UMD hockey ready to raise another banner

By Trevor Medeiros

The UMass Dartmouth Ice Hockey team will be raising its second straight ECAC Northeast Conference Championship banner before the team’s home opener this Saturday against Plymouth State.

Given the success of the past two seasons, (ECAC Northeast regular season and postseason champions) the Corsairs will be looking for a third straight banner when this winter’s all said and done. And most of the coaches in the conference think this will happen.

For the first time in a long time, UMD is the preseason pick to win the largest conference in Division III. The Corsairs received eight first-place votes and 163 points in the pre-season coaches’ poll.

“A lot of pre-season polls are really more about the previous season, not the upcoming season,” said UMD head coach John Rolli. “Certainly, we’re honored to be selected first in the pre-season coaches’ poll; we also understand that that pretty much is an affirmation of the previous season’s results.”

A big reason why the team has won the last two conference championships is its unique home-ice advantage. The Corsairs have won 29 straight games at Hetland Arena in New Bedford, including last year’s thrilling 4-3 comeback win against Wentworth in the conference championship game. The arena’s intimate setting, combined with UMD’s loud, boisterous fans makes Hetland a place where no opponent wants to play.

“Playing at Hetland has been very good to us over the years,” said Rolli. “If we play that (Wentworth) game on the road, we’ll probably lose.”

This Saturday will be UMD’s home-opener, against conference rival Plymouth State. Ironically, they were the last team to defeat UMD at Hetland a few years ago. Before the game, the team will be raising the ECAC Northeast championship banner. Also, the captains from all 10 conference championship teams since 1983 will be in attendance, while Athletic Director Ian Day will drop a ceremonial opening faceoff.

All UMD students will be admitted into the game free of charge with their UMass pass.

“We want to get as many fans out here as we can,” said Rolli.

The Corsairs started the season off on the right foot last Saturday, shutting out Becker 5-0. UMass Dartmouth will need to keep it going, because they have a very tough schedule this year. The Corsairs welcome nationally-ranked Babson to Hetland on November 20, and will travel to Vermont early in January to play Division III power Norwich in the Times-Argus tournament, the premier in-season tournament in all of Division III hockey, which also includes Babson and St. Olaf’s from Wisconsin.

If the tough schedule didn’t pose enough of a challenge for Rolli and his staff, replacing some key losses due to graduation will. The Corsairs lost 76 goals from last season, including five forwards off the first two lines, along with a top defenseman in Paul Carr.

However, the team does return an outstanding goalie in junior Jeff Green. While the team lost a lot of offensive firepower, Rolli is confident his team has enough defensive strength to make up the deficit.

”We have a lot of experience defensively, a lot of inexperience offensively,” said Rolli. “I suspect that as the season goes on we’ll score our share of goals.”

Leading the way on defense is senior captain Tyler Crocker, who’s “clearly the heart and soul of this team,” according to Rolli.

“Tyler Crocker has been an outstanding leader.”

Offensively, the team will lean on senior forward Jeff Grant, who’s the league’s leading returning scorer.

“He’s one of the elite players in our league,” said Rolli.

Rolli will also ease a handful of freshmen into his veteran lineup. One of these new players is Paul Jerusik, a transfer from El. Mira.

“Hopefully, with the mix of the veterans coming back, and with the new guys coming in, we’ll be able to recoup some of those goals that went out the door,” said Rolli.

So, with the high expectations for this winter, a tough schedule, and a loss of 76 goals, Rolli’s group will feel a lot of added pressure to win a third-straight conference title, right? Well, not exactly.

“One thing about our teams the past few years is we’ve pretty much been able to stay focused to the task at hand. We never look past today, nor worry about yesterday. As long as we keep that focus, then I think we’ll be okay this season.”

The Rugby Club: UMD’s best-kept sports secret

By Trevor Medeiros

Both Rugby squads show off their laid back attitudes following the men’s championship victory.

For those of you on campus who didn’t notice what the UMASS Dartmouth men’s rugby club team did this past fall, it’s time to take notice. The team recently won the New England Division IV club rugby championship with a 42-17 victory over Salve Regina.

The victory wrapped up a rather dominant season for the team, finishing the regular season with a perfect record (7-0), while defeating its opponents by a whopping 271-20 margin. In the playoffs, they automatically advanced past the first round after Lyndon State forfeited, and then defeated Castleton State College 57-7 in the semifinals.

A big reason why the team was so successful this season was because of the experience and talent they boasted.

“There’s a lot of experienced players that have been playing on this team,” said senior co-captain Michael Dagher. “It’s really just the athletes. Not all of us, but, a lot of the outstanding players are extremely good athletes.”

Also, the team doesn’t have a coach, and doesn’t have mandatory practices, so the players are allowed to play just for fun.

“People come and go pretty much as they please,” said Dagher. “Some of the more experienced guys, they just teach from their own experience, really. It’s nice not having our own coach because we don’t have to worry about somebody screaming at us because we dropped the ball.”

This philosophy has made the team very attractive to many players.

“It’s probably the freedom that we give each player,” said Dagher. “It’s more likely the brotherhood, the friends and the bonds that you make here on the team that really makes people want to come back and play with us.”

Two of the team’s biggest strengths coming into the season were its power and discipline. They displayed this power by exploiting their opposition for an average of 39 points per game; good for a 36 point average margin of victory. “We knew we had a lot of talent coming into this season,” said co-captain Ryan Kielty.

Despite not having a coach, the team never had a problem deciding which players received the most playing time this season.

“We really try to balance it out,” said Dagher. “Of course, we want to win, so we’re gonna try to get our good players in. But when we get a good lead on somebody, of course, we’ll group people in there.”

Dagher and company were able to recruit a strong roster through telling friends in classes about the team. This includes many former varsity athletes who wanted to play a sport on campus, but didn’t want to commit themselves to daily-required practices.

“From our experience, the best means of recruiting is from word of mouth.”

All of these philosophies, along with the championship, have built the foundation for years to come for the UMD men’s rugby club team.

Grant and Green power hockey to 5-0 win

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Two Jeffs were better than none in the season opener for University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team against host Becker at the New England Sports Center Saturday afternoon.

Senior forward Jeff Grant scored twice and junior goaltender Jeff Green turned aside 24 shots to earn the shutout as the Corsairs blanked the Hawks in an Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast game, 5-0.

Grant, who led the league in scoring, fittingly scored the first goal of the season for UMass Dartmouth, converting passes from freshmen Jason Stahl and Joe Hill at 17:32 of the first period. Sophomore Matt Serino and junior Nick Paquin scored second period goals to make it 3-0, then Stahl and Grant added power play goals in the third period.

Stahl added two assists and Hill had three, giving each three points in their first game at UMass Dartmouth. Green assisted on Serino’s second period goal and earned his first shutout of the season and the seventh in his Corsair career.

“We did a good job of puck possession, and we were opportunistic,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “Nick Paquin and Matt Serino were very effective on the penalty kill, and Jeff Green made some big saves.”

Rolli continued, “He made a very good save in the first period, after which we took the puck right down and scored, and he stopped two clean breakaways in the second period, one of which came on one of our power plays. He and Jeff Grant came up big when we needed them.”

The Corsairs out shot Becker, 39-24. Tony Stoehr and Bobby Dillion combined to make 34 saves for the Hawks, who were blanked in five power play chances while UMass Dartmouth converted two of five opportunities with a man advantage.

The Corsairs improved to 1-0 and 1-0 in ECAC Northeast play with the victory, while the Hawks fell to 1-2 and 0-1 with the defeat.

UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they visit Stonehill Wednesday evening.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to sponsor canned food drive

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The newly created Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at UMass Dartmouth will sponsor a Canned Food Drive during the months of November and December. Food collected at a selection of home games between now and the end of the Fall semester will be donated to a local food pantry.

The SAAC members will kick off the Canned Food Drive at the ninth annual Hampton Inn Basketball Classic, a two-day men’s basketball tournament at the Tripp Center being held Friday, November 16, and Saturday, November 17. UMass Dartmouth will open its season by hosting Albertus Magnus in the second game of the tournament’s opening night with Wentworth and Husson playing in the opening game. The consolation round game is Saturday, November 17, at 1 p.m. and the championship game set for 3 p.m.

The public will be invited to donate canned goods and receive $1 off their admission for each can they donate at the basketball and swimming events. Adult tickets for the basketball and the Little East Conference Championship Meet on December 1 are $5 for adults and $3 for non-students. UMass Dartmouth students with a UMass Pass get free admission to home basketball games.

“This is a wonderful project for the student leaders to become involved with as their first community service project,” said UMass Dartmouth Athletic Director Ian Day. “We have put together a great group of student-athletes to serve on our SAAC and we look forward to getting them involved in the community with projects like these.”

Following is the schedule of home games where SAAC members will collect canned goods:

Friday, Nov. 16 — Men’s basketball - 6 p.m. @ Tripp Center

Saturday, Nov. 17 — Men’s basketball - 12:30 p.m. @ Tripp Center

Tuesday, Nov. 20 — Ice hockey - 7 pm @ Hetland Arena (New Bedford, Ma)

Saturday, Dec. 1 — Women’s Swimming Hosting: Little East Conference Championships @ Tripp Center Pool

Wednesday, Dec. 12 — Men’s/Women’s Basketball, 5 p.m. @ Tripp Center

At the SAAC’s organizational meeting held earlier this month, elections were held to fill officer positions. Connie Jones (lacrosse) was elected president, senior Kyle Fossey (soccer) is vice president, Kerrie Clifford (swimming and diving) is secretary and Morgan Bozarth (equestrian) is treasurer.

“I’m so excited to get our first project up and running. This organization will be such a positive addition to the UMass Dartmouth community and I see so much potential from our group of athletes,” said Connie Jones, president of the UMass Dartmouth SAAC.

A complete list of the UMass Dartmouth SAAC members appears below: Joe Accardi (golf), Andrew Adams (men’s swimming), Vicki Andruszkiewicz (softball), Michael Boucher (track), Jess Carpenter (track), Ashley Chard (basketball), Allison DeAngelis (tennis), Seth Doucette (football), Jackie Erbafina (women’s soccer), Ali Feldman (cheerleading), Andrew Foster (lacrosse), Dan Holbrook (basketball), Dave McGuire (baseball), Nick Paquin (ice hockey), Ingrid Parena (volleyball), Ken Sims (tennis) and Rebecca Stephens (field hockey).

For more information about the UMass Dartmouth SAAC’s Canned Food Drive contact SAAC Advisor Jim Mullins at (508) 910-6930.

Swimmers perform well at UMD Invitational

A UMass Dartmouth swimmer races to the finish line during the 100 meter backstroke.

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s swimming team turned in some strong performances at the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational at the Tripp Athletic Center Pool Saturday afternoon.

No team scores were recorded at the meet.

The Corsairs won four events in each competition. For the women, senior Renee Kruszyna won the 100 butterfly in 1:06.97 and the 100 freestyle in 59.78 seconds, while sophomore Kathleen Foley won the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:16.05 and the 100 yard individual medley in 1:10.49.

For the men, freshman Steve Szarek won the 50 yard breaststroke in 29.24 seconds and the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:06.38, while sophomore Matt Fahey won both the one-meter diving competition (212.18 points) and the three-meter diving (200.93). The Corsairs took the top two spots in both diving events and the top three at one meter, as senior George Aulson IV was second in both events (187.43 at one meter and 171.83 at three) and freshman Bryan Riddick was third in the one meter competition with 180.30 points.

“Overall, we had a great meet,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Cathy Motta. “We had multiple people qualify for New Englands, and several men qualified for the ECAC Division III Championships. We have this meet every year, and coaches like it because there is no scoring, so we can put people in different events, they’re more relaxed, and you get better times without the pressure of head-to-head competition.”

UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they host Roger Williams Wednesday evening.

The swimmers gave their all in the annual invitational, which included events like the breaststroke (pictured above).

Six Corsairs receive post-season NEC honors

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — Six members of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s football team have received post-season honors from the New England Football Conference.

Junior linebacker Rich Braley, junior running back J.T. Harold and junior offensive lineman Dan Agahigian were named first team All-Boyd Division, while sophomore defensive back Chris Ciesluk, senior tight end Charles Gryska and junior defensive lineman Tom Pickette were named second team All-Division.

Braley ranked second in the NEFC with 112 tackles and an average of 12.4 tackles per game. He had 62 solo tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for lost yardage, a pass broken up and two fumble recoveries. He ranked 22nd nationally in tackles, and 11th in the nation in solo stops.

Harold led the NEFC with 162.3 yards per game rushing, and finished one yard back of Fitchburg State’s Marlon Thornton with 1136 yards despite missing the final three games due to an injury. He was third in the NEFC with 171.6 all-purpose yards per game.

Agahigian started every game for an offensive line that allowed the Corsairs to rank second in the NEFC (by half a yard a game) and 13th nationally in rushing, averaging 284.3 yards per game.

Ciesluk ranked fourth on the team with 51 tackles, broke up six passes, recovered a fumble and intercepted two passes and returned them for a total of 69 yards. Pickette had 34 tackles, including 15 solo stops, and added 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for lost yardage and recovered a fumble He tied for sixth in the conference in sacks. Gryska caught 23 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, averaged 25.9 yards per reception, and played an integral role as a blocker.

“I’m proud of all six of them,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. “Rich Braley had an outstanding year. We moved him from defensive end to linebacker, and it worked out great. Dan Agahigian started all 10 games for us, and did a real nice job at the left tackle spot. Next year, he’ll be the guy we’ll build our line around. J.T.’s performance speaks for itself. He had a great year, and he’s just a special kid. Chris Ciesluk battled a high ankle sprain, but he still had a great season. Tom Pickette had a tremendous season, and for him to be all-Conference at his size is amazing. Charlie has had a tremendous career here. He finished the season with a very strong performance and has had a tremendous four-year career.”

Braley, Gryska, Harold and Ciesluk were honored last year as well, and all of the All-Division players except Gryska will return next season. The Corsairs finished the year with a 5-5 record and tied for third in the Boyd Division.

Musings from a New England sports fan

By Jeremy Correia

What an incredible time to be a fan of any sport in this region. Never has there been a more successful time for New England sports. The Red Sox have clinched their second world series in four seasons, the Patriots are on the verge of ransacking the NFL for their fourth title in seven years, the Celtics are off to a flying start with postseason hardware in their foresight, and I would be less of a fan if I didn’t mention the BC Eagles, Boston Bruins and New England Revolution all making runs at supremacy in their respective leagues. All these things together make Boston and the surrounding area quite literally, a fan’s dream. With that off my chest, let’s get to some observations that I’ve made in the past few sports days.

First thing’s first — Congratulations are in order for the Boston Red Sox. What a year. From the torrid start in April and May to the postseason domination, you couldn’t have asked for more from this team. Now we make the transition into the “hot stove season” where the Sox look to field the squad for a repeat.

I love the Schilling re-signing and I’m glad they got it done sooner, rather than later. Now it’s a matter of re-signing Mike Lowell before the exclusivity period runs out. By the time you’re reading this that period will have come and gone and if he isn’t wearing a Red Sox hat, kiss him good-bye.

In a weak market of third-basemen Mike Lowell is the prime rib on the side of the filet mignon also known as Alex Rodriguez. Translation: Silly years at stupid money for an almost 34-year-old Lowell. We love you Lowell, but thanks for the memories. I would rather see him walk than see the Red Sox waste their salary room on a player who will be dead-money at contract’s end. Now don’t misconstrue me as a Lowell-hater, contrary in fact, I love him but I love winning more. I don’t think that any deal over three years for him is a smart one and that’s precisely what he’ll get on the market. Put me on the record for this: If the Red Sox don’t get a deal done with Lowell (which is possible), they will sign a marquee player for that lineup. Could be Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, or another blockbuster that no one even expected, there will be protection in that lineup for Papi and Manny. Let the speculation begin. (Or Lowell gets signed and I wasted my energy.)

Pats on cruise control — The team that everyone loves to hate: the New England Patriots. What do you expect? The NFL in the salary cap era has built its league on the idea of parody; on any given Sunday any team can win. Needless to say, the Patriots aren’t real subscribers to this idea. After the win at Indianapolis, it’s hard to see this team losing a game for the rest of the year, postseason included.

The game should not have been as close as it was, were it not for the zebras we call refs. Ellis Hobbs’ textbook defense on Reggie Wayne was somehow interpreted as a pass interference, which led to a Colts field goal.

Side note: It’s clear that the NFL doesn’t want the Patriots to keep winning. Call me a homer, I welcome that, but even a casual observer must notice the calls going against the Patriots. I can recall a handful of phantom and flat-out terrible officiating that have gone against the Pats this year and in previous years. How about the artificial crowd noise too, the mysterious loop of noise that conveniently gets deemed by the NFL as audio feedback from the CBS control room? I don’t buy it.

The Colts are cheaters, worse then Danny Almonte, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Tonya Harding, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox combined. Let me be the first one to start the campaign for making Gillette Stadium legendarily loud during the inevitable AFC Championship game between these two teams. By legendarily loud I mean the loudest damn stadium that anyone has ever heard, make Peyton Manning wish he was back on the set cutting that meat. Send a message to those knucklehead Colts: “We don’t need no stinkin’ speakers or cameras…b$%^h!”

All that being said, it doesn’t even matter because the Patriots “Just win baby.” That’s why it was a side note. The Pats will continue where they left off against Washington in their obliteration of their opponents and run the table. Can someone say 19-0?

Feeling Green? — What can you say about the Cs? Not too much except, HALLELUJAH! I swear that’s all I heard playing in my head when I was watching the PGA Tour getting introduced on opening night and as the game progressed it’s like the song wouldn’t go away, it only got louder. It felt like a choir in my head, a choir rejoicing in the fact that the Boston Celtics are at long last a championship contender.

The Cs have it all right now. They are playing sensational defense and pouring it in the bucket on the other side. It’s nice to see once again some high-level basketball in the Bean. A couple weeks into the season and there isn’t too much to say yet. Not too much except, HALLELUJAH! Feel the joy Celtics Nation, we’re back.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, there’s more. The Boston College Eagles are still alive in the race for a National Championship, albeit hanging by a thread, they’re still kicking. Regardless of a BCS National Championship or not, this year’s Eagles have put college football back on the scene in New England where it belongs. In this market there’s no premium on space, if you’re a winner then we got some real estate for you. B.C. just bought a house near the Sox, Pats, and Celtics. Keep going you’ll see it. No, it’s not the mansions with the acreage at the top of the development. Nope, a little further. Keep going. There it is. That cute little raised ranch with the quaint backyard. It’s back on the map though.

A couple of streets over and you’ll hit the home of the New England Revolution: a team that deserves 10 times more attention than they receive. I bet most of you didn’t know that the Revs have made the MLS Final for 3 years in a row. They have. Technically they are as successful as all the other teams in our region, they just don’t get 1% the coverage that the others do. I’m not going to sit here and whine about why soccer doesn’t get enough attention, or beg you to give it a chance just because I love it. But if you’re not doing anything on Sunday November 18 at high noon, (I just got off the phone with Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell. After a few minutes of tense negotiation I got them to move Pats-Bills to 8:15. Your schedules are clear.) tune into ABC and watch the MLS Cup. Root on your home team.

Bruins still searching for success - Keeping with the real estate theme, the Bruins are searching for the right lot. I loved what I was seeing from this team until Patrice Bergeron suffered that horrific injury. I think that his loss will prove to be a costly one for the Boston Bruins. It’s going to be extremely hard to replace a player of that talent and what he means to this team is almost immeasurable. Unless we see Chiarelli (Bruins GM) make some moves to bring in some playmaking talent, it could be another long year for Bruin’s fans.

Honorable Mention

NCAA Football—Uconn Huskies (ranked 13th DIV 1A), Umass Amherst (ranked 11th DIV 1AA)

NCAA Hockey—Boston College (ranked 6th), University of New Hampshire (ranked 7th), University of Maine (ranked 11th)

Major League Lacrosse—Boston Breaker (finished 2nd in Eastern Division)

MMA

A lightweight championship mess

By Timm Freitas

After his last Lightweight title defense, champion Sean Sherk shocked the world when both he and his opponent, Hermes Franca tested positive for steroids. Following the public release of the test results, Franca openly admitted to using steroids to help heal an ankle injury, but Sherk denied the allegations. Instead Sherk filed for an appeal to his $2,500 fine and one-year suspension that was scheduled to take place on October 31, 2007.

As we all know, October 31 has come and gone, and we are no closer to an answer in regard to Sherk’s guilt or innocence. This is due to the amount of information Sherk brought to the appeal hearing. The CSAC (California State Athletic Committee) suggested it needed more time to review the information before submitting a decision and scheduled a new hearing for November 13, 2007. But a few days after the November date was announced, the hearing date was pushed back again to the date it is now scheduled for which is December 4, 2007. Throughout this whole process, Sherk has maintained his innocence and criticized the CSAC for being highly unprofessional.

The delays in the hearing of Sherk have left the lightweight title picture a mess, and it has moved UFC president Dana White to make some changes in the division. If this incident never happened, Sherk would be fighting BJ Penn this upcoming Saturday in New Jersey, but because it did, BJ Penn will now be fighting Joe Stevenson for an interim Lightweight title in January. This will give the division a champion while the real one sits on the sidelines. Also, whether or not Sherk’s steroid suspension is upheld, he will come back to the organization as the lightweight champion and fight the interim champion. White is going for a champion vs. champion kind of idea.

It makes sense that White would want to give the lightweight division more stability, but this seems to be an odd way to do it. Are fans really going to look at Sherk as a champion rather than a cheater if his steroid suspension is upheld? If the appeal goes through and Sherk wins, will the winner of the Penn/Stevenson fight truly be viewed as a champion or just a number 1 contender? It’s hard to say, but things should be clearing up within the months to come, and the sooner the better because there is nothing worse than an overdone controversy in the fight world.