Mike Tardiff
Sports Editor
Hugs were in greater supply than jump shots on Saturday at Hill Gym. With former women’s basketball players and coaches slowly collecting and reuniting in the gym, it was a time to celebrate.
It was Gary Fifield Day in Gorham.
Thanks to Earth’s propensity for circling the sun, days are getting shorter. And with shorter days come few opportunities.
And thanks to reduced levels of melatonin many of us grow lethargic and want to sit on the couch all day.
An alternative?
Well, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, Christmas tree farms can be a good place to start.
It’s the first real snow storm of the winter, and while there’s plenty of school work to be done before the semester ends, you don’t want to be stuck inside all weekend. What can you do? There’s not enough on the ground for sledding, but it’s still gross enough to keep you from going for a run or bike ride.
Gary Fifield got to watch his former squad beat-up on conference foes Keene State on Saturday. The Huskies busted out a 13-0 run early in the first half to lead 18-5 and never looked back, cruising to a 61-47 victory in women’s basketball action.
Led by sophomore Kaylee Demillo’s (Jay) 18 points led three Huskies in double-figures and paced USM to their sixth straight victory to open the season.
The USM men’s hockey team was three minutes away from knocking off number-three-ranked Middlebury College on Saturday.
But two late flurries in front of net yielded a pair of scores and the Panthers remained unbeaten with a 5-4 win over USM.
Middlebury senior Ian Drummond capitalized on the skirmishes with a goal and an assist to help the Panthers remain unbeaten and overcome a late 4-3 deficit.
So far, so good for the USM women’s basketball team who, with their 67-57 win against Bates last week, moved to 4-0 on the season.
The Huskies will now get ready to face their toughest test thus far, the perennial powerhouse and 15th ranked Bowdoin Polar Bears on Tuesday.
Women’s Basketball
Demillo named MWBCA Player of the Week
Sophomore guard Kaylie Demillo (Jay) was named Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 23. Demillo’s honor comes after a red-hot week for the Huskies.
The University of New England Nor’easters blew into Warren Hill gymnasium a couple of weeks ago. The newly revamped team from Biddeford, complete with a roster-full of transfers from Texas, stormed out to a 15-5 lead early, a run that was punctuated by an emphatic breakaway dunk.
ture looks bright.
With a host of transfers and freshmen, this year’s squad look like they’re a year or two away from being a force in the Little East Conference.
In the meantime, though, there’s a season to be played and the Huskies’ success will rely on getting better every game.
It was a busy off-season for the USM women’s basketball team.
After suffering a heartbreaking loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Brandeis, the Huskies have since had to rebuild their roster and install a new coach.
But despite all of the changes, the Huskies are still picked to finish second in the Little East behind Eastern Connecticut and even received votes in the D3hoops.
It’s hard not to marvel at the skill and dedication of student athletes. Balancing school, sports and social life isn’t an easy task.
With commitments all over the place, scholar-athletes are often faced with critical time-related decisions. Should I go out tonight or do my required reading? Go to the gym or the library?
But there are some decisions our athletes shouldn’t have to make – like what’s more important, failing a class or playing in your final collegiate soccer game.
It’s still dark out as I hop in my car and head west on Route 25 towards the New Hampshire border. The drive lasts about 45 minutes until I finally reach my destination as the sunrise takes full effect. I’m just off Route 160 in Brownfield, at the trailhead for Burnt Meadow Mountain.
Just a few years ago, Lauren Reid was playing Division I lacrosse at one of the highest ranked schools in the country. The University of Maryland had won seven out of nine national championships before she arrived. During her freshman season, her fellow Lady Terrapins suffered a heart-breaking loss in the NCAA semi finals to the Princeton Tigers, who went on to win the national title in 2003.
Coming off their first ever Little East Conference regular-season championship, the USM men’s soccer team looked poised to make the NCAA tournament.
Plymouth State had other ideas, though, ending the Huskies’ season with a resounding 3-0 victory last Wednesday in Gorham.
The USM field hockey team gave the Keene State Owls all they could handle for 60 minutes. Unfortunately, just under two minutes into overtime, the Owls snuck a shot past junior keeper Allison Hill (Cape Elizabeth) and defeated the Huskies 2-1, dashing USM’s hope of dethroning the reigning LEC champions.
Portland is an adventurer’s dream. If you don’t believe me then you’re not getting out enough, and I’m here to change that. Don’t worry, I’ve been in your shoes before and I hit a rut again recently when I realized I had already explored most of the city’s bicycle paths.
With the number one ranked men’s soccer team falling at the hands of Plymouth State and the field hockey team having their impressive playoff run stopped by the venerable Keene State Owls, it’s easy to write this season off as another one in the books.
But not so fast – it’s been an impressive fall for the Huskies.
ns, and spooky jack-o’-lanterns all helped to kick off the scare of the night at the 14th annual Halloween Party hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in Gorham on Thursday night.
On a night where innovative costumes and free candy provided a great opportunity for USM to give back to the community, dozens of families came out to enjoy the various activities put on my many of our Husky athletes.
Greg Cox (Brookline MA) knew what had to be done in his last regular season game as a Husky.
And with 15 minutes left on the clock he got it done.
The senior captain took a solid pass across the middle from senior Sinisa Bajic (Belgrade, Serbia) and slotted a shot home under the diving Rhode Island College keeper to give the Huskies a 1-0 win over the Anchormen and the school’s first-ever LEC regular season crown.
It’s that time of year again. Fall has all but passed us by, the leaves are dying and the weather is getting colder every minute. On the other hand, it’s not quite winter yet either. The ground is still bare so there won’t be any hitting of the slopes any time soon.
The University named Lauren Reid, a Portland native and Deering High School graduate, the new women’s lacrosse coach last week.
Reid becomes the fifth coach in the program’s history and replaces Sue Frost who was at the helm for three years. Frost has accepted the women’s lacrosse job at University of New England.
As the ball scorches over the net, the triumphant and enthusiastic voice of head coach, Ashley Marble, echoes through out the gym, “Get it! Get it! Get it!” she yells to her players.
But when the ball goes out of bounds, Marble exhales a deep sigh. “Let’s do it again,” she says.
Jon Jennings is poised to become the president of Portland’s very own minor league basketball franchise. He’s worked as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics and under legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight at Indiana University.
Cheryl Hebert manages Olympic athletes.
“I use a multi-million dollar space based satellite system to hunt down tupperware containers hidden in the woods. What’s your hobby?”
Though I can’t take credit for this anonymous quote, it’s the perfect description to a growing movement of adventure seekers who do just that.