Category: Sports

Located in the Rangeley Lakes region, Maine’s third largest ski area is a little more out of the way at 2.5 hours from Portland. For those willing to make the trek, it’s a hidden gem of the western mountains that, since coming under new ownership in 2004, Saddleback has installed two new lifts, cut six new trails, debuted an overhauled base lodge, and just recently finished the 44 acre Casablanca glades, the biggest in the East.

When USM Athletic Director Al Bean and his staff got together for their annual summer meeting, they decided something needed to be implemented to showcase the university’s athletic teams better. That’s when they made a group decision that USM sports need to be broadcasted live in online streaming video.

USM senior wrestling captain Mike Morin (Fryeburg) earned his 100th career win as he stormed through the 165-pound bracket, helping lead the Huskies to a fourth place finish at the Ted Reese Invitational on Saturday at the Costello Sports Complex in Gorham.

USM’s improbable second half comeback fell short with three seconds remaining when Bowdoin’s sophomore guard Will Hanley (New Canaan, CT) laid in the ball for the 68-66 win in Gorham last Tuesday.

The Bowdoin Polar Bears saw their 41-23 halftime lead vanish at the hands of the Huskies, led by junior forward Cortez Isaac (Washington, DC), who lead all scorers with 34 points.

Bowdoin College’s women’s basketball team held the lead over the USM Huskies the entire game on their way to a 60-47 win last Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.

Bowdoin’s forwards dominated the Huskies on both sides of the court all game. Senior forward Caitlin Hynes (Rockland) scored a game high 20 points and had nine rebounds, while senior forward Leah Rubega (Norwich, CT) put up 12 points and had a game-high 13 rebounds for Bowdoin.

Growing up in a town where basketball and soccer are the priority sports, you could say that the variety of competition that a young athlete exposes themselves to is miniscule.

Athletes like this play their respected sport- and I mean just one sport- year round. They compete in AAU basketball tournaments, premier soccer events, fall baseball, etc. They sacrifice their weekends to sharpen their skills in sports they have dedicated themselves to. Is focusing on one sport year round in the best interest for a young athlete though?

I firmly believe that athletes should look to venture out of the cocoon that is their one sport, and give themselves a chance to participate in others. I’m not saying that dedicating oneself to a particular sport is bad, but an athlete needs a variety of competition or else they’ll either be worn out by the time college comes into play, or they’ll be sick of playing the same sport over and over again.

Senior Tyler Jasud (Rumford) became USM’s first ever men’s cross-country All-American as he finished 22nd out of 276 of the countries top cross country runners in the 2009 Division III National Men’s Cross Country Championships in Highland Hills, Ohio on Nov. 21.

Jasud completed the eight-kilometer course in a time of 25 minutes, 58.1 seconds. He improved from his 2008 finish at the DIII Nationals by 21 places, and improved his time by approximately 52 seconds.

Jasud’s All-American honor adds to his already impressive line of awards that include the 2008 Little East Conference Runner of the Year and multiple LEC Runner of the Week accolades.

The USM men’s basketball team traveled to Biddeford on Nov. 17 to take on a UNE Nor’easters squad that features players from all over the country. Unlike last year’s season opener, the Huskies were upended by UNE in a shooting duel 82-70.

UNE’s performance was backed by four Nor’easters who were in double-figures and a team effort that featured 45.3 percent (25 for 64) shooting from the field to edge USM.

The Huskies managed to keep the score close as they trailed 43-34 after the first half of play. USM is burdened with limited selection right now as they are without several of their key players that benefited last year’s team.

Joe Johnson leaves his Buxton home every morning and makes his way to the Brooks Students Center on the Gorham Campus. He takes pride in his work as a custodian at the USM Dining Hall, working extra hard until he clocks out at 1:30 p.m., when the real fun begins.

Three years ago Joe wasn’t in a great place. He was stressed because of pressure from work and at home, and his blood pressure was through the roof at a mind blowing 198 over 100. His wife told him something needed to be done. That’s when Joe discovered the world of Jukado.

Jukado is a form of martial arts that combines Karate, Kung Fu, Akiado and Judo, and involves open hand and weapon skill. It focuses on discipline, respect, and mentality, and has really taught Joe a lot.

Last year the USM women’s basketball team opened their season with a 77-57 win at home against the UNE Nor’easters. This year UNE came out with a vengeance as they buried USM 72-55. The loss marked the Huskies first defeat in a season opener since 1989.

UNE used a combination of balanced scoring and tenacious defense to shut down the annually dominant Huskies.

USM kept up with the Nor’easters in the first 20 minutes, trailing by just four points as the score rounded out to 37-34 at half. UNE showcased an accurate shooting performance in the first half as they shot 47.1 percent (16 for 34) from the field, including a 50 percent effort from 3-point range (5 for 10).

The USM Huskies jumped off to an early lead in their season opener when freshman Ben Maclaughlin (Beverly, MA) intercepted a clearing pass by a Saint Michael’s College defender directly in front of the net and put it past junior goalie Brendan Rimmer 46 seconds into the contest. The Huskies held the lead the entire game, beating the Purple Knights 3-2 Friday night at the USM Ice Arena in Gorham.

USM increased their lead midway through the first period when junior Zach Joy (Dover, NH) took the puck from the opposite end, skating through Saint Michael’s defenders, to beat Rimmer with a wrist shot. Senior Chris Travis (Scituate, MA) and junior Mike Carpenter (Minot) were credited with assists on the goal. The Purple Knights struggled mounting any attack during the first period and were out-shot 12-6.

The Holy Cross Crusaders remain undefeated after putting away the Huskies 3-2 in an Eastern College Athletic Conference match up on Tuesday night at the Hart Center in Worcester.

The Crusaders, who are now 3-0-0, struck first when junior Christina D’Ambrogio (Toronto, ONT) snuck a shot passed freshman goalkeeper Molly Passerini (Wakefield, MA) at 4:41 in the first period. Although the score remained stagnant for the next 20 minutes of play, Holy Cross continued to pounce offensively, eventually taking a two-goal lead at 4:46 in the second period, thanks to a power play goal by Senior Lisa Wilson (Corunna, ONT).

With the leaves trickling off the trees and the winter months approaching, sports fans begin to lick their chops at the near excitement ahead: the winter sports season.

The fall sports season has come and gone with the thrills and disappointments of autumn competition, and it is now up to the realm of winter sports to entertain sports fans across the country.

The winter season provides students at USM and people in the surrounding communities an experience unlike any other during the school year.

Winter sports just seem to bring hysteria to sports fans, no matter what sport it is. That is what creates the undying passion for winter sports that lives inside sports fans like myself.

The USM wrestling team opened up their 2009-2010 season by earning a sixth place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational in Bristol, RI on Saturday.

Senior and number one ranked DIII wrestler Mike Morin (Fryeburg) and freshman Cody Byrd (Londonderry, NH) started the season out strong as they each placed first in their respective weight classes.

The Portland Sports Complex (PSC) serves the greater Portland area with a facility unlike any other around.

All of the athletic facilities in Portland are top notch, but they fail to serve Portland with the flexibility of different uses that the PSC does. There’s the Portland Expo, which is the new home to the NBA Development team The Maine Red Claws. There’s Hadlock Field, home of the Sea Dogs and Portland and Deering High School’s baseball teams. Then there’s the Portland Ice Arena which is where the area’s high school hockey teams play. Finally there’s the Cumberland County Civic Center, which is the home of the minor league hockey team, the Portland Pirates, and is a facility that hosts many concerts throughout the year. Unlike these facilities though, PSC offers people with different options that apply to several sports in one indoor multi-purpose field.

A total of 48 colleges and over 600 runners rolled into Cumberland boasting their school colors and names on the sides of their coach busses, prepared to run the most important race of their season. On a rain soaked day at the Twin Brook Recreational Center, the USM men’s and women’s cross country teams hosted the New England Region Division III Championships with a goal in mind. Both were looking to qualify for nationals as a team. This goal may have not been reached, but each team’s top 5 runners continued their tremendous running in the 2009 season, and look to have at least one individual bid to represent the program at Division III Nationals in Cleveland. The men’s team swiped a 9th place finish out of 48 teams, and the women’s team took the 19th spot out of the 47 teams in their race.

The Athletic Training major at USM is an underappreciated program that is lucky to have its dedicated faculty and staff says Rolinda Mitchell.

Mitchell, who is a Dover-Foxcroft native, is a senior in the program and currently serves as the President of the Athletic Training Student Association.

Women’s team expected atop the LEC once again

The USM women’s basketball team looks to be a force in the LEC this year as they are coming off a 2008-2009 season in which they were conference champions for the 19th time.

Veteran Coach Gary Fifield returns to the sidelines for his 22nd season as Huskies head coach after retiring a year ago.

Unsportsmanlike times in a heated rivalry

As I stood on the sidelines at the beginning of last Saturday’s men’s soccer LEC conference match-up between USM and the Keene State Owls, I knew I was in for a good game.

The rivalry between the two schools is unlike any other in the conference.

Firstly,why did you choose USM? Did you apply to many other schools? What are you majoring in? Do you enjoy it?

Coming to USM was a pretty easy decision. I got accepted to other schools but financially for my parents and myself, USM was the most convenient.

Huskies shut out by Western Connecticut in conference tournament

The USM women’s soccer team’s season ended last Tuesday in Connecticut with a 2-0 loss to fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University in the first round of the Little East Conference Championship Tournament.

The USM men’s soccer team ended their season on a rough note, literally, losing to rival Keene State, 2-1 Saturday.

In a physical game marked by USM’s bad luck and missed opportunities, the Huskies watched their season end thanks to an own-goal and a miscommunication.

‘Bright’ future for USM athletic facilities

Night games. Ah, night games. They give you that adrenaline rush that you don’t get from anywhere else, you know? It’s even better if it’s a nice playing surface too.

As a former athlete, I can attest that there is nothing better than to step out onto a turf field for a 7 o’clock start under lights high above.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee put on the 15th annual Halloween Party at the Costello Sports Complex in Gorham on Friday night.

After the student-athletes decorated the gymnasium with everything from ghostly paper streams to giant inflatable slides, the festivities kicked off and children and parents alike were able to enjoy the night’s activities.