HOFSTRA POSTS CONFERENCE WIN, DEFEATS WILLIAM AND MARY

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Recap | Box Scores
Hempstead, NY --

Junior center Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) logged her third straight double-double and senior guard Natty Fripp (Oakland, CA) scored 12 of her season-high 15 points in the second half as the Pride defeated William and Mary, 55-45, in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest Sunday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.

The Pride defense held an opponent below 50 points for the third time this season. Hofstra forced the Tribe to shoot 24.2 percent from the field, marking the fifth time it held an opponent below the 30-percent mark. Fuller scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her eight double-double of the season and senior Niki Williams (Pittsburgh, PA) added 10 points and seven assists from the point guard spot to help Hofstra improve to 11-5 and 3-2 against the conference. The win was Hofstra's 10th in its last 12 games.

Junior forward Tiffany Benson added 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Tribe, which fell to 10-6 and 3-2 in the CAA. Freshman guard Janine Aldridge was the only other William and Mary player to score in double figures, adding 11 points.

Junior guard Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) provided the complementary offense, scoring 12 points and picking up six rebounds to help Hofstra win its second straight game. But Fripp thwarted the Tribe's comeback hopes, scoring nine points and assisting on Brigham's clutch basket in a 5:26 span to give a Hofstra a 48-43 lead with 1:44 remaining.

Led by Benson, the Tribe grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, building a 46-39 advantage on the glass. Dani Kell hit an open three-ball from the top of the key, putting Tribe up 35-34 with 8:11 left. But that would be the last time Hofstra would trail as it held a conference opponent to its lowest shooting percentage since it held the Tribe to a 23.9 percent in a victory March 3, 2005 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Fripp started her run with a block and scored on Williams' down-court home run pass. Fripp tracked down the high-arching feed, catching it off a bounce and finishing with the lay-in. Moments later, she drilled a clutch left-wing three-pointer, expanding Hofstra's one-point lead to 41-37 at the 14:10 mark. The Pride responded with forcing two missed shots on the Tribe's next possession. Fripp capitalized off the stop, finding Brigham for an easy basket in the paint with 5:11 left.

William and Mary cut the deficit to 45-43 but could not find an answer down low. Fuller drew the foul on Benson and hit one of two free throws, keeping it a one-possession game. Courtney Portell saw her potential game-tying three-point attempt hit the back rim and bounce out. Fripp provided the insurance basket, hitting a far left side jumper to give Hofstra a 48-43 edge with 1:44 left.

Aldridge scored all 11 of her points in the first half. The Pride forced her to miss all four of her second-half field goals and held the Tribe's shooting percentage to as low as 20.5 percent at the 12:19 mark of the second half.

Tight defense and inconsistent shooting led to a low-scoring first half in which both schools shot less than 30 percent from the field. Aldridge and Fuller were the only players to find a rhythm early. Fuller scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds before the break as she tried to pick up freshman forward Joelle Connelly's (Arcade, NY) usual production after she picked up three fouls in six minutes of action before halftime.

Aldridge ran the point for the Tribe and scored nearly half of her team's points in the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 11 on 4-6 shooting, including three three-pointers. William and Mary also racked up a 26-19 rebounding edge, actually getting more offensive boards (14) than defensive (12) to build a 24-22 halftime lead.

Hofstra will hit the road Thursday when it travels to Richmond to take on Virginia Commonwealth. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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(Photograph by Brian Ballweg for Hofstra Athletics)

Isles Still Winless in 2009

Isles Still Winless in 2009

Jan 17th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: New York Islanders, Today's News | Edit

The Islanders pre-game ceremony for Bill Guerin and Doug Weight was the only thing worth celebrating for the Isles Saturday. (Brian Bohl/NYSD)

UNIONDALE, NY-The Islanders went back to its roots with its third jerseys, tailoring uniforms that are similar to the ones the franchise sported in the 1970s. It was fitting the Isles wore those uniforms last night, since the effort in a 3-1 loss to the Devils would be a performance worthy of the club’s 1972-73 expansion team.

New Jersey scored in nearly all ways possible. Zach Parise scored on the power play, David Clarkson found the twine at even strength and Travis Zajac provided a short-handed marker as the Isles remained winless in 2009, falling to 0-7 in January.

“Too many turnovers and too many odd-man advantages,” said Trent Hunter, who had five of the Islanders 33 total shots. “With a team like that, they can just sit back and wait for that stuff. They have a lot of skilled players to capitalize on that.”

As small consolation, the Isles won’t finish with the same 30 points as it did during the first year. But at 12-29-4 and an NHL-worst 28 points though 45 games, the Islanders can threaten the 2000-01 team, which finished with 52 points. That total is currently the second-lowest in team history for a full season, which looks to be in jeopardy considering goaltender Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald are out of the lineup and the offense has failed to score more than two goals the past five games.

The Devils are similar to the Islanders only in that both clubs lost its franchise goalie to an injury. Unlike the Isles, who are down to former third-stringer Yann Danis in net, Scott Clemmensen has his unit in contention for the Atlantic Division crown. Clemmensen did his best Martin Brodeur impersonation in front of a sold-out crowd, stopping 32 of 33 shots as the Isles dropped to 1-10-2 in the division.

“We didn’t play for two periods, and that pretty much says it all,” coach Scott Gordon said. “Not many teams can afford to play like we did for two periods like we did. We’re in that category.”

Danis started the season at AHL Bridgeport and was expected to be on the bench backing up newly signed Wade Dubielewicz. The Columbus Blue Jackets claimed Dubielewicz off waivers after the Islanders morning skate, forcing general manager to call up Peter Mannino from the Sound Tigers.

Danis played well for a third straight game, making 33 saves. The 27-year-old is still looking for his first NHL win since he was a Montreal Canadian in the the 2005-06 season, dropping to 0-5 in the current campaign. Blake Comeau ensured the Isles were not shut-out for the fifth time, lifting a rebound attempt past a diving Clemmensen for his fourth goal 10:35 into the third.

“We have to keep getting pucks on net,” Comeau said. “We have to get more traffic; those second and third opportunities. There were a few rebounds tonight we could have pounced on.

“We have to play with speed. We need our defense to join the rush. The forwards have to do a better job of getting pucks on the net and we have to go through the neutral zone with a lot more speed.”

The Devils came out strong and forced Danis into a costly giveaway. Parise knocked the puck loose from Danis when the netminder skated behind the net, knocking it loose to Zajac in the slot, who sent it home into the open net for a shorthanded tally 6:06 into the contest.

“I went out to get the puck, but it was spinning and I couldn’t stop it,” Danis said. “I just ran out of time to make a play.”

Danis atoned for that mistake by preventing Zajac’s second shorthanded goal just 2:10 later, snaring the centerman’s shot with his glove to stymie a breakaway and keep the deficit at 1-0.

The reprieve could not generate a comeback attempt. Nate Thompson was called for boarding 12 seconds into the second and Zajac capitalized, setting a screen in front of Danis. Patrik Elias’s shot attempt deflected off Zajac and into Danis pad. The rebound slid right on Parise’ stick blade, allowing him to slam in the second chance for a power play goal.

Almost four minutes later, Clarkson’s bench-side shot skipped past Danis, opening a 3-0 edge before the game’s midway point.

Notes: Brendan Witt was only feet away from Clarkson when he was hit in the face by a blue line slap shot. Witt skated off the ice on his own power 3:45 into the final period and returned minutes later… Radek Martinek, who missed 14 games with an upper-body injury, picked up his first point of the season, assisting on Comeau’s goal. Clemmensen stopped Martinek’s hard shot from the right side before Comeau converted on the rebound chance.

The Islanders honored Bill Guerin with a framed jersey that had his name and the number 400 on it to commemorate his 400th career goal. He accomplished the milestone as part of a two-goal game against Toronto Dec. 26. Dough Weight was also honored in similar fashion, getting a special shirt with No. 1,000 across the back for picking up 1,000 career points January 2 in Phoenix.

Tags: Bill Guerin, Bohl, Division Crown, Doug Weight, Expansion Team, Five Games, Goaltender, Impersonation, Joey Macdonald, Martin Brodeur, Odd Man, Rick Dipietro, Scott Clemmensen, Skilled Players, Small Consolation, Travis Zajac, Trent Hunter, Uniondale Ny, Yann Danis, Zach Parise

WRHU Islanders Report, First Aired January 19, 2009

Dubie, Dubie Don't

Dubie, Dubie Don’t

Jan 17th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: New York Islanders, Today's News | Edit

Yann Danis tried to make most of chance after Wade Dubielewicz was claimed on waivers. (Brian Bohl/NYSD)

UNIONDALE, NY - Fans walking in the frigid air outside Nassau Coliseum saw the unintentionally ironic banner that read “we’re all Islanders.” Two days prior, the club generated news by agreeing to play a preseason game next season in Kansas City, which could be a potential relocation spot for the franchise.

The marketing slogan also provided another contradiction when the Islanders found out that goaltender Wade Dubielewicz would have to leave Nassau County. Despite agreeing to terms with the netminder Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets claimed Dubielewicz off waivers.

Dubielewicz started the season in the Continental League in Russia, signing with Ak Bars Kazan before getting released. Under NHL rules, Dubielewicz needed to clear waivers first before joining the Islanders, which Columbus prevented by making a claim Saturday afternoon just hours after he participated in the pregame skate. Before long, Dubielewicz was off to Vancouver join his new team for a road game.

“I have mixed emotions,” Dubielewicz said to reporters before leaving. “Once I signed with the Islanders, my heart was set on being here.

“I’m disappointed, too. At the same time, I’m very thankful he gave me the opportunity to come back here, and I appreciate that.”

Peter Mannino was called up before the Devils game to backup Yann Danis. Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald, the top two goalies on the depth chart, are both injured. DiPietro could be placed on Injured Reserve any day and MacDonald is out 2-4 weeks with a groin injury.

Dubielewicz played 20 games for the Islanders last season, going 9-9-1 with a .919 save percentage. The 29-year-old is best known for filling in for an injured DiPietro at the end of the 2005-06 season, when he won his final four starts to help put the Islanders into the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was 11-8-3 for his Russian team before returning to the United States.

Danis turned aside 30 shots against New Jersey but still dropped to 0-5 this season. Blake Comeau scored the only goal in the 3-1 loss to the Devils and said he was surprised Dubielewicz was on the move so quickly.

“It’s part of the game,” Comeau said. “Guys were a little surprised because he was out skating with us, but I don’t think it was in too many guys’ minds when the game came around.”

Dubielewicz has an NHL record of 16-13-1-1 with a 2.55 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He wasn’t the only player to participate in the Islanders 3-1 loss to the Devils. Future Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan, who signed a one-year deal with New Jersey, did not make his 2008-09 debut. Devils coach Brent Sutter saw his veteran winger sit out a second straight game since agreeing to a contract but could play Monday when the Devils travel to Nashville.

“I really do believe the next step for me is probably playing on Monday night,” Shanahan said. “I’m sure that Brent will ease me into the lineup, fit me in where I can help and use the games to move ahead to the next level.”

Tags: Ak Bars Kazan, Clear Waivers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Continental League, Dubie, Frigid Air, Groin Injury, Joey Macdonald, Mixed Emotions, Nassau Coliseum, Nassau County, Netminder, Nhl Rules, Nysd, Peter Mannino, Preseason Game, Rick Dipietro, Road Game, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Uniondale Ny, Wade Dubielewicz, Yann Danis