Rainmen Open Season with a Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.