team. They started the season out with a strong victory over the Huskies than fell into a 3 game losing slump. Following that they played well and won 3 games in a row. Than the season really fell into a slump. They went on a 9 game losing streak and was only able to score over 75 points twice during that stretch. They then proceeded to finish the season going 3-1 and beat Memorial twice to get those crucial 8 points. The Axemen are lead by Owen Klassen who is averaging just over 18 pts per game with 9.6 rebounds per game as well. This solid play has been great for the Axemen as he has started every game this year becoming a crucial part of the team. Also helping the Axemen is Anthony Sears who is averaging 17.9 points per game as well as 2.4 assists per game. These two have been very solid for the Axemen and will need to show up as they take on the Varsity Reds.

UNB Varsity Reds – 5th in the AUS – record (8-12)

Yes you did read correctly, the Reds do have more victories than the Axemen. They just failed to capitalize on the crucial 4 point games, therefore making a difference in the standings. These Reds started the season as many expected them to 3-0 with 3 fairly easy games to start. They then split the weekend with UPEI taking them to 3-1, a minor setback. They then also managed to lose 2 more games bringing their record to 3-3. Going to Memorial proved to be somewhat difficult as they split the weekend their record then going to 4-4. This season was up and down the whole time. With key victories coming up against St. FX, SMU and Acadia they Reds have pulled the upset card and know how to do it. UNB is not a team that has high scoring games they like to keep it low play defense and shut down teams. Only 3 times this season an opponent score more than 90 on UNB. They spread the ball around offensively to create defensive matchup problems. Andrew Wright and William McFee were the leading scorers averaging 13.7 points per game. Then the next leading scorers were Daniel Quirion and Alex DesRoches who averaged around 10 points a game with DesRoches averaging 8.8 boards a game.

Decision: This will be a good matchup as both teams have that talent to go ahead and take the victory. The Axemen will rely heavily on trying to score as much as they can trying to out do the Reds on Offense in the idea that they will prevail. The Reds will try to shut down their players and play good defense. They split the season series and it looks like this one could come down the wire as the last game was only 3 points between them. I like the Varsity Reds to come out with a victory over the Axemen as the Reds have shown that they can beat and compete with the best teams in the conference. I just feel that the Axemen were lucky getting into the playoffs thanks to Memorial who accounted for 8 of their 22 points.

The Dalhousie Tigers own the #2 spot and will play the winner of the St Fx – SMU game on Saturday night. The CBU Capers are the #1 seed and will play the winner of UNB – Acadia as well on Saturday. The winner of the Semi-Finals will automatically earn a berth to national’s which will be held here in Halifax a week from the start of this tournament. Look for the Capers to roll against their opponent whoever it may be as they have rolled this season and have no signs of slowing down. The Dal game will be close as a victory by St. Fx will pose a greater challenge than expected by many Tiger fans as the X-Men were robbed last year in the finals a year ago.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dalhousie Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow Armaan on twitter @therealbrindian.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Subway AUS Championships Team Profile: Acadia Axemen

2011-03-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

Anthony Sears and the Axemen will be trying to advance to Semi-Final Saturday for the first time since 2008.

Seed at the Championships: Fourth
First Game: Quarter Finals, Friday Night at 6:00 versus Fifth Seed UNB
Head Coach: Steve Baur
Last AUS Championship: 2007
2010/11 Record: 7-13, 22 points

Meet The Axemen

Key Players

Owen Klassen- Potential first team all star averaged a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. The second year post from Kingston, Ontario is arguably the best inside/outside player in the conference.

Anthony Sears- Athletic guard who can score in bunches and matches up well with other speedy guards in the conference. Averaged 18 points per game.

Justin Boutilier – Was on his was to a possible second team All Star selection before injuring himself at the Rod Shoveller New Year's tourney. Averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds and can create match up problems with his tricky speed and three point shooting. Has one of the best shot fakes in the conference.

Strengths

Starting Line Up- Klassen, Sears, and Boutilier are joined by solid point guard Tyler Lutton (8 ppg) and rising star Alex McLaughlin ( 9 ppg ) to give the Axemen a starting five that can compete with any team in the conference. The starters had a combined average of 65 points per game accounting for nearly 90 percent of team scoring.

Shot Blocking- The Axemen led the AUS in blocked shots with an average of three and a half swats a game. Klassen averaged two rejections per contest.

Owen Klassen- Klassen may be the toughest match up in the conference with his combination of speed and size, and his versatile offensive game that features shooting range to well beyond the arc and a solid post game. Klassen is prone to turning the ball over and getting in foul trouble.

Weaknesses

Depth- Rookie Thomas Filgiano is a solid contributor off the bench and as a spot starter as Boutlier recovers from injury, but after that the production of Acadia's bench drops off dramatically. Lauchlan Gale brings some hard work and hustle and Sinclair Brown offers some post defense but there is nobody coming off the Axemen bench who is going to make a serious impact.

Toughness- AUS pundits have questioned the Axemen grit and toughness this year, especially during an extended losing streak through January and February where it seemed they layed down when getting behind. The comeback versus Dalhousie where they won on an Alex McLaughlin tip in at the buzzer (Lauchlan Gale was given credit) was definitely a character building win and they did take care of business at home versus Memorial on the last weekend of the regular season. If Acadia advances to play the warriors of Cape Breton, observers will be interested to see how much of a determined effort the Axemen will give.

Shooting/Turnovers- The Axemen finished seventh in shooting percentage averaging just under 41 percent for the season and finished last in turnover margin with a negative 2.5.

Axemen Notes

The Axemen had lost nine games in a row before winning three of their last four to qualify for the tournament....Acadia picked up eight points by virtue of two wins over MUN in Wolfville on the last weekend of the season to leap frog UPEI, SMU, and UNB.....Acadia split the season series with UNB, beating the Reds in Fredericton 79-64 and losing 74-71 at home on a buzzer beating three pointer.....Sears has struggled with turnovers this season committing 54 compared to 47 assists......the Axemen have lost in the quarter finals the past two seasons to the Dalhousie Tigers, 88-85 in 2009 and 76-75 in 2010......Acadia posted a record of 1-9 vs. CBU, Dalhousie, and X this season......the Axemen shoot nearly 70 percent as a team from the foul line.

Sportstream is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Championships. We'll be showing every game beginning at 6:00 Atlantic on Friday Night. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Subway AUS Championships Team Profile: UNB Varsity Reds

2011-03-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

In three years Brent Baker turned around UNB and has the Reds back at the Metro Centre.

by Bill McLean

Varsity Reds Seed at the Championships: Fifth
First Game: Quarter finals, Friday Night at 6:00 vs. Fourth Seeded Acadia
Head Coach: Brent Baker
Last AUS Championship: 1967
2010/11 Record: 8-12, 20 points.

Meet The Varsity Reds

Key Players

Andrew Wright- UNB's leading scorer averaged 14 points per game and shot 41 percent from the three point line. The 5th year guard from Fredericton had 70 assists, only 49 turnovers and shot 83 percent from the foul line.

William McFee- Averaged 14 points per game but struggled with foul travel, limiting his playing time to 25 minutes a contest.

Alex DesRoches- Fourth year forward averaged nearly a double double with 11 points and 9 rebounds a game.

Strengths

Defense- The Varsity Reds finished fourth in the conference in scoring defense giving up 79 points a game and defend the three point shot very well as conference opponents shot only 32 percent from beyond the arc.

Coaching – An excellent motivator and tactician, the potential AUS Coach of the Year Brent Baker gets the maximum effort possible out of his players and always prepares a solid game plan.

Veteran Leadership – Wright and DesRoches are savvy seniors hungry for their first AUS tournament win of their careers.

Depth- The Reds have nine players on the roster who averaged over 10 minutes playing time per game in conference play.

Weaknesses

Scoring – The Reds had the lowest scoring offense in the AUS averaging just under 75 points per game. UNB had the worst shooting percentage, just barely above 40 percent.

Rebounding – The Reds finished seventh in the conference in rebounding margin with a -4. Not one player on the roster besides DesRoches averaged more than 5 rebounds a game.

Lack of Experience- The Reds have not been to the AUS Championships since 2006.

Varsity Reds Notes

The Reds finished third in the AUS in three point shooting percentage averaging 36 %.....the last time UNB played Acadia they won on a buzzer beating three pointer in Wolfville that turned out to be a critical two points in the standings......the Reds lost five of their last six regular season games, their only victory a 76-66 drubbing of UPEI in Fredericton......the Reds signature win of the regular season was a 94-82 victory over X in The Pit on January 30th.......Brent Baker is in his third season as UNB Head Coach after a long tenure at Saint Francis Xavier as an Assistant on the men's team and Head Coach of the women.....expect to see a lot of red shirts in the Metro Centre on Friday night. UNB has enjoyed a resurgence recently with their athletic program and a great deal of students, alumni, and Frederictonians have been following the Varsity Reds teams throughout the Maritimes this year.

Sportstream is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Subway AUS Championships Team Profile: Saint Mary's Huskies

2011-03-02T04:35:00.000-08:00

Joey Haywood will need to be front and center for the Huskies if they are to advance to Semi -Final Saturday.

Huskies Seed At The Championships: Sixth
First Game: Quarterfinals, Friday night at 8:15 vs. Third Seeded Saint Francis Xavier

Head Coach: Ross Quackenbush
Last AUS Championship: 2008
2010/11 Record: 7-13, 20 points.

Meet The Huskies

Key Players

Joey Haywood- The leading scorer in the CIS averages nearly 30 points per game. Was voted CIS Player of the Week in January after a 46 point performance vs. UPEI. Scored 37 points in the second half in a victory over Dalhousie. Haywood shoots over fifty percent from the floor and averages five rebounds a game

Tory Fassett- Fassett averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per game, shooting 55% from the floor and often received the toughest defensive assignment. Fassett has been a critical part of the Huskies press break and is a dynamic athlete whose had several highlight dunks at the Tower this season.

Harry Ezenibe- On of the best athletes in the conference, Ezenibe also features a very polished post game. Averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game and can jump with anyone in the AUS.

Strengths

Haywood- For the Huskies to make a run at the championships they'll need lots of Haywood. Expect Joey to score well over thirty points in each game the Huskies play this weekend.

Half Court Offense- The signature of Ross Quackenbush's Huskies teams is the beautiful passing half court offence. Not only is it fun to watch, but it's extremely effective at the Metro Centre for championship basketball where the style of play tends to revert to critical half court possessions.

Athleticism- With the additions of Fassett and Jerome Smith to a lineup that already had Haywood, Ezenibe, and Miguel Pink, the Huskies have the athleticism needed to compete with the X-Men and Capers.

Shooting Percentage- The Huskies shoot the basketball at a 47 percent clip, good for second in the conference. Offensively the Huskies average 88 points per game

Weaknesses

Defence- The Huskies are the second worst defensive team in the AUS surrendering nearly 90 points per game.

Chemistry- After losing Mark McLaughlin and Ike Ichegbu, the Huskies had to reload in a hurry and managed to find talented players ready to contribute in Fassett, Smith, and Doyle Anthony. But the Huskies have still not gelled on the floor and time is running out. Saint Mary's is renowned for playing their best basketball in February and March but heading into AUS championships there appear to be more questions than answers.

Huskies Notes

SMU lost both of their games this season to X. 97-84 in Antigonish and 93-92 at The Tower in a game the Huskies were in control of until the final minute.......The Huskies were 2-8 vs. CBU, X, and Dal this season......Miguel Pink shot nearly 40 percent from the three point line this season ( 35-88).....perhaps the Huskies player who has struggled the most this season has been Simon Marr. The 6'9" Saint John product is only averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds a game while shooting well below 40 percent from the field. However, Marr is the best passing post player in the AUS and his ability to move the basketball could be a huge factor f or the Huskies this weekend....SMU is 1-6 in their last 7 games......The Huskies are the third best offensive rebounding team in the conference averaging 15 per game.....Joey Haywood's conference leading average of 29 ppg is 10 points ahead of the next highest scorer, Simon Farine of Dalhousie with 19.

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Our coverage begins on Friday night at 6:00 and goes until the final buzzer on Championship Sunday. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_

AUS Recap: Huskies Ties Series With Dramatic Comeback, Axemen Qualify for AUS Championships

2011-02-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

Lucas Bloodoff had a goal and an assist to lead the Huskies in a pivotal win over X.

by Bill McLean

Huskies Ties Series With Dramatic Comeback

The Saint Mary's Huskies overcame a 3-0 deficit tonight at the Forum to defeat the Saint Francis Xavier X-Men and even the best of five AUS semi final series at one game a piece

Lucas Bloodoff, Mike Danton, Chris Mackinnon, and David Macdonald scored for the Huskies in the final thirty minutes to propel Saint Mary's to victory and give the defending CIS champions home ice advantage for the remainder of the series.

Game 3 in this intriguing series will be Tuesday night from the Forum at 7:00.

Acadia Takes Care of Business, Moves on To AUS Championships

Despite losing 10 of 12 games in 2011 before this weekend, the Acadia Axemen are off to the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships.

Acadia swept the Memorial Seahawks in two games to garner eight points in the standings and earn a trip to the Metro Centre as the number four seed. The Axemen will play the UNB Varsity Reds on Friday night at 6:00 in the quarter finals. At 8:00 approximate will be the highly anticipated match up of the Saint Francis Xavier X-Men versus Joey Haywood and the Saint Mary's Huskies.

Both games on friday can be seen on sportstream.ca, the offiicial webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships.

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of Saint Mary's athletics and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

AUS Sunday; X-Women Look for Perfection on Senior's Day at the DMA

2011-02-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

The Tigers will honour 5th year Senior Laura Shearer today at the DMA.

(Photo Credit: Nick Pearce)

by Bill McLean

Women's Hockey

Saint Francis Xavier (23-0) at Dalhousie (10-13)

This should be a Senior's Sunday doozy from the DMA. There are playoff implications on the line for the Tigers as they are battling for the third seed at AUS championships. It won't make a huge difference for who they match up with in the quarter finals but it would put them in line to play Moncton in the Semis as opposed to these juggernaut X-Women on their home ice in Antigonish.

St FX will walk in to Dalhousie undefeated on the season and looking for one for win to achieve regular season perfection. Yesterday the dynamic duo of Janelle Parent (43 points) and Alex Normore (41 points) combined for three goals to lead the X-Women to a dominating 3-0 victory over the Saint Mary's Huskies on Senior's day at Alumni Arena.

Dalhousie will be honouring 5th year senior and team captain, Laura Shearer, along with the high scoring Jocelyn Leblanc, and solid veterans Robyn Nicholson, Robin Mullen, and Alyssa Hennigar. These seniors have been the core of the Tigers team for several years and they'll be hyped for a huge upset of the X-Women to make their last game at the DMA a memorable one.

Game time is 2:00 and will be webcast on ssncanada with Bill McLean and Steve Betts.

Mount Allison (9-13) at St.Thomas (10-13)

Two teams that have clinched playoff spots but are battling for positioning. Each can finish anywhere from third to sixth in the standings, and like the Tigers they'll both be pressing to get the third spot to avoid St FX until the Championship game. The Mounties have alot of size while STU answers with alot of team speed. The Mounties have lost 6 of their last 7 games while the Tommies are 3-2 in their last five.

Men's Hockey: Semi Finals

#3 Saint Francis Xavier at #2 Saint Mary's (X leads 1-0 in Best of Five)

The X-Men drew first blood on Thursday night in Antigonish behind three point performances from Chris Hulit and Jason Bast. The X-Men's 5-3 victory would not have been possible without the stellar play of Joey Perricone who turned away 22 pucks by the Huskies who out shot the X-Men 25-17. This combination of Hulit and Perricone is turning into a winning formula for St FX and has the team two wins away from going to nationals.
The defending CIS champion Huskies will be desperate for a win tonight at the Forum to get back on equal footing. Dating back to last season, St FX has now won 4 straight semi final games versus defending CIS champs. Last year they swept UNB in three games one year after the Reds won the national title.
If the Huskies are to break through with a win they'll need to capitalize more on the power play (X had 22 PIM on Thursday compared to 6 for SMU) and get better goaltending from Neil Conway.
Game time from the Forum is 7:00.

Women's Basketball

Memorial (11-8, 30 points) at Acadia (11-8, 30 points)
Come Friday night in St.John's these two teams will be tired of seeing each other. Today's game is a battle for 4th place but meaningless for playoff positioning as the teams will play each other in the quarter finals next weekend. Yesterday the Axewomen got 24 points from Stephanie Chapman to beat the Seahawks 83-68. But...”beware of the Seahawks on Sunday!” Memorial is 7-2 this season on Sunday, with several of those wins coming after being blown out the night before.

Men's Basketball

Memorial (3-19, 8 pts) at Acadia (6-13, 18 pts)
Coming in to this weekend set versus the Seahawks, Steve Bauer and the Axemen knew it was a simple scenario; win both games and plan your trip to Halifax for AUS championships, or lose one game and stay home in Wolfville. Acadia took care of business last night with a decisive 86-65 victory behind 27 points from Alex McLaughlin, and a double/double (25 pts, 13 rebs) from Owen Klassen. If Acadia wins today they'll be the fourth seed next weekend at the Metro Centre and play the UNB Varsity Reds in the quarter finals on Friday night. If they lose, the UPEI Panthers will qualify as the sixth seed. Needless to say, there are alot of Memorial Seahawks fans today in Charlottetown.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Sporstream will have live coverage of all five games from the Metro Centre. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Huskies on Haligonia; Seniors Day at Alumni as Huskies Host Undefeated X-Women

2011-02-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Jillian MacIsaac will be busy today vs. the nationally ranked X-Women.

(photo credit: Richard Lafortune)

by Bill McLean

The defending AUS champion Saint Mary's Huskies will be looking to hand the Saint Francis Xavier X-Women their first loss of the season on Senior's Day at the Alumni Arena.

The X-Women are the third ranked team in the country with a record of 22 wins and no losses. Led by the high scoring duo of Janelle Parent (40 pts) and Alex Normore (38 pts), St FX has outscored their AUS opponents 106-32.

The X-Women's biggest strength may be on the blue line where they have an outstanding balance of size and skill. Diminutive captain Suzanne Fenerty has 20 pts this season and Marilynn Hay and 6'4” Jenna Downey provide alot of stability on the back end.

The Huskies have clinched a playoff spot and can still finish anywhere from third to sixth in the standings as the season comes to a close this weekend. Saint Mary's is 7-5 in 2011 after a rough start before the break.

Lauren McCusker, Kyla Thurston, and Courtney Schriver have combined for 68 points to lead the Huskies scoring attack. Goaltender Jillian MacIssac has played in all 23 games this season and has a solid Goals Against Average of 3.13.

Before the opening face off the team will be paying tribute to their seniors playing their last game at Alumni Arena. The list of seniors includes 5th year standouts Seyara Shwetz from Waskateneau, Alberta and local Halifax product Schriver.

Game time from Alumni is 2:00 and it will be webcast on sportstream.ca. Bill McLean will have the call.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_ and check us out on facebook.

AUS Friday Night; Playoff Implications Abound in Women's and Men's Basketball

2011-02-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mike Danton and the Huskies begin their CIS title defence tonight in Antigonish vs. the X-Men

(photo credit: Richard Lafortune)

by Bill McLean

Men's Hockey Semi Finals

#2 Saint Mary's at #3 Saint Francis Xavier

Easily the most exciting playoff match up in the country gets started tonight in Antigonish. Most pundits are picking the best of five series to go the distance and some think the X-Men are primed for an upset. St FX swept the four games from the defending national champions during the regular season and have the physicality and depth needed to bring down the Huskies. Leading scorer Chris Hulit is playing as good as anyone in the conference, Spencer McAvoy leads a big, talented defensive core, and Joey Perricone is arguably the best goaltender in the conference.
The Huskies respond with all the usual suspects ready to go, a deep and talented roster, and that characteristic Huskies swagger. The Huskies are built for the playoffs and feature size and skill at every position. After a January slide that saw the champs reeling with five straight losses, the Huskies finished the regular season with five straight wins including a 3-1 drubbing of the top ranked Varsity Reds at the Forum. Veterans Andrew Hotham (37 pts) and Cam Fergus (32 pts) are leading the way while Chris Mackinnon and Kyle Wharton have proven to be outstanding additions.
Expect this series to be full of drama, intrigue, physicality, speed....and to go the distance.

Women's Hockey

Mount Allison (9-13) at Moncton (15-7)

Both teams have clinched playoff berths, Le Aigles Bleus are locked in at the two spot and will have a first round bye at the AUS championships, while the Mounties are still battling for seeding. Dalhousie, St.Thomas, Saint Mary's, and Mount Allison are all separated by only 3 points heading into the final weekend. The only question is can any of those four teams actually come close to beating X or Moncton in the semi finals.

Women's Basketball

UNB (14-4, 40 pts) at St.FX (12-6, 34 pts)
Outstanding match up of two teams with championship aspirations and hitting stride right at the perfect time. St FX, CBU, and UNB are all in contention for the top two spots and a first round bye at AUS championships. Despite leading CBU by four points and X by six, the Reds will need to win at least one game this weekend to secure a bye. The Capers and X-Women both have a four point game with Carly Clarke's rebuilding UPEI Panthers this weekend so you can add four points to their standings total already. Therefore if the Reds get swept by X and CBU this weekend, they'll finish third and have to play a first round game in St. John's. Don't think UNB coach Jeff Speedy isn't aware of this and expect him to have Amanda Sharpe and the Corby sisters fired up. X responds with the most athletic, deepest team in the conference that will try to blitzkrieg the Reds in the first quarter with their full court pressure and running offensive game. Should be a dandy!

UPEI (0-18) at Cape Breton (14-4, 36 pts)
With a first round bye in his sights, don't expect Fabian Mackenzie to take it easy on the Panthers tonight in Sydney. Even with a guaranteed four point win tonight, if X beats UNB in Antigonish, the Capers will have to beat UNB tomorrow night to secure a pass to Semi Final Saturday at AUS Championships. The Panthers have the unfortunate chore of finishing their season on the road playing two teams battling for byes, but Carly Clarke's troops have shown remarkable progress this season and appear on the verge of becoming competitive again after Clarke overhauled the program two years ago.

Men's Basketball

UNB (8-10, 20 pts) at CBU (17-1, 46 pts)
The Capers finish the season with a weekend set of pivotal home games ripe with playoff implications.....for their opponents. As for the champs they have first place in the AUS wrapped up and can use the weekend to fine tune for semi final Saturday at the Metro Centre on March 5th. As for UNB, an upset in Sydney would give them four points in the standings and their first playoff game in the Brent Baker era. The Reds can still make the playoffs even with a pair of weekend losses if one of the following happens; UPEI loses both their games at X and CBU or SMU loses to Dal or Acadia drops one game to MUN. However UNB would definitely want to finish fourth or fifth and avoid a first round match up with the X-Men.

UPEI (7-11, 18 pts) at St FX (13-5, 34 pts)
For the story of this game basically see above and substitute X for CBU and UPEI for UNB. The X-Men are locked in as the third seed at AUS Championships and are basically trying to work on chemistry and getting healthy. The Panthers are desperate for a win tonight versus the X-Men or tomorrow night at Cape Breton. Amongst other scenarios, if Acadia sweeps the last place Seahawks in Wolfville, and UPEI loses both their games, the Panthers will be out of the playoffs. Basically if the Panthers can pull off a shocker tonight or tomorrow, their in. If they don't, they'll have to cheer for Memorial to pull of a shocker at Acadia.

Here are the standings and tiebreakers for the AUS as we approach final weekend.

1. Cape Breton (clinched bye)
2. Dalhousie (clinched bye)
3. Saint Francis Xavier (clinched third place)
4. UNB 20 pts ( at CBU (4) at X (4) )
5. SMU 20 pts (at Dal )
6. UPEI 18 pts (at CBU (4) at X (4) )
7. Acadia 14 pts ( 2 games vs MUN (8) )
8. MUN (out of playoffs)

In case of last place tie;
UNB has tiebreaker on SMU
UPEI has tiebreaker on Acadia

Confused? Should be a wacky final weekend. My prediction is this:

4. Acadia – 22 pts
5. UNB -20 pts.
6. SMU – 20 pts.
7. UPEI – 18 pts (out of playoffs)

That would make Friday's matchups at AUS Championships the following;

#4 Acadia vs # 5UNB
#3 St FX vs #6 SMU

The X-Men vs Joey Haywood could be alot of fun! But don't count out a resilient group of Panthers from winning a game this weekend, and remember the Axemen are 1-10 in their last 11 and could easily lose a game at home to Memorial.

It will be interesting drama to say the least.

Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

AUS Gameday; Huskies Travel to Wolfville for Critical Games vs Acadia

2011-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Owen Klassen's Axemen are in the driver's seat for a playoff berth as the AUS regular season winds down.

by Bill McLean

Saint Mary's (8-10, 18 pts) at Acadia (9-8, 17 pts)

Both teams have clinched playoff spots and are essentially battling for fifth or sixth place. If the season ended today the Huskies would have to play the X-Women in the AUS quarter finals. while Acadia would have to play the host team Memorial, so it's essentially pick your poison.

Pundits and fans still are not sure if these teams have underachieved or if they just are not as good as the top four. Certainly on paper they each have considerable assets. The Huskies feature the nation's leading scorer in Justine Colley and a solid starting lineup consisting of Susanne Canvin and Robbi Daley. Meanwhile the Axewomen have the Duinker sisters, Abby and Emma leading the way along with outstanding rookies in Kristy Moore and Ariel Smith. Throw in the plucky point guard Stephanie Chapman, who literally stole a victory away from Dalhousie last month, and the Axewomen seem to have the pieces for a championship run.

The problem for both teams has been a considerable lack of depth off the bench, and a lack of quickness on the perimeter. They match up very well against each other, but against teams like X, UNB, and CBU which feature quick and athletic guards, both teams struggle to defend.

Both teams are very capable of making an impact at AUS playoffs. The Axewomen are the hotter team coming in, having gone 8-4 in their last 12 games. The Huskies have only played three games this month due to the Canada Games taking over the Tower and had lost four of five before beating the Tigers by 20 last week.

The Huskies beat Acadia in the season opener at the Tower 92-86, but Acadia has won the last two meetings, 71-50 in Wolfville and 68-65 back at Saint Mary's.

Saint Mary's (6-12, 18 pts) at Acadia (5-12, 14 pts)

One look at the standings and you would think this would be a desperate game for the Axemen considering they trail the Huskies and UPEI by four points for the last playoff spot.

Upon closer examination it's the Huskies that could really use a win if they are to make the AUS playoffs. After tonight, Acadia has a weekend set in Wolfville versus the last place Memorial Seahawks with eight points in the standings up for grabs. Assuming (and certainly it's not a safe assumption considering the play of the Axemen in 2011) that Acadia gets those eight points on the final weekend, you can basically look at the bottom half of the standings like this before tonight's game;

4. Acadia 22 pts Games remaining: vs. SMU (2)
5. UNB 20 pts Games remaining: at CBU (4) at X (4)
6. SMU 18 pts Games remaining: at Acadia (2) at Dal (2)
7. UPEI 18 pts Games remaining: at CBU (4) at X (4)

Hard to believe isn't it? As bad as Acadia has been they are in the driver's seat for the #4 seed at AUS playoffs.

The Huskies hold the tiebreaker with UPEI, so if both teams finish with 18 points, SMU would qualify as the sixth seed and the Panthers would be out. Essentially, barring a major upset by Memorial over the weekend, the Panthers have to go in to Antigonish or Sydney and come out with a win.

No easy task.

Tonight's game features the nation's leading scorer Joey Haywood versus arguably the best inside/outside player in the conference, Acadia's Owen Klassen. Haywood is in the race for AUS MVP while a strong finish by the Axemen could secure Klassen a spot as a First Team All Star.

Acadia broke a nine game losing skid on Sunday with a buzzer beating tip in by Alex Mclaughlin vs. Dalhousie. The Huskies have lost five in a row including two heart breakers at the Tower to the X-Men and Capers when Saint Mary's seemed to have each game in hand.

The Axemen have had the Huskies number this season beating them 97-90 in the season opener at the Tower and 91-81 in Wolfville. The Huskies got a measure of revenge last month with a 96-80 win in Halifax.

Game Notes
Joey Haywood is leading the nation in scoring with an average of 29 ppg. I had an interview earlier this month with Joey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxRqWfHOru0) ..... Tory Fassett is in the running for an AUS Second team all star spot, averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds......Owen Klassen is averaging 18 pts and 10 rebs this season for the Axemen......Anthony Sears averages 17 ppg for Acadia......The Axemen victory over Dal on Sunday was by virtue of a spirited fourth quarter comeback. Owen Klassen's three pointer came up short but Alex McLaughlin was there with a very difficult tip in to win it at the buzzer.....Acadia is the lowest scoring team in the conference while the Huskies are second to last in points allowed per game.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

AUS Profile: Kerri Smit of the Saint Mary's Huskies

2011-02-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

The 2010/11 AUS MVP digs up some personal info with Armaan Ahluwalia.

Current Team: Saint Mary’s Huskies
Height: 184cm
Date of Birth: June 18th 1989
Where you are from: Shubenacadie, NS
Where you played High School Volleyball: Hants East Rural High
Favourite Player: Annie Levesque
Favourite Team: My own Huskies
Player you model your game after: Annie Levesque, Emily Cordonier
How old were you when you started playing: Grade 9 Club Season (15yrs)
Why Volleyball: I excelled at it the most, enjoyed it the most. Plus there’s no running involved.
Pre Game Rituals: Visualization, Listening to my Pump-Up play list, then sitting on the bench until it’s time to start warming up.
Whats the most listened song on your IPod: Shut It Down -Drake ft. The Dream
Dream Lineup, with you in it: Annie Levesque(libero), Ashley Creighton(Middle), Jennifer Hinze(Middle), Tess Edwards(Setter), Kyla Richey(Right Side), Me(Power), Liz Cordonier(Power)
Hobbies: Sports, Reading, Piano, Farming
Best Skill: Hitting
Area of your game that needs work: Blocking and passing mainly, but everything can definitely improve
Favourite Coach and why: Huskies Coaching Staff & Olivier Trudel(Montreal), they have taught me much of what I know and always keep it interesting
What are your goals Short and Long term:
Short – Win AUS 2011
Long – Probably to start on Team Canada and play pro in Europe
Favourite Movies: The Ugly Truth, No Strings Attached, Without a Paddle, The Proposal
Role Model: Dad, Susan Vanderkooy
Goals for the year: Win AUS 2011, win MVP of the league
Most famous person in your cell phone: Darcy Brown of the Hamilton Tigercats
One Crazy thing about you: I don’t buy any clothes full price – Value Village is my favorite store
Favourite Food: Chips – any flavor
Dream Vacation Destination: Anywhere down south with the girls, All-inclusive!
In your free time you are: Reading, listening to music, relaxing, hanging out with friends
IPhone or Blackberry: Iphone for the game Apps!

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpess.com. Follow Armaan on twitter @therealbrindian.

Sportstream.ca is the home of the Saint Mary's Huskies and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

V-Reds Have Statement Game Against CBU

2011-02-20T09:07:00.001-08:00

Senior Amanda Sharpe Will Be Honored today at the Pit in Fredericton.

by Christopher Cameron

As the UNB women’s basketball team entered the LB Gym for their final regular season game of the season, it was also the final game for the program in the gym after 70 years before moving to the new Richard J. Currie Center next season.
Up against a tough opponent in the Cape Breton Capers in a statement game concerning who is the top dog in women’s basketball for the AUS, the hometown UNB Varsity Reds opened the scoring on a 6-0 run with Amanda Sharpe sinking the first two baskets.
CBU tightened the score with their own 4-0 run, before both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter with UNB taking a lead out of the first 20-16.
After an even start both teams kept the offence coming in the second quarter with the Varsity Reds coming out on top at the end of the second quarter 40-27 after a handful of runs, including a 9-0 run to end the half.
Unlike last week where the Varsity Reds came out of both halftime breaks on fire, in the third quarter it was the Capers time to bounce back and close in on the hot UNB squad. With little offence coming from UNB it was all CBU’s Jahlica Kimon on offence.
There were no big runs for the Capers, but by the end of the quarter UNB’s lead had been chipped away at from the 13 points to only five points going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was more offence power from Kimon and Kari Everett of CBU as they kept creeping closer to UNB closing to within two at 66-64 with just under four minutes remaining in the game.
Both teams traded baskets with UNB eventually getting two back-to-back to put a final “lock” on the win. CBU would get to within two again with just under five seconds left, but that is as close as they would get as the Varsity Reds took the game 71-68.
Leading the Varsity Reds in scoring was Sharpe, with 23 points, but that was no easy task being matched up against the 6’2” Haywood. Sharpe gave credit to her team getting her the ball to put herself in a good position.
“It was my teammates,” she said. “I’ve said it so much. I don’t know how they get me the ball sometimes. I’m really undersized compared to Cape Breton’s posts. They (teammates) do such a great job getting me the ball as soon as I’m open.”
“I don’t think I’ve played against someone that has blocked me that much so lots of props to her. They are really good defenders so I had to use all my moves tonight.”
This was also Sharpe’s last game to be played in the LB Gym with a Varsity Reds jersey and although that is a big moment in itself she says getting the win is just as huge.
“It is bittersweet that this is the last time I will play here and it’s kind of cool to go out here with the pit,” she said. “It was a great win and we’re going to use this great energy to get us through playoffs.”
With this win the Varsity Reds have now jumped four points ahead of Cape Breton, but UNB head coach Jeff Speedy is not too concerned as to if his team finishes first or second, so long as they get the bye.
“I would like to finish first or second to be honest with you ‘cause that gets you a first round bye through the playoffs,” said Speedy. “Our league doesn’t give you a banner for winning the league in conference play. They only give you a banner in March. It would be like to finish in first or second and this win gives us a chance to do that.”
This weekend was also huge for UNB, welcoming back to the lineup Megan Corby. Speedy couldn’t say enough about how important it is to have her healthy and on the court.
“Oh my gosh. She is one of the best point guards in the country,” he said. “She does so many things that a lot of people don’t even notice. Our confidence goes through the roof when she’s back there.”
“The two-headed monster we have with Leah and Megan playing the point is pretty hard to stop. If either one of them is hurt it puts so much pressure on the other to have a perfect game. Leah had a great weekend last weekend, but I’d sooner go to battle with both of them.”
Next weekend UNB will travel to Antigonish and Sydney for their final games of the regular season.

Christopher Cameron is the Sports Editor for the Brunswickan in Fredericton. Follow him on twitter @ccam1988.

AUS Sunday; Seniors Day at The Pit, Volleyball Championships Take Center Stage

2011-02-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Sander Ratsep and the Tigers look to avoid an AUS Championship sweep at the hands of UNB.

by Bill McLean

AUS Women’s Volleyball Championship in Sydney

#2 UNB vs. #1 Saint Mary’s

Both teams cruised to semi finals wins as the Huskies eliminated the X-Women in straight sets and the Reds sent Dalhousie back to Halifax with a four set victory. Both teams are stacked with senior talent, AUS all stars, impact first year players, and height. Both teams have athleticism at certain positions but are not necessarily that dynamic. The match could simply come down to the Huskies having AUS MVP Kerri Smit on their side. When she’s on point, Smit can simply takeover a match and lead the Huskies to victory. The match up in the middle of Celina Abba and Tessa Felix will be outstanding, and the play of the Huskies setter Jane Pegg could be the X-Factor for SMU.
Prediction: Take the defending champs to go back to back. Final score: 3-1.

AUS Men’s Volleyball Championship at Dalhousie- Game 2
#1 UNB vs. #2 Dalhousie

The Tigers are one loss away from having their consecutive championship streak halted at a mind boggling 24. The Reds have a lot of seniors who have been taking their lumps from the Tigers for years and are looking to finish their careers as winners. Dalhousie is stacked with seniors who don’t want their careers to end being “the team” that broke the streak. The match up in the middle with Max Burt and Jacob Kilpatrick is about as intense as it gets, and Sander Ratsep looked unstoppable at times in Game 1. On Friday night in Fredericton the Pit was packed for the Reds five set victory, hopefully Tigers Nation will respond and “pack the ‘Plex”. This is a can’t miss game for volleyball fans, UNB /Dal alumni, and anyone who loves sport and the passion it can create. The game is at 3:00 on ssncanada if you can’t make it to the Dalplex.

Women’s Basketball

Dalhousie (4-14, 14 pts) at Acadia (8-8, 22 pts)

After a convincing loss to Acadia last night, the Tigers are officially eliminated and now looking forward to next year when former Axewomen Keisha Brown joins a talented core of guards/forwards in Courtney Thompson, Anna Von Maltzahn, and Trish Mcneil. Acadia is looking to build on playoff positioning by jumping past Saint Mary’s into fifth place. The Axewomen are getting hot at the right time, now 7-4 since the Holiday break.

Saint Francis Xavier (12-5, 34 pts) at Memorial (10-7, 28 pts)

After beating MUN 61-58 last night the X-Women are now 6-1 in their last seven games and have a bye on the brain, trailing CBU by only 2 points. But…..beware the Seahawks on Sunday. Memorial is 6-2 this season in the second game of the weekend set and always seem to play with a lot more energy and focus on Sunday.

Cape Breton (14-4, 36 pts) at UNB (14-4, 40 pts)

This is another huge 4 point game in the standings today on Senior Sunday in the Pit. Not only will the Reds be honoring Leah Corby and Amanda Sharpe, but it will be the last women’s basketball game played at the old barn on the bottom of the hill. The Reds beat CBU 71-68 yesterday and with a win today can move 8 points ahead in the standings and secure first place in the conference. Don’t think for a second that Fabian Mackenzie and Kari Everitt have any plans of playing nice house guest. This is the type of scenario that the champs love and they’ll be out to spoil the party.

Men’s Basketball

Dalhousie (13-5, 42 pts) at Acadia (4-12, 12 pts)

As mentioned yesterday, Acadia is still in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth with a very favorable schedule that includes a two game set vs. MUN in Wolfville with 8 points up for grabs. But at some point the Axemen have to win a game to get started. Steve Bauer’s troops have now lost nine in a row and fell behind 25-13 to Dalhousie yesterday after the first quarter. The Tigers are locked in as the number 2 seed in the AUS playoffs but seem hell bent on playing sharp, focused basketball to finish out the stretch so Acadia will need their best performance of the season if they are to snap this losing streak.

Saint Francis Xavier (12-5, 32 pts) at Memorial (3-14, 8pts)

The X-Men are locked in as the three seed at AUS playoffs but are looking to establish momentum and chemistry coming down the stretch. There are whispers among AUS pundits that Will Silver could be a first team AUS all star this year and Terry Thomas has become the most dynamic rookie in the conference. Thomas scored 26 points yesterday on 12-15 shooting.

Sportstream is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_ and check us out facebook.

UNB Draws First Blood in AUS Championship

2011-02-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

UNB is one win away from stopping the Tigers consecutive AUS Championship streak at 24.

by Christopher Cameron

After sweeping Dalhousie at home last weekend to grab home court advantage, the UNB Varsity Reds faced a completely different team last night.

The first set was indicative of this as both teams were back and forth with the team’s being tied 12 times throughout the set, with UNB edging out Dal for a 26-24 win.

In the second set it was a completely different story as Dalhousie showed why they have won the last 24 AUS men’s volleyball titles, not giving UNB any lead in the set, winning it 25-21 after the Varsity Reds made a late push to close the gap.

Another set went to Dal as UNB continued to struggle to regain momentum, dropping the third set 25-22.

The pit was packed, but after the crowd helped push UNB over the edge in the first set, the approximately 1000 fans were silent after watching their team fall two straight sets. After the match Varsity Reds head coach Dan McMorran said that just cause his team has home court advantage they cannot rely on the fans to win a match for them.

“If you look at the second and third sets, we came back to within one a couple times in each of those sets, getting the crowd somewhat back into it,” said McMorran. “Sure it helps and it’s nice, but then again we let the pressure off. We took our foot off the gas again making unforced errors and Dal came back and jumped all over it.”

The Varsity Reds were able to pull out the set. Although they got down early, they bounced back tying it up 16-16 midway through the set. The team’s traded points until at 19-19 UNB opened up at three point lead and never looked back winning 25-20 and pushing the match to a fifth set.
The Tigers opened the final set with the first point followed by UNB grabbing three straight to lead 3-1 early. After Dal bounced back with a point of their own, the Varsity Reds went on another tear and going into the switch were up 8-5.

A comeback from Dal made for an exciting finish as they closed the gap, eventually tying the match at 12-12 on a service ace by Max Burt. UNB then shut down what momentum the Tigers had, scoring the next three points to win 15-12 and take game one of the best of three.

Looking at the match McMorran discussed how his team was lucky to get out of the day with the win after some not so stellar play.

“We have to play better ball all the way around,” he said. “Like you mentioned, Julio didn’t serve like he did the other day, he got some big kills for us down the stretch, but we as a team did not perform like we did last weekend.”

Winning on the road will be no easy task, but he knows his squad can do it.

“We’ve been there before. Three years ago we went down there and won the first match of the AUS playoffs in Halifax,” said McMorran. “I think our guys know we need to lay it all out on the line. It’s not guaranteed we’re going to win down there. There’s no Cinderella story here, just cause people think it’s our year.”

“It’s not our year unless we prove it on the court.”

Christopher Cameron is the sports editor for The Brunswickan student newspaper in Fredericton. Follow him on twitter @ccam1988.

AUS Saturday: Huskies look to return to AUS Title Game; Potential Championship Previews in Women's Basketball

2011-02-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

AUS MVP Kerri Smit will be looking to lead the Huskies to another AUS Championship game.

(photo credit: Nick Pearce http://www.123photo.com/)

by Bill McLean

AUS Women's Volleyball Championships in Sydney- Semi Final Saturday

#1 Saint Mary's Huskies vs. #4 Saint Francis Xavier X-Women

The X-Women held off a feisty Moncton team in the early going last night to cruise to a 3-1 quarter finals victory. They'll have a much tougher time today against the defending champs featuring the AUS MVP in Kerri Smit. The Huskies finished 10 points ahead of X in the standings and are loaded with veteran talent in Smit, Ali Beaver, Keisha Muisse, Liz Cozulich, and Amy Crider. The addition of second team all stars Jane Pegg and Tessa Felix has helped to seperate the Huskies from a conference that has been a log jam for several seasons. The X-Women counter with first team all star Katherine Ryan, second team all star Catherine Thornton, and Rookie of the Year Jessica Roberts.

#2 UNB Varsity Reds vs. #3 Dalhousie Tigers

Outstanding match up of height and experience vs youth and athleticism. The Varsity Reds feature a roster with five players over six feet tall including fifth years seniors Jillian Blanchard and Erica Hay. The Tigers may have the most dynamic outside hitting team in the conference and have depth at every position but not one player past three years of eligibility. The critical match up could be Kirstie Shepherd vs Celina Abba in the middle. Both players have explosive jumping ability and show alot of emotion on the court.

Men's Hockey - Quarter Finals

Game 2- #3 St FX X-Men vs #6 Dalhousie

The X-Men dominated the Tigers on Thursday night in Antigonish 4-0, but it could have been much worse had Tigers netminder Bobby Nadeau not turned away 35 shots. If the Tigers are to have a chance in their first home playoff game in nearly a decade they'll have to stay out of the penalty box and muster more than the 14 shots they had in game 1. This game is on ssncanada on the web and Eastlink on TV.

Game 2- #4 Acadia vs. #5 UPEI

Match up of two teams that struggled near the end of the regular season. The high scoring Panthers were shut out by the defensive minded Axemen 1-0 last night in Wolfville. Kristopher Westblom made 25 saves for Acadia for the shutout.

Women's Basketball

Dalhousie (4-13, 14 pts) vs. Acadia (7-8, 20 pts)

The last stand for the Tigers. With an Acadia win the Axewomen will secure the final playoff spot and eliminate Dalhousie. Tigers are 1-8 in their last 9 games, Acadia is 6-4 in their last 10.

Cape Breton (14-3, 36 pts) vs UNB (13-4, 36 pts)

Possibly an AUS championship preview. Both teams are athletic, high scoring, and love to push the tempo. The Capers athletic backcourt of Jahlica Kirnon and Tanira McClurkin vs the Corby sisters of UNB will be alot of fun while the match up of the UNB's dynamic duo of Claire Colbourne and Amanda Sharpe vs. 5th year senior Keri Everitt will go a long way in determining the victor. The X-factor could be the play of Denisha Haywood for the Capers. When motivated, she is a game changer on both ends of the floor.

Saint Francis Xavier (11-5, 32 pts) vs Memorial (10-6, 28 pts)

Another potential AUS championship preview. These two teams split in Antigonish a month ago but it's a lot harder for a road team to win in St. John's than the Oland Centre. The X-Women attack in waves while the Seahawks counter with high scoring gunner Grace Fishbein and outstanding post play by the duo of Alex Forsey and Jennifer Parsons.

Men's Basketball

Acadia (4-11, 12 pts) vs. Dalhousie (12-5, 40 pts)

Tigers have secured a bye and still have an outside chance at first place, but are essentially just trying to stay sharp and focused. Despite being in seventh place and six points out of a playoff spot, the struggling Axemen are still in the drivers seat for a sixth seed. They have a pair of four point games vs Memorial at home to finish the season and a home game vs the Huskies, one of the teams they are trying to track down. The bad news? Acadia has lost eight straight games. They don't need to beat the Tigers today to stay alive but a positive performance would go a long way in rebuilding confidence.

Cape Breton (16-1, 42 pts) vs. UNB (8-9, 20 pts)

The Capers are 1 win and 1 Tigers loss away from securing first place. What does this mean? The team that finished first will avoid a highly probable semi final match up with the Saint Francis Xavier X-men. The Reds are the feel good story of the AUS, making huge strides in Brent Baker's third year of rebuilding the program. On the verge of securing a playoff berth, look for UNB to give the champs all they can handle in the Pit.

Saint Francis Xavier (11-5, 30 pts) vs. Memorial (3-13, 8 pts)

The X-Men are probably the most feared team in the conference but have yet to meet their potential. Built for a national championship, the X-Men have struggled to find consistency all season. While Dalhousie and Cape Breton hope they don't figure things out, this weekend trip to St.John's could be just what Coach K needs to get all his troops on the right page and focused on a championship run.

Women's Hockey

Saint Mary's (9-13) vs. Mount Allison (9-12)

Huskies took care of business vs. the Panthers last night while the Mounties nearly pulled off the shocker of the year, losing to the undefeated X-Women 3-2 in OT.

St.Thomas (9-13) vs. Dalhousie (10-12)

Tommies have beaten the Tigers two out of three times this year. Could be a critical game in determining third place for AUS championships. The Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking loss last night to Moncton.

Saint Francis Xavier (21-0) vs. UPEI (3-19)

The X-Women nearly saw their undefeated season come to an end last night in Sackville. They'll be looking to get back in form vs. the last place Panthers. This one may not be pretty to watch.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, Metro Marauders, and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_ and check us out on facebook!

AUS Friday Night; Tigers and Varsity Reds Set For An Epic Battle in Fredericton

2011-02-18T12:41:00.001-08:00

Jacob Kilpatrick has an AUS title in his sights after being named MVP this week.

(photo by Rob Blanchard)

by Bill McLean

AUS Men's Volleyball Championships Game 1- Dalhousie Tigers at UNB Varsity Reds

The champs are in tough against AUS MVP Jacob Kilkpatrick and the Reds at The Pit in Fredericton. The Tigers haven't been underdogs since Sander Ratsep's first year and are in serious trouble of having their consecutive championship streak of 24 snapped.

The match up in the middle of 6'8" Max Burt versus 6'9" Kilkpatrick will be stellar and could determine the outcome of the series. Game 2 goes in Halifax on sunday.

AUS Women' Volleyball Championships- Quarter Finals

#6 Cape Breton vs. #3 Dalhousie- Rick Scott's deep and athletic Tigers should have no problem with a re-building Capers team that only made the playoffs by virtue of hosting.

#4 St Francis Xavier vs #5 Moncton- The teams split their season series... an intriguing match up of the X-Women's height and les Aigles Bleus athleticism.

AUS Men's Hockey Quarter Final - #5 UPEI vs. #4 Acadia

Not often you have a conference quarter final featuring two teams that have been in the national rankings. Most AUS pundits are split on this series featuring the high scoring Panthers and the hard working, "steady Eddy" Axemen. Matt Carter leads a gifted UPEI group of forwards against an Acadia team that leads the conference in power play scoring.

Women's Hockey

Dalhousie (10-8-3) vs. Moncton (14-5-2) - Great match up of Jocelyn Leblanc vs. Marieve Provost. Provost is the CIS all time leading scorer, Leblanc will try to lead the offensively inept Tigers to a pivotal road win as the playoffs approach.

Saint Francis Xavier (20-0) vs. Mount Allison (9-10-1) - The X-Women have become an AUS juggernaut and should have no problem with a hard working Mounties team looking to pull the upset of the year.

Saint Mary's (8-11-1) vs. UPEI (3-14-4) - The defending champion Huskies had won 5 of 7 after christmas but have come back to earth with a three game losing streak. They'll have a good chance of getting back on track vs. the last place Panthers who have lost 11 of their last 12 and have been eliminated from playoff contention. With a win and a Mounties loss the Huskies could move to 5th place.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Metro Marauders, Halifax Rainmen, and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_ and check us out on facebook.

Sportstream Athlete Profile: Simon Farine of the Dalhousie Tigers

2011-02-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Simon Farine is a leading candidate for AUS Most Valuable Player this season.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

Simon Farine is dominating AUS basketball, the 5th year player at Dalhousie has the Tigers playing some of their best basketball late in the season. Farine is a solid player who has been crucial for the Tigers this year and In the Stands wanted to ask this AUS all-star a few questions.

Current Team: Dal Tigers

Height: 6’2″

Date of Birth: March 21, 1987

Where you are from: Toronto, ON

Position: Guard

Where you played High School/Club: Northern Secondary School

Favourite Player: Steve Nash

Favourite Team: Toronto Raptors

Player you model your game after: Combination of a couple: Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Derek Rose

How old were you when you started playing: 10

Why Basketball: I played a lot of sports growing up but always enjoyed basketball the most.

What is it like being a student-athlete at Dal: Its very enjoyable. I am able to balance basketball and school work.

Pre Game Rituals: Eat a banana right before every game .

Whats the most listened song on your IPod: CSNY – Suite Judy Blue Eyes

Why is the AUS so tough: Its filled with great players and the game is more open letting the players have more freedom than other areas of the country.

Best Player in the World: Lebron James

Dream Lineup, with you in it: Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Lebron James, Blake Griffin and myself.

Hobbies: Following all sports.

Best Skill: Being a playmaker

Area of your game that needs work: Everything

Favourite Coach and why: I have had a bunch of great coaches. John Campbell has coached me through my favourite and best years of my basketball career to date. And my father coached and taught me a lot of extremely valuable things and how to be tough.

How was it playing in the States: It was a good experience but the basketball and the school was not what I was hoping for and I wasn’t happy there.

What are your goals Short and Long term: Short Term are to win Nationals and graduate this year, while my long term goals are to play basketball professionally.

Favourite Movie: Gladiator

Role Model: My Parents

Most famous person in your cell phone: Taylor Prichard

One Crazy thing about you: I enjoy random bits of knowledge, including names of obscure actors.

Favourite Food: Sushi

Dream Vacation Destination: Spain

In your free time you are: Hanging out with friends.

IPhone or Blackberry: Blackberry

Armaan Ahluwalia writes for the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Sportstream is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, Metro Marauders, and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_ and join our Facebook page.

Silver and Bronze for NB on Day 3 of Canada Games

2011-02-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Andrew Brideau and Evan Brideau show their silver and bronze medal with Canada Games Mascots Sammi & Anni

by Joel MacDougall

It was successful day at the 2011 Canada Games for New Brunswick speed skating. Not only did their 3000 meter male relay team qualify for the finals on Thursday, but they put two athletes on the podium of the Men’s 500m event.

At first it seemed like Andrew Evans would be the only Maritime on the podium with gold medal winner Alexandre St-Jean from Quebec, as the tight race finished with Maxime Gauthier of Quebec in third place. Following the race however Gauthier was disqualified for a violation during the race, bumping Evan Brideau, aged 17, up into the bronze medal. Watch the full race below along with some of Evans and Brideau’s post-race celebration in front of very pro-New Brunswick crowd at the St. Margaret’s Bay Centre.

Evans and Brideau kept the momentum rolling as they later joined their teammates for the Men’s 3000m Semi Finals. New Brunswick qualified for the finals by easily winning their race and will be joined by fellow Semi Final winners Quebec and Ontario. The team from Alberta also draws into the final on account of posting the next fastest time.

Other events on the day saw Courtney Shmyr of BC take hoe the gold in the Ladies 500m event. Quebec picked up another pair of medals by Cynthia Mascitto and Elisabeth Albert winning silver and bronze respectfully.

The top Nova Scotians were Elisabeth-Anne Roy (25th) and Tara Gowan (27th). Nova Scotia had no male competitors in short track speed skating.

In other news of interest from Day 3, Nova Scotia put in a valiant effort, but came out on the losing side of 5-4 shootout game against strong team from Quebec.

Joel MacDougall lives in Halifax and is the anchor of www.route19.wordpress.com. Follow Joel on twitter @jmdougall.

Varsity Reds Sweep Double Headers

2011-02-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Leah Corby scored 37 points in a two game set vs. the UPEI Panthers.

by Christopher Cameron

Entering the weekend just back of first place CBU, the Varsity Reds women’s basketball team got the job done at home, sweeping the UPEI Panthers with 90-66 and 98-78 wins.

With Megan Corby out of the line up, UNB showed they had the depth needed to pick up the wins, although UPEI did not make it easy.

In their second game of the doubleheader UPEI kicked off the game on an 8-0 run, with UNB bouncing back with some stellar play from Melissa Foster to close the gap.

A back and forth end of the first quarter saw UNB come out on top 30-21 in a high scoring first quarter.

The second quarter was more back and forth play as UNB struggled offensively and the Panthers found their stride of offense, opening up the quarter on a 5-0 run, dropping 20 points in the quarter. UPEI closed the gap to two points after the first half, with UNB barely taking a lead into the locker room 43-41.

After halftime a fiery Varsity Reds team came out of the locker room jumping out to a 10-0 run to kick off the quarter. Up 55-41, UNB’s quick start began to fall apart as the Panthers put a 10-0 run of their own together, closing the lead to one point with four minutes left in the quarter.

Leah Corby came through drained a pair of baskets for UNB to open up the Varsity Reds lead again, kicking off an 11-0 run before UPEI hit the final basket of the third, with UNB taking a nine point lead into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Varsity Reds edged out UPEI a back and forth quarter to finish the game with a 98-78 win.

Corby was named the player of the game for the Varsity Reds posting 19 points and two steals, while Amy Gough earned the title for UPEI.

Head coach Jeff Speedy was pleased with his teams play in the third and fourth quarters, especially a couple big stretches.

“There were stretches in the third and stretches in the fourth where for a couple minutes at a time we played really great defence, which allowed us to make a run,” said Speedy. “We talked at halftime that we thought we could score a lot, but we we’re going to be able to go on a run until we got some stops and allowed our defence to get us some easy baskets.”

Corby said that their main focus in the second half was defence and getting stops.

“I don’t know what we were doing wrong on defence,” said Corby. “We just tried to really focus in the second half on defence and getting stops because we know we can score, so we just had to get the stops in the defensive end.”

In their first game of the weekend UNB proved relentless in their attack with a strong first quarter, which saw them open up a 24-13 lead.

Their strong offensive pressure continued through the second half, outscoring UPEI 24-17 en route to a 48- 30 lead going into halftime.

After halftime the Varsity Reds came out, not letting up on the gas at all, scoring 24 points for the third straight quarter, taking a commanding 72-44 lead into the final quarter.

Losing their only quarter of the game, UNB saw UPEI outscore them 22-18 in the fourth, but it was a little late for the Panthers as they succumbed to the Varsity Reds offensive power, losing 90-66.

Claire Colborne led the team in scoring with 27 point with three rebounds, with Leah Corby being named the player of the game with 18 points respectively, seven assists, four rebounds, and three steals.

Next weekend UNB is home for their final home game in the LB Gym, taking on CBU Saturday.
Speedy says the team will take off tomorrow and begin to think about CBU on Monday.

“We have to get healthy,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of people with the flu. I’m not going to

think about CBU until sometime on Monday. We’re going to take tomorrow off and start worrying about them on Monday.”

Christopher Cameron is the Sports Editor for The Brunswickan student newspaper at the University of New Brunswick. Follow him on twitter @ccam1988.

Mystics vs Tommies on Sportstream.Ca

2011-02-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

The Tommies and the Mystics resume their heated rivalry this Saturday on Sportstream.

by Bill McLean

The Mount Saint Vincent Mystics and St. Thomas Tommies will renew their intense ACAA basketball rivalry this Saturday on sportstream.ca. Live coverage begins at 4:00 with the womens game followed by the men at 6:00 from the Rosaria Centre.

Mark Forward's Mystics came one win from a CCAA womens national championship last season and find themselves in another fight with the Tommies for first place in the conference. St.Thomas and MSVU have won the past two ACAA titles.

The Tommies will enter Saturday's match up undefeated and in first place with a record of 14-0. St. Thomas beat the Mount twice in Fredericton last month by scores of 71-59 and 54-39.

“After losing two up at STU early in the new year it will be extremely important for our confidence to respond in our gym with a win against the only undefeated team in our conference,” said Forward earlier this week. “For the Tommies it will be important for them to show us they can beat us in our own gym considering playoffs are at MSVU this year. It will be a battle.”

On the mens side the nationally ranked Mystics are undefeated and locked and loaded for another championship run. Rick Plato's troops have won five ACAA championships in a row. Coach Plato recently won his five hundredth game as Head Coach of the Mystics.

After winning four ACAA championships in five years from 2000-2004, the Tommies had hit hard times the past several seasons but have re-established themselves as an upper tier team this year with a record of 10-5, good for third place behind the Mount and Holland College.

The Tommies and Mystics have combined to win nineteen of the last twenty ACAA mens basketball championships.

Sportstream's Mavs Gillis will have the call from the Rosaria Student Centre.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, Metro Marauders, and the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Title Town Brings Lombardi Home

2011-02-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing three touchdowns.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

The 2010/11 season is now finished and it was one to remember for the ages. The Green Bay Packers came out of Superbowl 45 victorious and brought home Vince Lombardi with a score of 31-25. Yes the small town of Green Bay in the State of Wisconsin, nicknamed Titletown is getting another trophy. The Packers became only the 2nd team in the history of the NFL win the Superbowl as the #6 seed and doing so in fashionable style.

They faced some tough opponents on the way to winning the 45th Superbowl. They started out by traveling to the city of brotherly love and beat a very good Philadelphia Eagles team, which many experts were picking to win the Superbowl. After defeating the high flying eagles they traveled to the hostile Georgia Dome to face the Falcons. Matt Ryan and his falcons the #1 seed were very comfortable playing at home due to their almost impeccable record with Ryan at QB. This would soon change as the young QB looked inexperienced and the Packers pounded the Falcons badly. They then made it to the championship game, where they would face the storied franchise #2 seed Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Even with this amazing rivalry which goes back to the early 20′s this was only the 2nd time that these teams met in the post-season. The Packers took care of the Bears with no problem and booked their ticket to the big game in Dallas, Texas.

Superbowl 45: The biggest news story following the game was that Christina Aguilera messed up the National Anthem. Or it was the commercials that did not receive the great credibility from the twitter fiends. But it was not the fact that Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and the Packers won a title. The game started out slow with the Packers and Steelers trading failed drives to start the game. The Pack finally broke the dead lock with a pass from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson for the score. When the Steelers had the ball they committed one of their first costly turnovers. Nick Collins picked off a pass that was going to Mike Wallace but was no where near him and Collins picked it off easily. He managed to take it to the house for a score to make it a quick 14-0. Going into the half the Packers added more points to their total to make the score 21-10 going into the half.

The 3rd quarter was dominated by the Steelers. They may have not dominated on the score but they dominated on the defensive side of the ball as they finally started getting to Rodgers. They were also to establish a running game which was led by Mendenhall. They managed to put up 7 points on the board to close the lead to 4. Rodgers and company snapped back into the game by driving down the field and putting up another score on a pass to Greg Jennings. That was Jennings 2nd touchdown of the night. The Steelers answered back with a touchdown drive of their own. Roethlisberger threw to Mike Wallace for a score, they went for the 2 point conversion and converted making the Packer lead only 3 points. The Packers knowing what they need to do, went out and did it. They drove down field, taking time off the clock and getting a crucial field goal. The Steelers had one chance to score with a drive, but failed on 4th down and lost the ball and the game.

Injuries were a huge part of this game as both teams lost crucial players through out the game. From the Steelers Emmanuel Sanders hurt his knee when he was slammed down on the tackle. He tried playing the following play, but came off and threw his helmet in frustration. He threw it because he knew it was serious, and he was carted off. The other big injury was McFadden who was pulled out, Nelson managed to score when William Gay was covering him. On the other side, Donald Driver was as he hurt his ankle and was taken out and never came back in. Sam Shields was another one who was injured but came back in the 2nd half after receiving treatment in the locker room. The most important injury during the game was Charles Woodson. He broke his collarbone during the 2nd quarter on a diving play to attempt the interception. At half time Woodson tried to address his teammates and tell them that he would not be able to continue on, but he was filled with emotion and was unable to finish.

What the Steelers did wrong: Turnovers killed the Steelers in this game. That was probably the biggest mistake that the Steelers made during this game and cost them the game. Big Ben made too many bad throws and had 2 INT’s, you rarely win a Superbowl game when you throw 2 INT’s. Also when the Steelers were driving down the field Mendenhall coughed up a huge fumble when the tide seemed to be favouring the Steelers. Their inability to hold onto the ball was crucial and made a big difference as the Packers capitalized on their turnovers. Going deep with Mike Wallace? Although Mike Wallace had 9 catches 89 yards and 1 TD he was not used as much as he should have been. When Sanders went down early, they relied heavily on him for short throws which did not do much. In the past few games they had thrown it deep to Wallace who is electric quick. This lack of going deep, caused little openings over the middle for the intermediate receivers who make their money when the middle is less crowded with the deep threat. Their inexperienced receiving core also made a difference in the end. Troy Polamalu? The defensive player of the year was very quiet. Usually Polamalu causes QB’s headaches trying to avoid him, but in this game he was quiet with only 3 tackles. Thats not really defensive POY play is it? Defensive Pressure anyone? The Steelers managed to get 3 sacks all game but had trouble getting to Rodgers in 3 of the 4 quarters. Rodgers is not a QB you want to have all day to pick you apart, cause he will. Stupid Penalties. The Steelers committed only 6 penalties for 55 yards, but it was the timing of these penalties which killed them. On their final drive the decent return back was cancelled because of a stupid push after the play was over. Silly penalties causes them problems as they continued to shoot themselves in the feet.

What the Packers did right: Aaron Rodgers, what more can I say about Rodgers. 304 yards passing, and 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Rodgers continued to pick apart the Steelers all night and remained calm through out as the game got close. Offensive Line. The Packers offensive line was key only allowing 3 sacks all game and giving Rodgers enough time to stand in the pocket. They did let Rodgers get hit a few times through out the game but against the Steelers defense its going to happen. Who needs the starters to win games? The Packers have been faced with injuries all year and this game was nothing different. They lost key players through out the game and plugged in players to go in a preform, and guess what they did. They were in fact key in the victory forcing big plays at key times and that is what wins games. Turnovers. Their ability to force turnovers was key in this game as they continued to force Big Ben into mistakes. Lets face it, if you turn over the ball you just can’t win games, plain and simple. Quick Start. Their quick start against a slow starting Steelers team was the difference. Their 14-0 first quarter start was huge because the Steelers brought the game back and without that they would have been in trouble.

Superbowl 45 will be in the record books as its now passed and the Packers are cemented in history as the Superbowl Champs. The Steelers had a great season, and fell one game short of ultimate glory for a 3rd time in 6 years. The Steelers could have won this game had they not committed so many turnovers, but that is still up for debate. Superbowl MVP went to Rodgers and now is a ‘winner’ and has emerged from the shadows of Brett Favre. Now that the season is done, its time to look forward to the CBA deal getting done or their will not be a season next year. Also coming up is the NFL draft which features some interesting talent.

Armaan Ahluwalia writes for the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Sportstream.ca is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, Metro Marauders, and the AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_.

Derek vs. The Spread:Super Bowl Picks by the Pros

2011-02-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

Steve Betts thinks the Packers edge on Special Teams will lead to victory in the Super Bowl.

by Derek Leblanc

For the last couple of weeks, I have been having a great time breaking the NFL postseason here on haligonia, but now it is time for the big game on Sunday between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. While I may have my complete breakdown of the game, I thought it would be cool to ask other people thoughts for their Super Bowl picks, so me and Bill Mclean went through various contacts we have and were able to get some responses from journalists, broadcasters, musicians, athletics and others to give who should get it done. While we did have a few joke ones, it was great and I would like to thank everyone who helped out.

Gabe Morency (Co Host of Game Time Decisions on Game TV, Host of MMA Meltdown on the Fight Network/Sports Rage on www.morencysports.com)- For now I will say the Packers 34, the Steelers 31. I think it is going to come down to the last couple of minutes and somebody is going to make a big play. Rothlisberger legend will either grow with another drive or he will get picked off by Woodson or something. Someone will be a hero at the end of this game. You can make an argument for the over, the under, the Packers or the Steelers.
Note-Morency made this pick on Tuesday-To Check out his final pick go the morencysports.com on Sunday.

Chad Margulius (www.intheot.com)- Steelers 21-20. Mendenhall will pound the rock and chew up clock keeping Rodgers on the sideline for much of this game. Tomlin will find a way to outcoach McCarthy. And the Steelers like usual will come up with key big turnover at the most crucial part of the game.

TJ Grant (UFC fighter)-Gonna stick with Green Bay. Liked them coming into the season and here they are. It should come down to the last possession either way.
Cory Buckle (K-Rock News Editor, Fort McMurray, Alberta) - I think the Packers and the Steelers will play a fairly close game. Both teams rank very highly defensively. Rogers will step up after a rough game against the Bears and well Big Ben will be "Big" once again. I love his ability to run with the ball. The Steelers can't afford to simply mail it in after the first half if they have the lead. I predict a 23-17 game...Steelers bring home their 7th Championship.

Brodie Sanders (Maritimemmafans.com) - At first a lot of people were not sure about the Steelers making it to the Superbowl, but everyone was positive they would be seeing Green Bay there. Green Bay has seemed conservative in a few of their games and that is certainly no way to beat the Steelers. If Big Ben can find his receivers early on in the game I see no reason why the Steelers won't win by at least 10 and Big Ben will have his third Championship ring. I know a few Packers fans who would love to disagree with me.

Ryan MacDonald (Play by Play for CBU Basketball on caperstv.com/News reader for 101.9 The Giant, Sydney) - Definitely feeling a Pittsburgh win. I have no technical football reason why, other than a pure gut feeling. I'll take 28-21 Steelers. They just seem to be that annoying semi-dynastic sports team that people either love or hate, but always seem to find a way to win.

Troy Areseneault (guitarist Alert the Metic/Wheeler and booking agent for The Seahorse Tavern)-Green Bay.... Rodgers is nothing but class and deserves it!!! 20-14
Gary Whittaker (Host of the Franchise, TEAM 990, Montreal/The Weigh in on www.fightworld.tv)- GB 24 - PIT 17.Both have great D, but Rogers emerges from the shadow of Favre at QB and gets his first SuperBowl championship.

Ross Neilson (Musician)-I don't watch much sports stuff......BUT...I would totally go with the packers cause I love cheese and my bro is a packers fan so maybe he'd stop yammering about them if they win? Final score? Hmmm gonna go with 22-24 green bay.

Charlie A ‘Court (Musician) - I'm in the same boat as Ross but I'll take a stab at prediction. I'm going to say Green Bay comes from behind and scores a basket in the 9th inning to tie it with the Packers. It'll go to a shootout but in the end Packers win 30-Love. I've got a good feeling about this one.

Adam Reid (Actor/TV Host, http://www.adamreidonline.com)-Once in a generation, something happens that people know could possibly happen, don't believe will ever happen, but somehow it does. Most of course are right to be skeptical because after all who wouldn't be skeptical when a 6th ranked NFL team has to win all of its games on the ROAD to make it to the Superbowl. *cough*
Impossible Right....!? Impossible is sometimes misread. It really means, Im Possible. It means that anything is possible. Rogers believes it, the packers believe it, and I believe it.
Packers by 3-7 points at most for the most incredible win of a NFL team EVER in a superbowl and the hurdles they had to overcome to do it.

Ben Mills-(Halifax comedian) - Aaron Rodgers is supernatural in domes in the playoffs. The Superbowl is in a dome. It should be a high scoring affair with numerous deep attacks from both sides and occasional lapses in both secondaries. At the end the super slo-motion capture the obligatory shot of Rodgers staring upward into the confetti with Lombardi trophy in hand and MVP.

Keith Grienke (Owner/Editor www.topmmanews.com)- I have to take the Steelers. Their defense will overwhelm Rodgers and Roethlisberger will do enough and make few enough mistakes to win.

Cyril Lunney (Co-Host Breakfast Television)-Packers by 3

Kevin Northup (Weekend/Evening Announcer at CJLS the Wave, Yarmouth NS) - I think the Packers are going to win. Rodgers is really coming into his own, and Big Ben and the boys need to lose sometime in the Super Bowl... I'll say 28-18.

John Macneil (Colour Commentator for Eastlink Football) - Steelers 31 Packers 20. You can't give Dick Lebeau two weeks to prepare for a big game and not have him come up with a great defensive plan. Plus, Ben Roethlisberger is still trying desperately to prove to his teammates and the public that he is not a liability. My problem is that my heart is with Green Bay.

Steve Sarty, (Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics Director)-I think it's Packers over the Steelers 28-21. Aaron Rodgers is the game MVP and Donald Driver scores the game winner.

Mavs Gillis (Voice of the Halifax Rainmen and Saint Mary’s Huskies on Sportstream Atlantic)-Steelers 28-24. Steelers have more experience than the Packers at the Super Bowl.
Garreth Macdonald, (CTV News Reporter)-31-24 Steelers. Polamalu has fantastic hair.

John Campbell (Head Coach of Dalhousie Tigers Men’s Basketball)-23-16 Packers. Big Ben throws an interception from the 35 yard line with time winding down.

Steve Sumarah, (Head Coach, Saint Mary’s Huskies football)-Steelers 21-17.Defensive play wins the game

Steve Betts (Sportstream Atlantic contributor and Colour Commentator for Dalhousie Tigers Hockey)- Packers by 10.Packers have better special teams, Pittsburgh due for a bad game.

Bill McLean (Voice of the Dalhousie Tigers, anchor of Sportstream Atlantic, and host of Bill McLean Sports Show on ckdu 88.1) -Packers 28-Steelers 24. Big Ben makes his first critical mistake in a Super Bowl that leads to a win for the Packers.

Avry Lewis McDougall-(Host, The Avry Sports Show, ustreamtv/channel/avryofedmonton)-give me 21-14 for the Packers. It’s going to be a smash mouth game. The Lombardi trophy comes home this year.

People who picked the Steelers to win-9
People who picked the Packers to win-15

Derek Leblanc is a sports writer and broadcaster in Halifax. Derek is a regular contributor to topmmanews.com.

Super Bowl Preview

2011-02-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Mike Tomlin of the Steelers will be coaching in his second Super Bowl.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

This is going to be one memorable Superbowl. With the teams which will be lining up this Sunday in Dallas for the 45th Superbowl, we are in for a treat. Both teams are rightly deserving for making it this far, as their seasons have been special. Superbowl 45 has some of the most storied franchises in NFL history.

Coming from the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Lombardi trophy a record 6 times. They have also had extreme success as of late making it to the Superbowl 3 times in the last 6 years. The NFC sends the Green Bay Packers who are no stranger to this game as their famous head coach’s name is on the Superbowl Trophy. Winning the Lombardi trophy 3 times and twice in the first years of the Superbowl. These teams do not lack All-stars, Hall of Famers, or Legendary Stadiums. This is a meeting of dominant and storied franchises and where else to meet but in a brand new billion dollar stadium in North Texas.

Pittsburgh Steelers: These steelers are lead by head coach Mike Tomlin and legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. They managed to earn a birth in the big game after defeating the New York Jets in a dominating first half but fell apart barely able to hold on to the game in the final seconds. Don’t let that second half performance fool you, these steelers are legit. Their amazing record through out the season could have been better had Big Ben or Troy Polamalu not been injured.

Offense: Their offense is lead by troubled Ben Roethlisberger, who was suspended for the first 4 games of the year. He rebounded to come back and have a great season leading them to the final game. Rashard Mendenhall was a great power running back for them this year as he matches power and speed with a great balance. They have a solid receiving core which is lead by Hines Ward, the speedy Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, and Emmanuel Sanders. Their offensive line has had troubles all year, but managed to grind out games. They are lead by rookie all-star Maurkice Pouncey who was injured during the Championship game and will not be playing in the Superbowl. This is a huge blow to Steelers as they have had so many injuries this year and this is another crucial one.

Defense: This is one of the best, if not the best defenses in the NFL. These guys carry the stereotypical Pittsburgh tag line ‘the steel curtain’. These guys coached by one of the greatest minds in the game has shown that they are for real. They play hard, physical and smash mouth defense. With so many all-stars and great players on this defense it makes it hard to get any yards against them. Casey Hampton, James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, and the list goes on and on. These guys are legit and have shut down so many offenses. LeBeau brings players from all over and creates pressure all around the QB confusing him.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers are lead by coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coach Dom Capers who has lead these Packers back to the postseason and a trip to the Superbowl doing in stylish fashion, beating the #3, #1, and #2 seed in order. Lead by MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers and a stingy defense which doesn’t get much credit these Packers have come out of the shadow that Brett Favre made. This team is on a hot stretch and is dangerous in every aspect of the ball.

Offense: This is clearly one of the best offenses in the league. Their ability to score loads of points, so fast is amazing. Lead by their All-Star QB Aaron Rodgers they lead a deadly attack. Rodgers ability to avoid the pressure as the pocket collapses is unreal. He reads defenses very well and has a cannon for an arm. Their running game was a concern at the beginning of the year as RB Ryan Grant went down early, and they scrambled to find a replacement. They found late round draft pick James Starks who has stepped in and dominated this postseason and has been crucial for the Packers ability to throw the ball successfully. They have Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson catching the balls all day as Rodgers gets it to them. This is arguably the best receiving core in the league. Their offensive line has been solid as they have tried to rebuild it over the past few years and it has showed slowly.

Defense: This defense does not get a lot of credit. Even though they rank very high, they still don’t get the credit they deserve. Regardless, they have some amazing all-stars on the that side of the ball. Their 3-4 defense lead by mastermind Dom Capers has definitely helped. Their D-Line is lead by the freezer, B.J. Raji, who is eating up O-Lines all day. If you make it past the D-Line you have a ferocious Linebacking core which is lead by Clay Matthews, and A.J. Hawk. Their secondary is not too shabby either with Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, and rookie Tramon Williams.

Key Match-ups to watch: When the Packers have the ball. Aaron Rodgers vs. Steelers front 7. Can the front 7 get to Rodgers, and can they tackle him. That will need to be answered for the Steelers to come out with a victory. Also the Green Bay Receivers vs. Steelers DB’s. Green Bay’s Offensive X – Factor is RB James Starks. Pittsburgh’s Defensive X – Factor is Troy Polamalu. When the Steelers have the ball. Steelers O-Line vs. Green Bay front 7. The one tipping point for the Steelers is their offensive line, as they have had problems all year and especially as Big Ben spent a lot of time on the ground. If they Steelers can get a good push against Raji and the blitzing Matthews they should have a good chance. Steelers Offensive X – Factor is Heath Miller. Green Bay’s Defensive X – Factor is Clay Matthews.

Prediction: This game like I said is going to be tough, smash mouth, back and forth and close. These two teams have the chance to win the Superbowl simply because they are great teams with lots of talent. On the offensive side of the ball the Packers have the edge with a slightly more consistent QB, a great WR core and a solid O-line. The Steelers have a great QB who has 2 rings and a good running game and good receivers. The Steelers have the edge with the defense as they have so many all-stars and talent everywhere. The Packers have a great scheme defense with talent everywhere as well. The one thing that is the only huge difference between both teams is that the Steelers have a large chunk of the roster which has done this before, where the Packers only have 2 players who have been to the big game. I am going against the consensus and picking the Steelers. This game could come down to a last minute field goal, making the difference. I like Big Ben to get it done and with a solid defense to shut down Aaron Rodgers.

Pittsburgh 20 – Green Bay 17

Armaan Ahluwali writes for the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Derek vs. The Spread: Superbowl

2011-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Big Ben's Super Bowl experience gives Pittsburgh the quarterback edge vs. Green Bay.

by Derek Leblanc

This is the moment that we have all been waiting for. The Green Bay and Pittsburgh Steelers will clash in Dallas on Sunday for the Super Bowl. While I can sit here and bore you with pre game talk I like to get down to business. I decided to break down each position on the field and see who has the upper hand come kickoff time.

Green Bay Packers (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterbacks
Green Bay-When trying to figure out who has the edge at quarterback going into super bowl 45, it is pretty even. Both team's starters are easily two of the best five quarterback in the league. With Green Bay, what can't you say about Aaron Rodgers that we have not seen in this postseason? He is basically taking this team and has a won three road games which is a feat in itself because the only other two in recent memory that have done it are Eli Manning with the Giants in 08 and the very qb he will face in Ben Roethlisberger who did it in 06. His rating is least in the 120 range in 3 of his 4 playoff games and even thou he had trouble last week against the toughest front 7 in the bears, he was still able to tackle down Brain Urlacher to save him from throwing a pick six. Plus with his scrambling, this will not be Rodgers only super bowl in his career.
Pittsburgh-While he may have his worse playoff showing in his career, Big Ben is clutch in the postseason. Over his career, he has gone 10-2 and has two super bowl rings to show for it and another win would give him a one way ticket to Canton, Ohio. We see what he can do in big pressure situations and is one of the best scramblers in the league but with how banged up his offensive line this season, he needs to be against this defense. Plus with playing teams like the Ravens twice a year, it has made this dude tough and can take a hit. In the one meeting he had against the Ravens, he suffered a broken nose and instead of getting it checked out, he got it popped back in and won the game for the Steelers. Hell he even fell off a motorcycle with no helmet and acted like it was nothing. He will not feel the pressure because of his past experience and with the various styles of receivers the team has, he can beat you in many ways
Advantage-While Rodgers does have the hot hand going into the game, i still have to lead with the Steelers for the better quarterback. Big Ben has gotten the Super Bowls and you should only play to do one thing and that is to hold the Lombardi trophy at season's ends.

Running Backs
Green Bay-While at the start of the season, they were set at the position with Ryan Grant, things can change in a flash. Grant went out the first game on the season against the Eagles and the Packers have had trouble filling the void that he 1200 yards he brought to the team. While they have one of the better fullbacks in the league in John Kuhn, he can only really help with pounding through a defensive line and can't get the big run. For most of the season, Brandon Jackson has been getting most of the carries, he has little success. The last couple of games of the regular season and part of the playoffs, James Starks have been able to give the team the help it needs to have a balance offense. While most people never heard of Starks till week 17, the former university of Buffalo star was the big reason why the team played in the international bowl back in 09. While the Steelers have the 2nd best rush defense of all time in stats, Green Bay will have try and find a way to have some success.
Pittsburgh-While the Steelers have their guy in the backfield with Rashad Mendenhall, people still think the rush is the weakest part of their offense. Mendenhall may not get the big name status like a Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson; he quietly got third in rushing yards this season. If you want to look and see how well he really is, you have to look at his two games against the Jets this season. The Jets were 3rd in rushing yards allowed this season Mendenhall was the only person this year who could get over 100 yards in rushing against them. In week 15, he got 99 yards on 17 carries which was an average of 5.8 yards per carry. In the AFC championship he was basically the only person who could muster any good offense against the Jets going for 121 yards. While Isaac Redman has been good on third down situations for the Steel curtain, Mendenhall will be depended on big time if the Steelers want to win.
Advantage-While both team's rushing attacks were both ranked in the top five, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the Steelers have the upper hand.

Offensive Line
Green Bay-One year can make a difference and that is the case for the front five of the pack. In 2009, Aaron Rodgers was sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. While it taught Rodgers to scramble better this season, the team picked up there game and were able to make adjustments to make sure the franchise is on the field. While you read this you may think that the o line had trouble because Rodgers had concussions on two separate occasions against the Lions and Redskins. For both times, Rodgers had gone pass the line and ran when he could not fine an open target. While at the start of the year they had problems with false starts, especially in week three at Chicago, they were able to get that jump that they need.
Pittsburgh-While the Steelers had some problems last year when the lost standout Alan Faneca to the Jets via free agency two years ago., they were able to adjust but this season has been hard on the team because of the injuries. Flozell Adams will be looked upon to help lead this time. While he does bring 13 year career with him, his best days are behind him. The also lost rookie center Maurkice Pouncey suffered an ankle injury against the Jets, While he was still a rookie and learning on the job, he was a big help for Florida getting a BCS championship and for Tim Tebow being able to rush for as many yards as he do. While the replacements have been able to work short periods of times to help Mendenhall, it has taken a toll on big ben when in motion.
Advantage-While Adams veteran presence will be a help for the young Steelers. Green Bay has everyone on that line healthy that we know of because we know that players will play through the pain.

Receivers
Green Bay-What helps makes a quarterback great is the weapons that he has to throw to. With Aaron Rodgers, he has more than plenty to choose from. Lead by 12 year veteran Donald Driver, this team was one of the best this year in the air ranking them 5th overall in the regular season. While Driver is getting up there in years, he is showing he is like a fine wine and getting better with age. His number one spot has been taken over by Greg Jennings the last couple of season. He had a career year with new highs or trying in yards, yards per catch, touchdowns and longest receptions, so he will be a handful to for the Steelers secondary. Besides those two, they have some younger guys in James Jones and Jordy Nelson. Plus they still have tight end Donald Lee, while even thou he has been quiet in the playoffs; he can help the core with his blocking.
Pittsburgh-Now I said the Packers and Steelers are similar in a lot of aspects and the receiving core for the Steelers is the same. We have the one veteran who has been getting it done for years in Hines Ward. While Ward’s number were down this season, he is still a value for this organization and can step in when needed. The newer guy in Mike Wallace brings the deep ball threat that hasn’t been seen since Plaxico Burress. He had a great second season finishing 3rd in the AFC with yards and was top for with seven 100 yards games and 21 yards per catch. He will also be a handful this game with the Packers secondary. Also the Steelers still have Antwaan Randle El and another young stud in rookie Emannuel Sanders. At tight end Big Ben still has one of his favourite targets in Heath Miller.
Advantage-While this was a tough matchup to pick, I will have the give the edge to the Packers because there have a better depth chart in my mind the Steelers.

Special Teams
Green Bay-with special teams there are so many elements to look over. With their field goal unit, kicker mason Crosby may not be a top five kicker, he is reliable, He made 22-28 in the regular season, and playing in the Midwest, you know the wind can play a factor. On the kick return thou things are not that good, they were ranked in the bottom in both yards and yards per return, but with their offense, they don’t need that big run on either side of the ball. On the defensive side, punter Tim Masthay does not get to go out much so he will not be expected to play too much in the game.
Pittsburgh-With kicker Shawn Suiisham, he has been good for the most part since joining the team after they released Jeff Reed midway through the season. His career % is 80 over his career, but he has been well travelled throughout his career, so that could be saying something. On the punting, Jeremy Kapinos is not used much so he will probably be quiet in this game as well. On kick returns, they do have Randle El on the punting side and can make big plays any where’s because he played qb while in college. He will be seen on kick returns as well where the Steelers can make a big play or two when needed.
Advantage-While the most pressure for special teams is field goals, I will have to go with the Packers. They can change the game with that one play and either be an Adam Vinatieri or a Scott Norward/Ray Finkle for the movie buffs

Secondary
Green Bay-Whenever you think of the Packers secondary, you have to look at one person and that is Charles Woodson. The Michigan Heisman winner is the heart of defensive core and even got a second wind after a rough final two years in Oakland. He was the defensive player of the year last year and he has made the secondary one of the best in the league. They have Tramon Williams on the other side of the corner who has had big playoffs especially with the final pick against the eagles. In the safety position you have Nick Collins and Charlie Pepreh at safety to prevent the deep threat. Plus they have a future star in Sam Shields who has had a good rookie season and a big game against the Bears with two picks, a sack and a force fumble. He will be a great replacement for when Woodson calls it a career. They have an average of only giving up 212 yards in the playoffs and that is good considering when Matt Ryan and Michael Vick were two of three quarterbacks they faced.
Pittsburgh-The only things I have to say about the Steelers backfield on defense is 214.1 and 122.5. That is the average amount of yards they gave up in the regular season and postseason although the postseason stat of 122.5 was against the Jets and Ravens who don’t have elite quarterbacks. Either way we know what Troy Polamalu can do for the team and so does the associated press because he was named defensive player of the year earlier this week. Also with Ryan Clark, he can help in the deep threat. On the corners we have Bryant McFadden and one of the most underrated players in the league in Ike Taylor. While may not get the number of picks as to an Asante Samuel as an example, he is like a Darrelle Revis in which he is good guarding on one man coverage. They do have some depth as well like William Gay and Anthony Madison.
Advantage-Both teams have solid guys all over the secondary and both teams each have a future hall of famer in Woodson and Polamalu. I will give the edge to the Packers because I like the guys coming off the bench more than the Steelers. Note I do have a small bias because Woodson is Wolverine alum.

Linebackers
Green Bay-While Polamalu may have won defensive player of the year, he only beat Clay Matthews by two votes. Matthews came out big this season with 13.5 sacks in his second season. He has also a big help on the line backing core this year and has taken a leadership role. Before the season, the Packers lost Aaron Kampmann to the jaguars and then in week four they lost Nick Barnett for the season so he come on to do what he can to help the Packers get to Dallas. He still hasn’t done it by himself thou, he still has AJ Hawk and Desmond Bishop with him in the middle Frank Zombo on the outside. The thumbs up does have to do to Dom Capers. While his head coaching career was not the best, he knows how till run a defense and with all the problems they had this season, he will get some bonus money.
Pittsburgh-The line backing core can be a nightmare for the packers and you have to think that the offensive line will be having nightmares about James Harrison. The former defensive player of the year has made a bigger name for himself this season but with mixed emotions. He has received a number of fines this year that totalled over $200 000. While there was a hit or two that deserved it there were plenty that were not. Ever since the Brady rule came in after 2008 season, you can’t play smash mouth football and that is what Harrison does. He easily could have played with Jack Lambert and the Steel curtain defense of 70’s. He will not care this game and he will do what he can to win this game. He will not be alone. He has James Farrior and LaMair Woodley with him that can also do some damage. They do some good secondary guys with Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons they can come in a special different situations. While they can be a problem for the offensive line they will make sure the Packers running game weaker than it already is.
Advantage-With the way the both teams can hurt you up the middle, Pittsburgh’s guys can have no problem putting someone on a stretcher.

Defensive Line
Green Bay-With the Packers they have a solid front three and can create turnovers when they need to. A prime example was in the NFC championship against the Bears when nose tackle B.J Raji was able to get an interception and score the game winning touchdown to get them to Dallas. They do have some solid guys like Ryan Pickett, Cullen Jenkins on the starting line and have C.J Wilson on the bench if one of the guys would go down. They can have a big game because of the injuries on the Steelers offensive line and have only given up 69 yards a game in the postseason.
Pittsburgh-While the names on the Steelers front three may not be household names in the NFL. They can get the job done. While they may have not gotten the sacks, they sure as hell can stop the run. During the regular season, the Steelers held opponents to fewer than 65 rushing yards per game and only letting Patriots running back Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis gain over 87 yards. There hasn’t been much difference in the playoffs as they have just allowed only just over 52 yards a game. That is impressive when you’re facing the like of the Ravens and the Jets. This front three this season will go down as one with the 2000 Ravens and the 85 Bears for the best run defense of all time. Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel will lead the way and force Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball a lot on Sunday.
Advantage-I don’t even have to explain why the Steelers are better.

Final outcome-While breaking everything down I think we are going to see a tight defensive game. I think the Packers will get some turnovers over a weak Steelers offensive line and win the game 23-20 and cover the spread.

Derek Leblanc lives in Halifax and covers Mixed Martial Arts for Topmmanews.com.

Rainmen Defend Homecourt With Two Solid Wins

2011-02-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

by Peter Clarke

THE GIST OF IT

Coming off of some major changes within the organization, the Rainmen dominantly defended their home court last weekend.

Rainmen put exclamation point on Maritime rivalry

The Rainmen put together a strong performance on Saturday against their East Coast rivals, the Saint John Millrats and recorded the 97 to 84 win.

The game didn’t seem so strong at first, however. Up until the two-minute mark, either team had managed to put together more than a few successful possessions.

Things picked up in the second quarter especially for the Millrats who outscored the Rainmen 30 to 23. They could not carry that success into the second half though and the Rainmen completely took over the game.

Halifax beats Rochester, makes posters

The Rainmen capped their weekend with their second win in less than 24 hours by beating the Rochester Razorsharks 111 to 97.

Halifax put together a monster 37 point first quarter and made the Sharks look very inept. They continued to outscore them all game long except for the fourth, but at the point it was essentially garbage time for the Rainmen.

With the two wins at home the Rainmen are tied for second in the league at 6-2 with the Quebec Kebs whom they play this weekend.

WHO DID IT

Marshall Brown had a big weekend for the Rainmen and led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds versus the Millrats. Josh Dollard followed him with 16 and seven and hit a three-pointer. The Rainmen also got big time contribution from Tajaun Porter who shot 4-of-7 from the three-point line and racked up 14 points. Taliek Brown was consistent as usual scoring 13 and dishing out eight assists.

Against the Sharks, Mike Mercer led the Rainnmen with 22 points and seven rebounds from the shooting guard position. Marshall Brown continued to dazzle the home fans with 21 points, which included a monster one-handed dunk over several Rochester players. Taliek Brown notched a double-double 15 points and 11 assists.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

The Rainmen have been moving along rather nicely as of late. The offense in fast and clicking, especially now under coach Mike Evans.

Unfortunately though a prospect could be leaving. Former NBA player Kirk Snyder has reportedly been looked at to join a team in China, which has seen several NBA players, join its profession league, including former Knicks star guard Stephon Marbury. He would make substantially more money overseas and Andre Levingston has given his blessing for Snyder to whip himself back into shape and make the journey.

It’s a shame because it would have been a great story for Halifax to have him rebuild his career here and make his way back to the NBA.

That is the kind of situation (knock-on-wood) that would make a case for Halifax to be the home of an NBA D-league team, which if you’re watching it on TV looks like they get less fans in the stands the Rainmen.

That is all hypothetical though.

In the real world, the quality of Rainmen basketball is much better than it was last year and I think the credit can be almost solely placed on the shoulders of Taliek Brown.

Brown is a great all-around point guard and a quality leader on the court. His passing helps get every player on the roster involved and he can score and get to the line when he needs to as well.

Halifax didn’t have that last year, as their two frontline guards, usually just played isolation basketball and ball movement was kept to a minimum.

Yes, people like flash when they watch basketball. Dunks and trick-layups fill sell seats, but so does smart, fundamental basketball – and that is what the Rainmen have been moving toward since Brown put on the jersey.

HECKLER’S ROW BURN OF THE WEEK

“DAVIS HUNGRY. NOW DAVIS TIRED!” – said to Razorsharks forward Lorenzo Davis who took a shellacking from the costumed comics.

Peter Clarke lives in Halifax and can be followed on twitter @rainmenblogger. Check out his website at http://rainmen.kingsjournalism.com/.

Rainmen Head Into Weekend With New Faces and New Expectations

2011-01-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

Former NBA player Kirk Snyder is one of the Rainmen's most recent acquisitions.

by Peter Clarke

To say the last couple weeks were busy in the PBL and for the Rainmen would be an understatement.

In chronological order:

They signed former NBA guard/forward, changed coaches and saw one of their competitors fold, changing the dynamic of their conference and of the league.

It was announced last week that former NBA guard Kirk Snyder would be joining the Rainmen. The six foot six guard drafted in the first round in 2004 averaged 6.3 points in 16.8 minutes per game during his time in the NBA playing for the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

His career was brought to a standstill when an undiagnosed mental health condition caused let to conviction for aggravated assault.

Now being treated and with recommendations from his trial judge, his lawyers and new general manage Andre Levingston, he is set to make his debut in the Metro Centre on Saturday night against Maritime rivals, the Saint John Millrats.

If Snyder gets back to form, he could easily lead the Rainmen in the scoring department and to a possible title.

If that wasn’t enough to spark serious title talk in Halifax, the Rainmen have recruited former NBA standout Mike Evans to be their new head coach after Less Berry resigned from the team to pursue other careers.

Evans has a great pedigree. As a former three-point marksman, he was selected 21st overall in the 1978 NBA draft and was well traveled in the NBA. He has had a bit of coaching experience with the Denver Nuggets and even the Toronto Raptors and has also worked as a scout in the NBA.

While Berry was an excellent coach, this sudden infusion of talent could give fans something they’ve never seen before in both talent and play style.

Sadder news broke this week, however. The Vermont Frostheaves have folded and the PBL quickly held a dispersal draft. The Rainmen were able to pick up guard/forward Julian Allen and waived the productive Tommy Mitchell.

There have been a lot of changes to the Rainmen roster this year, which is not uncommon so it has been hard for fans to keep track of and get to know the many new faces on the team this year. But with high profile names being added to the score sheet, it could be the catalyst for a Rainmen popularity growth spurt and the Rainmen are heading into the weekend with a lot of eyes on them.

If there was a game to go to this year, it would be this Saturday to see how these guys perform first hand. See you there.

Peter Clarke lives in Halifax. Follow him on twitter @rainmenblogger and check out his website at http://rainmen.kingsjournalism.com.

Sportstream Athlete Profile: Joey Haywood

2011-01-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Joey Haywood is the nation's leading scorer averaging 29 points per game.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

Playing basketball in the AUS is not an easy task. Dominating in the AUS is even more tricky. That is one thing that Joey Haywood has managed to do very well while playing for the St. Mary’s Huskies. Joey is on fire, having another stellar year for the Huskies as they currently make a push for the AUS playoffs. So far in the 2010/11 Haywood has been dominant with some amazing performances and great statistics. He is in the top 10 of almost every major statistic through 11 games in the season and looks on pace to keep that with his great play. Haligonia Sports asked him a few questions about basketball, and other things.

Current Team: St.Mary’s University
Height: 6’1
Date of Birth: September 3rd, 1984
Where you are from: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Position: PG
Where you played High School/Club: Magee Secondary Highschool in Vancouver
Favourite Player: Allen Iverson
Favourite Team: Chicago Bulls
Player you model your game after: Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings
How old were you when you started playing: First started at age 7
Why Basketball: Because you can use different moves to beat your defender and make them look dumb. Not expensive to play. All you need is a ball and a hoop.
What is it like being a student-athlete: It is hard because you have to balance school work and basketball.
Pre Game Rituals: spending time with my family, nap, and shower before the game.
Whats the most listened song on your IPod: Jamie fox album.
Why is the AUS so tough: A lot of players from the states that used to play division 1 and the east coast is known for having the best players in the country.
Best Player in the World: Micheal Jordan
Dream Lineup, with you in it: Allen Iverson, Micheal Jordan, Black Griffin, D.Howard and my self
Hobbies: Video games and DC and Marvel Animation Movies
Best Skill: Dribbling
Area of your game that needs work: Defense
Favourite Coach and why: I say Ross Quackenbush because he always gives me knew things to work on at the end of the season and always wants me to expand my game even more. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to display my talent on the court. Not a lot of people and coaches believed in my game and i thank coach for accepting and believing in me.
What are your goals Short and Long term: Short term is to graduate with a degree and play in the NBA or overseas. Long term: personal basketball trainer and own a 24hr basketball gym. Work with troubled kids.
Favourite Movie: Rocky 4
Role Model: Micheal Jordan
Goals for the year: AUS championship and be National Champs.
Most famous person in your cell phone: Roberto Young aka Exile And1 mixtape tour player.
One Crazy thing about you: Love to laugh
Favourite Food: chinese and pizza
Dream Vacation Destination: Egypt

In your free time you are: hanging out with my family and watching basketball.
IPhone or Blackberry: I own a Blackberry but should've got an Iphone

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer for the Dal Gazette and has his own website, www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow Armaan on twitter @therealbrindian

Sportstream is the webcasting home of the Saint Mary's Huskies, Halifax Rainmen, Metro Marauders, and the AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Email us at sportstreamatlantic@gmail.com follow us on twitter @_sportstream_

NFL Championship Preview; Pick Six (seed)

2011-01-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

Rex Ryan and Marc Sanchez have won four playoff games on the road in the last two years.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

One win and you are in the biggest game of the year. Thats right one more victory and you are in Superbowl 45 in Dallas Texas. This weeks matchups are set to be good ones as one of the oldest rivalries takes place again and a new one starts. Last week I went 3-1 the only loss the surprising victory by the New York Jets who took down the highly favoured Patriots in stunning fashion.

New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

These teams met earlier in the season where the Jets prevailed in a crucial game. The Jets had lost a two games in a row, one beating by New England and a bad loss at home against the Miami Dolphins. They then proceed to get their act together and pull out a thrilling 22-17 victory against the Steelers at Hinez Field in the cold.

This week will be no different as these teams are both going for a superbowl berth and this will be a great defensive battle. When Pittsburgh has the ball the key matchup will be Big Ben vs. the Jets Secondary. I like the Jets secondary to win this one because of the fact that Revis Island, Cromartie, and Wilson will be dominant. When the Jets have the ball the key matchup will be Mark Sanchez vs. the Steelers front 7. Can the steelers get to Mark Sanchez as his accuracy and pocket presence has always been a thing of question.

Another factor to add to this matchup is the fact that probowl saftey Troy Polamalu was not active in the previous matchup. His ability to see many things that other safetys miss is extremely priceless and will be a huge asset to the defense. The X factor for the Jets will be Shonn Greene. If he can get a solid run game started with LT against this stingy steelers defense it will be key to victory.

This game will be decided in the 4th quarter as both of these teams never quit and bring quality defenses to the table. I have been going against the Jets for too long, and they keep proving me and everyone else wrong that they are contenders. Look for the Jets to establish the running game earlier and continue pounding the ball down the Steelers throat. Don’t look for Pittsburgh to throw in the towel early or late in this game. Big Ben knows how to win and will certainly bring it.

Jets 23 – Steelers 20.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

This is easily one of the most intense/storied/greatest rivalries in all of professional football. With their rivalry starting early in the 30′s these teams have met a record 182 times and will make 183 this sunday at Soldier Field. This marks only the 2nd time that these teams have met in the postseason, a game in which the Bears took in dominating fashion. This year the 2 clubs have met well twice as they are in the NFC north a competitive division which was very tight this year as well with good teams. Chicago won the first time 20-17 at Soldier field. The second time Green Bay won 10-3 at Lambeau Field another great place wth such storied history.

This matchup will be super entertaining in the sense that both teams are really rolling and with the history that these teams bring. The Packers have grounded the Eagles and Falcons in consistent weeks and have showed no signs of slowing down. The Bears came off a victory last week against the surprising Seahawks who beat the defending champ Saints. When the Packers have the ball the key matchup will be Aaron Rodgers vs. the Bears front 7. Aaron rodgers is on fire, and had an amazing game against the Falcons last week were he nearly went perfect in the rout. The Bears front seven has been compared to the monsters of the midway back then, not nearly as good but still a dominanting defense who knows how to play football. The other matchup is going to be Jay Cutler vs. Clay Matthews/ BJ Raji. Culter is starting to get comfortable under martz and it is starting to show. The crazy gun slinger has started to set his feet and make passes to a receiving core which is less than star filled. On the other side you have BJ Raji who is eating up O-Lines whole and disrupting the run game. While Clay Matthews is scaring QB’s, RB’s and everyone on the other team with his crazy will to get to the QB and get rid of anyone in the way. Also his long hair doesnt help by making him any less scary. If Culter can stay up right which was a problem earlier on in the season, the Bears will be good.

Both games in the regular season came down to big plays, a fumble forced by Urlacher and in the other game it was an INT thrown by Jay Culter late in the game. The X factors this game for Chicago will be Devin Hester. His ability to change the game by either, returning punts/kicks for major yards or punting out of bounds or squibbing the ball, or playing WR, running the ball whatever it is Devin Hester does it. On the other side the X factor is going to be James Starks. Starks a virtually unknown before this season. He will need to be consistent and gain some quality yards to establish a run game against a stingy Bears defense.

This game will also be close just due to the level of these teams and how good they are. It will come down to one big play which changes the game late. I like Rodgers and the Packers to come out of the Soldier field with a victory as the cold is not an issue for a team which plays in the cold all the time. Rodgers is just too much and should slowly pick apart the Bears. Look for the Bears to get a run game going with Matt Forte pounding the ball.

Packers 27 – Bears 21

Armaan Ahluwalia writes for the Dal Gazette and is a regular contributor to Haligonia Sports. Check out his website www.1inthestands.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Derek Vs. the Spread: Championship Sunday

2011-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers will host the Jets at 7:00 Atlantic on Sunday.

by Derek Leblanc

So we are back for week three of Derek vs. the Spread and I can say is where did that week come from. After a solid first week of going 3-1, I ended up going 1-3 last week. The only part that got me mad was that the Seahawks miss the spread by one point. I am not surprised that the Jets won because I said the Pats defense is bad although me being a fan of the team maybe clouded my judgement. While the last two weeks I have been breaking down each team on how they will win, I figure a better way to pick winners this time is to analyze the games that the four teams played against each other. Let’s get to it.

New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

Week 15-Jets 22 vs. Steelers 17
When we go back to the game that these two teams played, we got a good one. When you look at the stats, The Steelers had played better in every aspect of offense expect for special teams where the Steelers are one of the worse in the league. The Steelers had more passing and rushing yards and had a solid game. The game was so close that the Steelers would have won if the receivers made the catches on the final drive. Big Ben was able to take the Jets down the field for the most part and Rashad Mendenhall was able to rush for 99 yards on 17 carries. That is good considering that the Jets rush defense is top five in the league. While the Steelers were able to have more production, the Jets still had a good game on defense. They were able to take advantage of their banged up offensive line and sacked Ben Roethlisberger three times. One play of the defensive was the clincher for the game when Jason Taylor tackled Mewelde Moore for a safety. The only problem they really had was the world’s fastest football player in Mike Wallace. Now when we reserve the roles, the Jets had some problems at times on the offensive side but were able to capitalize on their opportunities. On the run, the Jets while on paper did not have a good run game overall, looks can be deceiving. While LaDainian Tomlinson and Shoun Greene only run for 48 and 40 yards. Combined they only ran the ball 23 times but both guys had 5.3 and 4.8 yards per carry and that was the most by one team against the Steelers this year. If they run the ball more they can get to the Steelers. Mark Sanchez also had a good game going 19 for 29 for 170 yards with no picks and he also rushed for a touchdown. While the numbers are not what you expect to win a game it did get the job done that day. The Defense if they want to win have to get more pressure on Sanchez because he was only sacked once in the game and if you give any quarterback in the league time he will find the right person. There was really only thing that can make a difference in this game and that is that Troy Polamalu was still sidelined during the week 15 match. Now I said in last week’s article that he is the heart and soul of the team and he can be a difference maker in this game if he can grab and interception or break pass the Jets offensive line. He has thou been missing practice this week so while he should play he will not be 100%.
Outcome-While most experts say that the Jets offense will be the problem, I think it can be the defense that will have to change the game. The Steelers offensive line is banged up so they have make sure they can breakthrough and get to Big Ben. Unlike last week where Darrelle Revis had the assignment of guarding Deion Branch, do you put him on Hines Wards or Mike Wallace for pass protection? While he will probably play against Wallace in the game I think that will be the mistake and I expect Hines Ward to have a big game grabbing lots of short passes. Steelers will go to their third super bowl in six years and they will cover the 3.5 points.

Green Bay (-3) vs. Chicago
Week 3-Packers 17 vs. Bears 20
Week 17-Bears 3 vs. Packers 10

What we seen in week 17 could be a sign of what we will see on Sunday and that is an all-defensive affair but I think if we want to get a better look at how this game will be played on Sunday that we have to go back to their confrontation in week three. While the Bears may have won the game, again the looks can be deceiving. When you look at every aspect of the game the packers were either even or better than the bears. While both teams were able to stop each other on the run and in returns, Aaron Rodgers was able to take care of the Bears front 7 could not touch him at all. Rodgers threw for 316 yards and the only mistake he made was a pick he threw to Lance Briggs in the first half. From what we seen from Rodgers in the first two weeks of the postseason, he should have another big game on Sunday. On the defensive side, the Packers were able to sack Jay Cutler three times, pick him off once and were able to stop them on a fourth down. So while you see all this information, the reason the Packers lost that game was because of penalties. Green Bay gave up 18 in that game for 152 yards. Out of all those calls most of them were coming from the offensive line. That can be understood because you do not want guys like Lance Briggs or Julius Peppers hurting your star player so if the Bears want to win this game, they will have to try and get into their heads, however the cheese heads were able to calm down in the final week of the season.
Outcome-As long as the Packers don’t get too many flags thrown against them in this game, it is there’s to lose. They have the better offense and defense and as long as they do not kick the ball to Devin Hester, DA BEARS will not be getting a chance to do a remix of the ever so classic Super Bowl Shuffle.

Derek LeBlanc is a huge NFL football fan and is a mixed martial arts writer who writes for www.topmmanews.com. He resides in Halifax and can be reached at dleblanc@topmmanews.com.

Two Wild Nights In AUS Men's Basketball

2011-01-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

Jim Charters and his defending champion Capers won a classic over the X-Men on Wednesday night.

by Bill McLean

One game was highlighted by a brilliant individual performance that will become a thing of legend at the Tower in Halifax. The other game a double overtime thriller between bitter rivals that had a jam packed Oland Centre on it's feet for over an hour.

It was midweek madness in AUS men's basketball fans and it will likely be remembered as the two most exciting days of the regular season. Joey Haywood of Saint Mary's, the nation's leading scorer, racking up 37 points in the second half of a Huskies victory over their Halifax rivals, the Dalhousie Tigers; and the defending champion Cape Breton Capers marching into Antigonish and getting a huge win over Saint Francis Xavier in a game that could have been the best in the country so far this season.

On Tuesday night, Haywood added to his legacy with his second mind boggling performance at the Tower in as many games. Coming off his CIS Player of the week performance versus UPEI in which he scored 46 points, Haywood hit six three pointers, and nine of ten foul shots all in the second half to lead his Huskies (5-7, 16 pts) to victory over the second place and nationally ranked Tigers (6-3, 20 pts).

Haywood was held scoreless in the first quarter and had only four points at the break. Newcomer Tory Fassett kept the Huskies in the game with 13 points in the opening half and finished the game with a very respectable 21. But as the third quarter entered it's middle stages, the game became the property of Joey Haywood.

Defended by athletic Tigers Juleous Grant and Stephen Lopez all night, Haywood exploded and put on a show that may have never been seen before at the Tower. After missing his first six shots of the game, Haywood would make 13 of 19 the rest of the way, many combined with a dazzling array of crossovers and step backs that had the Huskies faithful gasping in disbelief and cheering wildly.

In the end it was just another day at the office for the country's leading scorer and a confidence boosting win for a Huskies team that is trying to develop cohesiveness and stability as the stretch drive approaches.

Not to be outdone, the X-Men and Capers put on a show that was watched from coast to coast and will have CIS basketball enthusiasts buzzing as the weekend approaches.

In a jam packed Oland Centre that featured a “white out” by hundreds of X faithful and the “Orange Army” from Cape Breton who never sat down the entire game, the Capers and X-Men played a classic that cemented their rivalry as the greatest in the country.

The teams exchanged leads from start to finish, and just when it looked like one team had seized control, the other would come storming back. The X-Men staging an improbable comeback at the end of regulation, and the Capers pushing the game to double overtime with a comeback of their own in the first extra session.

There was the bruising Philip Nkruma having a battle of words with X-Men football players on the baseline; Steve Konchalski and Jim Charters waving their arms frantically and marching up and down the sidelines; Christian Upshaw and Will Silver with steals and three point shots that brought the crowd to a frenzy; and of course the dancing Capers fans banging on drums throughout the entire game.

It was a game that both teams deserved to win, but only the Capers did, reminding all of us once again that the champs still own the AUS, and that they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Now that Cape Breton has walked into Oland Centre and beaten the conference's darlings of the national rankings, just maybe the coaches across the country will finally see fit to put the Capers in there as well.

Bill McLean hosts Bill McLean Sports Show every tuesday morning on ckdu.ca/88.1 FM in Halifax. Follow Bill on twitter @haligoniasports and email him at haligoniasports@gmail.com.

Huskies on Haligonia; Haywood vs. Farine, Round Two From the Tower

2011-01-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Joey Haywood and the Huskies battle Simon Farine and the Tigers tonight on haligonia.

by Bill McLean

Joey Haywood’s Saint Mary’s Huskies have been trying to gel on the fly this season after the graduation of Mark Mclaughlin and Ike Ichegbu, and the influx of talented newcomers like Tony Fassett. Haywood has taken in upon himself to keep the team afloat in the AUS by leading the nation in scoring while Ross Quackenbush tries to right the good ship Husky.

Simon Farine’s Tigers have added some talented pieces to a talented core of returnees and are loaded for a championship run. John Campbell thinks his team can compete for an AUS championship this season and is counting on newcomers like Alex Arthur and Juleous Grant to figure prominently in the chase.

The Tigers and Huskies meet for the second time this season tonight at the Tower at 8:00 on

www.live.haligonia.ca. The Huskies won the first game in November in a thriller, 92-86, behind thirty points from Haywood. The victory was the Huskies first of the season and the Tiger’s first loss.

Since then the Huskies have split six games while the Tigers have won three of four. Dalhousie enters tonight’s game ranked #10 in the country (tied with Toronto) and sitting in second place in the AUS. Despite their struggles, the Huskies are in fourth place and just two points behind Saint Francis Xavier for third.

Haywood is averaging 27.6 ppg and was selected as CIS Player of the Week in early January by virtue of his brilliant performance versus UPEI at the Tower. Haywood scored 45 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and added 8 assists in leading the Huskies to an overtime victory.

Tony Fassett has developed into a secondary offensive threat averaging 16 ppg and 6 rpg. Returnee Demittri Harris has averaged 11 ppg for a Huskies team that is still learning how to play together with six new faces on the roster. The team’s lack of cohesiveness has been particularly glaring on the defensive end where they are surrendering 90 points a game.

The Tigers have upgraded their team athleticism and depth off the bench but are still trying to define roles and establish rotation. Fifth year senior Joe Schow has been an anchor in the post averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds a game. Juleous Grant has averaged 11 ppg and given the Tigers an athletic swingman who can match the athleticism of the Cape Breton Capers and Saint Francis Xavier X-Men.

Bill McLean will have the call from the Tower.

Meet the Tigers
Record- 6 Wins, 2 Losses – 20 points
Last Game – 77-57 Win over UPEI

Tigers to Watch

Simon Farine- Fifth year guard averages 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
Joe Schow- Tenacious competitor averages 14 points and 9 rebounds in the post.
Juleous Grant- Athletic, sweet shooting newcomer averaging 10.5 ppg.

Ladies and Gentlemen….Your Saint Mary’s Huskies
Record- 4 Wins, 7 Losses- 14 points.
Last Game- 88-84 loss to UPEI

Huskies to Watch

Joey Haywood- Nation’s leading scorer averaging 27 ppg on 57 % shooting from the floor.
Tony Fassett- First year player averages 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Demittri Harris- Sparkplug and streaky, averages 11 points per game.

Huskies Notes
After struggling early in the season, Simon Marr is increasing his scoring averages. The big post is averaging 7.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Marr had 15 points and 5 rebounds in Saturday’s loss to UPEI…….Harry Ezenibe has been solid off the bench averaging 8 ppg and 6 rpg…..this is only the Huskies fourth home game this season and they enter with a 2-1 record at the Tower. They’ll play four home games in the next 8 days……The Huskies are second in scoring offence (88 ppg) but second to last in scoring defense (90 ppg)…..The Huskies are in last place in turnover margin with a -4.0.

Follow us on facebook (haligonia sports) and on twitter @haligoniasports.

Huskies on Haligonia; SMU and the Tigers Set for Battle at the Tower

2011-01-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

The three point shooting of Robbi Daley will play a huge role in tonight's game vs. Dalhousie.

by Bill McLean

After nearly going from worst to first in 2010, Scott Munro and his Saint Mary's Huskies were expected to be one of the top contenders in the AUS women's basketball conference this season. So far the campaign has been a struggle for the Huskies, even with the nation's leading scorer, Justine Colley, averaging 24 ppg.

Anna Stammberger's Dalhousie Tigers were expected to suffer through a rebuilding year after losing five stellar seniors from last season but the Tigers have won two games in a row and are on the cusp of getting into the mix for a playoff spot.

The seventh place Tigers and fifth place Huskies will renew acquaintances tonight at the Tower at 6:00 Atlantic. The game will be webcast on www.live.haligonia.ca.

The Huskies defeated the Tigers 77-75 at the Tower in late November in a thriller which featured a huge Tigers comeback and a game winning shot in the dying seconds by Colley. (Watch replay of game here http://live.haligonia.ca/halifax-ns/sports/173-sports-video/17263-replay-smu-huskies-basketball-november-23-2010.html). Colley finished with 25 points and Robbi Daley added 21 points on five three pointers.

Both teams are coming off close victories over UPEI in Charlottetown versus the rebuilding Panthers. The Huskies last loss was an 84-59 thumping at the hands of the UNB Varsity Reds last Friday in Fredericton. The Tigers are riding a wave of confidence after getting their signature win of the season last weekend over the Cape Breton Capers at Dalplex.

The Huskies will need another commanding performance from the dynamic duo of Colley and Susanne Canvin ( 11 ppg, 12 rpg) if they are going to hold off the Tigers. Meanwhile the Tigers will be looking for balanced scoring from a group of starters that have been all averaging double figures the last three games.

Mavs Gillis will have the call from the Tower.

Meet the Tigers
Record- 3 Wins, 5 Losses – 10 points
Last Game- 80-70 Win over UPEI

Tigers To Watch
Patricia McNeil – Second year guard averaging 12.5 ppg. Averaged 18 points in last 3 games.
Anna Von Maltzahn – Second year swing player averaging 11 ppg and 6 rpg. Versatile performer, plays the top of the Tigers 3-2 zone.
Courtney Thompson- Sparkplug first year guard averaging 12 ppg. Excels in the open court and getting to the basket.

Ladies and Gentleman, Your Saint Mary's Huskies!

Record- 5 Wins, 6 Losses – 14 points
Last Game- 76-70 Win over UPEI

Huskies to Watch
Justine Colley- Nation's leading scorer with 24 ppg.
Susanne Canvin – Ms. Double Double averaging 11 points and 12 rebounds a game.
Robbi Daley- Three point specialist may be the X Factor in tonight's game. Her ability to hit the three vs. The Tiger zone will be a huge factor in determining the outcome.

Huskies Notes

Huskies are 2-5 in their last seven games....Huskies signature win was a 93-90 win in Sydney over the Cape Breton Capers in October....lack of depth has been a serious issue for the Huskies with not one bench player averaging over three points per game.....with a win the Huskies will move into a three way tie for third with Saint Francis Xavier and Memorial.....the Huskies will be looking to get on a hot streak with four home games in the next 8 days.....the Huskies are second in the conference in free throw percentage averaging 75 % on the season and second in field goal percentage averaging 41 %.

Questions or Comments to sports@haligonia.ca. Check us out on Facebook (haligonia sports) and follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

Divisional Weekend Wrap Up; Sixth Seeds are Rolling

2011-01-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

Ladainian Tomlinson finally got some personal revenge on the New England Patriots.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

Divisional weekend is now in the rear view mirror and championship weekend is the next stop on the road to North Texas and Superbowl 45. This past weekend was filled with upsets and predictable games in what was certainly an exciting game set. Im going to break down each matchup what happened, how they got there and so on.

Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore, Final score: 31 -24. Well it was safe to say that this game was really close, but as far as Pittsburgh – Baltimore games go, this one was won by a long shot. The Ravens went into the locker room taking an early 21-7 lead with which they had their feet on the gas pedal not letting up. One of the touchdowns was scored by defensive lineman Redding who picked up the ball as 21 other people on the field assumed the play was over. The second half or 3rd quarter more specifically was when the steelers decided to show up and steal the party. Roethlisberger than proceed to throw 2 TD’s one to Miller and Ward. Both teams traded field goals in the 4th quarter to keep the game tied up but after that on a 3rd and 19 they went deep to Antonio Brown who caught a 58 yard pass and went out of bounds at the 2 yard line. Mendenhall than pushed it in and scored the winning touchdown.

Key mistakes made by Flacco who lost one fumble and threw and interception became costly as Pittsburgh turned them into points off turnovers. Ray Rice also committed a fumble something he was thought to be immune to which again costed the Baltimore Ravens key possession of the football. Pittsburgh strong defense helped stop a possible second half blow out by the Ravens. With the victory Pittsburgh will return to the AFC championship game for the 3rd time in 6 years.

Green Bay vs. Atlanta: Final Score: 48 – 21. This one was only close till the end of the 2nd quarter. The Green Bay Packers plain and simple put a beat down on the opposition home team. Aaron Rodgers had a nearly perfect game going 31/36 – 366 yards and 3 TD’s along with one rushing TD. The Falcons had no answer for the Packers offense as they steam rolled them consistently putting up 3 offensive and 4 total touchdowns in the 2nd quarter alone. Including a clocking running out 70 yard interception returned back for a TD to end the half. The wheels came off the high flying Atlanta Falcons who just looked slow and tired. Even coming off the free bye week for finishing 1st in the conference wasnt enough to help them. This now is the second upset that the Packers have done in as many weeks with solid play from a defense and Aaron Rodgers.

Matt Ryan showed his young playoff experience as he made 2 interceptions, 1 going all the way for a touchdown opening up a 14 point lead at the time. The running game was unable to get started as they only amounted 48 yards rushing the entire game. Ryan was sacked 5 times in the ball game from a terrifying defence which has been lead by Clay Matthews and BJ Raji, not to mention a decent secondary as well.

Chicago vs. Seattle: Final Score: 35 – 24. Could lightning strike twice? Aparently not. The cinderella Seahawks of a week ago managed to pull off a great upset against the Saints but were not so lucky to do so at soldier field. The Chicago Bears easily defeated the Seahawks with a misleading score. The Bears were leading 28 -3 going into the 4th quarter when the Bears let off the gas a little bit and cruised into a victory. Matt Hasselbeck played another great game throwing for 258 yards and 3 TD’s and the key stat, no INT’s. So what happened if Hasselbeck played a great game why didnt they win? Well it was Jay Cutler getting it done on the other side of the ball. Cutler threw for 274 yards and 2 TD’s also no INT’s. Culter also rushed for 2 TD’s and the bears established a solid old school smash mouth football running game with Forte, Taylor and Cutler running a few times on scrambles. Plain and simple the Seahawks lost that amazing Lynch who was held 2 yards on 4 carries, hardly the game he had the previous week.

Cutler played extremely well and thats thanks to a great running game which ate up the weaker Seahawks D-Line. Greg Olsen also helped with 113 yards and a TD. Devin Hester remained contained but the Bears were just too much on offense and defense which made a difference in the end over a weaker Seattle team.

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots: Final Score: 28 – 21. This was easily the best game this weekend or at worst the second best game and how fitting that it was the last game of the weekend as well. There was a lot of talk going on before this game and it added a lot more fuel to the fire of the newly established rivalry between these two teams. The game started off kind of shaky for the #1 AFC seed. Brady threw an early INT which was almost returned for a TD had Crumpler not made the tackle. Well that should have been easy points right? Nope the Jets shot themselves in the foot and missed a short field goal after going backwards instead of forwards. The pats took an early 3-0 lead going into the 2nd quarter.

The Jets took over from there and didnt look back scoring 2 TD’s in the 2nd quarter both on passes from Mark Sanchez who engineered 2 great drives down the field. Holmes also had a touchdown in the corner on a spectacular grab which was almost as good as his superbowl catch with the steelers. The 4th quarter was the final pull away for the Jets as they scored 2 more TD’s as the Pats were only able to put up a TD and a field goal therefore costing them the game.

Mark Sanchez played extremely well as he went 16/25 194 yards and 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. With a solid running attack with LT and Greene to balance nicely. Brady was sacked 5 times in the game as Ellis got to him twice in the 1st quarter alone. Brady looked shaky through out the game and was afraid to put the ball to someone else other than Crumpler and Branch who were both covered well. The Jets defence and their shutdown corners (Revis and Cromartie) made a huge difference causing a lot of coverage sacks or Brady throwing the ball away which made the difference.

To sum up the week, both the #1 seeds were ousted and both the #6 seeds are moving on to the championship game which will both be held by the #2 seeds. Check back later on in the week when I break down the championship games.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer with the Dalhousie Gazette. Check out his website at www.1inthestands.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Rainmen End Week on High Note

2011-01-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Kavon Jones had a double double for the Rainmen with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

by Petec Clarke

THE GIST OF IT
In a week that saw ice and snow blow into Halifax, the Rainmen looked way colder than their southern rival, Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry out of Oklahoma. It was a classic case of not playing all four quarters for the Rainmen.

After a strong 24 point first quarter, the defending PBL champion Cavalry held Halifax to 13 in the second quarter and ran the score up very quickly.

As a result, the Rainmen were playing catch up for the whole second half and it obviously took its toll. That isn’t to say they didn’t do well. The Rainmen owned the rest of the game wining both the third and fourth quarters by two points each. In the end though it wasn’t enough to catch up to the run and gun Cavalry.

That all changed when Kentucky came to town on Saturday night though. The Rainmen dominated the Stallions.

To say this game was a one sided affair would be an understatement. Halifax controlled the game at both end of the floor and did not take the foot off the gas for the full 48 minutes.

The Stallions were limited to 29 points for the first half, scoring an embarrassing 12 points in the opening quarter, which really set the tone for the rest of the game.

WHO DID IT
The Rainmen had a frustrating loss to the defending champion Cavalry but still managed to have consistent production for the stat sheet.

They were led by starting point guard Taliek Brown with 18 points six rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Kavon Jones came up with a big double-double, 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Mike Mercer chipped in with 15, Josh Dollard scored 13 and Eric Crookshank continued his excellent bench production with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Despite these strong numbers from the Rainmen’s key players they were not able to get a leg up on the stalwart Cavalry.

Everyone one the Rainmen squad was able to contribute to the big win over Kentucky on Saturday.

Tommy Mitchell who racked up 19 points led them.

Brown was excellent again with 18 points and seven assists.

Mercer also had 18 as he took advantage of running the floor with Brown.

Dollard and Jones each had 13 as they came off the bench together.

Desmond Ferguson had a decent night too. He was three for six from downtown with 12 points in total.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
On Tuesday against the Cavs, the Rainmen did not execute well on the defensive end. When the Cavs weren’t running on the Rainmen, they were playing a perfect pick and roll offense and the Rainmen were not closing out on the poppers.

If you take away that second quarter, the Rainmen would have won, but that’s not how things work.

It wasn’t a total loss however. Kavon Jones really came into his own in front of the home crowd. He is proving to be the emotional heart of this year’s Rainmen team. He is fired up no matter what the game situation is and has been playing with great energy.

It’s surprising to watch Jones because he is a big man with incredible ball handling skills. Not many power forwards will face up their man to do a few size-up dribbles before taking it to the hoop.

On Saturday night against the Stallions it was clear that Halifax was playing with a chip on their shoulders. They had something to prove to their fans and to themselves.

They did that and then some in the first half. The Rainmen were playing as a team. Everyone was getting touches and contributing. By the end of the first half, all but one player on the roster for the Rainmen had scored. They were revved up and playing at a pace that no one saw against the Cavs.

Taliek Brown ran a very good offense in Saturday’s game. He can push the ball up the floor fast or play slow and use the clock. What is surprising about him is how quietly he seems to rack up points. In this past week he has scored 36 points without much flash – he simply plays good fundamental basketball and plays within himself, avoiding tough shots.

The same cannot be said for his backup Tajuan Porter however.

Porter is a proven three-point marksman but has not been able to find his groove in the Rainmen offense. He scored only sick against the Cavs and only three against Kentucky.

Part of this might have to do with his position at the point. He can handle the ball but it might help the Rainmen to experiment with Porter playing off the ball more and coming off screens to spot up. He is simply too small of a guy to be shooting with a defender in his face. Hopefully Porter’s offense will come as the season progresses.

HECKLER’S ROW BURN OF THE WEEK
“Hey 50, Strick said finish your breakfast, not everyone else’s”

Peter Clarke is a graduate of Kings with a degree in Journalism. Check out his blog at http://rainmen.kingsjournalism.com/ and follow hom on twitter @rainmenblogger.

Rainmen Gameday; Halifax Looks to Get Back on Track Vs. Kentucky

2011-01-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

Taliek Brown has been a steady presence so far for the Rainmen

by Jared Hochman

The Halifax Rainmen will look to get back to their winning ways on Saturday when the Kentucky Bluegrass Stallions step into the storm at the Metro Centre.

Catch the action on Haligonia.ca at 7 p.m. Bill and Mavs will have the call.

Halifax (2-1) started the season with two victories, but dropped its most recent decision 105-94 on Tuesday to Lawton-Fort Sill.

Point guard Taliek Brown led the Rainmen with 18 points and six players placed in double figures. Offense wasn’t the problem, however, as it was the defense that let Halifax down.

The Cavaliers were the first opponent to shoot better than 50 per cent for the game (52.2) and reach the 100-point plateau against Halifax this season. Halifax also struggled in the 3-point department, going just 2-for-18 from behind the arc.

Halifax should be able to get its defense back on track against Kentucky, a squad that is the second-worst scoring team in the PBL.

The Bluegrass Stallions are led by former Kentucky State power forward Kenny Jones, who averages 19.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but the team shoots just 42.8 per cent from the field and is an abysmal 21.1 per cent from beyond the 3-point line, a league worst.

Halifax will look to continue its balanced attack, as it has had a different leading scorer each night. Mike Mercer leads the Rainmen with 16.7 points per game, but six other players, including Kavon Jones (15.7), Brown (15.3) and Desmond Ferguson (13.7) also average better than 12 points per contest.

The Rainmen will also look to get back to what is quickly becoming their trademark, and that is going to work on the offensive glass. Halifax leads the PBL with 17 offensive rebounds per game. All those second-and-third chances at the basket translate to easy baskets and less empty possessions.

Veteran Eric Crookshank is again at the heart of the team’s post presence, averaging 5.7 offensive boards per game and 13 rebounds overall. Jones is the other half of the Rainmen’s interior-duo, grabbing 4.3 offensive and 8.7 total rebounds per night.

Halifax owns a rebounding margin of plus-5.67 per game, whereas Kentucky is -5.25. If the Rainmen can continue to control the glass and continue Kentucky’s cold shooting, they should be able to notch their first non-division win and continue the march back to the PBL playoffs.

Jared Hochman is a graduate of the University of King’s College journalism program. You can follow him on Twitter @ JaredLHochman.

AUS Women`s Basketball Preview; Colley vs. Colbourne in Fredericton the Main Event

2011-01-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

It`s a battle of the top 2 scorers in the country when Justine Colley and the Huskies travel to Fredericton to play Claire Colbourne`s first place UNB Varsity Reds.

by Bill McLean

Put up your dukes.

The top two scorers in CIS women's basketball go head to head this weekend in Fredericton when the Saint Mary's Huskies (4-5, 10 pts) visit the UNB Varsity Reds (7-1, 18 pts) in a pivotal four point game.

The Huskie's Justine Colley leads the country in scoring with 24 points per game, while Claire Colbourne of the Reds is close behind averaging just over 22 points.

Colley, the second year dynamo from East Preston, is coming off a 33 point performance versus the Panthers at the Tower. Colbourne, a six foot freshman from Calgary, has been the biggest impact player in the country and has combined with veteran Amanda Sharpe (18 ppg) to propel the Reds to a #5 ranking in the CIS, one season after missing the AUS playoffs.

The fifth place Huskies have eight points in the standings on the line with their road trip to UNB and UPEI. The first place Reds will be looking to keep momentum building from their dominating two game sweep of the Memorial Seahawks last weekend.

In other women's basketball action:

Friday/Saturday – Acadia (4-4, 12 pts) at Cape Breton (6-3, 16 pts) - Outstanding battle of athletic basketball teams. The rejuvenated Axewomen travel to Sydney hot off back to back wins in Wolfville over Saint Mary's and St FX, riding the coattails of the CIS player of the week, Emma Duinker. Duinker averaged 24 ppg over the weekend for an Acadia team that is suddenly looking like an upper tier team in the conference. The Capers are coming off an upset loss to the Dalhousie Tigers due to an uncharacteristic fourth quarter collapse. The Capers may be hurting in the middle as Stephanie Toxopeus was noticeably hobbling on sunday versus the Tigers, and Denisha Haywood was benched for the remaining ten minutes of the 71-67 loss at Dalplex. However, 5th year senior Kari Everitt is back from injury and dominating once again. Everitt's sizzling two game performance versus the Tigers in which she totalled 51 points could have easily garnered her AUS player of the week honours.

Friday/Saturday – Memorial (4-4, 14 pts) at Saint Francis Xavier (5-2, 14 pts) – Doug Partridge's Seahawks are in uncharted territory coming off an unprecedented weekend long thrashing on their home court in St. John's. Memorial was outscored by the UNB Varsity Reds by a whopping 45 points in the two game set that had a lot of AUS pundits and observers rubbing their eyes in disbelief. The X-Women will be looking to rebound after an upset loss last weekend versus Acadia. The teams are currently tied for third place with 14 points each.

Friday- Dalhousie (2-5, 6 pts) at UPEI (0-8) – The Tigers have gone from a lock to finish seventh to an up and coming team hell bent on a playoff berth by virtue of one huge victory this past sunday. The Tiger's improbable win over the Capers has put the team only four points behind Saint Mary's for the last playoff spot and given hope to a group of youngsters that was supposed to be building towards next season. If Anna Stammberger's Tigers can travel to UPEI with a focused effort they should get 4 easy points and put themselves in position for a playoff run.

Saturday – Saint Mary's at UPEI- The return of Susanne Canvin to UPEI should be a romp for a Huskies team that will likely be coming off a loss to UNB and desperate for a four point win in the standings. However, Carly Clarke's rebuilding Panthers haven't won a conference game since Clarke took over at the start of the 2009 season. With the sixth and seventh place teams visiting this weekend, count on her hard working group of freshman and sophomores to make a serious charge at the Huskies and Tigers in Charlottetown.

Noteworthy Statlines from last weekend

(CIS Athlete of the Week) Emma Duinker, Acadia- 25 pts, 9 rebs vs. St FX (80-75 W)

Justine Colley, SMU- 33 pts, 6 rebs, 6 assists vs. UPEI (79-53 W)

Susanne Canvin, SMU- 11 pts, 16 rebs vs. UPEI (79-53 W)

Alexandria Forsey, MUN- 25 pts, 9 rebs vs. UNB (78-94 L)

Anna Von Maltzahn, Dalhousie- 18 pts, 10 rebs vs. CBU (71-67 W)

Leah Corby, UNB- 24 pts vs MUN (94-65 W)

Kari Everitt, CBU- 26 pts, 8 rebs vs. Dalhousie (77-66 W)

Patricia McNeil, Dalhousie- 24 pts vs. CBU (66--77 L)

Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on facebook (haligonia sports) and on twitter @haligoniasports.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Preview

2011-01-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

After surviving an injury plagued regular season, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are primed for a run at the Super Bowl.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

It's approaching fast, only a few more weeks till the Super Bowl in Dallas and we are left with 8 teams who could possibly all take home the title. If the divisional round is anything like the wild card games we are in for a treat as the wild card was exciting and full of surprises.

Ravens at Steelers

The first game of the weekend is on saturday at 5pm atlantic time which has the Baltimore Ravens heading to Heinz field in the keystone state to battle it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This happens to be the 3rd time that these teams will meet this year. This game is becoming a trend as they end up seeing each other in the playoffs. Both of these teams are tough physical teams and expect a shoot-out. When they played earlier this year both games were decided by 3 points, and they both were defensive battles going down to the wire with less than 20 points being scored in both games.

With Baltimore coming off a huge victory at Arrowhead Stadium, where they looked sharp they are in good standing to compete with the tough Steelers. I would expect this game to be decided by at the max 7 points, as both teams have stellar defenses. The matchup to watch when the Steelers have the ball will be the Steelers offensive line which has been weak vs the strong defensive front 7 which will give them lots of problems. When the Ravens have the ball the matchup to look out for will be Joe Flacco vs. Troy Polamalu. Polamalu has given Flacco huge amounts of problems over the years as he is one of the best safetys in the league and is all over the field and reads QB’s like no one else.

This game could go either way, I know that is such a cliche but these teams are so evenly matched its amazing. Both offences have weapons with Big Ben, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, and Rashard Mendenhall. On the Ravens they have Flacco, Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Todd Heap. Their defenses are both evenly matched with the Ravens having the slight advantage. When it comes down to it, it will be the Ravens defense vs. the Steelers offense. I like the Steelers to pull out of this one with Big Bens experience in the last 2 minutes of the game being the game changer.

Steelers 14 – Ravens 10

Packers at Falcons

The other Saturday game features the Packers and the high flying Falcons who own the #1 seed. The Pack are coming off a huge victory in the city of brotherly love over Vick and the high octane offense which had many people picking them all the way to the finals. That soon changed as the defense had other ideas and stopped Vick and company.

This game has a few advantages for the Falcons as they have home field advantage where Matty Ice Ryan has an almost perfect record. The Packers have been relying on their passing game and Aaron Rodgers who has been great for their them in key situations. The key match-ups in this game are as follows. When the Packers have the ball it will be the Falcons secondary vs. Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers picks apart defenses and it doesnt matter who they are, it will be interesting to see if they can apply enough pressure to break down Rodgers. When the Falcons have the ball the matchup to watch will be Matt Ryan vs. Clay Matthews. Ryan will need to stand up right for the Falcons to have a chance against a good secondary and front 7. Basically a good overall defense, he needs to be standing not picking himself up from the turf. Dom Capers has done a great job of using BJ Raji and Matthews who got after Vick a very mobile QB.

This game will be a mid range shootout, in the sense that their will be some scoring but it wont get Packers – Cardinals crazy. I like the Packers to upset the Falcons in this one as the Packers defense gave Philli way to much trouble. Look for the cheese heads to ground yet another high flying team which gets in their way.

Packers 27 – Falcons 23

Seahawks at Bears

The first Sunday game travels to Chicago where the Bears take on the surprising Seahawks. The Seahawks came off a jaw dropping performance against the heavily favoured Saints. The game took place at Qwest field where it has gained a reputation of being one of the loudest stadiums in all of the NFL. That combined with Hasselbeck’s great performance and Marshawn Lynch who just destroyed the Saints defence with his 67 yard run throwing players off of him and breaking tackles left, right and center.

The matchups to watch in this game will be Devin Hester vs. the Seahawks Special Teams. The electric Hester is a game changer and can make for great field position which will help the offense. The other matchup will be the Bears front 7 vs. Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is a powerfull runner and will be relied upon to carry the load.

The Seahawks beat the defending champ Saints last week, but that was at Qwest field. This week they go to a hostile Bears stadium where its not the same crowd cheering for you. This would be a stretch for the Hawks to win, but who knows if they could pull it off? I like the Bears, Cutler, Forte and Hester to pull away into the Championship game.

Bears 31 – Seahawks 17

Jets at Patriots

The final game in the week has to be one of the most anticipated games of the divisional round. It has the New England Patriots facing off against the New York Jets for the 3rd time this year in Foxborough, Mass. The last time these teams met the Jets got hammered. Like they had nothing, they lost 45-3. That is brutal. For a team looking good they got beat down hard. The Pats havent looked back and finished the year 14-2 and dominating playoff teams on the way to their #1 spot. Antonio Cromartie has been adding some fuel to the fire as he called Tom Brady and Ass—- in the press this past weekend going out saying that he taunted the Jets in their big loss. This is making for a much better atmosphere in New England as both teams get ready to battle.

The matchups will be key to this game as when the Pats have the ball the matchup will be Tom Brady vs. Cromartie/Wilson/Revis. I put all of them in there because well Revis is always a battle but is almost a sure victory and Cromartie will be a good contest and they might take advantage of rookie Kyle Wilson which could make a difference. When the Jets have the ball it will be LT/Greene vs. Pats front 7. This will be key because if the Jets win this they will not have to use Mark Sanchez who is still learning and is a little bit inexperienced.

In this game I like the Patriots to come out at home and beat the Jets, but this game will not be like that last as the Jets defense will come to play and the offense will not be that big of a disappointment. Brady will be, well Brady.

Patriots 24 – Jets 20

In other news, coaching positions are slowly starting to fill up as teams make their decisions for the future. So far Leslie Frazier – Vikings, Jason Garrett – Cowboys, Jim Harbaugh – 49ers, Ron Rivea – Panthers, Pat Shurmur – Browns, and just a few hours ago John Fox signed with the Broncos.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer for the Dalhousie Gazette. Check out his blog at www.1inthestands.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Derek vs.The Spread: Divisional Playoffs

2011-01-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Tom Brady hates the New York Jets...and they hate him.

by Derek Leblanc

Welcome to week 2 of Derek vs. the spread and I can’t help but pat myself on the back after going 3-1 in both my spread picks and straight up winners. The only team that cost me was the Seahawks and the 12th man. New Orleans secondary could not get it done but I am sure there are a few Saints fan thought that Drew Brees being on the cover of Madden hurt them. The one trend that looked good last week three road teams winning. While it is hard to see that happening again, I can see it happening again, so let’s get right to it.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)
Ravens-When we watched the Ravens beat up on the Chiefs last week, it was really the only game that people knew how it was going to end up. It won't be any different this week but this game will be a lot of closer between these division rivals. Baltimore will depend on their defense to get them through this one and they will need to get more help from their secondary. Baltimore should be able to stop Steelers running back Rashad Mendenhalll and keep them going to the air. While the Ravens were able to stop Matt Cassel last week it will be hard to stop Big Ben. The Ravens secondary was ranked 21st this season but they did not have Ed Reed for the first six game. Reed and the rest of the secondary will have to have a big game and stop deep threat Mike Wallace if they want to go to the championship game. It will be hard because we know Reed will miss practice on the fact that his brother is missing so the fact Reed will play, you have to give him props. While the secondary is the key for the win so will the passing game. Joe Flacco may not be the best qb in the league but he is reliable and does not turn the ball over that much. If he and Anquan Boldin and Todd Heap have a big day, they could get it down.
Steelers-When it comes to the Steelers, they usually have the upper hand when it comes to beating the Ravens. The Ravens did beat them in week 3 you can argue that QB Ben Roethlisberger was still serving his four game suspension and if Jeff Reed didn't miss that field goal in the second half that the Steelers could have won that game. With the boys from steel town they have the upper head during the game on each end of the gridiron. The Steelers have the second best defense during the regular season and were the best on the run. Guys like James Harrison and James Farrior were able to stop the Ravens both times this season holding them under 100 yards. While we talk about the front seven we can't forget about Tory Palamalou who is really the heart and soul of this team. While most people will say Big Ben, they still went 3-1 without him this year and the Steelers went 9-7 last year where Polamalu missed most of the season due to a nagging leg injury, The only part with the Steelers that I do have to question is the offensive line, They have been good this year but they have had three starters go out for the season. Veterans like 17 year nab Flozell Adams will have to be a big help and prevent guys like Terreal Suggs and Ray Lewis from getting to the quarterback. The offense will be fine with threats like Heath Miller, Hines Ward and Mike Wallace.
Outcome-This game is the hardest to pick between the two because the last four games they have played each other have all been decided by a field goal. I think the winner will be on what future secondary hall of famer will have the better game between Reed and Polamalu. I think Mr. Head and Shoulders and his thicker looking hair will get the win but it will be another close game but the Ravens will just get enough to cover the three point spread.

Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons (-2.5)
Green Bay-While most weeks this season I was watching the greatest invention known to man as NFL Red zone, the rare week I didn't see it on week 12 which gave me a great game between Green Bay and Atlanta were the Falcons won 20-17 . While the easy thing to do would to pick the Falcons again, the stats would say otherwise. In that game that Packers pretty much won every battle and it is the one that has been setting them back all season and that is team rushing. The top rusher that day was quarterback Aaron Rodgers who got 56 yards. If they can get somewhat of the same effort that James Starks gave them against the Eagles last week then the Packers should be able to go in and upset the best team in the NFC. The Packers played a very good game last week and were able to stop the Eagles and were able to stop Michael Vick on the run attack. Vick was still able to throw for 292 yards and with DeSean Jackson being banged up and David Akers missed two field goals which would have gotten the Eagles the game. The offense for the part was still good and Aaron Rodgers and his vast targets taking the Philadelphia to school. If the Packers want to head to Chicago or Seattle next week then there secondary will have to play like they have all season expect the last game they played and they will be one step closer to getting to Dallas.
Atlanta-When you look at the stats closely, Atlanta final rankings for offense and defense were at 16th. While they are both respectable spots, you wonder how this team went 13-3 in the season. There are plenty of reason this team has success, the main one is that they don't do stupid things with the ball. Head Coach John Smith has put the right pieces together and has a winning product. On offense we see that Matt Ryan is on the verge of being an elite quarterback in the league and if he can win his first playoff game Saturday he can go in the conversation with Manning, Brees and Brady. They got Michael Turner and Jason Snelling running the ball and they got one of the league’s best receivers in Roddy White and the best tight end of all time in Tony Gonzalez. On the defensive side, while they don't have a big name star on that side, they do manage to get the job done. There pass defense is ranked 15th in the past with an underrated player like Frank Grimes. On the front end they were 12th best against the rush with veteran John Abraham anchoring up the middle. I also got to think that with Gonzalez playing in his 12th season that the team will want to rally around to get him a super bowl ring. As long as the Falcons do not turn the ball over they should be able to get enough offense to make the Packers worried and put them in a panic.
Outcome-Liked I said last week that you got to dance with the one that brought you and I will stick by that and get the Packers to cover the spread and win outright. While Atlanta has been one of the best teams this year, I think that the Packers rushing attack will be better than last time they played and that will be the difference maker.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears (-10)
Seattle-What to say about the Seattle Seahawks, while myself and plenty of others people thought they had no chance last week against the Saints. The one of the things I said that could make a difference and it helped was the crowd, otherwise known as the 12th man. The fans is Seattle were so loud during Marshawn Lynch's 64 td run with the best stiff arm of all time that it registered on the rector scale. Lynch and the rest of the offense were able to hang loose and played their best game of the year and Matt Hasselbeck played like he did five years ago. The defense was still another story. While they may have won the game, the defense did still not look that good. Drew Brees was still able to throw over 300 yards passing but the Seahawks were able to stop the run but that was against the Saints fourth running back on the depth chart. The big plus is the that the Seahawks did beat the Bears week 9 at home 23-20 so they have the confidence and if they play loose I think Seattle can get a win again.
Chicago-Now while I may have shown disrespect to the Seahawks last week, it will be nowhere the disrespect that I will show to the Bears this week. The only reason this team even got a first round bye was because they have the best front seven in the league headed by Lance Briggs and Brain Urlacher and the best kick-off man of all time in Devin Hester. While they have these pieces, everything else is overhyped. There secondary was ranked 20th which is ok but it does cost the Bears some games at times. Their offense was even worse being ranked 22nd on the run, 28th on the pass which got them ranked 30th overall and there offensive line is one of the weakness in the league. Finally we cannot forget about the reincarnation of Jeff George in Jay Cutler. While he has one of the best arms in the league, he makes stupid decisions and throws too many picks. While you can say he doesn't have the pieces with the Bears, he had guys like Brandon Marshall in Denver and still had problems. It is like the episode of South Park where Stan and Kyle said that you suck but my dad said you could be good someday. Everyone is waiting for that moment but I think this is the best we will see him. Cutler can get nervous at times and this being his first playoff game, I can only imagine what he will be like on Sunday. If the Bears want to win this game, there front seven need to get to Hasselback and let Elliot Gould kick a few field goals to seal the deal
Outcome-While a lot of people will be looking to ride high with Seattle to beat the spread, I will be doing the same and I think they will win outright and go to the NFC championship.
　

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots (-8.5)
Patriots-For anyone who does know me, I am a Patriots fan. While everyone is pretty much ready to hand the Lombardi trophy to them, they can be beaten and you have to look at their defense. The Pats were ranked 25th in yards per game and were 30th in the secondary only ahead of the Eagles and the Texans which meant that linebacker Jared Mayo had to play back a lot to prevent yards after the catch. The only bright spot in the back end of the field is rookie Devin McCourty who was able to get 7 interceptions have him in talks for defensive rookie of the year. It will be hard for McCourty to handle the pressure for the secondary in his first playoff game; thank god he is only facing Mark Sanchez. While the pass defense was bad the run was still good which ranked 11th. It is hard to consider because of the team’s best players in defensive end Ty Warren has been out for the season. Vince Wilfork has been carrying more of the load and has stepped up to the challenge. The only thing I can hope is that when Wolfork is a free agent in the offseason that they will reward the league's best nose tackle for this. With the offense, all I got to say is Tom Brady. He has had one of his best seasons and he only threw 4 picks and the offense as a whole only turned the ball over 10 times. The receivers and running have been good and we got two stars in the making at tight end with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. The unsung hero of the offense this year has been veteran tight end in Agle Crumpler. While only catching the ball six times this year, he has been helping the two young guys and has been on the field most of the time being an extra blocker on the offensive line. The Patriots will have no problem on the offensive side with the front five they have.
Jets-Say what you will about Rex Ryan and his talking but he has been getting the job done. In just two years, Ryan has already got the most postseason wins for the Jets and is the only coach in team history to have win in the playoffs in back to back seasons. He has also done this without playing a game at home in the meadowlands. Ryan has done a good job with this team and the defense and special teams and we did see that last weekend in the win against the Colts. Besides that one drive the Colts made late in the fourth quarter and defensive back Darrelle Revis held Reggie Wayne to just one yard. While the defense was able to put a stop on things, there running attack did the same. They were able to control the clock and there time of possession in the game was. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene were able to rush for in the game. The only part of the game that was a problem was Mark Sanchez. He was able to make a big drive to get them into field goal range to win but he looked rusty for the most part missing over half of his passes. He can handle the pressure thou because with the three wins has won more games than any Jets QB. He has been having shoulder troubles the last few weeks so that could be the issue, well that and receiver Santino Holmes missing too many catches. He still does have Braylon Edwards who has gotten rid of his past of being a butterfingers. One of my closet friends Jon McDonald did point out that Edwards has only dropped two balls this year. I think if Sanchez can get the ball to him then there will be plenty of pissed off Patriots fans like myself and plenty of other people who will lose money picking the Patriots at the start of the playoffs.
Outcome-While that +8.5 is pretty temping to take with the Jets, it just won't happen. Tom Brady has been too automatic this season and in the playoffs where he is 15-4 lifetime. Don’t forget with Brady that he has won 26 of his last 27 games in Foxboro. While the Jets will play a better game than that 45-3 spanking they got in week 13 it won't be enough to get to a second straight AFC championship.

Derek LeBlanc is a huge NFL football fan and is a mixed martial arts writer who writes for www.topmmanews.com. He resides in Halifax and can be reached at dleblanc@topmmanews.com.

Rainmen Fall to Cavalry

2011-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

Eric Crookshank had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Rainmen in a loss to the PBL Champs.

by Joel McDougall

After a two day delay, the Halifax Rainmen took the court against the PBL defending champs, Fort-Sill Cavalry. The 2-0 Rainmen saw this match-up as a good early season test against a quality opponent.

Halifax held their own and battled the Cavalry hard for three out of the four quarters, but a bad second was the difference. The Rainmen were never able to claw all the way back.

If you omit the second quarter, there was only a two point difference between each team in the other three quarters, with the Rainmen holding the advantage in the final two frames.

But a 26-13 second quarter gave the Cavalry a comfortable lead and defending champs rarely squander such opportunities.

After Fort-Sill started the second quarter on a 10-0 run, the Rainmen lost a bit of focus and poise. They began rushing shots and making bad decisions with the ball; not the way to stop a drought.

The Cavalry were led by Elvin Mims who put up 24 points (20 in the second half) to go a long with his six boards, two assists and two blocks.

For the Rainmen, Taliek Brown led the way with 18 points. Kavon Jones (16 pts, 11 rebs) and Eric Crookshank (12 pts, 15 rebs) each had posted a double-double.

Jones’ play, or lack thereof, may have been the x-factor for the Rainmen loss. When in the game, Jones proved to be a force on the boards and putting up points.

The big man saw limtied action in the first half though. After picking up two quick fouls in the first quarter, Jones took a spot on the bench. He came back in the second, but only managed about two minutes before picking up another foul. He only saw a total of about five minutes of action in the half.

Another contributing factor to his low minutes could have been a collision that saw Jones hit the deck hard in the first quarter. Drivng to the bucket, the Cavalry defender came in hard on Jones and sent him to the floor. Jones was slow to get up, but initially stayed in the game.

By the end of the third quarter, it seemed the Rainmen were beginning to claw their way back from the 15-point deficit at the half, and momentum was swinging their way.

Crookshank and Marshall Mitchell hooked up on a pretty alley-oop that got the crowd back into the game late in the third. Not long after Crookshank nailed a buzzer-beating trey to end the quarter.

A few late fouls, helped Halifax pull close with a few minutes left, getting within eight at one point, but ultimately they couldn’t makeup the ground they’d lost in the second Q.

After the game, Cavalry coach Michael Ray acknowledged the talent on the Halifax team, but attributed the difference to having a relatively consistent roster over the last few seasons.

The Rainmen return to action Saturday at 7 pm at the Metro Centre as they go head-to-head with the Kentucky Bluegrass Stallions.

Joel McDougall is a writer and broadcaster living in Halifax. Visit Joel's website at www.route19.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @jmdougall.

#1 Capers at #2 Tigers Highlights Busy Opening Weekend of AUS Action

2011-01-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

Simon Farine (left) and Joe Schow (right) welcome the undefeated Cape Breton Capers to the Dalplex this weekend.

by Bill McLean

A battle of the top two teams in AUS men's basketball highlights a busy weekend of action as the varsity season kicks off the second term.

Defending champion and first place Cape Breton (7-0, 20p) will face the second place Dalhousie Tigers (4-1, 14p) at the Dalplex in a two game set beginning Saturday night at 8:00. The second game will tip off at 4:00 on Sunday.

The Capers are home after a holidays tour of China, while the Tigers are coming off a loss to St Francis Xavier in the championship game of the Rod Shoveller Memorial Tournament over the weekend.

The Capers may have the best starting lineup in the AUS with Paris Carter, Jimmy Dorsey, Phillip Nkrumah, and Tremaine Fraser all averaging double figures. Cape Breton is the highest scoring team in the conference and lead in turnover margin with a lofty 5.29.

For the Tigers, fifth year senior Simon Farine is once again the leading scorer averaging 15 ppg, while Joe Schow is averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds. The Tigers are the second best defensive team in the AUS surrendering only 75 ppg and have finally added a transition attack with the addition of several athletic players.

“We'll need Simon, Schow, Juleous Grant, and Alex Arthur to really play well if we're going to have a chance” said Tigers Head Coach John Campbell earlier this week. “We're hoping we can get them into foul trouble and create some match up problems.”

If you can't make it out to Dalplex the game can be seen on ssncanada.ca.

Also this weekend in Men's Basketball:

Saturday, St FX (3-2, 8p) vs. UPEI (1-5, 2p) - The X-Men try to build on their Rod Shoveller championship and take care of business at home vs. Panthers.

Saturday/Sunday - UNB (3-3, 6p) vs. MUN (1-5, 4p) – A tough weekend trip to St. John's for UNB to begin the term. The two game set could go a long way in determining the final playoff spot.

Saturday, SMU (2-5, 6p) vs. Acadia (3-3, 8p) - The health of Justin Boutlier for Acadia is key in this match up. Huskies will be looking to get a tough road win as they continue to gel.

Sunday, St FX vs. Acadia- Battle of outstanding guards, Christian Upshaw vs. Anthony Sears. Owen Classen of Acadia could give the X-Men a huge match up problem.

Sunday, UPEI vs. SMU- Mannock Lual of the Panthers could have a huge game here. A must win game for a Huskies team struggling to find an identity.

Women's Basketball

Saturday/Sunday, Cape Breton (5-2, 14p) vs. Dalhousie (1-4, 4p) – Big trouble for the Tigers. Anna Stammberger's youthful team struggles with full court pressure, and the Capers excel at applying it.

Saturday/Sunday, UNB (5-1, 14p) vs. MUN (4-2, 14p) – These teams are tied for first place. They split a weekend set in Fredericton in November. Claire Colbourne is averaging 24 ppg for the Reds.

Saturday, UPEI (0-6) vs. St FX (4-1, 12p) – Could be a struggle for Carly Clarke's rebuilding Panthers. The X-Women are deep and athletic.

Saturday, SMU (3-4, 6p) vs. Acadia (2-4, 6p) – These teams combined for the 4th highest scoring game in CIS women's history back in October at the Tower. Justine Colley is averaging 22 ppg for the Huskies while Emma Duinker averages 21 for Acadia.

Sunday, UPEI vs. SMU – Expect the Huskies Susanne Canvin to have a huge game versus her former team.

Sunday, St Fx vs Acadia- An outstanding match up of athletic teams. The key will be how Acadia handles the full court pressure of the X-Women.

Men's Hockey

Dalhousie (8-8) vs. UPEI (9-5-2) - The nationally ranked Panthers feature the three top scorers in the AUS in Matt Carter (29p), Cory Vitarelli (24), and Michael MacIsaac (23, tied with Hunter Tremblay of UNB). UPEI will looking to bounce back after losing to Acadia last night. The Tigers were on the cusp of their first national ranking in years but this weekend trip to UNB (Tigers lost 5-0) and UPEI may set them back. Highly touted recruit Zach Harden is making debut for Dalhousie.

Acadia (8-6-2) at UNB (12-4) – The Axemen got a huge win at PEI last night but will be in tough vs. (arguably) the best team in the country. The Reds got revenge on Dalhousie last night with a 5-0 shellacking and will be looking for the same against Acadia who beat them 3-2 in Wolfville in November.

St.Thomas (2-11-3) vs. Saint Mary's (11-4-1) – The national champs are a virtual lock at the Forum versus a Tommies team that would appear to be rebuilding and destined for the basement this season.

Moncton (5-9-2) vs. St FX (9-6-1) – Moncton got whipped by Saint Mary's last night while the X-Men had no problem with STU. Moncton has added some high profile recruits and will be looking for a huge road win to close the gap on 6th place Dalhousie in the standings. The X-Men have proven to be the conference's streakiest team. They started the season with a four game winning streak, then lost six in a row, and have now won five of their last six with the only loss in overtime at STU.

Women's Volleyball

The first place Saint Mary's Huskies (6-4) have a tough weekend trip to New Brunswick. Tonight they'll play Moncton (5-4) and tomorrow they'll be in Fredericton visiting UNB (5-5). Moncton and UNB are tied for second place. St FX (4-5) is only two points behind in third and will travel to play the Capers (2-7). The AUS women's volleyball standings have been a logjam the last couple of years so every match will be critical down the stretch.

Women's Hockey

Lesley Jordan's Dalhousie Tigers (6-4-3) finally beat the Mount Allison Mounties (5-6-1) last night at the DMA. The Mounties had beaten the Tigers twice already this season and were well on their way to a third win behind the stellar play of goaltender Janelle Hulan. Laura Shearer scored for Dalhousie in the third period to tie the game at one, and Robin Nicholson scored in overtime to give the struggling Tigers a much needed victory. The Tigers had lost 5 of their last 6 before the holiday break. The Tigers outshot the Mounties 41-9.

SMU Huskies (4-6-2)at Moncton Aigles Bleues(9-3-1) – Moncton's Marieve Provost is the AUS all time leading scorer and she may be having her best season of her career. Provost leads all scorers with 32 points, 13 ahead of Janelle Parent of the X-Women in second place. Lisa Jordan's Huskies are rebuilding after winning the AUS championship last season.

St FX (11-0) at STU (6-6-1) – The powerhouse X-Women are undefeated, nationally ranked, and have their sights focused on an AUS championship. The Tommies are scrappy and will be looking to keep pace with Dalhousie in the middle of the pack.

Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Check us out on facebook (Haligonia Sports) and follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

Derek Vs. the Spread: Wild Card Weekend

2011-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Peyton Manning and the Colts are in tough vs. the New York Jets.

By Derek LeBlanc

Hello everyone, it has been awhile since I have written anything for Haligonia Sports but with my favourite time of the year being the NFL playoffs, I decided to make picks for this postseason and so how well I really know my football and see how I do against the spread. With wild card weekend starting on Saturday afternoon we have no time for chit chat so let’s get to the point

New Orleans (-11) vs. Seattle

Saints-When it comes to the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks, this is the Saints game to lose. The two teams played against each other back in week 11 and we see that there offense is still powerful even thou they were plagued with injuries to running backs, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. Chris Ivory was good at times but he and Thomas have been put on IR so they will not play which leaves the rushing up to Bush and some carries for Juilias Jones. Drew Brees can still throw the ball and with all the targets around him like Marques Colston for example and had the numbers to show for it. The thing that would catch people by surprise is that the Saints defense was ranked 6th in yards per game and 3rd in pass defense. The Saints had a bad break or two and they are better than that 10-6 record indicates and can win big games like the Monday nighter in Atlanta.
Seahawks-When it comes to the Seahawks, I am reminded of the saying if you don’t have anything nice to say about them, don’t say anything at all. Anyone who watches football knows if they didn’t play in the NFC West that they would have been out of playoff contention by Thanksgiving. Their offense is ranked 28th in the league and are in the bottom 5 of rushing where is really the only chance they really have to beat them. We now know that Matt Hasselback will be starting but how healthy is he going into this game. While there offense is bad, the defense is not much better in which they were ranked 26th. Plus this team is young with really only Hasselback and secondary veteran Lawyer Malloy with major playoff experience coming off the top of my head. The only positives I see for them are there are the Seahawks fans (Known as the 12th man) were opponents find it hard to play in that stadium. Also they do have special team’s returner Leon Washington who was able to get 3 touchdowns this year after coming back from a broken fibula in week 7 last year while playing for the Jets.
Outcome-We seen what the Saints did to them in week 11 and I do not think it will not be much different the second time around. I expect the Saints to control the ball on offense and stop on defense and take the Seahawks to town and have no problem winning by more than there 11 point spread.

New York Jets vs. Indianapolis (-3)
Colts-Out of all the games to be matched up in the 1st round, The Indy Colts and New York Jets game is the hardest to pick. I think the only east bet is that it will be a close game between the two. With the Colts all you have to do is say the name Peyton Manning. When it is all said and done he will either have every record for a quarterback or will be in the top 3. The only thing with Peyton is for a couple of weeks he was looking more like his brother Eli. He had 11 picks between weeks 11-13 with all of them loses to the Patriots, Cowboys and Chargers. Exactly when you look at their records this season with teams that did 500 or better they ended up going 3-5. We also seen that without Joseph Addai that their running game was in worse shape than it was before but you can’t count their offense out as they ranked 4th in total yards with the injuries they had up front. The defense has also seen their share of hurt players with guys like Gary Brackett missing some time and Bob Sanders missing the season as well. There pass defense was ok but they have trouble stopping the run. They still have Dwight Freeny and Robert Mathis up front so they can still get to the quarterback. With the team winning four straight to end the season and most of their starters back, you cannot afford to take the Colts lightly.
Jets- It has been a rollercoaster year for the team from Darrell Revis’s holdout, the harassing of a female reporter during a preseason game and the foot fetish videos of coach’s Rex Ryan’s wife. Still the Jets had a good season for the most part going 11-5. The defense was still there bread and butter going 3rd in both yards per game and rush defense and there pass d finishing in the top 10. There was a big loss on the secondary when safety Jim Leonard went out for the season but with Colts tight end Dallas Clark also gone for the year, Manning won’t be able to get the ball up the middle. On the offensive side, while we see some growth out of second year QB Mark Sanchez, near the end of the season he was having some troubles. Also with a bum shoulder they got to hope Sanchez can go 100% and be smarter like he was at the start of the year. The jets depend on their running game of Shawn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson which was solid this year. This is will the Jets will attack because the Colts are ranked 25th on rushing yards per game this year. There is also special team’s standout Brad Smith as well so there is that threat to add on. Basically the game lays on Mark Sanchez and the Jets receiving core to not to turn the ball over.

Outcome-While my mind says to take the safe bet is the Colts, I just can’t see it happening. Sure Manning can throw for 400 yards at any time, his offense as a hole is to banged up for the Jets defense not to take advantage of. I think the Jets can run the ball down the Colts throat and send them packing early.

Baltimore (-3) vs. Kansas City
Chiefs-I don’t anyone predicted that Kansas City Chiefs would make the playoffs but they are here and they are a team on the rise. We see that this team has a great run game with their three headed monster of Thomas Jones, Jamal Charles and Dexter McCluster. When seen improves from Matt Cassell and he now has a number one target in Dywane Bowe. They have young defense with some future stars in Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry. The only problem with them is even thou they won the AFC West, the only team they beat with a 500 record or better was against the Chargers in week 1. I think they can surprise this week because while they beat up on lesser teams, they still went 7-1 at home.
Ravens-When it comes to the Ravens, we all know that they are a defensive minded that can hit at will with their backbone of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. We did see in games thou against the Bills and Texans were the defense showed some signs of weakness and blow 4th quarter leads. They will still able to rank 10th overall in defense and 5ht against the run which can be a big help for them because the Chiefs depend on that run game. Besides there d, we have seen that there offense is improving ever since Joe Flacco has been taken the snaps. While I still find that he hasn’t got to the elite level yet he has been doing better each year and with the targets like Anquan Boldin. The heart and soul of the Ravens thou is the running game behind him. Ray Rice is the most underrated running back in the game, Willis McGahee is solid as a backup and they have the best fullback in the game in Le’ron McClain. I think the Ravens can surprise people this post season.

Outcome-When you look at it both teams are really similar. While the offense is the same the Ravens defense is better the Chiefs. It will be a good learning experience at Arrowhead for KC but they have another year or two before they can start causing problems for AFC teams.

Green Bay vs. Philadelphia (-3)
Green Bay-On paper it looked like the Green Bay Packers were going to be in playing in Dallas no problem at the start of the season. While things changed with injuries throughout the season, they are still a big threat in the NFC. We see that Aaron Rodgers is one of the top five qb’s in football and has all the cheese heads saying Brett who. Rodgers has great cannon and has reliable weapons in Donald Lee, Donald Driver, Jori Nelson and Greg Jennings. On the defense, while various players went down this season, the team was still able to ranked 5th in the league. Clay Matthews was able to avoid the sophomore slump and grab 13.5 sacks while battling a hamstring and they still have current defensive player of the year and former Heisman winner Charles Woodson. The only problem the Packers have that there is no running game this season. They lost Ryan Grant in the first game and had to put him on injured reserve and no one has been able to fill his void. The offensive line while better this year but they still need improvement as well as we seen with the running game suffering and the concussion that Rodgers took against the Redskins.
Eagles-After Donavan McNabb was traded in the offseason, no one thought that the Philadelphia Eagles would finish dead last in the always competitive NFC East. While I had predicted on the Bill McLean Sports show that the Eagles would surprise everyone I thought it was going to be done with Kevin Kolb taking the snaps instead we seen the rebirth of Michael Vick. While he has been able to run the ball he finally has something that he really didn’t with Atlanta, receivers to throw the ball too. He has solid guys like Jeremy McClain, Brent Celek and DeSean Jackson who is also a threat on kick and punt returns. They also have LeSean McCoy to run in the backfield and all those weapons made the Eagles the number two offense. They do not have a great defense thou but they are good enough to get the job done. They have top guys like Trent Cole and Asante Samuel who does have two super rings with the New England Patriots. They will be missing some key guys as secondary man Ellis Hobbs is gone for the season and maybe his career and linebacker Stewart Bradley out for the playoffs but with the Packers running game the way it is he won’t be missed this week anyways.
Outcome-While both teams are great and can easily win the NFC, there is one stat that makes the difference. Cam Stewart from The Score television network brought up that the Eagles secondary gave 31 receiving touchdowns this year, only ahead of the Houston Texans. I picked Green Bay at the start of the year to win it all and like Shania Twain said, You got to dance with the one the brought you. Packers +3.

Derek LeBlanc is a mixed martial arts reporter who writes for topmmanews.com. He resides in Halifax and can be reached at dleblanc@topmmanews.com

Rainmen Open Season with a Win

2011-01-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

by Joel MacDougall

It was a great atmosphere at the Metro Centre Sunday afternoon as the Halifax Rainmen hosted the Vermont Frost Heaves to open the PBL season. It was a close game with some good back and forth action, but in the end it was a couple of familiar faces that led the Rainmen to the win.

The Frost Heaves jumped out to an early lead thanks in large part to the strong guard play from Dwane Rice and Joe Jones. Rice’s quickness and ability to penetrate seemed to create some open looks for his teammates as the Rainmen got their defensive feet under themselves.

The momentum began to shift with a steal by Des “Moneyball” Ferguson on an in-bound pass that led to an old fashion three-point play.

New starting point guard Taliek Brown (14 pts, 11 asts) looked comfortable and settled the Rainmen into their offense before the first quarter was over. Eric “Air Canada” Crookshank, coming of the bench, allowed the team to push the ball up the floor and catch the Frost Heaves not getting back on defense. Despite coming off the bench, Crookshank led the team in scoring and rebounding going into the half with 15 points and seven boards staking the Rainmen to a 57-49 lead.

The second half saw another veteran Rainman take over and maintain that lead. Des Ferguson caught fire from behind the arc, scoring 19 scoring of his game high 28 in the final two quarters. Ferguson finished the game going 7 for 9 from land of three.

The Rainmen seemed to have found a couple of solutions down low in Kavon Jones (12 pts, 12 rebs) and Josh Dollard (12 pts, 8 rebs). Big-body presence in the middle has been a concern for the Rainmen, but Sunday’s game showed some promise. Both Dollard and Jones provided lots of energy and grit down low and kept several plays alive leading to second chance opportunities. the Rainmen managed to out-rebound the Frost Heaves 47-38.

The Rainmen next see action Thursday, as they travel to Quebec to take on the Kebs. They are back home next Sunday against Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry.

Joel MacDougall is a sports writer and broadcaster living in Halifax. Follow him on twitter @jmdougall and check out his blog www.route19.wordpress.com.

Five Can't Miss AUS Games This Winter in Halifax

2011-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Tigers hosting Cape Breton this weekend is one of the games to not miss this winter.

by Bill McLean

The varsity season starts up again this weekend and the excitement is building as schools get ready to begin the march to the AUS championships. Here are the top five regular season games to go see this winter in Halifax.

5. Saturday, January 22nd- Men's Volleyball: Laval Rouge et Or vs. Dalhousie

This match should be a special treat for Dalhousie volleyball fans who have been thirsting to see a team go toe to toe with the Tigers. Dan Ota's dominant cast of AUS all stars have maintained a streak of over twenty consecutive national championships.

Dalhousie will be hosting the season's final interlock tournament between the AUS and QSSF and the Dalplex will be hopping with outstanding volleyball all weekend.

Laval is undefeated on the season and ranked #1 in the country. In October the Rouge et Or brushed aside the Tigers in straight sets.

Dalhousie did not look like their dominant selves throughout the first term but should have their swagger back by the time Laval comes to Halifax. All-Canadian Max Burt will be back from injury and the 2010 MVP, Sander Ratsep, will be out for revenge.

4. Wednesday, January 26th - Men's Basketball: Saint FX vs. Saint Mary's

If the Huskies continue to struggle, this mid-week treat will certainly lose some of it's lustre, but expect Ross Quackenbush's troops to get better and play more cohesively as the season goes on. Steve Konchalski's X-Men have lost to the Capers and Tigers already this season but appear to be back in form after winning the Shoveller Championship over New Year's weekend.

The big storyline will be the battle of the guards; the nation's leading scorer, Joey Haywood of the Huskies, vs. the conference's best backcourt in Halifax natives Will Silver and Christian Upshaw of X.

The rivalry between the Dalhousie Tigers and the Huskies has improved in recent years as the Tigers have become a tier 1 team, but it's the X-Men's annual winter visit that really gets the Tower rocking.

This game will have added importance as it will be worth four points in the standings which could be critical for a Saint Mary's team that may be jockeying for position in the middle of the pack, and an X team that will be competing for a bye at the AUS championships.

3. Sunday, January 23rd- Women's Basketball: UNB Varsity Reds vs. Saint Mary's

If asked who would win the scoring title this season in AUS women's basketball, many pundits and observers would have picked Huskies second year guard Justine Colley in a heartbeat. Considering that Colley has averaged 22 points a game this season, you'd think she was well on her way.

But as we enter the second half of the season Colley (22.1 ppg) finds herself just under 3 points behind UNB's first year sensation Claire Colborne (24.3 ppg).

Colborne, a 6'0” post from Calgary, has formed the best front court in the conference playing alongside perennial AUS all star Amanda Sharpe. The dynamic duo has propelled the Varsity Reds to a tie for first place in the standings after missing the playoffs last season.

This outstanding match up of two of the best players in the country will make for a lot of Sunday afternoon excitement at the Tower.

2. Saturday, January 8th/Sunday, January 9th- Men's Basketball: Cape Breton Capers at Dalhousie

There's not much better than #1 travelling to play #2. Such is the case this weekend when the defending AUS champs and first place Capers come to the Dalplex to play the second place Tigers.

Last season the Tigers couldn't stay within single digits of Cape Breton in two regular season games and the AUS semi finals in Sydney.

Tiger's Head Coach John Campbell put an emphasis on recruiting athletes to match up more efficiently with the Capers and X-Men. So far it seems to have worked as the Tigers got a huge road win in Antigonish over a St FX team that was without the services of Christian Upshaw. However the X-Men beat the Tigers by double digits in the Shoveller final this past weekend so there may be some doubt creeping into the fragile confidence of Dalhousie.

The weekend match up with the athletic and physical Capers should give the Tigers a pretty good idea if they are indeed built to compete with the powers to the north. Meanwhile, the Capers will be looking to build on their undefeated season and send a clear message to the AUS that they are still top dog.

1. Saturday, February 5th- Men's Hockey: UNB Varsity Reds at Saint Mary's

If this was scheduled this weekend it would be another #1 vs. #2 as the teams are only separated by one point atop the conference. But in the wacky AUS, the most competitive conference in the country, these teams could be middle of the pack come February.

But don't count on it. The Reds and Huskies have won the last two national championships and have all the pieces to win it again.

Despite a surprising four losses and multiple injuries to key personnel, UNB is still the best team in the country. The 2010 CIS player of the year, Hunter Tremblay, is the leader of a confident group of Reds focused on making amends for last year's late season collapse.

The Huskies are the defending national champions and are playing much better hockey than they were this time last year. Colby Pridham, Andrew Hotham, and Cam Fergus are all back and newcomers Chris Mackinnon and Kyle Wharton have been stellar.

The teams split their first two games with both winning at home. With Acadia, St FX, UPEI, and Dal all having closed the gap substantially, the game could be pivotal in determining the final standings.

Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Check us out on facebook and follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

Rainmen Ice Frost Heaves in Season Opener

2011-01-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Desmond Ferguson went six for seven from beyond the arc to lead the Rainmen.

by Peter Clarke

THE GIST OF IT
Teamwork and hot shooting helped the Rainmen start their 2011 regular season on a high note.

The Rainmen capped the Vermont Frost Heaves by a score of 109 to 99 in a very exiting game at the Metro Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Both squads matched up well but the Rainmen were playing much more controlled and got to the charity stripe 22 times in the first half.

Practice time must have paid off for all the new faces. The turnover situation was much improved from the preseason games. Players were making their passes in transition and finishing their chances or at least drawing a foul.

WHO DID IT
A huge half from Eric Crookshank allowed the Rainmen to take the lead. In just 16 minutes He pounded Vermont for 15 points and grabbed seven boards. He is still proving his worth as an explosive sixth man and a backup for Dollard. The other Rainmen bigs will need to step up though in order to justify having one of the most explosive players on the bench.

Mike Mercer continues to impress with his consistency. He had 18 for the game and is showing a knack for chasing down offensive put-backs. He is a dynamic, do-it-all wing player that the Rainmen did not have last season.

In the second half, the Rainmen went off. Desmond Ferguson, who missed the preseason with an injury went 6 for 7 from beyond the arc and finished with a game high 27. The Rainmen squad didn’t capitalize on his shooting in the first half but went to a lot once he got hot. It is also worth mentioning that Vermont did not nearly enough defensive pressure on him in the second half.

The Rainmen were getting buckets from everyone Josh Dollard has 12 points, Taliek Brown had 14 and centre Kavon Jones put up 12 points with 12 rebounds as well.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
It’s really nice to see the Rainmen’s offense lead by a true point guard. Taliek Brown carries the ball with care and works the clock every single possession. The result is opposing defenses getting frustrated and Brown getting to the free-throw line.

He needs to work on upping his percentages though; he went 10 for 18 against Vermont.

With his passing and his ability to get the line, he could easily be a 10 and 10 guy for the Rainmen all season long.

The Rainmen have also addressed their depth at the power forward / centre spot by signing Torraye Braggs, a veteran of several NBA seasons in the early 2000’s.

HECKLER’S ROW BURN OF THE WEEK
“THREE, TWO, ONE,” Player takes a shot as if the shot clock was expiring “Hahaha there was still time left.”

Peter Clarke lives in Halifax and is a graduate of the Jounalism program at Kings College. Check out his blog at www.rainmen.kingsjournalism.com and follow him on twitter @rainmenblogger.

AUS-ome Hockey

2010-12-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Huskies were national champions in 2010, the third CIS title in four years for the AUS in Men's Hockey. (photo credit: Richard Lafortune)

by Joel MacDougall

It boasts the defending National Champions, the # 1 ranked team for most of last year and and five teams that have been ranked in the Top Ten this year, and its teams have just recently finished a successful Hoiliday exhibition season. The Atlantic University Sport Conference has become the powerhouse of university hockey in the country.

The UNB Varisty Reds have been the class of CIS Hockey for the past few seasons. They were a favourite to claim the National Championship last year, and third title in four years, before they were upset by St. FX X-Men in the playoffs. This parity or ability of practically any team (sorry STU, not yet) to win on any given night is a trademark of the toughest conference in university hockey.

Last year, following the upset of the V-Reds, it was the Saint Mary’s Huskies that went on to capture the National Championship. The fourth National Championship in seven years for the AUS.

This season has seen the favourites take their usual spots at the top of the conference. UNB leads the way with an 11-4-0 record, while Saint Mary’s is right behind them with a 10-4-1 mark.

But the comfort zone between them and the next set of teams has all but been erased.

Despite not being able to regain the #1 spot in the country (yet), UNB has defeated the top ranked Alberta Golden Bears and the McGill Redmen, who have flip-flopped with the V-Reds for #2 all year.

Coming off the National Championship last year, Saint Mary’s has continued its strong play and has remained firmly in the middle of the Top Ten National rankings all year, moving up or down on occassion.

The UPEI Panthers have come out in the first half and posted a 9-4-2 record to sit third in the conference. Not even mentioned in the early season national rankings, UPEI has held a permanent spot in the Top Ten since November.

ST. FX was ranked fourth in the country prior to the season, but streaky play has seen them lose that spot in the Top Ten. They held on to the National ranking early on, thanks in large part to a four game winning streak to start the year. The X-Men tumbled out of the Top Ten by dropping the next six straight. That was followed by a three-game winning streak and splitting the final two games before the Holiday break.

Over the break, the X-Men defeated the #3 ranked McGill Redmen in men’s hockey to capture the fifth annual Keating Cup Challenge in Antigonish. The X-Men proved last year that they can knock off the top teams, it just seems a matter of being hot at the right time, or improving their consistency.

The Dalhousie Tigers came into the year looking to take a leap forward in their competitive level. Early on the Tigers struggled to string together succesful outings and couldn’t score enough. Dal seemed to find their stride late in November though, posting a 4-1 record in their last five games, including victories over nationally ranked UNB, Saint Mary’s and UPEI. See? Any team, any night.

The story is much the same for the Acadia Axemen, who have posted a solid 7-6-2 record so far. That may not seem overly impressive, but it has them only six points back of UNB and includes a couple big wins. The weekend before the break saw the Axemen defeat both the V-Reds and UPEI, proving once again that on any given night…yadda yadda yadda.

UNB will host this year’s National Championship tournament March 24 – 27, and that will allow for a second AUS representative. Now, I suppose the smart money is on Saint Mary’s and UPEI to battle for that spot, but it seems like it could come down to who gets hot at the right time. Just as St. FX ousted UNB last year, could it be Acadia or Dal that does the same this year?

Regardless, the second half of the AUS hockey schedule proves to be hard fought as teams position themselves for the playoffs. Currently only six points seperates sixth from first.

Joel MacDougall lives in Halifax and writes about all sports local and abroad. Follow him on twitter @jmdougall and check out his blog, www.route19.wordpress.com.

Moosehead's Terenzio is QMJHL First Star

2010-12-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

Anthonu Terenzio made a case this past week to be the Herd's number one Goaltender

by Joel MacDougall

Goaltender Anthony Terenzio and forwards Brandon Hynes and Jean-Gabriel Pageau were named today the TELUS three stars of the week for the period extending from December 13 to 19.

Anthony Terenzio is the first star of the week. The Halifax Moosehead’s backstop collected three wins in three games with stellar performances in Moncton and in Acadie-Bathurst. He also earned another win at home versus the Titan on Saturday. He finished the week with a 0.86 goals-against-average and .971 save percentage by stopping 68 of the 70 shots he faced. Terenzio earned a star in the two games that he started.

Terenzio, a sixth round pick in this year’s QMJHL draft, came into the year as the back-up to the incumbent, Mathieu Corbeil (4th Rd Columbus, 2010). After some early season struggles by Corbeil, as well some heath issues, Terenzio has been getting a few more opportunities to play. His numbers have improved since the start of the year, culminating in the a hot week in December.

It would certainly not hurt the Mooseheads to have a bit of goaltender controversy, provided it is prompted by the stellar play of Terenzio. One goalie pushing the other can help win games.

Victoriaville Tigers right-winger Brandon Hynes is the second star of the week. The forward registered 4 goals and 3 helpers for a total of 7 points while posting an exceptional +7 rating in two wins against the Huskies and the Foreurs. He was also named the second star of the game last Saturday in Rouyn-Noranda.

Finally, Gatineau Olympiques forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau is the third star following a stretch in which the Olympiques collected an impressive three wins. He recorded 4 goals and 4 assists for a total of 8 points. Pageau also managed to maintain a +6 rating. Last week, he won the Olympiques’ mid-season offensive player award.

Joel MacDougall lives in Halifax. Check out his blog www.route19.wordpress.com and follow hime on twitter @jmdougall.

Fielder of Dreams Could Be Reality for Jays

2010-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

Haligonia Sport's contributor Joel MacDougall thinks the Jays should plan to make a bid for Prince Fielder in 2012.

by Joel MacDougall

This year’s offseason has seen the Toronto Bluejays make some moves on the periphery. Trading away your opening day starter is never insignificant, but neither does it rank up there with the acquisitions of Crawford and Gonzalez in Boston or Cliff Lee spurrning the Yankees to join, quite arugably, one of the greatest rotations of all time in Philadelphia.

The Jays apparently showed considerable interest in the young Royals hurler Zack Grienke. The 27-year-old former Cy Young award winner would have immediately strenghtened the Jays starting rotation. More importantly though, Grienke could have provided top-end depth into the future. Ultimately the price in terms of prospects may have been to high.

Despite the fact that the Jays will be able to field a young team that showed promise last season and hopes to build on that, they are probably won’t be a serious playoff contender until 2012. General manager Alex Anthopolous, has expressed the opinion that the team is likely one big piece away, and I believe that piece could be found next off-season.

Since taking over the club last offseason, Anthopolous has made it a priority to build the team from the farm system up. Gone are the days of the quick fix, and signing high-priced, veteran free agents to try and compete despite young depth. Now the theory is to build a solid team through the draft and acquiring young, controllable players. As the core develops, money can be spent on free agents if it is beleived to push the already solid young core over the top.

So far, the plan seems to be moving along smoothly. Anthopolous has made some shrewd moves to turn organizational weaknesses into strengths. It all began with the Halladay deal, which saw the Jays acquire high-end prospects SP Kyle Drabek, C Travis D’Arnaud, and 1B Brett Wallace. Wallace was later shipped to Houston for OF Anthony Gose, whom the Astros had acquired from the Phillies and the Jays had apparently coveted in the Halladay deal.

The future at shortstop in Toronto had been in question for years, but was addressed by Anthopolous’ aggressive pursuit of Cuban prospect, Adeiny Hechavarria. The Jays were able to sign the standout Cuban depsite competing against the Evil Empire of the New York Yankees. They also came close, but were ultimately outbid by the Reds on Cuban pitching sensation Aroldis Chapman.

A less earth-shaking signing on a short-term solution at shortstop, has since provided further promise at the position. Alex Gonzalez was signed last offseason to provide solid defense and the occassional base hit, until a longer-term solution like Hechavarria was ready down the road. But after a great start to the year Gonzalez became something of a hot commodity for playoff contenders looking for an upgrade. Gonzalez was sent, along with a couple minor league pitchers, to Atlanta for Yunel Escobar, who had been underperforming, but seemed to find new life as a Blue Jay.

The Jays biggest strength right now is a talented, young pitching staff. The 2011 opening day rotation has the first four spots penciled in as Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, and likely the aforemention Kyle Drabek is ready to make the jump. Morrow was acquired from the Mariniers in another smart move by Anthopolous. Despite amazing stuff Morrow was never given a consistent role in Seattle, but once he took the hill every fifth day in Toronto, his promise quickly became reality.

This strength allowed the Jays to move Shaun Marcum, the veteran of a young staff, for another top prospect, Brett Lawrie, who could help fill an infield position or be moved to the outfield. He most recently played secondbase in the Brewers system. Though some question his defensive ability to remain in the infield, he could move to fill the Jays hole at third, or facilitate Aaron Hill moving there.

So looking ahead, where do the Blue Jays major holes lie? The pitching staff is young, but very talented and not far from reaching full potential. Pacific Coast League MVP, J.P. Arencibia looks ready for consistent playing time in the bigs mentored by Jose Molina. Escobar and Hill form a solid middle infield, with good offensive ability provided Hill regains his form. The outfield will be manned by Vernon Wells and Travis Snider and possibly Homerun champ Jose Bautista and DH Adam Lind. Bautista could see time at thirdbase depending on where the greater need exists and Lind is going to be given a chance to fill the void at firstbase. These temporary solutions are indications of where the holes are: the corner infield.

This year will be preparation though. Romero will offically take the role of ace. Morrow will see if the leaps he made last year continue with a consistent role. Escobar and Hill will have a full year together in the field and need to produce with the bat as well. Snider has another year of experience and could be that much closer to realizing his full potential. Ultimately, I think the Jays will fall just shy of the postseason to the Redsox and Yankees, despite a competitive year with a lot of positives.

What is one the one piece that they could acquire next offseason to push them over the top?

Prince Fielder.

A free agent after this year, it would be a miracle if the Scott Boras client didn’t test the free agent waters. He will certainly garner interest and the money will be high. But there is one thing that might help keep the salary within the Jays range; AL East divisional rivals, and perennial big-money free agent spenders Boston and New York have already locked up high-priced first basemen, and will not likely be involved.

Anthopolous has said that ownership is willing to spend, but it is a matter of getting the team to a point where it is worthwhile to do so. With no real blue-chip prospects for the position in the minors, it would make sense that if they were going to spend on any position (other than pitching) it would be first base.

Of course, Albert Pujols is also a free agent, but if he isn’t re-signed by St. Louis I will be shocked and I doubt that Toronto would be able to land him. I actually refuse to even consider the option as I feel it will only lead to disappointment.

Joel MacDougall lives in Halifax and writes about all sports. Check out his website www.route19.wordpress.com and follow him on twitter @jmdougall

Rainmen Working Out Kinks In Preseason

2010-12-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

Fan favourite Eric Crookshank will be the sixth man this season for the Rainmen

by Peter Clarke

THE GIST OF IT

Halifax has seen its first glimpse of the 2011 Halifax Rainmen and they surprised a lot of people, newcomers and devoted fans alike.

Halifax’s basketball team held two pre-season home-openers at the Metro Centre this week.

Thursday night saw an unprecedented number of fans thanks to all the free tickets given away in a move to spark interest in the team as they faced off against their new Maritime rivals, the Saint John Mill Rats who moved here from Manchester, New Hampshire.

Friday evening brought the Quebec Kebs to town to play in front of a much smaller crowd, which is to be expected for preseason.

The Rainmen are a very different group this season after an almost complete roster overhaul. The holdouts are Devin Norris, Desmond Ferguson and Eric Crookshank but more on that later.

Rainmen owner Andre Levingston has added some talented players to fill the gaps in this seasons roster and give the Rainmen multiple options on the floor.

WHO DID IT

At the power forward spot, Levingston added 6’7” Josh Dollard. He’s a skilled big man that gives Halifax some much-needed fines in the paint and he has showed he can step out of the paint and knock down the mid-to-long range jumpers too.

At point guard, the Rainmen acquired a 5’7” sparkplug in Tajuan Porter whose speed and ultra-smooth stroke from the three-point line are going to make him tough to defend, despite his size. Porter is the University of Oregon’s all-time best three-point shooter and set a Pac-10 season record for it as a freshman in 2006-07.

One interesting dynamic for the Rainmen this year is fan-favourite Eric Crookshank, who brings his explosive energy of the bench. Number 20 looks like he could thrive in this role. In the game versus Saint John, Crookshank came into the game with six minutes left in the first quarter and he immediately changed the game with a high energy put-back and big-time assist in transition. The Rainmen will likely rely on his energy all season to help fill the scoring gaps and to pull down rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

It’s pre-season so a little rust is to be expected right? Even the Miami Heat took until December to show that they can win.

In their loss to Saint John on Thursday, it really came down to the fourth quarter where the wheels fell off the wagon.

The boys were trying to do it all themselves and it resulted in a lot of isolation plays that ended up in bricks and misses. Their transition game looked a little sloppy too and they just couldn’t seem to find the right spots on the break.

That trend carried into Friday night as they committed 17 turnovers in the first half alone. They really turned it around, though, in the fourth against Quebec. They were sharing the ball and getting players in their right spots. That energy and teamwork is what won the game for the Rainmen – that and a sizzling hot fourth quarter by guards Mike Mercer and Tajuan Porter.

With all that in mind, this Rainmen squad has really only been together for a matter of days but you can see that they are starting to learn a little about each other. Expect smoother offense and better team play in January when they kick off their season.

HECKLER’S ROW BURN OF THE WEEK

“Hey Cordell, one more demotion and you’ll be back in high school!” – Addressed to Quebec Kebs forward Cordell Jeanty

Peter Clarke lives in Halifax and is a Journalism graduate from Kings University. Check out his website at www.rainmen.kingsjournalism.com

Rainmen Gameday; The PBL Maritime Rivalry Begins Tonight on Haligonia

2010-12-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

Eric "Air Canada" Crookshank is back as the face of the Rainmen franchise.

The Halifax Rainmen kick off their 2010/2011 PBL season with a highly anticipated exhibition game tonight at the Metro Centre vs. the Saint John Millrats.

The game will be webcast on haligonia.ca, the webcasting home of the Rainmen.

The Millrats moved to the "port city" in New Brunswick from Manchester, New Hampshire. The details of the planned move were first revealed by Haligonia Sports' Mavs Gillis at the 2010 PBL All Star Weekend in Halifax this past March.

Gillis is back as the play by play voice of the Rainmen and he'll be joined by a rotation of colour commentators including Bill McLean, Ryan Dickie, and Dan Burrsey.

Romy Aquino is also back at the broadcast table and will be live blogging and messaging with fans throughout the webcast.

Rainmen returnees include the high flying Eric Crookshank and "moneyball" Desmond Ferguson. Halifax's Les Berry is back for his third season as Head Coach of the Rainmen.

Gametime tonight is 7:00 on haligonia.ca. Mavs, Bill, and Dan will have the call. The game is the first of back to back exhibitions as the Rainmen host the Quebec Kebs tomorrow night, which will also be shown on haligonia.ca.

Comments or questions? Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

AUS Men's Basketball Power Rankings; Where They Stand at The Break

2010-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Paris Carter and the Capers are looking like favourites to win their second straight AUS Championship

by Bill McLean

1. Cape Breton Capers

Oh we forgot…the champs are pretty good. The Capers bizarre absence from the national rankings momentarily put fans outside of Sydney at ease, but Jim Charter’s dynamic group of athletes quickly squashed any thoughts that CBU would not be a powerhouse again this season.

Led by the best starting lineup in the conference, the Capers have rolled to a 7-0 record which includes home wins over the X-Men and Saint Mary’s. The ever intimidating Phillip Nkrumah is averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds a game, and as a team the Capers have outscored opponents by an average of 13 points per contest.

The Capers are once again doing it with full court defense, leading the conference in steals (tied with X) and turnover margin. CBU is also leading the AUS in three-point shooting with 10 field goals from beyond the arc per game.

Cape Breton will face a huge challenge when the second half of the season begins with a weekend trip to Dalhousie.

2. Dalhousie Tigers

John Campbell’s upgraded Tigers already have a significant win under their belts after beating X 59-52 in Antigonish. They’ve comfortably taken care of business at home over Acadia and UPEI and got a double digit road win over an improved UNB. The only negative was a 92-86 loss at the Tower vs. a Saint Mary’s team desperate for their first win of the season.

The Tigers are much more athletic this year with the additions of Juleous Grant and Alex Arthur, and the return of combo guard Stephen Lopez from injury. Post player Joe Schow has been playing with ferocious abandon while former Acadia Axemen, Peter Leighton, is shooting over fifty percent from the three point line.

The Tigers are playing the best half court defense in the conference and have finally added a transition attack. Throw in the addition of former UNB Head Coach Tom Gillespie to the coaching staff and the Tigers are looking very much like legitimate contenders for their second AUS championship in three years.

3. Saint Francis Xavier X-Men

The coaches across the country seem to have a lot of respect for this X-Men team despite losses to Cape Breton and Dalhousie; X is the conferences highest ranked team sitting at number five.

The first term has been a battle for Coach K as his team has yet to find their distinctive swagger. Christian Upshaw has averaged nearly 20 points a game and the rest of the starters are on pace to put up their usual numbers, but the losses of Jordan Hope, Terrence Taylor, and Will Donkoh has taken away from the traditional depth of the team.

Expect the X-Men to get healthy over the holidays and come back in January focused and ready for another championship run.

4. Acadia Axemen

The Axemen are probably the easiest team in the conference to get a handle on, and there may not be much of a ceiling for improvement, but with the talented trio of Anthony Sears, Owen Classen, and Justin Boutlier, Acadia should have a relatively easy time making AUS playoffs again.

Sears is a high scoring athletic guard averaging 19 points per game, and Klassen is one of the best inside/outside players in the conference. Newcomer Sinclair Brown has added some toughness down low and Thomas Filgiano has been a steady force from outside coming off the bench.

Acadia doesn’t have the horses to win a championship but could provide a quarter finals upset at the playoffs. The last two years they’ve lost opening round heartbreakers to Dalhousie.

5. Saint Mary’s Huskies

The Huskies have relied heavily on the outstanding play of Joey Haywood while they wait for the newcomers to get settled in and establish some cohesiveness with the returnees.

Haywood is the nation’s leading scorer averaging 27 points a game while shooting an astonishing 58 percent from the field. Tony Fassett is developing into a nice sidekick for Haywood averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds a game and Demittri Harris has been a streaky offensive force from outside.

The Huskies have never been known as a great defensive team but are especially woeful this year, surrendering an abysmal 95 points a game.

Ross Quackenbush’s teams are infamous for playing their best basketball in late February and March so expect this team to continue to gel and be in the mix for an AUS championship.

6. UNB Varsity Reds

Brent Baker is in his third year of trying to turn around the Varsity Reds and appears to be making strides. They matched their victory total from last season with a three game winning streak in early November, only to suffer three double digit losses to finish the term.

Gone is the outstanding guard Mike Anderson (the pride of Grand Bay, New Brunswick is now playing for the Saint John Millrats), but the Reds have been getting balanced scoring from William Mcfee (14.5ppg), Daniel Quirion (12ppg), Andrew Wright (11.5ppg), and Alex DesRoches (11ppg).

The Reds are shooting just under 40 percent from the floor and have struggled with rebounding and foul shooting. However they are the second best defensive team in the conference surrendering only 76 points per game, and they do not commit many turnovers.

Expect the Reds to be in the hunt for the sixth playoff spot, which would be a huge step in Baker’s rebuilding process.

7. UPEI Panthers

Looks like another year of mediocrity for Mathew Davies and the Panthers. UPEI has been a fixture in the quarter finals at AUS championships under Davies, but may be on the outside looking in this season.

If they are to make it to Halifax it will be on the shoulders of Manock Lual. The explosive post player is averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds a game. Lual is shooting over 60 percent from the field and is a fierce competitor, but there’s just not a lot of support. Jonathon Cooper is averaging 15 points per game but shooting a paltry 33 percent, and the team is last in three point shooting.

The athletic Panthers can create havoc in the full court and they lead the conference in blocked shots (24), but they also turn the ball over too much and suffer from a lack of depth.

There is considerable room for improvement however and the Panthers should be in the running for the last playoff spot well into late February.

8. Memorial Seahawks

By virtue of a win over Saint Mary’s in Newfoundland the Seahawks are actually in seventh place in the conference. However I’m ranking PEI ahead of Memorial based on greater potential to improve second term.

The Seahawks have an outstanding trio of scorers in Mark Woodland, Jason Shepherd and Robbie Habib, and some decent secondary scoring from Will Bradbury, Mike Helsby, and Justin Alliman.

But the AUS is a physical conference and when you’re leading rebounder (Alliman) is averaging just over five boards a game, chances are good you won’t be booking a flight to Halifax in March.

The Seahawks struggle to defend giving up nearly 95 points per game. However , they are leading the conference in free throw shooting percentage (77%), and they always play tough in St.John’s.

Expect them to grind out a few more wins at home and be in playoff contention with a slight possibility of getting the sixth spot.

Agree or disagree? Think these rankings are a crock?! Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports and listen to Bill McLean Sports Show every Tuesday morning at 10:30 on ckdu.ca/88.1 FM in the HRM.

Bill McLean Sports Show on Facebook; Dec.7

2010-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Troy Ryan's Metro Marauders are undefeated in December with a record of 3-0.

(photo credit: Michael Fines)

This past Tuesday’s Bill McLean Sports Show on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax featured two of the top hockey coaches in the area: Pete Belliveau and Troy Ryan

Pete Belliveau- Head Coach of the Dalhousie Tigers Men’s Hockey Team
Coach Belliveau stops by at the start of the show to talk about his Tigers, the new “Cardiac Kids” of the AUS who have won five games this year in overtime. Coach gives us an update on some key additions to the Tigers coming in January, and discusses the process of turning around the Tigers in the highly competitive AUS

Troy Ryan- Head Coach of the Metro Marauders
Coach Ryan talks to Bill and Henry about 45 minutes into the show. Topics include the Marauder’s December winning streak, the challenges of the MHL’s bizarre scheduling, and the organizations marketing plan moving forward.

In the last half hour Bill, Henry, and Derek Leblanc talk about the Mooseheads and whether or not young athletes should be criticized by the media for poor performance.

All this plus lots of NFL talk, Henry chimes in about the World Cup bid controversy, and even a little NHL and Blue Jays discussion.

Check it out on the Haligonia Sports page on Facebook.

Comments or questions? Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

McDaniels Has Mile High Membership Terminated

2010-12-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

Josh McDaniels was ousted last week as Head Coach of the Denver Broncos

by Armaan Ahluwalia

Well it was almost certain that things in Denver were not going to be the same at
the end of the season. Did you think that change would come this soon? To be honest I personally thought that Pat Bowlen would keep Josh McDaniel’s till the end of the year, but things have changed.

Surprised? I was to, my first initial reaction was woah did that just happen? Now I have not been the biggest supporter of the hiring of Josh McDaniel’s but this one caught me off guard.

Well maybe the terrible 3-9 record speaks for itself.

Denver has typically been a strong team for the last few years with the Shanahan era leading the way. The last few years, not so much since McDaniel’s started as head coach the Broncos went 11-17. Not to mention he started off 6-0. That means that he has gone 5-17 in his last 22 games.

Well maybe he wasn’t ready for the head coaching reigns at such a young age. I mean he was only 32 years old when he got the job. I mean some of the guys in the locker room on the team were older than him at that point.

I think that he is a good play caller. He has some talent, look what he did with young QB Matt Cassel in New England. While in Denver his game plans were never awful they just never seemed to work the way he intended. This is a problem in the NFL as teams pick up on holes in the game plan and mistakes.

Now lets look at the other end of the spectrum. He should have never been given the job in the first place and the Broncos should have never let Mike Shanahan go. He basically destroyed a good team which was already set in place.

First of all the first rule of being a head coach is to not shop your pro-bowl QB around for trades without telling him. Second of all you don’t make the mistake of not talking to your QB and turning it into a soap opera for the whole NFL to see. Another thing that McDaniel’s never got right was dealing with players. Brandon Marshall is a prime example of that. He disgruntled the pro-bowl receiver and he demanded a one way ticket out of town. Starting to catch a trend here with good players?

Then there were the draft choices. In 2009 he traded away a first overall pick in 2010 for a second round pick in 2009. What!! Why would you do that? A first round pick holds so much value to teams who are looking to rebuild. Okay so this player must have been really good then? No, he drafted Alphonso Smith. An okay player hardly worth a first overall pick in the NFL, he was way too slow and not tall enough to be a number one corner in the league. Then there was this year’s drafting. We had a solid position sitting rather high, we moved back accumulated some more picks, that fine you can’t find a player you like move back and pick up some more picks. Then we take Tim Tebow the all-star QB who cant really throw at the NFL level with the first overall pick. Wait don’t we already have Kyle Orton on the roster, as well as Brady Quinn who we traded Peyton Hillis for. (On a side not Peyton Hillis is tearing it up this year with 10 + TD’s already) Nope we draft a QB who is not going to be ready for at least 3 years.

In the time that McDaniel’s has been here some things have improved. The defence which was terrible got better due to Mike Nolan who was only here for one year before jumping ship. Yea that was about it, not a whole lot to take from this.

Then there was some bad things, the trading of all-star players, bad drafting, poor game plans, not getting any younger talent on the defensive side of the ball, and an offence which was ranked 2nd in the league prior to him being named offensive coach now has trouble getting it going on offence.

The Broncos now hand over the job to interim head coach Eric Studesville. They are looking around for a replacement for McDaniels as Studesville is not in their future plans. Rumours of a possible head coach are Gary Kubiak who played for the Broncos and coached there for many years. Don’t be surprised if the Texans release him at year’s end that Bowlen will be giving him a call. He has a lot of close ties with Bowlen. Other possible but long shots for coaching could be Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, or Bill Cowher.

Well it seems that almost all of Bill Belichicks protégées never really succeed outside of the New England confines, and Im sure Bill is keeping track of that. It always seemed like McDaniel’s was trying to be like Bill, which is fine but you need to have a track record to back yourself up and to have a certain amount of players to do it with. With that I wish you the very best Josh McDaniels, thanks for dropping by for a few years and turning this
franchise upside down.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer for the Dalhousie Gazette and the sportsblog www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Bill McLean Sports Show on Facebook

2010-12-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

Tiger's Coach Lesley Jordan was looking for answers after Saturday's officiating debacle vs Mount Allison
(photo credit: Richard Lafortune)

A replay of Bill McLean Sports Show from Tuesday morning on ckdu 88.1 FM is now posted on the Haligonia Sports Facebook group. Henry Whitfield and Steve Betts joined Bill in studio and some of the topics included:

Dalhousie Tigers Mens Hockey- The Cardiac Kids have won 5 overtime games this season and are coming off a weekend where they beat two nationally ranked teams at the DMA.

Dalhousie Tigers Womens Hockey- The Tigers were assessed 12 minor penalties in a loss to Mount Allison. The Mounties were given 1. Tigers fans, players, and coaches were not happy.

Toronto Marlies Fight on Kids Day- Bill weighs in with some heavy opinion on the Marlies fight fest with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Kids Day at the arena which leads to a debate about the role of fighting in hockey.

Citadel High School Football Team- The guys discuss the news of a post championship party at Citadel High that got out of control. Who's to blame? Is it a big deal?

Lebron James Drops the Shoulder on Head Coach- The King puts his shoulder into his Head Coach as he walks by on route to the bench.

Halifax Mooseheads- 7-1?! Plus a preview of the Moose visiting the banished Garrett Clarke this week.

Calgary loses Vanier- Take that Eric and Blake!

All this and much more, just go to Facebook and type in Haligonia Sports in the search box.

Comments or questions? Email us at sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports.

Marauders Annual Auction Tonight

2010-12-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Michael Fines

The Metro Marauders are holding their annual auction tonight at Bubba Rays. Details are below.

Wednesday, December 1 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Location Bubba Rays Sports Bar
5650 Spring Garden Road
Halifax, NS

The Metro Marauders (Maritime Hockey League) will be holding their annual auction this Wednesday December 1st at Bubba Rays Sports Bar 5650 Spring Garden Rd.

If anyone has any auction items that they would like to donate to this event please feel free to contact either Julie Marston julie.marston@metromarauders.com 902.223.0800 or Troy Ryan troy.ryan@metromarauders.com 902.880.3690

The evening will be open to the public and we would really appreciate you support. If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to contact either one of us. Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Laval Dominates Vanier Cup

2010-11-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sebastien Levesque ran for 168 yards to lead the Rouge et Or to another Vanier Cup.

by Armaan Ahluwalia

Defence wins championships and that point was proven at the 46th Vanier Cup at
PEPS Stadium at Laval.

The Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Calgary Dino’s by a score of 29-2.

The Rouge et Or started out with a bang scoring 17 points in the first quarter and shutting
out the Dino’s throughout the game. They started out with two quick touchdowns on their first few drives and took control of the game from there.

The Dino’s did not manage to score any offensive points in the game as their lone score
came on a conceded safety by Laval in the 2nd quarter.

Sebastien Levesque had a monster game for the Rouge et Or and in doing so was named the player of the game. He ran the ball 30 times for 168 yards and one TD. He scored the touchdown on the first offensive drive for Laval. It was a 40 yard run on the score; this helped Laval set the tempo for the game. He also was injured many times during the game, but kept coming back into the game and giving out hard hits to the defenders.

Calgary was never able to get anything going on the offensive side all game. They had too many dropped catches as their star receivers were unable to handle the slippery ball. The crowd noise and snow where the external factors which made a difference and gave Laval the upper hand over a shaky Calgary team.

Erik Glavic had a terrible game as he was never able to get anything going. This marks the end of the amazing career of Glavic as the 2 time Hec Creighton trophy winner ends his career unable to win the Vanier Cup.

Armaan Ahluwalia is a writer for the Dal Gazette and www.1inthestands.wordpress.com. Follow him on twitter @therealbrindian.

Breault Breaks Out Versus Panthers

2010-11-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Breault was stellar on Friday night in leading the Tigers to victory over UPEI

By Bill McLean

Tiger’s fans have been waiting all season for Benjamin Breault to break out this season with a brilliant offensive performance.

On Friday night at the Memorial Arena vs. the UPEI Panthers, they were rewarded for their patience.

Breault fired two goals and added an assist in leading his Dalhousie Tigers to a 6-5 overtime victory over the Panthers. It was the Tigers fifth overtime victory this season in six games that have gone to the extra session.

Daniel Bartek tipped in a blast from the point by Brett Plouffe to give the Tigers their seventh win of the season, putting the team over the .500 mark for the first time this year. Dalhousie has now won three straight games after a dismal mid week performance vs. Saint Francis Xavier last Wednesday.

Second year goaltender Bobby Nadeau made forty saves for Dalhousie. Brad McConnell notched his eighth goal of the season in the first period while Benoit Gervais and Francois Gauthier rounded out the Tigers scoring.

The Tigers squandered leads of 4-2 and 5-4 on route to victory over the gritty Panthers who entered the contest ranked fifth in the country.

The Tigers won’t have much time to celebrate; Tomorrow night the mighty UNB Varsity Reds come to the town. The Reds are the first place team in the conference and ranked third nationally. UNB lost to Acadia on Friday night 3-2 in Wolfville.

Game time from the DMA is 7:30. The game will be webcast on ssncanada.ca. Joel MacDougall and Bill McLean will have the call.

Email comments or questions to sports@haligonia.ca. Follow us on twitter @haligoniasports and on facebook.