MacDonald Saves 46, But Devils Roll, 4-2

Feb 12th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: New York Islanders, Top Story

NEWARK, NJ- The next two important dates for the Islanders franchise will be the March 4 trade deadline and the draft lottery. But coach Scott Gordon has been able to get his team to compete despite its last-place status, even if they consistently play just well enough to lose.

With no go-to scorer, the Islanders once again couldn’t capitalize on quality goaltending, losing its fourth straight game after Zach Parise scored the second of his two goals in a four-point night to help the Devils post a 4-2 win Wednesday at Prudential Center.

Joey MacDonald made 46 saves, including a highlight-reel worthy stop that prevented Parise from netting the hat trick., though it wasn’t enough to stop the skid. The Islanders lost the last four games by just five goals

“They threw a lot of puck on net and that’s Devil hockey,” said MacDonald, who missed nearly a month with a groin injury. “They have some quality defenseman out there who throws pucks through and guys just bang away at rebounds.”

Only Jamie Langenbrunner’s empty net goal prevented the Islanders from losing its staggering 21st one-goal game of the season. Gordon saw his team fall to 16-32-6 for a league-low 38 points. To put the team’s offensive ineptitude in context, consider Parise might score 40 goals before the Islanders have any player to crack the 20-goal mark.

Coming off a shootout loss to the Kings at Nassau Coliseum the night before, not even the short trip across the Hudson River could prevent the Isles from looking fatigued.

“It looked like we played last night,” Gordon said. “We weren’t very sharp in all areas.”

Parise, the Devils Hart Trophy candidate, hand a hand in all of New Jersey’s goals. The MVP candidate scored off a rebound attempt with 1:21 left in the opening period, assisted on Langenbrunner’s power play goal in the second and broke a 2-all deadlock with his game-winning power play tally 12:35 into the final period.

For good measure, Parise also assisted on the empty-netter. The left-winger’s 34 goals moved him into a tie with Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter for second place atop the NHL’s leaderboard. As another painful memory for a beleaguered fan base, the Islanders drafted Robert Nilsson with the 15th pick in the 2003 draft. Parise went to the Devils at 17.

“He’s one of those guys where he’s there and then he’s not there,” MacDonald said about Parise’s elusiveness. “He finds the soft spots and the puck seems to come right to him. That’s why he has 34 goals this year.”

But in a dismal season that has featured speculation over the franchise’s potential relocation, the Islanders are trying to salvage some positives with the maturation of its few promising young players.

Kyle Okposo registered his first NHL goal at the arena known as the Rock last season and again found a comfort level at Newark’s state-of-the-art facility Wednesday night. Okposo’s nifty double-move off a power-play marked his 11th goal and gave the Isles a brief 2-1 edge.

Blake Comeau and 2008 first-round pick Josh Bailey join Okposo as the closest the organization has to a set core of prospects. Last season, Okposo was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. Now, the 20-year-old is playing the most consistent hockey of his brief NHL career, scoring six goals in his past nine games.

“They out-shot us by two-to-one [50-25], but we had our chances to score too and we didn’t capitalize,” Okposo said.

Okposo’s goal was off a skill move. After moving around defenseman Bryce Salvador, Okposo failed on his first chance to hit the puck but quickly buried his second attempt with a hard shot that whizzed by Kevin Weekes (23 saves).

“I was fortunate that a couple of their players over-skated and I saw the defenseman was leaning,” Okposo said. “I just made a move around him and got the rebound.”

Comeau notched his sixth assist of the season, setting up Radek Martinek’s goal just 2:32 into the game. It was Comeau’s 10th point of the season and eighth since Dec. 26, marking an increase in productivity since his slow start.

Martinek caught the Devils off guard by moving in from the point into the low right circle. Comeau scrapped the puck out of the corner and skated towards the net before sending a crisp pass right on the defenseman’s stick blade.

Martinek fired a hard wrist shot into the open net before Weekes could slide over for an early lead.

The Isles killed off 1:39 of five-on-three time before Parise scored off a rebound after MacDonald stopped Paul Martin’s initial shot. Parise has 13 goals and 12 assists in 28 career games against the Islanders.

“I think he’s a guy that all of our players should watch, his tenaciousness that he plays with,” Gordon said.

#23 HOFSTRA FALLS TO #3 CORNELL, 27-12

Hempstead, NY --

Justin Accordino recorded a victory by fall and Lou Ruggirello and Jordan Enck tallied decisions for the Pride but the Big Red captured the other seven matches as #3 Cornell downed #23 Hofstra, 27-12, at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday evening, Hofstra falls to 8-5 on the year while Cornell improved to 8-2.

Opening up at 125 pounds, Cornell senior Troy Nickerson held his opponent to just two escapes and improved to 11-0 on the year with a 10-2 major decision over 20^th-ranked freshman Steve Bonanno (24-11). Hofstra junior Lou Ruggirello, ranked eighth at 133 pounds, posted a 6-0 victory over 12^th-ranked Mike Grey (15-7). Ruggirello improved to 22-3 on the year. At 141 pounds, red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino recorded his eighth pin of the season with victory over sophomore Cory Manson (5-10) in 4:05. Accordino improved to 17-10 on the year and gave the Pride its only lead of the match at 9-4.

The Big Red regained the lead at 149 when sophomore D.J. Meagher (11-7) pinned freshman substitute Fran O'Brien (0-2) in 2:06. At 157 pounds the Pride may have lost more than the match as defending national champion and fifth-ranked Jordan Leen (18-2) pinned Pride junior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman in 6:44. Just before the pin, Bonilla-Bowman (18-7) took an injury timeout with a torso injury. On the restart, the 16^th-ranked wrestler could not defend himself from the down position and was pinned, giving Cornell a 16-9 advantage in the contest.

Cornell's top-ranked sophomore Mack Lewnes improved to 27-0 with a hard-fought 3-1 sudden victory decision over sophomore Ryan Patrovich. After each wrestler exchanged escapes Lewnes caught Patrovich on the edge of the match with three seconds remaining in sudden victory. The Big Red boosted the lead to 22-9 at 174 pounds as sixth-ranked senior Steve Anceravage improved to 20-3 with a 2-0 decision over #10 Alton Lucas (19-5), who was making his final home appearance Sunday. Anceravage rode Lucas the entire second period and posted an escape in the third for the victory.

Justin Kerber (23-8), Cornell's 16^th-ranked sophomore, posted a 6-2 victory over Pride freshman Ben Clymer (18-8) at 184 pounds to boost the Big Red lead to 25-9. At 197 Cornell freshman Cam Simaz improved to 25-8 with a 10-4 victory over Pride senior Anthony Tortora (14-15). The Big Red was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench after this match. In the match finale, Hofstra freshman Jordan Enck evened his record at 15-15 by pulling out a 2-1 decision in the tie-breaker over 12^th-ranked Zach Hammond (12-8). After each exchanged escapes during regulation and a scoreless sudden victory, Enck rode out Hammond in the first half of the tied-breaker and then escaped in the first five seconds of the bottom half and kept Hammond at bay.

Hofstra honored Nick Gallo, its only national champion who captured the 126-pound title and was named the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1977, with a banner-raising ceremony at halftime. The Pride return to action next weekend when they travel to 12th-ranked Edinboro on Saturday, February 14, and unranked Buffalo on Sunday, February 15.

#3 Cornell (27), #23 Hofstra (12)
125- #2 Troy Nickerson (C) maj. dec. #20 Steve Bonanno (H), 10-2
133- #8 Lou Ruggirello (H) dec. #12 Mike Grey (C), 6-0
141- Justin Accordino (H) WBF Corey Manson (C), 4:05
149- D.J. Meagher (C) WBF Fran O'Brien (H), 2:06
157- #5 Jordan Leen (C) WBF #16 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H), 6:44
165- #1 Mack Lewnes (C) dec. Ryan Patrovich (H), 3-1 in SV
174- #6 Steve Anceravage (C) dec. #10 Alton Lucas (H), 2-0
184- #16 Justin Kerber (C) dec. Ben Clymer (H), 6-2
197- Cam Simaz (C) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 10-4
285- Jordan Enck (H) dec. #12 Zach Hammond (C), 2-1 in TB1

" >Click here for Pride coach Tom Shifflet's post-match comments -30-

HOFSTRA RAISES BANNER TO HONOR '77 NATIONAL CHAMPION NICK GALLO

Hempstead, NY --

Hofstra honored its only NCAA national champion with a halftime ceremony for Nick Gallo during the Pride's wrestling match versus third-ranked Cornell Sunday night at the Mack Sports Complex.

Almost 32 years have passed since Gallo defeated Iowa's Keith Mourlam, 8-3, in the championship round of the 126-pound weight class in 1977. The University will unveil a banner that will hang from the Mack Sports Complex's rafters to commemorate that accomplishment.

"It's a pretty neat thing," Gallo said. "I won a national championship for myself, but also for a lot of other people. Having that banner at Hofstra means a lot to me, since I was able to go to school there and make a mark and have something that will last there forever."

Gallo's on-the-mat accomplishments extend beyond Hempstead. The three-time NCAA Championship qualifier also earned a spot on the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling teams. He also garnered two All-American selections, including one as a freshman in 1975 and again two years later when he won it all.

"Nick's been big part of Hofstra wrestling. He's been a big supporter of us," Hofstra Wrestling Head Coach Tom Shifflet said. "It's great we have a banner up there. It's a motivational tool for all of our guys to see that banner and try to work hard to achieve the same thing."

Speaking at his Ronkonkoma office in Suffolk County, Gallo said many of his friends and coaches said he would struggle to compete for a national championship out of Hofstra, which didn't have the reputation of a formidable wrestling program at the time. That didn't stop Gallo from earning the No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA Championships.

"I tried to focus on qualifying first," Gallo said. "Once I got there; I knew once I saw the crowd and see how much it meant to other people, my energy level would rise right away.

Despite three decades passing since the title run, Gallo still can rattle off the final score of most of his tournament matches. The championships were held in Oklahoma, a place that very welcoming to Long Island participants. Though Iowa State took home the team title that season, Gallo earned individual honors by being named Outstanding Wrestler.

"I had a good season and I was seeded first. All of the matches were pretty tough, but my closest match was my finals match. My philosophy was to score as many points as I could, take the officials out of the match and take the crowd out of the match because I didn't have that many people supporting me until I got into the finals."

After his colligate playing career ended, Gallo returned to Hofstra as the fifth head coach in Pride wrestling history. Gallo, who was inducted into the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, led Hofstra to a 49-25 dual meet record during his tenure from 1979-83, posting a .662 winning percentage, including a 13-3 record in his final season.

When it came time to pick a college, Gallo decided to stay close to home and forgo a chance at attending a school with a more renowned wrestling program.

"I see Hofstra as an opportunity for anyone who goes there," Gallo said. "I heard the rumors that you couldn't win it [a title] at Hofstra because it was too small of a school; you didn't have the support, you didn't have the competition.

"I tell everyone that it was about finding a way. I wrestled during the summers and the spring. Anyone who goes to Hofstra can do the same thing, even at this point. You don't even have to do it as much, because the program has come so far and competes against the best schools."

Gallo regularly comes to matches to cheer on the current squad, which is ranked 21st in the country. He said he is proud of maintaining that link to something that has positively impacted his life.

"I look at Hofstra as a great opportunity," he said. "It's paid me back enormously throughout the years."

" >Nick Gallo interview " >Nick Gallo banner-unveiling ceremony

#23 HOFSTRA TO HOST #3 CORNELL SUNDAY IN HOME FINALE

Hempstead, NY --

Four top-20 matches will be on tap Sunday evening when the 23rd-ranked Pride of Hofstra entertain the third-ranked Big Red of Cornell at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Match time for Hofstra's regular season home finale is 5 p.m.

Hofstra comes into the match with an 8-4 overall record in dual matches and is coming off a 30-10 victory at CAA-rival Drexel last Saturday in Philadelphia. The Pride has four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes.

Leading the group is junior 133-pounder Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) who is ranked eighth by InterMat in this week's rankings. Ruggirello, who has won 12 of his last 14 matches, is 21-3 on the season. Senior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) is ranked 10th at 174 pounds and has won the last eight matches. He is 19-4 on the season.

Junior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Pomona, NY) is ranked 16th this week at 157 pounds. He enters Sunday's match having won 10 consecutive matches and is 18-6 on the year. Freshman Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) is ranked 20th at 125 pounds this week. He has won seven of his last nine matches and leads the team in victories with a 24-10 mark.

The Big Red, who will face Columbia University Sunday afternoon before traveling out to long Island to face the Pride, enter Sunday's matches with a 6-2 mark. Cornell has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20 this week by InterMat with four inside the top 10. Heading the group is top-ranked and undefeated sophomore Mack Lewnes (25-0) at 165. Senior Troy Nickerson (10-0) is also undefeated this season and is ranked second at 125 pounds. He is a 2006 NCAA Championship finalist. Senior Jordan Leen (16-2), the defending national champion, is ranked fifth at 157 pounds this week.

Senior Steve Anceravage (18-3) is ranked sixth in the country at 174 pounds and earned All-American honors in 2008. At 133 pounds, sophomore Mike Grey is 14-6 on the season and ranked 12th in his weight class. Senior Zach Hammond (12-6) is ranked 12th at 285 pounds while sophomore Justin Kerber (21-8) is ranked 16th in the nation at 184 pounds.

Top 20 matches will be held at 125, 133, 157 and 174 pounds. The Big Red have captured the last four meeting since the Pride defeated them twice during the 2003-04 season. Last year in Ithaca, New York, Cornell cruised to a 28-14 victory.

Hofstra Athletics will honor its only national wrestling champion Nick Gallo at halftime of the Sunday's match. Gallo won the national title at 126-pounds in 1977. A three-time NCAA Championship qualifier, Gallo captured the 126-pound national championship and was named the NCAA Championship's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1977. He earned All-America honors in 1975, by placing fourth and 1977 with the national title. During his four years at Hofstra, Gallo recorded a 104-14 record. He was a silver medalist in the 1980 World Cup, Pan American Trials Champion in 1979, and a member of the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Teams.

In 1979, Gallo returned to Hofstra as the head wrestling coach and proceeded to record a 49-25-0 record over the next four years including East Coast Conference championships in 1980, 1982 and 1983. In his first season he led the Pride to a 15-6 dual match record. A year later Hofstra placed 26th at the NCAA Championships with only two participants, Ed Pidgeon and Mike Hogan. In 1982 the Pride returned to the top of the ECC with a 12-4 record and sent three wrestlers to the national tournament. In his final year as coach Gallo led the Pride to a 13-3 mark, captured their third ECC title, sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and finished 24th in the country.

Gallo, who was inducted into the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, is also a member of the Suffolk Country Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is currently the president of TW Promotions, the exclusive New York metropolitan area distributor of the RESILITE wrestling mat and protective wall padding line, and supplier of ASICS products.

" >To view the interview with Gallo, click here. To purchase Hofstra wrestling tickets online for the Hofstra-Cornell match, visit www.Hofstra.edu/athletics or call 516-HOF-TIXX (463-8499). -30-

Wildest dreams couldn't make this story line

Wildest dreams couldn't make this story line

By Brian Bohl in Sports

Issue date: 2/5/09

Even Yann Danis' most optimistic daydreams likely didn't include his current run as the Islanders starting goalie.

The pinnacle of Danis' professional aspirations would have been simply to make the NHL roster, which seemed unlikely last summer when he was fourth on the club's depth chart. Joey MacDonald was the starter at AHL Bridgeport and Wade Dubielewicz was a team folk hero for leading the Islanders to the playoffs in 2007. Oh, and No. 1 goalie Rick DiPietro's contract still ran for over a decade.

Cracking that logjam would require a unique set of circumstances reminiscent of a famous Simpsons episode where a collection of major league All-Star ringers for the company softball team were all incapacitated by various means, opening a lineup spot for Homer.

But Danis has not caused Islanders fans to say 'D'oh!" In fact, the 27-year-old is making the most of his first NHL time since a brief stint with Montreal in 2005-06. In a two-week span, Danis has backstopped the league's last-place team to a season-high four straight wins and a five-game point streak that started before the All-Star break.

"He's been playing great," Bill Guerin, the Islanders captain, said. "You can see that his confidence is growing and he's really starting to make decisions."

Danis was tagged for just nine goals in those five games, posting a low goals against average that is inflated by a four-goal outing against Atlanta. Take away the 5-4 win against the Thrashers and the goalie is five goals in four games. Danis' best moment didn't even come when he was between the pipes, as his wife Kayla gave birth to the couple's first child, boy Jayden, on Jan. 26.

After spending three full seasons in the minor league AHL, the recent run of success might have been hard to envision. Danis said he was hoping to stick with the big club during his early season shuttle service between the team's Bridgeport affiliate and Nassau Coliseum.

Things started to break right for the 6-0, 181-pound goalie. DiPietro was sidelined for the season following complications from knee surgery. Dubielewicz started the season in Russia before coming back to the Islanders, only to be claimed on waivers by Columbus. MacDonald, who emerged as the fill-in goalie, suffered a groin injury last month, opening the door for Danis.

Entering this year, Danis made just six appearances in the NHL, making five starts for Montreal three seasons ago, finishing 3-2 with a 2.69 GAA. He allowed 14 goals in three spot starts before January, being regulated to MacDonald's backup and then getting sent back down to Bridgeport temporarily before returning after DiPietro went on Injured Reserve.

Now, Danis has improved his ledger to 4-5-1, sporting an impressive .914 save percentage.

"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable," Danis said after registering 37 saves in a win against the Florida Panthers Saturday night at the Coliseum. "I feel bigger in the net, like they have nothing to shoot at. I'm going into games confident, feeling that we can win."

Islanders coach Scott Gordon was elusive in praise for Danis when his former emergency goalie became the go-to solution. Despite holding the likely playoff-bound Rangers and Bruins to just two goals apiece in back-to-back 2-1 losses, Gordon seemed to blame Danis more for soft rebound goals then an anemic offense that failed to offer any support. But Gordon said he was simply trying to cajole Danis into becoming more consistent. Now, both the goalie and the team are playing their best hockey of the season.

"He was making the big saves," Gordon said. "But I told him 'you don't want to beat yourself.' He hasn't been beating himself now."

Danis did not take the Port Jefferson ferry from Bridgeport to Long Island, though he still has encountered proverbial rocky seas since his time with Montreal. He spent the last three years playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He never saw action again for the Canadiens, though his current timing might work out perfectly.

Since Danis can be a free agent after this season, his current run can be seen as an audition for the Islanders backup role and insurance for the chronically injured DiPietro. Or another NHL team could see Danis is capable of handling an NHL workload. While his success might help him secure a job next season, the Lafontaine, Quebec native said he is only focusing on making the most of his current opportunity.

"I'm finally getting the chance to play at this level that I haven't had ever," he said. "I obviously want to take advantage of it, but I'm not focusing on next year. I'm trying to improve our record and finish on a high note."

HOFSTRA DROPS OVERTIME THRILLER TO JAMES MADISON, 71-68

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MAYNOR LEADS SECOND HALF SURGE AS VCU EDGES PRIDE 66-62

Recap | Box Scores
Hempstead, NY --

Senior guard Eric Maynor exploded for 21 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, erasing a double-digit Hofstra lead as the Pride dropped a 66-62 decision to CAA-rival Virginia Commonwealth University Saturday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.

Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) scored a team-high 22 points for the Pride and sophomore guard Nathanial Lester (Brooklyn, NY) finished in double-figures for the third straight game, chipping in 12 points and junior guard Tony Dennison (Long Island City, NY - picture) added seven of his nine in the second half. But it wasn't enough to extend the Pride's winning streak to five, as Hofstra fell to 14-8 and 6-5 in the CAA with the defeat. Hofstra also lost for just the second time this season in games decided by five points or less, dropping to 9-2.

Maynor was the difference-maker, erasing a 58-all tie by scoring six straight points down the stretch to help the Rams improve to 16-6 and 9-2 in the conference. VCU entered the matinee just a game behind Northeastern for first place in the CAA.

Hofstra led by as many as 12 points before freshman guard Bradford Burgess (11 points) and Maynor, the reigning CAA Player of the Year, mounted the comeback. Burgess hit a three-pointer near the top of the key to tie it at 58 with 4:16 left.

VCU rode Maynor to a six-point lead after he hit a free throw, buried a three-pointer and added a jumper on the Rams subsequent trio of possessions, moving the Rams ahead 64-58 with 1:42 left. After making a free-throw, Maynor stole a pass-at midcourt and raced in for an uncontested lay-up to build the lead to three. On the other end of the floor, Maynor blocked Jenkins's driving attempt and secured the win by hitting a deep three-pointer from the left wing make it 64-58.Jenkins added four free throws afterwards, but the Pride never got closer than 66-62 with a half-minute showing on the clock as it missed three shots in the final 20 seconds, including two three-pointers to try to cut the lead to one.

Maynor and Jenkins entered the contest as the conference's top two scorers and served as their offense's focal points. Fresh off a career-high 33 point-effort in a last-second win over UNC Wilmington, Jenkins notched his 10th 20-point game of the season, adding six rebounds and three assists.

VCU came out strong in the second half after the Pride led 36-29 at the break. Sophomore forward Larry Sanders scored back-to-back baskets in the paint, pulling the Rams to within 42-39 with 13:13 left. Jenkins responded with a three-pointer right in front of the Pride bench and Dennison added a driving reverse lay-in on the next possession to build up the lead.

Maynor scored the game's next seven points, hitting a top-of-the-key three-point near NBA range to tie it and followed a Pride turnover by drilling a jump shot to give VCU a 48-46 lead with 10:54 remaining, marking the first time the Rams led since the second minute of the contest.

Playing man defense, Jenkins held Maynor scoreless through the first 10 minutes before the country's 11th-leading scorer heated up. Maynor was off from the floor in the first half (2-8) yet converted all seven of his free throws to tally 12 points at the break.

Jenkins' jumper built a 28-16 lead with 5:20 left in the first half, Hofstra's largest of the game. VCU posted a modest 5-0 run to close the gap before Hofstra started driving to the lane, converting on its last five foul shots. Maynor cut into the deficit before the buzzer, drawing a foul on junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY) from beyond the three-point arc. Maynor hit all three of his free throws with 2.2 seconds left, though the Pride still entered the break with a 36-29 edge.

Maynor has a chance to be selected in this year's NBA draft. That would follow in the career path of former Pride great Craig "Speedy" Claxton, who had his No. 10 retired in a pregame ceremony. Claxton, currently with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round of the 2000 draft after a stellar career for Hofstra. Now 30 years old, the Hempstead native led his hometown school to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and still holds the team record for career assists (660), steals (288) and ranks sixth all-time in points (2,015).

Claxton, who won a championship ring with the Spurs in 2002-03, is the third Hofstra player to have his jersey retired this season. Claxton (1996-2000) joined Bill Thieben (1953-56) and Steve Nisenson (1962-65) in being honored with a banner hanging from the Mack Sports Complex's rafters. Rich Laurel (1973-77) will join the list later this year.

Hofstra will be off the next two days before traveling to Virginia to take on another challenging conference opponent in George Mason on Tuesday night on ESPNU. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.