Category: Sports

Lacrosse

Women’s LAX rallies, beats Western Conn.

Led by Jessica Martineau’s (Auburn) six second-half goals, the USM women’s lacrosse team rallied from five goals back to defeat Western Connecticut State University in their conference opener 16-14.

Climbing as high as seventh in national polls before even playing a game, the USM baseball had high expectations. But through the first 14 games of the season, they’ve lived up to all the hype.

After sweeping their nine games in Arizona, the Huskies returned to the East Coast riding a ten-game winning streak as they took on the number one team in the country, Eastern Connecitcut for a double-header on Saturday.

In August of 2007 the owner and builder of the Gorham Sports Center, Stephen Martin, began to explore the possibilities of turning the indoor turf field into a non-profit enterprise.

Martin founded a board of local coaches and businessmen who were interested in this community resource.

It’s been hard to miss that Portland’s newest acquisition: a minor league basketball team.

But what exactly is the NBA Developmental League?

The D-League, as it is affectionately called, was founded in 2001 as the NBA’s official minor league system. It was conceptualized in much the same way as other minor leagues like those in baseball and hockey, where players who aren’t ready for the highest level of competition are able to play and hone their skills.

A group of sports management students at USM have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Working alongside Jon Jennings of the new Maine NBA Developmental team, the students in Joanne Williams’ sports marketing class have been getting first-hand experience and real-life glimpse of what it takes to start a professional sports team from scratch.

With the women’s basketball team bowing out of the NCAA tournament, it’s time to put our hopes into another prominent sports team: baseball.

It’s been 12 years since baseball won its second of two national championships, and I think it is about time for another one.

Women’s Hockey trounced in semis

Making their first appearance in the ECAC semi-finals since the 2003 season, the USM women’s ice hockey team got all they could handle from Norwich University, losing 8-2 on Saturday.

The loss ends the Huskies’ impressive turn-around season and leaves their record at 14-9-4 on the season.

Men’s Ice Hockey

Trio of men’s hockey players tabbed for conference honors

The USM men’s hockey team placed three players on ECAC All-Conference teams for the 2009 season. Leading the pack was senior Dan Gordon (Lynnfield, MA) who was placed on the First Team.

The USM women’s basketball team continued to be the model of consistency, claiming their 19th Little East Conference Championship in 23 years on Saturday.

Despite a coaching change in September, a slew of new faces and a rocky stretch in conference play, the Huskies were able to defeat Rhode Island College, Western Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut in a span of five days to capture the crown and an automatic bid to the national title.

Unless you really like hitting the slopes, this winter hasn’t been that great for you. These large snowstorms have made activities like winter cycling, running, and pond hockey almost impossible at times. After our last big storm I found myself struggling to get outside, and as this past weekend rolled around I realized I had nothing for this week’s “Get Out!” column.

When UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun was pestered by a freelance journalist about his $1.6 million salary he bluntly responded “Not a dime back.”

In a video clip that’s circulated aroundthe internet and raises the ire of sports fans and political activists alike, Calhoun berates the journalist for being stupid.

Take next week’s break from class and study hard on the slopes. Check out the rankings below for Maine and New England’s best skiing options.

We set up three different classes:

Casual Skier – you love a nice day at the mountain but you just don’t have the time

Moderately Serious Skier – a regular day tripper, good for 20 days a year

Full-On Chargers – you can’t count your days per year, you’ll chase any snow storm anywhere, you know who you are.

Drive by any lake or pond this time of year and you’re likely to find a hamlet of ice shacks spotting the pristine white surface of the water. Bustling from shanty to shanty, people swap stories, venison and overall good times.

Last weekend I had the chance to head back home (Bangor) and throw some traps in a local pond.

The USM wrestling team entered the 2008-2009 with justifiably high expectations.

Out of 95 NCAA school offering NCAA Division III in the country, USM boasted an incoming recruiting class ranking within the top-five.

The incoming class, coupled with a core of standout returning wrestlers including five NCAA All New England Athletes, three NCAA New England Finalists, and three NCAA New England Champion/NCAA National Qualifiers formed a team with historically good potential.

Sometimes getting outside isn’t about finding a new activity or reinventing the wheel for that extra jolt of excitement. When your in the middle of the winter in Maine and your energy levels are getting lower each day, sometimes all it takes to get you outside is a past-time that you haven’t done in years.

Looking at the USM women’s hockey roster, one thing becomes clear: hockey is a geographical sport. Unlike basketball which has gained almost universal appeal, hockey’s most die-hard fans and players still reside in isolated pockets of the country. One of those pockets, Michigan, has been kind to the team.

The playoffs have started early this year for the men’s hockey team. With all of the playoff teams set and only seeding to be decided, Coach Jeff Beaney’s squad is trying to ascend the seeding ladder, in hopes of advancing to their first ever NCAA tournament.

For those of you who like the latest in outdoor gear, but find the prices to be more cumbersome than stage five rapids, there’s new hope. A new set of websites that offer amazing deals, one at a time, appeals to the adrenaline seeking personality of outdoorsy folk.

If there’s one thing that Maine has plenty of during these winter months, it’s snow. Just when you think we’re going to get away with a relatively boring (but very cold) winter, Mother Nature decides to dump another 8 inches on us overnight. The recent snowfall we saw during winter break had me itching to get outside and enjoy the snow as much as possible.

Last week I wrote about the importance sports in communities. Never did I think my argument could be taken to an unhealthy degree, but it has been. That’s because students in the Pittsburgh area will be given an extra two hours sleep today thanks to the Super Bowl.

When most people attempt to do something new for the first time; whether it be playing an instrument, learning to surf, running a marathon, or jumping over a bar that stands anywhere from four to five and a half feet tall, they generally are not very adept at it.

Being a former high school hockey player myself, I was excited at the chance to write this article, and consequently attend a game. As co-captain of my own team (back in the day) I never thought I had enough skills to join an elite college team like the Women’s Huskies, so I didn’t try out.

The USM women were busy over break. While most of us were away with family, food and drink, the Huskies were ascending the national rankings – all the way to 15th in country. But now, in the rigors of conference play, the Huskies are clawing to gain traction and stop a mid-season plunge in conference play.

With the economy in the toilet and the state looking to make ends meet, a conversation has arisen about the importance of sports. Though most of the discussion has focused on high school sports, no level is immune to the ill-effects of budget cuts.

It’s easy enough to course through a budget, line by line, and strike games off schedules and limit sport-related expenses with an executive turn of the wrist.