PRIDE DROPS SEASON OPENER TO NATIONALLY RANKED FLORIDA STATE

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Recap | Box Scores
Tallahassee, FL --

Hofstra built an early two-run lead over nationally ranked Florida State, but the Pride couldn't stave off a surging Seminoles offense in a 9-3 Opening Day loss in front of 5,601 fans at Dick Howser Stadium.

Senior rightfielder Mark Stuckless (Kanata, Ontario) provided a spark atop Hofstra's lineup, going 3-5 with a run scored and a RBI. Junior third baseman Matt Prokopowicz (Massapequa, NY) also added a RBI single against a Seminoles team that qualified for the 2008 College World Series and entered the game ranked sixth by the Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The Pride still fell to 0-1 while Florida State's Mike McGee registered three RBIs in a 3-4 showing from the third spot, improving the Seminoles to 1-0.

The Seminoles erased a two-run deficit by showing patience at the plate in a four-run fourth inning that gave the visitors a 6-3 lead it would not relinquish. The eighth and ninth hitters got on with a walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively, before a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs.

Starting pitcher Brody Fontaine (Amenia, NY) induced a pop out before Mike McGee flicked a two-run single to the left side. The southpaw responded by recording a big strikeout and nearly escaped further trouble when Tommy Oravetz grounded to short. But Chris Mentrasti couldn't field a tough hop for a single, though Tyler Holt raced around second and slid home safely on a throwing error for Florida State's third run.

That play chased Fontaine after 3 2/3 innings. Kevin Rigopoulos entered in relief and walked the first two batters, including issuing D'Vontrey Richardson a bases-loaded free pass that capped the four-run rally before getting out of the jam without further damage. Fontaine (0-1) struck out two batters and surrendered seven hits.

Hofstra jumped out to a two-run advantage, tagging Seminoles starter Geoff Parker (1-0) for three runs off four singles in the second spurred by three straight one-out singles.

Stuckless added a RBI single that fell just in front of the centerfielder, marking Hofstra's first RBI of the season. After a strikeout, Prokopowicz ripped a run-scoring single to left that plated John Kenny for a 3-1 lead, bringing Parker's pitch count to 52 after two innings. The right-handed hurler settled down shortly after, going five innings while allowing six hits to pick up the win.

The Pride came just a few feet away from starting the new campaign with a homer. Stuckless drove the first pitch into the top of the high right-centerfield wall for a season-opening double. Hofstra moved Stuckless to third on a groundout and brought him home on a strikeout thanks to Parker's two-out wild pitch that allowed Stuckless to cross the plate and Mentrasti to advance to first for Hofstra's first run of 2009.

Florida State answered right back in the home half of the first, scoring an unearned run off Fontaine via Jason Stidham's sacrifice fly to shallow centerfield. Panzarella's throw home was in time but a tough bounce over the catcher allowed Oravetz to slide in safely for the tying run.

Patrick Anderson made his head coaching debut for the Pride while Florida State's Mike Martin entered his 30th year with the Seminoles.

Hofstra's last Opening Day victory came against Delaware State in 2002 and the school is 22-31 all-time in first games for which statistical data is available. The Pride will get three more chances at the four-time ACC champions, starting with a doubleheader Saturday. Game time for the twinbill's opener is set for 1 p.m.

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" >Click here to see post-game comments from Head Coach Patrick Anderson

Isles Win Rare Game Against Pens

Feb 17th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: New York Islanders, Top Story

Evgeni Malkin couldn't give his new coach a win.

UNIONDALE, NY- Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are two of the NHL’s best players. Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen have a combined four goals in 70 games entering yesterday.

But the Islanders duo out-played its Pittsburgh counterparts in the clutch Monday afternoon, with both struggling youngsters beating Marc-Andre Fleury in the shootout while Joey MacDonald stymied All-Stars Malkin and Crosby in the skills competition to help the Isles post a 3-2 win in front of a sold-out Nassau Coliseum crowd.

Tambellini still has just two goals in 39 games and logged just 12:16 of ice time before coach Scott Gordon turned to the winger in the second round of the shootout after Nielsen and Petr Sykora traded goals in the shootout’s first round.

Afterwards, Tambellini said he had one strategy against Fleury.

“The high glove,” he said about his strategy. “I was looking to go there and he plays that butterfly style, so if you can catch him off guard, it’s a good chance.”

MacDonald logged 35 saves in helping the Islanders snap a five-game losing streak. He used a poke-check to stop Malkin’s attempt and secured the victory with a pad save on Crosby’s final attempt.

The netminder stopped all but two shots, including Malkin’s individual move that resulted in his 25th goal and Ryan Whitney’s power play tally to erase two Islander leads.

“Those guys are exceptional and you have to bump your game up a little bit and put more pressure on yourself,” MacDonald said about facing one of the league’s best 1-2 combination. “It’s a lot easier when your team scores, that always helps.”

Sean Bergenheim’s pass hit Chris Campoli in the skates before slipping past Fleury for a lead just 11:34 into the contest. Malkin tied it with 1:53 remaining. The NHL’s point leader increased his total to 82, getting off a shot before blue liner Jack Hillen could step up defensive pressure, Malkin unloaded a wrist shot that beat MacDonald from the left circle to tie it at 1 just before the first intermission.

“You don’t want to get into one of those losing streaks, but at the same time, the last couple of games I think we fell away from playing like we always do; like working hard in the corners and battling in front of the net. I thought got back to that today.”

Nielsen gave the home team the lead again by crashing the net and pushing the puck past the goal line moments before Jordan Stall pushed Richard Park into the crossbar, knocking the net off its moorings. The officials signaled a goal immediately, marking Nielsen’s third goal of the season.

“It’s not fun when you have a losing streak,” Nielsen said. “We really needed this.”

Crosby set up Whitney’s game-tying goal with 2:53 left in the second. Whitney took Crosby’s right circle backhand pass that floated right to his stick blade and buried the one-time wrist shot to knot it at 2.

Pittsburgh still picked up a point in interim head coach Dan Bylsma’s debut. The Penguins fired Michel Therrien Sunday nearly eight months after he guided the Pens to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pens are four points behind Buffalo for the last playoff spot despite having two of the league’s top three leaders in points. Crosby’s assist gave him 73 points, one behind Alex Ovechkin for the second spot.

“Anytime Sid and Malkin come to town, it’s a good chance,” Tambellini said. “They were coming off an emotional night. Our defense was fantastic and Joey MacDonald stood on his head as usual. We rolled lines all night. It was a solid effort.”

Yet the Penguins had to settle for the one point despite having a mismatch in talent and a 41-21 advantage in faceoffs. Gordon said the Islanders used a total team effort to stay competitive against the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

“We didn’t have too many passengers today,” Gordon said. “I thought we got a pretty good effort from everybody.”

The Islanders will be off Tuesday before heading to the Garden for a key game for the struggling Rangers. With the Blueshirts sinking downwards, the Isles can deliver another difficult loss that might hinder its rival’s postseason chances.

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Tags: Butterfly Style, Chris Campoli, Coach Scott, Final Attempt, Frans Nielsen, Game Losing Streak, Hillen, Jeff Tambellini, Joey Macdonald, Marc Andre Fleury, Nassau Coliseum, Netminder, Petr Sykora, Point Leader, Rare Game, Ryan Whitney, S Pass, Sean Bergenheim, Sidney Crosby And Evgeni Malkin, Skills Competition

Isles Face Pens and New Coach Today

Feb 16th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: New York Islanders, Top Story

Bill Guerin and Mark Streit battle a new Penguins team today.

UNIONDALE, NY– Hide the records and the Islanders and Penguins appear to be very similar in organizational philosophy.

Before the laughter starts, consider that the Penguins play in an arena even older than Nassau Coliseum and depend on the NHL draft instead of big-ticket free agent items to compete. Also consider that both teams fired coaches and turned to unproven candidates despite enjoying success with the veteran behind the bench.

But that is where the similarities end, mainly because the Penguins still employ Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin and the Islanders have no young forwards anywhere need All-Star status. Yet Pittsburgh made a big splash yesterday, firing Michel Therrien nearly eight months after he guided the Pens to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dan Bylsma was named the interim coach and he will make his NHL debut this afternoon against the Isles. The Islanders made a similar move in the summer, let go of Ted Nolan last season and replaced him with former AHL coach Scott Gordon, who has gone from successful minor league coach to a man struggling to get wins from a young and injury depleted lineup.

The 38-year-old Bylsma’s last season as a player came right before the lockout. A nine-year NHL veteran, Bylsma (pronounced BYLE-smuh) served as a right winger with Los Angeles and Anaheim from 1995-2004. He appeared in 429 NHL regular season games and also played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final with Anaheim.

Ray Shero, the Penguins general manager and executive vice president, said in a statement the move was designed to give his team a spark. Despite claiming perennial MVP candidates in Malkin and Crosby, the Penguins enter the matinee five points behind the eighth-place Sabres for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth.

“We believe we need a change in direction and, with 25 games remaining in the regular season, our goal remains to finish strong and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Shero said. “Dan Bylsma is one of the bright young coaches in the game and has done an exceptional job as the head coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.”

Therrien’s dismissal comes after the Hurricanes fired Peter Laviolette despite the coach leading Carolina to a championship in 2006. Two coaches who have led clubs to the final round the past three seasons are now unemployed, showing the quick hook owners and front office executives have in trying to salvage a struggling team.

“I’m a passionate person and energetic person,” Bylsma said to reporters. “I believe you need commitment, passion and a high energy level. That’s how I approach life. We have a great challenge that we should enjoy. We should bring all that energy to the rink (Monday).

Pittsburgh’s opponent today also has endured a rotating system of coaches. Laviolette 77-62-19-6 and led the Islanders to the playoffs twice in his two seasons in Uniondale. Those postseason appearances came after a seven-year drought, though the Isles still fired him along with Steve Stirling, interim coach Brad Shaw and Nolan. From 2001-08, all four of those Islander coaches posted a winning percentage of .500 or better and still was shown the exit.

Gordon has coaxed the Islanders still competitive in games. But the team claims an NHL-low 38 points with a 16-33-6 record. Despite the axing of previous coaches with far superior records, general manager Garth Snow insists Gordon’s job is safe and that the Isles will have patience with its self-described youth movement. The Islanders are in contention for getting the No. 1 overall draft pick and will look to snap a five-game losing streak when the puck is dropped at 2 p.m.

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Tags: 2003 Stanley Cup, Change In Direction, Coach Scott, Dan Bylsma, Eighth Place, Evegeni Malkin, Interim Coach, Michel Therrien, Minor League Coach, Nassau Coliseum, Nhl Debut, Nhl Draft, Organizational Philosophy, Playoff Berth, Regular Season Games, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Star Status, Ted Nolan

WRHU Islanders vs Penguins Preview Report Feb 16, 2009

PRIDE RALLY FOR CLUTCH CONFERENCE WIN

Recap | Box Scores
Newark, DE --

Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY - pictured) had 26 points and eight assists to lead a second-half rally as the Hofstra Men's Basketball team picked up a 69-59 road win over Delaware on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Sophomore swingman Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY) scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half and added nine rebounds, while sophomore forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) made three shots after the last media timeout to enable the Pride to pull away down the stretch.

Hofstra improves to 17-9 overall and 9-6 against the conference, while winning its third straight game. Delaware falls to 11-16 overall and 5-10 in the CAA.

Brian Johnson (16 points), D.J. Boney (10 points) and Alphonso Dawson (14 points) each scored in double figures. The Pride held the home team to 18-51 field goal shooting, coming to a 35.3 percent average from the floor. Delaware's top three scorers struggled in both games against the Pride, as Marc Egerson shot 3-10 after going 0-10 in the first meeting, Dawson shot 4-15 after shooting 4-17 at Hofstra and Jawan Carter was 1-6 after shooting 2-10 in Hempstead.

Senior forward Zygis Sestokas (Vilnius, Lithuania) chipped in three three-pointers off the bench, including two clutch treys in the second half. Sestokas found a rhythm from the right wing, hitting two key second half three pointers, the second of which broke a deadlock and lifted Hofstra to a 48-45 lead.

But the double-digit victory margin was not indicative of the close contest that featured eight lead changes. After both teams traded key baskets to tie the score at 52 with 5:19 left, Lester drilled a jumper that broke the deadlock, representing the last time Delaware would be even.

Coming out of the final media timeout, Johnson made one of two foul shots to pull Delaware within 54-53, but Washington added consecutive baby-hook floaters in the paint to build the lead to five points. After his second basket, the 6-10 forward contributed on the other end by stealing the ball and setting up Lester's drive and subsequent foul shot, putting the Pride up, 59-53, with 2:15 on the clock.

Delaware got back within four points on an Egerson lay-up, but Washington answered with his third basket in the closing minutes off a feed from Jenkins and the Blue Hens were unable to threaten in the final minute.

After trailing 27-22 at the half, Hofstra surged to fast second-half start. Delaware scored the first basket of the second half, but the Pride came back with a 12-0 run. Lester's driving basket culminated in a three-point play, erasing a seven-point second half deficit to tie the score at 29 with 16:05 left. Jenkins followed a defensive stand by burying a top-of-the-key three pointer to establish Hofstra's first lead since a one-point edge 7:40 into the contest.

The Pride parlayed another defensive stand into a fast-break chance. Lester picked up Jawan Carter's dribble for the steal, springing Jenkins for a drive that drew a foul on his way to the rim. Jenkins made both free throws, capping a 12-0 run to put Hofstra up, 34-29, with 14:50 remaining.

Jenkins sparked Hofstra's offense from the opening tap, scoring six points in the first six minutes. The postseason awards candidate accounted for nearly half of his team's offense, scoring nine points while adding three rebounds and three assists in a back-and-forth first half that featured five lead changes.

Delawareemployed a contrasting offensive style, with no single Blue Hen reaching double figures in the opening half. Instead, four players logged at least five points, giving the home team a balanced attack that sent the Pride into the locker room down, 27-22, at the break.

Carter provided Delaware's final three points when he drew a shooting on Cornelius Vines beyond the arc in front the Pride bench with .4 seconds left. Carter hit all three free throws to swing momentum towards the Blue Hens.

Hofstra shot 61.5 percent in the second half (16-26) after shooting 26.5 percent (9-34) in the first half, ending the game at 41.7 percent. The Pride is now 10-0 this season when it shoots at least 40 percent. Delaware shot just 30.4 percent in the first half and 39.3 percent after the break.

Hofstra will return to Hempstead Wednesday night for a key conference game against James Madison. Tipoff at the Mack Sports Complex is set for 7 p.m.

Saying Goodbye to the Old Girl of Broad Street

Feb 13th, 2009 | By Brian Bohl | Category: Hockey, Top Story
This is the last year of the Spectrum, which opened in 1967.

PHILADELPHIA - Three other modern venues elicit attention when entering Broad Street after exiting the Walt Whitman Bridge. It isn’t until you scan the literal quadrant of stadiums and arenas that the smaller building catches the eye amidst the modern sporting palaces that comprises the landscape.

Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, is the conspicuous facility because of its size. Even in the offseason, the ballpark across the parking lot is noticeable because of a bright red sign and a message board proclaiming its home inhabitant as Major League Baseball champions. Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004, is the home of Phillies while the Eagles’ home field is one year older. Rounding out the last of the newer stadiums is the home of the Flyers and 76ers, which opened way back in 1996.

But amid the new palaces for this city’s sports teams sits a haunt for generations of Philadelphia entertainment fans. Like the aforementioned venues, the Spectrum’s formal name is preceded by a corporate sponsor. But while the arena doesn’t host big league events anymore, many sports fan have been making the trek to see a historic site that is scheduled to be razed this spring.

The Spectrum has been like an old friend to a sports-crazed city since it opened in 1967. There are many similarities between the old barn and Nassau Coliseum, which is undergoing a major public relations campaign by the Islanders to renovate what is considered by many fans to be an outdated facility.

Yet the Spectrum is undeniably one of the most storied places in North American sports. It has hosted two NBA All-Star Games and four Finals series, six Stanly Cup Finals series (one more than the Coliseum) and two All-Star contests, two Finals Fours and crossed over into the entertainment world, with banners still hanging that chronicled the Grateful Dead tours. From the cinema world, the Spectrum was in the script of the famous “Rocky” fight against Apollo Creed and the actual building at one time was the location of the famous statue to honor the fictional Rocky Balboa (sorry, Philly fans, he is just a character and not a real champion).

Some fans like Will Janson said some non-sports events will make the demolition of the Spectrum a sad day and could prompt him to take home some memorabilia before the doors close for good.

“I actually had the prettiest girl in the world sitting on my shoulders during a David Bowie concert in ‘76″ Janson said. “She actually still lives in the neighborhood. I’ll try and grab a section of the wall and I’m going to try and grab my seats.”

The Spectrum serves as the home to the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers’ farm team. Though long since outdated for the modern NHL, the capacity of 17,380 for hockey allows fans to sit close to the ice, making it easy to envision the heyday of one of the most intimidating places to play for visiting teams when the Flyers were racking up consistent playoff appearances decades ago.

“I like the comradery here,” Brett Marino said during an intermission of a Phantoms game. “Everybody’s always glad to be here and glad to see a good game. It’s a shame. I’ll hate to see it go.”

Purple stanchions on the glass give the place a unique look and portraits of past Flyers and 76ers great players and coaches are painted on the walls of the narrow corridors that stretch around the arena. Instead of an eagle-eye view of the action from the press box on the luxury box level, the press sits between the two-tiers of seats, sitting within ear-shot of the crowd. A small staircase actually located inside the media area allows access to the dressing room by descending two flights of stairs into the rickety underbelly that has served as the dressing room for Hall of Famers and A-list celebrities.

Passageways directly next to the benches lead from the dressing room to the ice, making the players who enter and exit the playing surface are level with the first rows of seats. Players are literally within touching distance of the fans. It’s easy to imagine fans of the Broad Street Bullies taunting future Islanders Hall of Famers during the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Islanders were able to hold off a Philadelphia team that went undefeated for 35 games during the regular season to win the first of its four straight titles.

“The building is outdated ,but you can’t beat the seating here,” said Chris Poole, who has been coming to the Spectrum for the past three decades. “I saw my first concert here [to watch] Kiss.”

Almost 140,000 fans have passed through the Spectrum’s gates this season. Overall, the Phantoms average nearly 7,000 per game. Claude Giroux, the Flyers 2006 first-round pick who started the year in the AHL before getting called up, said it meant extra playing in the Spectrum.

“Every game, they cheer a lot,” Giroux said after a December win against Hartford. “It’s a big motivation every time we play here. We’re lucky to have those fans.”

New arenas seat closer to 20,000 people and offer amenities like more leg room, cup holders and wider lobbies, though there is usually a tradeoff with fans sitting further from ice level. The Devils’ new home in Newark exemplifies the dichotomy between modern perks and things like great sight lines for which old barns like the Spectrum were noted. Some fans like the close-quarter feelings a 42-year-old arena provides.

“It just has a nice feel,” Michelle Penkrot said. “It’s nice that it’s a little smaller.”

A patch that that espouses the arena as “America’s Showplace” is being worn on Phantoms jerseys this season. It is influenced by the original logo, replete with 1960s-era color scheme. The Phantoms could move to Allentown, Pa. next season after Comcast Spectator, the Spectrum’s owner, sold the team to Brooks Group of Pittsburgh. While those plans have not been finalized, there will certainly be a literal and figurative vacancy at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

“It’s very intimate,” Jansen said. “You’re close to [the action]. It’s old style now, well, it wasn’t back then. But it’s just perfect.”

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.