2017 NLL Week 10 Preview

Picks:
Top Attractions:

Calgary Roughnecks (3-5) @ Colorado Mammoth (6-4)
Time: Fri 3 MAR 2017 9:30p, Pepsi Center
Line: Colorado -1.5
The Scoop: It's disappointing the position Calgary is in. It would be nice to see them get back on track. Then again, Colorado had one of those skids. But they seem to have relatively recovered. And furthermore, the Jones/Greer trade seems to be showing that the trade was even with the latter cooling off and the former helping the Rush past the Mammoth's opponents last week.
Outlook: Saskatchewan by 1

Saskatchewan Rush (6-2) @ Vancouver Stealth (3-6)
Time: Sat 4 MAR 2017 11p, Langley Events Centre
Line: Saskatchewan -2.5
The Scoop: Vancouver is a franchise I will no longer understand./ Since they left San Jose, I don't recognize the shape they've taken. And their attendance isn't helping either. Call the Rush my West lock now. I just can't see them losing unless they get Georgia in the final (barring their season openers against each other).
Outlook: Georgia by 2.

Best of the Rest:

Rochester Knighthawks (2-6) @ Buffalo Bandits (3-3)
Time: Fri 3 MAR 2017 7:30p, KeyBank Center
Line: Buffalo -2.5
The Scoop: The Bandits have finally found something to work with. their recent transactions are paying immediate dividends and I think I'm the only one that had Saunders coming to the 716 before Deitrich wanted him. Rochester got the benefit of the doubt with Vancouver, but that doesn't say very much at all. They can beat Buffalo, but it will be the following afternoon before this game.
Outlook: Buffalo by 3.

Buffalo Bandits (2-3) @ Rochester Knighthawks (3-6)
Time: Sat 4 MAR 2017 1p, Connors and Ferris Field @ Blue Cross Arena
Line: Rochester -1.5
The Scoop: The second half of this weekend's installments of the Thruway rivalry will be interesting given the start time of this game: 1pm. That's likely less than 12 hours some of the players got sleep. Not to mention both teams have to travel to Rochester between the end of the previous night and the morning of this game.
Outlook: Rochester by 1.

Georgia Swarm (5-2) @ Calgary Roughnecks (3-5)
Time: Sat 25 FEB 2017 9:30p, Scotiabank Saddledome
Line: Georgia -2.5
The Scoop: Calgary is falling to pieces while Georgia has experienced a hiccup then a scare before getting back to true form. Calgary will not have the benefit of rest after playing in Colorado the previous evening. Georgia will look to continue steamrolling through anything and everything in their path. Calgary with a loss will be looking similar to the team that hit the floor last season.
Outlook: Georgia by 3.

Dog of the Day:

New England Black Wolves (3-6) @ Toronto Rock (5-3)
Time: Sun 26 FEB 2017 1p, Air Canada Centre
Line: Toronto -2.5
The Scoop: This game feels like a dud to me. I don't wan't to put too much thought into it so I won't. However, this is still a divisional game, so anything could theoretically happen. I'll leave it at that.
Outlook: Rock by 3.

*All times Eastern.

Oh, What a Feeling

History was made on consecutive nights in Western New York high school basketball. Dominick Welch of Cheektowaga surpassed Burgard of Buffalo's Richie Campbell as the all time leading scorer locally.Buffalo's South Park Sparks were the opponent for the Warriors of Cheektowaga, and the record seemed more important than the win. However, following the 25th and record breaking points early in the third quarter, the Warriors overcame a double-digit deficit, but would not lead by more than two before falling back to double digits with four minutes and change in the Section VI Class A2 semifinal. Welch would finish with 45, well over the requirement to top with 2376 in total on his career.

The following night, more heroics. The Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association finals were held as a separated event for a third season in a row after the class A and B teams perviously contested the tournament together despite separated during the regular season for scheduling purposes. St. Mary’s had just won the club hockey final ahead of states and a move to federation play for 2018 but something that has never been achieved on hardwood had an opportunity arise again to win the Manhattan Cup playoffs. Many close calls have come, most notably 2012 against Canisius's Crusaders and 2015 against the Vikings from the Nichols School, albeit the latter as a result of splitting the large schools from the small making sense as to state catholic qualification.

That, on the other hand has been done plenty of times at least recently, the first of which came in 2009 when St. Mary's, Cardnial O'Hara, and Niagara Catholic made second round exits. The latter two had a play-in game as the regular season record of St. Mary's was superior. The winner at O'Hara would play at Canisius College's Koessler Athletic Center. Though it appeared that O'Hara's Hawks would soar to victory, a day later it was announced a transfer had illegally participated in a number of games and thanks to an oversight by former St. Mary's athletic director Angelo P. Sciandra III, the school forfeited their chance to play the Lancers to the Patriots from Niagara Catholic. While the Lancers struggled throughout, they did defeat a stingy NC team for their first qualification in ten seasons to the state catholic tournament. They would go on to defeat the now-defunct Blessed Sacrament-St. Gabriel Cardnials from the Catholic High School Athleticc Association of the New York City greater metropolitan area at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Gymnasium.

While there are other Catholic schools in New York state, they compete with the other public schools and thus, two Catholic schools can play at the state federation tournament as St. Marys did in 2009 against Rochester’s Bishop Kearney Knights. As has been the case in the 2000s decade, the second quarter was the achilles heel as the Knights downed St. Mary’s but lost to Collegiate Prep’s Dutchmen. The following year, SMH was the only team to reach the second round having lost to the Crusaders in MMAA play having won every quarter except being trounced in the second quarter. Canisius then went on to lose to the Vikings, who as the best team in WNY secured the right to host the CHSAA’s Salesian Eagles for a second consecutive state catholic title. But history would repeat itself as the second quarter again would bite the Lancers this time against eventual state fed champ Collegiate Prep.

Coming into the evening hours at Koessler, St. Mary’s had the best regular season record in the Msgr. Martin B Division and won their opening playoff fixture. Now it was time to face a familiar foe for the title. Nichols was the opponent and the two sides met twice as per the B Division schedule. The first of those was at Nichols’ Gerard Gymnasium on January 13, which I was asked to fill in as the Vikings public address (it was a little akward) shortly upon my arrival with the intent just to watch the game. The Lancers took one on the road 50-43 in a tight affair the whole way. The return leg the following month on the 16th saw a Lancers 53-42 home win. It would be tough to win three straight against any team, much less against Nichols who in the past decade has had their number in big games.

While there was a lot of back and forth in the opening fram, the final portion of it saw Nichols go on a 10-0 run that extended into the next session. Following a few exchanges, Nichols widened their lead to double digits as a familiar tone began to set in among the St. Mary’s contingent - the second quarter. While SMH managed to chip away at that following the half time interval, Matt Cieszki managed to provide their first lead of the half before sinking a three a bit before the buzzer. By bolstering up their defense in the second half, the Lancers exercised their demons and for the first time in their history and that of the tournament which dates back to 1948, went on to claim their first Manhattan Cup by a final score of 64-61.

In that late 2000s, I was a part of what started my path as an athletic administrator. To pick up basketball and my enhanced knowledge of the sport with that particular group of individuals was something that inspired me to use that as a tool to speak to others regarding "silent partners" as I was. And while being appreciated for my effort, I appreciated have those opportunities to pick up a new trade of sorts and living life through a somewhat new lens. As much as I gained from it all and now being also removed from my time with Barry and Springfield College. My high school years are my most cherished cumulative time period memories. If I had the opportunity to relive them, I would all over again. Springfield was great, but that one spring morning in 2007 when I was introduced to my key to life epitomized all of those experiences that would follow both in high school and my undergrad. So every time I come back for events, I get that same euphoria for one more time. And with luck, I’ll be able to do that over and over and over again.

2017 Curling Preview: The Tim Hortons Brier (Part I)

Ah, a tradition like no other - The Brier! Let's look at the teams and what we're looking at. But only the Pre-qualifying tournament right now. The first place team will have three draws that on Saturday, with the evening spot for Draw 12 against Glenn Howard's Ontario. More about them and the field by the evening hours (after 12pm, based on how the pre-final plays out in pre-qual).

NS:

Club - Halifax CC; Skip - Jamie Murphy, Third - Jordan Pinder, Second - Scott Saccary, Lead - Phil Crowell, Alternate - Alan Darragh

NU:

Club - Iqaluit CC; Skip - Jim Nix, Third - Edmund MacDonald, Second - Greg Howard, Lead - Darryl McGrath, Alternate - Howard Fick

PEI:

Club - Charlottetown CC; Skip - Eddie MacKenzie, Third - Sean Ledgerwood, Second - Matt Nabuurs, Lead - Robbie Doherty, Alternate - Philip Gorveatt

YT:

Club - Whitehorse CC; Fourth - Jon Solberg,  Skip - Craig Kochan, Second - Ray Mikkelsen, Lead - Darrin Fredrickson, Alternate - Wade Scoffin 

I'm pegging Nova Scotia to qualify, beating either Yukon Territory or Prince Edward Island regardless of who finishes 2nd and 3rd. Even though Solberg has a ranked team this season, MacKenzie won 5 draws the last time they qualified for the Brier. But Murphy's Nova Scotia is by and large the team to beat. You can watch any of the Brier on ESPN 3 in the US or on your Amazon FireStick. In Canada, it will be across the networks of TSN (indubitably). Just like the Scotties, I'll be watching...