Makin' it Work; Marauders Giving it Best Shot.

Troy Ryan and Matt Hill are rolling up the sleeves and getting to work trying to make Maritime Junior hockey succeed in Metro.

Last month the Halifax Lions Junior A hockey team held a press conference at its new home, the Dartmouth Sportsplex, to announce several significant changes to the organization.

The revelation that the franchise was moving across the harbour, away from the venerable old Forum on Windsor Street, was certainly no surprise. It simply ended months of speculation as to which arena the team was going to call it’s new home.

Followers of the team had been guessing the Lions would end up anywhere from Bedford to Upper Tantallion.

The biggest news came when team president Matt Hill gave notice to the media throng assembled that the team would no longer be called the Halifax Lions.

Standing confidently beside the franchise’s outstanding young coach, Troy Ryan, and flanked by a line of heavy hitting corporate sponsers and ownership partners, Hill declared the team would henceforth be known as the Metro Marauders.

The newly christened Marauders would come complete with a brand spanking new logo, new uniforms, and more importantly, a new attitude.

Hill would go on to outline the Marauder’s plans to reach out to the community, get involved with minor hockey, and offer HRM fans a less expensive option to the Mooseheads, while simultaneously strengthening ties to their big brother from the Metro Centre.

After hearing the news,of course, we scoffed.

“Maritime junior hockey at the Sportsplex?” We asked.

“Doesn’t work.” We answered.

In time, we may all be proven correct. The Maruaders may simply become another footnote in the long and sorry tale of junior hockey teams trying to be financially viable at the ‘Plex on the other side.

However, having been involved with the franchise for the past year, I’ll let you in on what’s becoming a well known secret.

The Marauders are really, really, trying.

On the ice, the team is getting better. In his second season as Head Coach and GM, Ryan led the franchise to it’s first playoff series, bowing out in six grueling games to the Weeks Crushers.

How did they get there? By one simple motto; Troy Ryan’s way….or the highway.

Don’t believe me? Ask Brendan Taylor, the team’s leading scorer who averaged nearly two points a game during his stint in Halifax.

Ryan cut Taylor a week before the playoffs, stating that Taylor wasn’t a good fit.

Ask Kyle Dilosa, the big, talented sniper, who was the victim of repeated benchings throughout the campaign.

Make no mistake….Troy is in charge.

And well he should be, considering he took a team that had a bevy of mediocre players, lost several key contributors to the QMJHL, and went through an unprecedented January stretch of thirteen games in twenty two days, to within two games of the MJAHL semi finals.

Coach Ryan also goes to great lengths to make himself available to the media, and is honest and forthright in his responses to even the toughest of questions.

Off the ice the team has got its second wind behind the youthful enthusiasm and business savvy of Matt Hill.

Hill has lined up an impressive list of sponsors and is one hundred percent committed to making the Marauders presence felt in the community.

This is a franchise that is doing all the right things on and off the ice to be a success.

Moving their home games to Friday night is certainly questionable, especially if the popularity of AUS hockey continues to build, and the Mooseheads finally become competitive again.

Regardless, here’s to the little engine of metro hockey that believes they can get to the top of the hill.

If the Metro Marauders do fail and we are all left to say, “Told you so”, at least Matt Hill and Troy Ryan can hold their heads up high and say, “We gave it our best shot”.

Bill McLean is the anchor of Haligonia Sports and the play by play voice of the Dalhousie Tigers on ssncanada.ca. Listen to Bill McLean Sports Show every Tuesday morning at 10:30 on ckdu.ca/88.1 FM in Halifax. Email: bill@haligonia.ca

Round of Sixteen Predos

Haligonia Sports contributor Henry Whitfield predicts you'll see alot of Argentina celebration in their match vs. Mexico.

With Sixteen teams knocked out, it’s time for the Round of Sixteen. Here are my predictions for the next round and who will go on to the Quarterfinals:

Uruguay 1 – 3 South Korea
This matchup gives us two surprise countries and should provide fans with an exciting game. Uruguay has played a high-octane, attacking style lead by Diego Forlan, while South Korea has been their usual speedy, counter-attacking selves.
As much as I am fully on board the Uruguay, this game will go South Korea’s way as their counter-attack will give them a 3 – 1 win.

USA 1 – 0 Ghana
The USA squeezed through into this round with a last gasp winner by Landon Donovan but have no doubts, they are a real threat to make it deep in this tournament. Ghana were unconvincing, but are the only African side to make it through and that gives them a continents support and should push them into a fantastic display.

This will be a tightly fought game but I’m giving the edge to the USA in a 1-nil win.

Germany 2 – 3 England
This is one of the marquee matchups in World Cup history and it’s unfortunate that the match isn’t a semi-final or final game.

I’m giving the edge to an experience and now unified England squad, over a young and inexperienced German team. My money is on Wayne Rooney hitting the back of the next twice and John Terry to get the winner from a set piece. The final score is going to be 3-2 for England.

Argentina 4 – 0 Mexico
The Hand of God still haunts me, but you can’t argue against the style of play that Diego Maradona has his team playing.

Argentina is a heavy favourite to win this tournament and Mexico just doesn’t have the quality to compete in this and will be heavily outplayed, with a final score of 4-nil in the South American’s favour.

Netherlands 2 – 0 Slovakia
The Dutch are perenial choke-artists much like England, but I am counting on them to go far in this tournament

They have far too much talent for an overmatched side like Slovakia, and I don’t see this as being much of a contest, Oranje will win easily 2-nil.

Brazil 4 – 2 Chile
This matchup will be one of the most exciting games to watch, with both sides playing beautiful passing football and going for a win. Brazil will just have too much class and easily open up the Chilean defence with their counterattack and constant pressure.

Paraguay 1 – 2 Japan
Japan were a shock team to make it into the second round but it is no fluke that they dominated Denmark in their final group game. Although Paraguay is a strong squad, Japan’s discipline style and quick counter-attack will provide too much trouble.

Spain 1 – 3 Portugal
The last match of the Round Of Sixteen is another exciting matchup, with rivals Spain andPortugal squaring off in a match that I think favours Portugal.

After their 7-0 win over North Korea, Portugal is on a high and have their talismanic captain feeling relaxed and focused on football, instead of diving and parading around town.

Spain still hasn’t looked their best and their injury worries will hurt them, with Portugal taking an early 2-0 lead, and holding on for a spot in the quarterfinals.

With those predictions done, here are the teams going through: South Korea, USA, England, Argentina, Netherlands, Brazil, Japan and Portugal.

Henry Whitfield is an avid sports fan who covers everything and anything in the sports world, while focusing on hockey and football. Follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield

World Cup: Group Predictions Recap

Germany's dominant assault on Australia was arguably the most impressive performance in group play.

by Henry Whitfield

The Group Stage is over and it’s now time for some knockout action, complete with freedom from Italy and France who have been the two top dogs to go home early.

Argentina looked impressive, while Brazil showed a keen defensive nature. England stumbled into the second round, while Japan made a shock progression into the knockout round.

With the first round complete, here’s a wrap up of how the groups ended and what my original predictions were:

Group A

My Prediction – Mexico (W), France (R), Uruguay, South Africa

Actual Result – Uruguay (W), Mexico (R), France, South Africa

- France had an epic self destruct and Uruguay stole top spot over an unconvincing Mexico.

Group B

My Prediction – Argentina (W), Nigeria (R), South Korea, Greece

Actual Result – Argentina (W), South Korea (R), Nigeria, Greece

- Argentina won all three, while South Korea came out and impressed and sent Nigeria home

Group C

My Prediction – England (W), Slovenia (R), USA, Algeria

Actual Result – USA (W), England (R), Slovenia, Algeria

- Took faith in England and they almost didn’t make it through, USA snuck through with a 92nd minute goal in their final game to take first place


Group D

My Prediction – Germany (W), Australia (R), Ghana, Serbia

Actual Result – Germany (W), Ghana (R), Serbia, Australia

- Germany came out strong and dominated Australia, stuttered against Serbia but still took top spot.


Group E

My Prediction – Netherlands (W), Cameroon (R), Denmark, Japan

Actual Result – Netherlands (W), Japan (R), Cameroon, Denmark

- The Netherlands were dominant, while a crafty Japan side snuck in after an impressive win over Denmark in their final group game

Group F

My Prediction – Paraguay (W), Italy (R), New Zealand, Slovakia

Actual Result – Paraguay (W), Slovakia (R), New Zealand, Italy

- Paraguay easily won this group, Italy showed they’re old and need to rebuild, allowing Slovakia into the next round


Group G

My Prediction – Brazil (W), Ivory Coast (R), Portugal, North Korea

Actual Result – Brazil (W), Portugal (R), Ivory Coast, North Korea

- Brazil easily won this group, but an unlucky and unfocused Ivory Coast slipped up against Portugal and allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to take his team to the next round.

Group H

My Prediction – Spain (W), Chile (R), Switzerland, Honduras

Actual Result – Spain (W), Chile (R), Switzerland, Honduras

- Spain took the group after an opening loss to Switzerland, while Chile showed why they’re one of the darkhorse’s of the tournament

I correctly predicted the winner of 6/8 groups, while only going 18/32 for a correct average of 57%. Not too shabby indeed.

Check back soon for my Round Of Sixteen predictions.

Henry Whitfield is an avid sports fan who covers everything and anything in the sports world, while focusing on hockey and football. Follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield.

World Cup Roundup

Article by Henry Whitfield

It’s so long France and nice try South Africa after yesterday’s results and Mexico going on with Uruguay to the next round.

South Korea and Argentina will begoing through from Group B, with a disappointing Greek side going home and Nigeria not far behind.

Up today Group C has England against Slovenia and feisty Algeria up against the wall with USA their opponents. All four teams have a chance at going through, but it’s England and the USA being favorites to advance.

In Group D action, the Socceroos take on Serbia and the faltering German football machine faces a Ghana side that has real hopes of progressing in the tournament.

Slovenia 0 – 1 England

With reports of rifts in the camp, rumours of Fabio Capello leaving and John Terry calling out his manager for omiting Joe Cole in their first two matches, the Three Lions had alot to prove against group leading Slovenia.

The Italian Maestro made three lineup changes and introduced Jermaine Defoe upfront in place of Emile Heskey, Mathew Upson in for Jamie Carragher at centerback and James Milner on the wing for a lacklustre Aaron Lennon.

From the very fist kick of the ball, England showed a passion and intensity that had been lacking in their first two matches. Slovenia looked hardpressed to find an answer for the pinpoint passing and hardly touched the ball in the first half.

The changes paid early dividends, with Jermaine Defoe finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute and he could have had his hat-trick before halftime, but narrowly missed a number of chances.

England continued just a strong after the half and once again Defoe missed a chance up close, in the second half Capello took off Wayne Rooney for Joe Cole and although the Manchester United striker did not hit the back of the net, he played a great game.

The only complaint for England fans will be Emile Heskey coming onto the pitch for Defoe in the 86th minute, leaving many wondering what Heskey would do without Rooney on the pitch.

Although they showed complete supremacy over their opponents, the team will be most happy over their dominant defensive display. John Terry had a number of impressive tackles and coupled that with some daring blocked shots.

Man of the Match: John Terry

USA 1 – 0 Algeria

The underdog story has paid off for the USA and a win against Algeria would allow them to go through to the next round in first place and avoid a possible matchup with Germany.

The Americans started well and carried much of the play, while Algeria looked dangerous on the counter-attack and had a few near misses. In what it appears is now USA tradition, they had a clearly legal goal called back and this seemed to boost the Algerian players.

However, at the exact moment that the final whistle blew in Port Elizabeth, it was Landon Donovan who took the ball and slotted it home to give them the goal they needed to advance. The final scoreline stood at 1-nil and it meant that they’d end up top of the table, with England finishing second in Group C.

Man Of The Match: Landon Donovan

Australia 2 – 1 Serbia

The Socceroos were the underdogs in Group D, but after a strong performance against Ghana, they were a much different side against Serbia.

The game was slow and chess-like in the first half, but in the second half Tim Cahill sparked his team and the entire Australian squad seemed to play with a passion that had been lacking for the first forty-five minutes. Returning from a red-card suspension, Cahill put the Aussies ahead with a trademark header in the 69th minute and when Brett Holman added another four minutes later it was jubilation for the underdogs.

Serbia pulled a goal back in the 84th minute, but the Australians got the win they deserved and will be more than happy with their display in the World Cup.

Man Of The Match: Tim Cahill
Ghana 0 – 1 Germany

After a lacklustre performance in their loss against Serbia, Germany had a lot to prove against the upstart Ghana side that had put in strong performances in their first two matches.

Germany played as their usual dominant self and were unlucky to not be ahead going into the second half, but a resilient Ghana knew they needed one point to progress and seemed intent on keeping the scoreline at nil-nil apiece.

However, knowing that a nil-nil draw and a Serbia win would send them home, Germany came out with authority and after a number of near misses by Mesut Ozil, he finally hit the back of the net in the 60th minute and sealed his teams progression to the Round of 16.

Man Of the Match: Mesut Ozil

Chasin' Jason

Jason Spezza's patience for Ottawa fans and media has run dry.

The situation surrounding Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators has been ratcheting up my blogging ire over the past couple weeks and has nearly hit the boiling point in the past 48 hours.

Rumours persist that Spezza will be traded due to his dissatisfaction with the way the season ended and the reaction he received from the fans and the media. Frankly, after reviewing what is being said in the Ottawa media, particularly the Ottawa Sun, I can’t blame him for being open to a trade.

It all began with Ottawa GM, Bryan Murray stating that Spezza was a bit down about the way the season ended and the reaction he got from the fans. Good. I want my top line center to be bummed about getting knocked out in the first round. I think it is great that a player cares what the fans think. Previously people had questioned whether Spezza was truly dedicated and serious about winning because of his trademark laugh and jovial personality in post-game interviews.

If Spezza was playing like a dog and complaining about fans booing him, then I wouldn’t have a whole lot of sympathy. But Spezza turned a rough start to this past season into a huge positive, coming back from injury to be an offensive force and led them to the playoffs. Most pundits had Ottawa failing to make it this year.

Does Jason Spezza make mistakes on the ice? Certainly. Was he responsible for the Senators falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins? Absolutely not. While not playing his best hockey, Spezza still managed to put up over a point per game in the playoffs.

Unfortunately the biggest culprit in the anti-Spezza movement seems to the media, particularly the Ottawa Sun. It has become a daily ritual of the Sun to print multiple articles on the reasons Spezza should be moved. They seem to search out Ottawa residents that share their sentiment and neglect to present opposing views. Responsible journalism what?

The most infuriating to me was Don Brennan’s column where he printed pure speculation that Spezza’s feelings stem from a conflict with Cory Clouston. With such tactics the Sun seems to be setting Spezza as a Heatley 2.0, which is both untrue and irresponsible.

I am not sure what fans that want Spezza traded expect to get back or how they plan to replace his offense. I am not even entirely sure why they want him gone.

Trading Spezza will be a mistake the Sens and their fans will feel for many years to come, unless Murray is able to find Milbury reincarnated running some team. Spezza is the best centerman the Senators have ever had and should be treated as such.

Acadia Hires Amit Batra as Women's Soccer Coach

Amit Batra was the ACAA Coach of the year at MSVU in 2009.

(Photo credit: Acadia University)

By Dylan Matthias

Amit Batra is now the head coach of the Acadia Axewomen soccer team, replacing Angela Morrison.

Batra leaves his current post at Mount Saint Vincent after two incredibly successful years, where he only lost once over two years and was named coach of the year last year. During his tenure with the Mystics, MSVU were a powerhouse of ACAA women's soccer.

Batra's challenge at Acadia will be a little different. Where the Mount had talent in spades, including the high-scoring Sarah Parker and standout goalkeeper Breagh MacDonald, the Axewomen are a team of blue-chip players who lack a true star player.

To make Batra's job harder, Acadia can be a hard sell to recruits. Although it is well-respected academically, its men's soccer program was only re-instated in 2006 and has been woeful ever since. Acadia, in short, is not well-known for its soccer.

The Axewomen finished second from last in 2009 with only nine points and eight goals, conceding 25. They have some talent in holding midfielder Lauren O'Connor and winger Becca Stunz, but strikers ZZ Leighton and Lauren Landry haven't been overly productive and goalkeeping is a weak spot as well.

One of Batra's strengths is tactics. At MSVU, he favoured a very attacking brand of soccer, especially for the women's game. Whether he'll change tactics to adapt to Acadia's lack of flair or not remains to be seen, but it is safe to say the Axewomen will be a very organized team next year.

Batra's first year will be difficult--his 2009 Mystics would, on paper, probably have beaten the 2009 Axewomen. How much Acadia improve next year will depend largely on how Batra adjusts to CIS and how much recruiting he's able to do in what's left of the summer.

The Axewomen have some room to improve, and the hiring of a coach who is very likely ready to make the jump to CIS is a definite upgrade for them and a signal of intent that the Axewomen want to become more of a player in AUS. What Batra lacks in CIS-reputation he makes up for in promise.

Acadia open their season with their new coach against Dalhousie on September 11th at Wickwire field.

Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Good Times in New Glasgow: Thoughts and Observations from the 35th Johnny Miles Classic.

Nova Scotia's Johnny Miles won the Boston Marathon in 1926 and '29.

My maritime marathon tour continued this past weekend at the 35th Annual Johnny Miles Classic in New Glasgow. It was by far the best JMC that I’ve participated in, and the organizing committee did an incredible job.

Below are some random thoughts and observations from my experience on Sunday.

1) The Classic remains the best marathon in terms of bang for your buck. For only $50 you get the annual Johnny Miles hat (this year’s version was the best of the collection by far), a technical shirt, JM time chip that you get to keep, medal, and post race lunch. To celebrate the 35th anniversary, they also handed out a kick ass Visor at the finish line! They even game my wife a lunch! Outstanding value.
2) The JMC is broken down into 4 loops that can definitely get a little monotonous. Running the trail component is a treat but the five kilometer street portion gets tiresome. This year there was some construction by the overpass that made for an interesting battle with blowing dust at the worst of times. Also there was a detour around a giant hole on the trail that led you up a steep 20 foot incline composed of loose gravel. A Halifax runner I spoke with after said she chose to walk up the embankment every time.
3) The committee’s decision to begin all the races at the same time seemed tedious to say the least but revealed itself to be brilliant the more I thought about it. It made for an incredible visual spectacle at the start of the race; 2000 runners all jammed into one of downtown New Glasgow’s historic streets. It made for a great atmosphere. Also it was an interesting challenge in the first hour, weaving and winding your way around hundreds of runners. For a marathoner it was also a great contrast to go from sharing a thin trail with 2000 people to being one of the only people left on it a couple of hours later.
4) There was some confusion on the trail about passing lanes. In years past the committee has done a good job of making sure that slower runners know to keep to the left. This year there seemed to be little direction and it created some serious blocking during tighter stretches.
5) Extremely slow runners who start near the front of the pack can be agitating at best. People forget that you only have to worry about your chip time so you don’t have to get across the starting line right away. Although if I wasn’t so slack in getting to the race I could have got a better spot.
6) All of the course marshalls and volunteers were great. Except that teenage girl at the full marathon turnaround point. Would it have killed you to say something at least once! I ran by you four times!
7) Speaking of which, to all of you spectators who don’t applaud or cheer except for when the person you know runs past….you’re completely missing the point of watching.
8) To the little ones handing out freezies and spraying water at the 20th mile, you kids were angels at that moment.
9) Damn them New Glasgow folks are friendly!
10) Had supper at The Dock the night before the race. Great spot.
11) Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Stellarton. Outstanding hotel. Debbie at the front desk is awesome! They even gave JMC runners a 1:00 check out time which was greatly appreciated.
12) The water station layout was a little strange. The first third of the 10 km loop there was only one station, the remaining two thirds had about ten. Beggars can’t be choosers though, and there was certainly lots of water and Gatorade to be had.
13) Running at the same pace as a participant who does the “10 minute run/1 minute walk” technique can be irritating. It’s like a yo-yo. They pass you, then you pass them when they are walking, then they pass you again. It’s a little awkward.
14) One of the great little quirks of the JMC is watching the leaders blow by as they lap you. I was talking to my wife at the end of the third loop when marathon winner Mike Mackinnon of PEI went flying by on his way across the bridge to the finish line. Some spectators thought he was going the wrong way and started yelling. Defending champion David Maclennan pulled up with a cramp at about the 40th kilometer but still managed to finish 2nd with a time under three hours.
15) After two marathons I’ve at least established some consistency. My km pace has been 5:33 for both races. Now if I can just take off a little weight…damn Garrison and Propeller! Why must you make such delicious beer!

Lots of friendly folks, water, and chocolate milk at the finish line complete with a public announcer who did a great job. Also, there is nothing better than a slight downhill grade to the finish. Great job to the committee and the folks in New Glasgow!

Next up: Marathon by the Sea in beautiful Saint John.

Bill McLean lives in Halifax. Bill McLean Sports Show can be heard on ckdu.ca/88.1 every Tuesday morning at 10:30 am. Email: bill@haligonia.ca

Related: http://live.haligonia.ca/halifax-ns/sports/104-haligonia-sports/10668-what-to-yell-to-a-marathoner-and-other-random-thoughts-from-the-blue-nose.html

Breaking Down Dalhousie's Recruits

Looks like deja vu all over again in 2010 for Jack Hutchison's Dalhousie Tigers.

By Dylan Matthias

We now have a much better idea what the Tigers women's soccer team will look like in 2010: very similar to 2009.

That's not a bad thing, because 2009 was a good season until November 7th, when it all ended disastrously. It's easy to rely on clichéd excuses: they were too young, the weather was bad, bad games happen, goalkeepers occasionally miss 35-yard shots. Sometimes, though, clichés are clichés because they're true.

And it's true the 2010 Tigers will be a year older and a year better. Players who were too quiet in 2009 will be more comfortable in 2010.

And that's why depth is the most important thing for the Tigers. Sure, it would have been nice to see a tried and tested attacking mid transfer player or a true target striker. Instead, Tigers Coach Jack Hutchison focused on defense and will rely largely on the same attackers next year.

The depth gives the Tigers versatility. Bianca Jakisa and Sheena Cayer could blossom, but are unlikely to play much with Katie Richard, Emma Landry, and Joanna Blodgett all playing wing at times.

But injuries and bad form can provide an opportunity to impress. Both have some solid provinical youth experience, meaning they'll be a little more used to a highly competitive atmosphere. Judging by Hutchison's descriptions, Cayer especially is an atatcking specialist, something the Tigers really don't have. Hutchison likes two-way players, but a little more creative flair might help, especially in late-game situations when a goal is needed.

The Tigers defense is already rock-solid, conceding a league-lowest four goals in 2009. But they shipped two when it counted in November and the addition of Andie VanderLaan will help Hutchison adapt to multiple situations.

Four midfield recruits will make-up for the losses of Ashley Donald, Teresa Morrison, and Laura Johnstone. None of them can likely bring the same level of talent, making it imperative that Beth O'Reilly have a far better season in 2010 than she did in her rookie year.

A larger crop of true midfield players will allow a lot more flexibility, possibly allowing Richard or Landry to see more time up front.

Tigers fans shouldn't expect much from the recruits, and Hutchison doesn't expect them to do much more than simply acclimatise and get ready for 2011 when they will be needed.

The biggest potential pitfall lies in the sophmores Landry, Blodgett, and O'Reilly. They scored a measly one goal between them in 2009, which for attacking players who got plenty of minutes isn't good enough. If they break out, Hutchison will be able to ease his new attackers into their roles. If Landry, Blodgett, and O'Reilly don't perform, then the Tigers could risk relying on the recruits or risk becoming one-dimensional with only Kate MacDonald a real threat to score.

In a way, there's more responsibility on the sophmores than the rookies, which is probably appropriate.

It will be hard to replicate 2009's league form. But if they can find a way not to replicate 2009's playoff form, then the league form doesn't matter as much. The recruits might give Hutchison more options in that big game in November.

Overall recruiting grade: B. Nothing spectacular but room for pleasant surprises and depth is undervalued in AUS soccer.

Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

University of Waterloo Drops the Ball

Haligonia Sports' Steve Betts argues that the University of Waterloo misplayed the steroid scandal that has rocked university football in Canada.

Although the Waterloo Warriors do not have a big influence on the AUS, this is a significant matter for CIS football.

The Waterloo suspension serves as a big warning shot over the heads of all programs and players concerning the issues of steroids and other drugs in the CIS game.

However, the University of Waterloo is not handling this right and surely someone can step in and tell them this.

Waterloo has suspended their own program due to 9 players who have tested positive for steroids of some sort. One player was pointed out as a supplier of these steroids and will be investigated at length.

This obviously does not bode well for the team, the school, the athletes or any living thing around this situation. There is a catch to all this though as the CIS has said that all drug free players can transfer to another school without issue. This means they can go play in September at a competitive school.

Not good at all for anyone involved in Waterloo.

I like what the CIS has done here, allowing movement of players to allow them to continue their careers as football players.

Good call CIS.

Waterloo has dropped that long ball that needs to help the school win and they have dropped it in open field. All they had to do was think, catch the ball and score, but they dropped it.

The CIS should not have the problem of making this call but they do and they are doing the right thing. Although should the CIS could be the voice of reason here and tell Waterloo to keep the program moving?

For once the bad people have been caught and clearly ID'ed. So why hold the whole program up due to a few players? This is a big deal as there are usually 65 players on a team so that means 56 players are able to play and drug free. This is so cliche because a few bad apples are ruining the whole program and it does not have to be that way.

Do the right thing, continue on, move on, get that team on the field together and start to heal. Suspending Waterloo will only make this program feel more pain and suffering for a year or two longer than needed.

Steve Betts is a writer and commentator for Haligonia Sports and lives in the HRM. Steve is the colour commentator for Dalhousie Tigers Men's Hockey. Follow Steve on twitter @bettszee

World Cup: Day 5

The defending champions got their World Cup defence off to a stutter and the Netherlands showed they aren’t crashing out this year, but much more football today!

Today starts with a mouth watering matchup between minnows New Zealand and Slovakia, a matchup unlikely to provide many goals and even less likely to provide any entertainment.

That match is followed up by the start of the Group Of Death, with Ivory Coast playing Portugal in a match that could easily decide who comes second in the group. Didier Drogba has been cleared to play with a protective task and will be raring to go, while the hopes of Portugal seem squarely placed on the spoiled shoulders of Christiano Ronaldo.

The beautiful part of the beautiful game arrives in the next matchup when Brazil opens their tournament against North Korea, a team shrouded in secrecy and under much scrutiny after recent global events.

New Zealand 1 – 1 Slovakia

Well then, it’s tiny New Zealand led by captain Ryan Nelson, who could probably play for the All Blacks, facing Slovakia, a team that cannot afford to drop points today.

The opening half lacked finish and had very few quality opportunities and surprisingly it was New Zealand that carried much of the early play before a late barrage of shots by the Slovakian forwards.

Early in the second half the deadlock would be broken and through Slovakia’s first ever goal at a World Cup final, they took a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute. This seemed to spark the game and both teams started to push forward, trying to get the next goal, and this opened up the run of play.

Although New Zealand had a few chances, it was the Slovakians that dominated the second half, going forward in droves and pushing hard for their second goal. Time was running out for the All Whites and their chances were becoming few and far between.

There was to be late drama at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, with just 30 seconds left in injury time New Zealand put a ball into the box and unlikely hero Winston Reid headed home from just 8-yards out to steal a point away from Slovakia.

Man Of The Match: Winston Reid


Ivory Coast 0 – 0 Portugal
In a match that many see as a decider between who goes through to the next round in second place, the African side Ivory Coast would have to beat Cristiano Ronaldo and an inspired Portuguese side.

The Ivorians were without Didier Drogba in the starting lineup but that did not seem to affect them, as they came out hard and showed clear attacking intent. Portugal countered well and weathered an opening barrage, while Ronaldo came close with a long-range effort that clanged off the woodworks.

However, the Ivorians were able to get Ronaldo off his game and after some handbags both he and Guy Demel were booked after Demel sent him tumbling. From that point the Portuguese Captain seemed ineffective and some heavy tackling by the Ivorian defence kept him in check.

The best player on the pitch for the Ivory Coast was Gervinho, only handed a start because of Drogba’s absence, and he terrorized the Portuguese defence with his pace and sent cross, after cross in the box.

With 25 minutes to go, Ivory Coast manger Sven-Goran Eriksson introduced Drogba and his presence injected some more life into the game. Although he was unable to find the score sheet, the iconic African striker came close in the dying seconds but this match was destined to be a nil – nil draw.

Man Of The Match: Gervinho

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Brazil 2 – 1 North Korea

On paper this was a match not worth playing, but that’s the beauty of the World Cup, where any team can win on any given day and with North Korea having a history of being World Beaters on the big stage, this match was always going to be an interesting one.

This was the first time many fans would see a Brazilian side that didn’t feature Ronaldinho and in fact, focused more on preventing goals than scoring goals. Under coach Dunga, a defensive specialist when he played, the team has been built around a strong defensive base and moves forward from the back.

The five time World Champions started strong but a determined North Korean side showed discipline and an intensity that was slightly unexpected. With 104 positions between the two sides in the FIFA rankings, the Brazilian players were clearly frustrated by a resilient defensive line.

The first half finished drawn at no goals apiece, but Brazil came out enthused in the second half and threw a barrage of shots at the North Korean keeper. Defender Maicon worked all the way up the field, and from a terrible angle beat the goalkeeper on the short side, and the goal woke up Brazil, as Robinho set up Elano and he made no mistake to double the lead to 2-0 in the 71st minute.

The Koreans would add a consolation goal in the 90th minute, but in all fairness this result was never in doubt.

Man Of the Match: Robinho

Daily Roundup

- Today’s match between Ivory Coast and Portugal was a lacklustre affair, and seemed like two teams who were playing not to lose, instead of trying to go out there and win the game. Fortunately we had the theatrics of Ronaldo to keep us entertained, diving no less than four times in the match.

- Gareth Barry will be available for England’s matchup with Algeria on Friday and this will give manager Fabio Capello room to tinker around and move his Captain Steven Gerrard to the left or up front.

- It is quite interesting that the team who has done the best so far in this World Cup, Germany, was able to use the World Cup ball all season in their domestic league. Coincidence? Not sure, but look for an article coming your way soon.


Henry Whitfield is an avid sports fan who covers everything and anything in the sports world, while focusing on hockey and football. Follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield.