Don’t count out the hockey team just yet

By: Trevor Medeiros

We’re nearing the end of the regular season, and it hasn’t exactly been a dominant winter for the UMD ice hockey team. The Corsairs are 11-8-1 so far this season (as of February 10), and considering how the previous two seasons went, they’ve lost a few more games than fans are used to.

The last two seasons brought UMD plenty of success. The Corsairs won a combined 50 games and captured back-to-back ECAC Northeast Championships. Coming into this season, UMD was the preseason favorite to bring home the banner once again.

Then the season hit and UMD was hit with an unexpected home loss to Babson. The loss snapped a 30-game home unbeaten streak at Hetland. Since then, the Corsairs have lost three more games at Hetland. The team was also swept at the Times-Argus tournament back in January, falling to Norwich and St. Olaf’s. So, a mediocre record means a mediocre team, right?

Well, not exactly. Coming into the season, head coach John Rolli acknowledged the team’s schedule would be more difficult. Playing quality opponents like Babson, Norwich, and St. Olaf’s has helped UMD become more battle-tested for when the ECAC Northeast tournament rolls around in March.

Also, it’s not like the Corsairs were playing with a full deck to begin the season. They lost many key players from last year’s championship team to graduation. While some would say I’m just making excuses for them, I’ll just tell them the motto of a certain football coach: “It is what it is.” Any team that loses key players to graduation will take a step back. That’s just how college sports works.

While some players have been lost, UMD still has arguably the best offensive player and goalie in the conference. Senior Jeff Grant has lived up to the hype so far this winter. Grant has tallied 19 points in 20 games so far this season, and leads the team with 10 goals. He has the talent to play Division 1 hockey, but luckily for us, he’s working his craft for the Corsairs. Look for him to take his play to another level come tournament time.

On the other end of the ice, Goalie Jeff Green has produced another stellar season, compiling a 2.20 GAA in net. Also, his backup, Collin Tracy has played well between the pipes in garbage time.

Plus, while 11-8-1 may seem like an okay record, let’s not forget that the Corsairs are also 9-3 in the conference. In case you’re not a math major, that’s actually a record many team would salivate over. There are not really any elite teams in the conference this season, either. UMass Dartmouth’s biggest threat to overthrow them in the ECAC Northeast is Curry, and UMD already beat them once this season.

Finally, let’s not forget about the man behind the bench. Coach Rolli has over 400 wins in his 22 seasons at UMD. He’s had a ton of success at the university with his hockey teams. If there’s any man who can lead this team to a third straight conference championship, it’s certainly Rolli.

So while the season hasn’t gone as smoothly so far as everyone expected, I’m at least one fan who expects the Corsairs to raise yet another ECAC Northeast banner when this season’s all said and done.

Men’s basketball suffers first loss, 92-85

KEENE, NH — Tyler Kathan’s three-pointer with 1:08 remaining in overtime broke an 85-85 tie and host Keene State scored the final seven points of the game to defeat the second-ranked University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team, 92-85, in the second game of a Little East Conference doubleheader at Spaulding Gymnasium Saturday. The loss was the first of the season for the Corsairs, who were the last remaining undefeated team in the NCAA’s Division III this season.

Kathan’s first three-pointer of the extra period gave KSC an 81-78 lead with 3:21 remaining, but a free throw by sophomore guard Jeff Macchi (Franklin, MA/Franklin HS) and a layup by senior center Dan Holbrook (Lexington, MA/Lexington HS/Westfield State) cut the lead to 83-81 with 2:25 remaining. Tavon Brantley’s subsequent jumper gave the Owls a four-point lead, but Macchi’s free throw and a three-pointer by senior guard A.J. Tavares (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) with 1:17 remaining tied the game for the final time at 85-85.

Keene State took a 35-23 halftime lead, but UMass Dartmouth fought back, using a 14-2 run early in the second half to all but erase a 14-point advantage, then took a the lead for the first time all day when senior forward Cory Tynes (Springfield, MA/Commerce HS) converted a layup to put the Corsairs ahead, 46-45 with 11:00 remaining. A pair of jumpers by Tavares and another by Macchi helped UMass Dartmouth build a 68-62 advantage with 3:59 left in regulation time, but Nick Drouin made a pair of layups and two free throws to cut the margin to a single point, 72-71 with 1:26 left. Tavares sandwiched a couple of successful free throws around one by the Owls’ Nate Anderson before Brantley’s layup with seven seconds left tied the score. Stephens missed a three-pointer and Holbrook couldn’t convert the offensive rebound before time expired and sent the teams to overtime. Tynes and junior point guard Reece Freeman (Cambridge, MA/Rindge& Latin HS) both fouled out for the Corsairs in the final moments of regulation time.

“We didn’t play well in the first half, but in the second half, we came back and did all the things we should have been doing in the first half,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Brian Baptiste. “We had a couple of good chances to score at the end of regulation time and we didn’t score. They hit a couple of deep threes in overtime to go ahead by three, and we had opportunities at the foul line that we didn’t take advantage of. When Reece and Cory fouled out, it made it more difficult.”

Tavares led UMass Dartmouth with 22 points, Freeman added 18, freshman forward Brandon Stephens (Dorchester, MA/Newton North HS) contributed 14 and Holbrook had 12 points and 17 rebounds for his eighth double double of the year.

Travon Little led Keene State with 21 points, Kathan had 18 points and 15 rebounds for a double double, Anderson scored 17 points and Drouin contributed 16. KSC made 49.1 per cent of their shots from the field to the Corsairs’ 33.7 per cent, and UMass Dartmouth converted just 15 of 27 shots from the free throw line.

The Corsairs dropped to 20-1 and 9-1 in the Little East Conference with the defeat, while the Owls improved to 13-8 and 6-4 with the victory. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they host Rhode Island College in the second game of a Little East Conference doubleheader Tuesday evening.

Women’s basketball falls at Keene State, 59-46

KEENE, NH­—Host Keene State outscored the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s women’s basketball team, 13-6 in the last seven minutes of the first half, built a 29-22 halftime lead and went on to defeat the Corsairs, 59-46, in the first game of a Little East Conference doubleheader at Spaulding Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

UMass Dartmouth jumped on top early, with three-pointers by junior forward Vicki Andruszkiewicz (Danvers, MA/Danvers HS) and freshman guard Tara Driscoll (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott HS) capping an early run that left the Corsairs ahead, 13-5, after six minutes of play. KSC erased the lead by scoring the next nine points, and the teams battled back and forth until the Owls pulled away late in the first half.

Andruszkiewicz and freshman guard Kate Garabedian (Westerly, RI/Westerly HS) hit three-pointers that ignited a 12-0 UMass Dartmouth run early in the second half that left the Corsairs ahead, 34-31, with 12:47 remaining. But Keene State outscored UMass Dartmouth the rest of the way, 28-12, using a 10-2 run in the final 4:16 to stretch out their lead prior to the end of the game.

“We came out and held them to three points the first nine minutes of the second half, but then we broke down on offense,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mick Klitzner. “We played hard, and we played good defense, but we didn’t do a good enough job of running our offense. We had trouble scoring in the second part of the second half, and Degou made some big shots for them.”

Andruszkiewicz led the Corsairs with 12 points, and Garabedian added 10. Kristin Degou of the Owls made eight of 13 shots from the field, including three three-pointers, and led all scorers with 22 points. Andruszkiewicz and Nicole Simmler of Keene State each grabbed eight rebounds, as the Corsairs out rebounded the Owls, 42-41. But KSC made 37.5 per cent of their shots from the field to 28.3 per cent for UMass Dartmouth, and the Corsairs committed 26 turnovers to Keene State’s 18.

UMass Dartmouth fell to 5-16 and 1-9 in the LEC with the defeat, while the Owls improved to 13-8 and 5-5 in conference play with the victory. The Corsairs will return to action when they host Rhode Island College in the first game of a Little East Conference doubleheader Tuesday evening.

MMA

Rival organizations woo UFC fighters

By Timm Freitas

Anyone who follows MMA outside of the UFC knows that there are upstart organizations that are making a huge splash on the market, a market which at one time belonged solely to the UFC. And it seems the recent success of these organizations is due in large part to the UFC itself.

These fight promotions, as well as smaller ones, often take on the fighters that the UFC cuts and uses them to promote their shows. This tactic seems to be working and now may be luring UFC fighters to jump ship for these new organizations which offer bigger paychecks and non-exclusive contracts.

One of the most well known fighters who has continually spoken about switching organizations is UFC Legend Tito Ortiz. In May, UFC fans may see him fight in the Octagon for the last time, because he has stated many times that he hates the company’s ethic and claims he can make more money from other promoters. Now Ortiz is a fighter you either love or hate, so for many fans it is no big deal for him to be leaving because his days of being the best in the business are long over, but he is still a large name in the game and is guaranteed to be a huge draw for any organization.

Andrei Arlovski has already discussed his decision to test the “free agent” market after his next fight with Jake O’Brien (March 1, 2008). Now as you all know, Arlovski was once a UFC Heavyweight Champ, and is still considered a contender. But, with rival organizations that are building up their talent, it seems to make sense to go where the money is, now that there is competition there as well. Perhaps Arlovski will sign with M-1 and MMA fans will finally see one of the many dream matchups for Fedor Emelianenko, who knows?

Former Heavyweight Champ Tim Sylvia also hinted at a move to M-1 Global after suffering a recent defeat to Antonio Noguiera at last week’s UFC 81. It seems as though Sylvia is upset that MMA and UFC new comer Brock Lesnar was paid more than him when he has held the UFC title twice.

Indeed Sylvia has a valid case, and he claims that if the UFC doesn’t offer him a new contract worth more, he will search out a new organization to call home, hinting at M-1. And M-1 may also be good for him as well because it would open up the door for a fight with Emelianenko, another fight fans dream about.

And perhaps the most famous UFC athlete who has already jumped ship and is just waiting for his UFC contract to expire is Legend Randy Couture. More than once he has publically announced his distrust in the UFC management and has discussed his desire to fight Fedor Emelianenko. And it seems, if Couture’s cards are played right, fans may just see the most wanted matchup in MMA history as soon as October or November of this year.

I know this article makes it seem that M-1 seems like the premier organization to sign to, but indeed it is not the case. Like I previously stated, Elite XC and Strikeforce have been adding new talent that is beginning to make them legitimate competitors in the MMA market. Also, the prior mentioned organizations run many co-promotion events, allowing fans to see inter-organization fights between champions and contenders. And without a doubt, when organizations compete against each other it is a great thing for all MMA fans.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Duke is back to its winning ways vs. UNC

By Trevor Medeiros

When Duke played arch rival North Carolina at the Dean Dome last spring, it was a dark day for the Blue Devils. Not only did Duke lose by double digits, the game was darkened by Gerald Henderson’s cheap shot which left Tar Heel leader Tyler Hansboro bloodied. After that, UNC advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, while Duke lost in the first found to VCU (who?), the low point of a season to forget for the Blue Devils.

Fast forward to last Wednesday, and my, how things have changed. The Blue Devils’ latest visit to Chapel Hill ended a little more pleasantly, as they handed Hansboro’s heels an 89-78 loss at the Dean Dome. Throw in a 90-80 win against Boston College this past Saturday, and Duke now boasts an impressive 21-1 record, and are the only unbeaten team in the ACC.

The game against UNC was a testament as to how the Dukies have been getting it done all winter. While they were abused inside by Hansboro (28 points, 18 rebounds), Duke had plenty of firepower from beyond the arc (13 three-pointers) to make up the deficit. This team spreads opposing defenses out and creates mismatches all over the floor. Greg Paulus is finally starting to play like a five-star point guard, and Kyle Singler is proving he’s one of the best freshmen in the country.

And, unlike last year, Duke has enough depth on the bench to play a high-intensity game for a full 40 minutes, leaving the competition in the dust. If it wasn’t for a wacky overtime loss to Pittsburgh earlier in the year, Duke and Memphis would be the only unbeaten teams in the country. So, like it or not, the Dukies look like they’re poised to make yet another solid run at a Final Four.

Meanwhile, despite having only two losses, it’s safe to say the Tar Heels have taken a step back this year. They’ve lost their top two point guards to injuries (Ty Lawson, Bobby Frasor), and they also lost a great player in Brandan Wright to the NBA. While Hansboro has done his job (he’s passed Michael Jordan on the all-time UNC scoring list), nobody else has played consistently on the offensive end. And nobody period has played consistently on the defensive end. The Heels have given up over 80 points-per-game, and were gashed by the driving and dishing of Paulus and friends.

They almost lost again on Sunday, needing double-overtime to beat Clemson at the Dean Dome. Carolina is now 53-0 against the Tigers in Chapel Hill, an NCAA record for most consecutive home victories against one team. While UNC fans are hoping they can play Clemson every game, they must realize they won’t be. It’s going to be an early exit for Roy Williams and his team come tourney time.

Garcia wins, qualifies for championship

BOSTON, Mass. — It didn’t take senior Jon Garcia long to re-establish his credentials as someone to be reckoned with at next month’s NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Garcia, who had missed time due to an injury, posted an automatic qualifying mark when he finished first in the 55 meter hurdles on the second and final day of the Boston University Valentine Invitational, at the BU Track and Tennis Center Saturday.

Garcia won the race in 7.52 seconds, .03 faster than the NCAA qualifying time.

Senior Chris Jodoin also ran well, setting a school record at 400 meters with a time of 49.96 seconds. Freshman Eric Nygaard ran a personal best time of 2:03.25 at 600 meters, sophomore Tim Whelan ran a personal best of 4:28.85 in the mile, and freshman Jeff Beal’s time of 8.64 seconds in the 55 meter hurdles was also a personal best. No team scores were recorded at the meet.

“We had a very good day,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Jon Hird. “Jon Garcia hasn’t practiced much, and all he did was post an automatic qualifying time his first time out. Chris Jodoin broke the school record in the 400, and we had several personal bests. All in all, it was a pretty good day.”

The Corsairs will travel to Southern Maine for the Little East Conference and New England Alliance Championships next Saturday.

Celtics pass with flying colors

By Adam K. Ellis

Let’s assume that by the time you are reading this, the Celtics beat a scrappy Pacers team and dominated a depleted and defeated New York Knicks squad. To conclude the first half of a brilliant resurrection of the once-storied franchise, that would give the Celtics 41 wins and only 9 losses, an 82 percent winning percentage. Let’s take a look at what players are responsible for this hot start.

Coaching:

On one hand it’s difficult to give too much credit to a man who inherited two of the game’s best players in the off-season. But at 39 and 9, we cannot discount the fact that Doc Rivers has his team atop the NBA by four games.

Doc has handled the bench well, running a rotation of 9 to 10 guys that can step on any given night. He has allowed young players such as Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe and Glen “Big Baby” Davis to grow and mature, placing them in big situations without panicking. My only knock against Doc is that when the game is on the line, he does not get the ball to the “Big Three” enough. Come crunch time, you want the ball in your best players’ hands. Grade: A -

The Big Three:

After finding themselves on losing teams year after year, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are on pace to set career-highs in total wins for a season. Although he isn’t having a career-season offensively, Pierce has played phenomenal this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He draws the toughest assignments night after night, and consistently holds his man in check. He is also near the top of the league in charges drawn for the season.

Despite being banged up for part of the year, Garnett and Allen have quickly found themselves at home here in Boston. Garnett’s leadership, energy and defense have ignited the C’s as well their fans. He is in the running amidst a tight MVP race and he is a privilege to watch on a nightly basis.

Allen hasn’t been as consistent as Pierce and Garnett, but defensively he isn’t as soft as we originally thought him to be. He has also shown the knack for knocking down the big shots, which takes pressure off Paul Pierce. Grade: A

Rajon Rondo:

Lightning in a bottle. This is a smart, young man who is rapidly learning what it takes to be an NBA point guard. His jump shot has greatly improved since last year, his decision-making skills are gradually coming along and he has displayed an uncanny ability to grab rebounds despite being only six feet tall. But he needs to improve his man-to-man defense if the C’s are to advance far in the playoffs. His progression throughout the season will be essential come playoff time. Grade: B +

James Posey and Eddie House: When KG and Allen signed during the summer the signings of James Posey and Eddie House took a backdoor seat to the hype surrounding those two stars. But forty-eight games later, who knew that these two veterans would have become such key components to the Celtics’ success?

Posey’s ability to cover three different positions on the floor have enabled the C’s to have a great variety in which lineups they can go with, as Posey can play the 2, 3, or at times, even the 4. House’s rapid-fire shooting and fast-paced play has made Boston dangerous in the open floor. Grade: B+

Glen “Big Baby” Davis:

“Lacks the size to play that position at the next level.” “Gets a bit lazy at times and has stamina issues late in games.” — Perhaps the NBA scouts who wrote these observations would like to retract these statements. After being drafted in the second round of this year’s NBA Draft, Davis has successfully assimilated himself into a league he was predicted to fail in.

After pledging allegiance to the wisdom of Kevin Garnett, Big Baby is slowly becoming one of this year’s top draftees. He has come up clutch in big games versus the NBA’s finest, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs. If he can continue to improve down the stretch, Davis will play a large role in the playoffs.

The Rest:

Kendrick Perkins has shown flashes but has largely benefited from the attention being shown to the rest of the team’s stars. Poor Tony Allen, attempting to recover from reconstructive-knee surgery, he has not gained the athleticism back that once made him explosively dangerous. In the absence of KG, Leon Powe has come on as of late, giving hope that he can be useful when called upon. Grade: B-.

Predictions:

They won’t continue to win 82 percent of their games but they should reach 60 wins. I’m not sure if they will pick up a point guard like Sam Cassell, nor do I believe they necessarily need one. How far this team will go will be judged in the maturity of Rondo, Davis and Perkins, the health of this veteran team, and how well they mesh down the stretch. So far, so good.