Pre-season: Lady Tommies get win number 2.

The Tommies headed to Moncton this afternoon for the re-match versus Moncton. Rookie goaltender Julia Sharun of Edmonton AB got the start and the eventual win 4-1.

It was another penalty filled affair today but the ref let the girls play a bit. UdeM came out ready to play and the teams were even for the first 15 minutes. Dominque Bernier potted goal number one on a wrap around and Renee Edison, about 3 minutes later, scored goal number two from Lyse Rossignol. Both on the PP.

Moncton scored 14 seconds into the second to cut the lead but at 7:23 STU got another PP goal as Kayla Blackmore got her first as a Tommie on a bit of a deflection from a point shot by Woodstock's Jessica Holt.

In the third, Moncton really started to press but the Tommies held strong and at 15:04 Kayla Blackmore got her second powerplay marker of the afternoon as she deflected another one after battling through a couple of checks. Shots were 12-8 for STU in the 1st, 12-4 for UdeM in the 2nd and 10-8 for STU in the 3rd. Moncton outshot the Tommies 28-26. The Ladies were 4/7 on PP.

A great weekend for the Ladies and it should set up a mean game next weekend as UdeM hosts the Tommies in the first game of their tournament.

Pre-season: Ladies start off with a win.

The Tommies started the 2008-09 season at home versus Les Aigles Bleus this afternoon at the LBR. Final score was 5 to 2 with the re-match going tomorrow afternoon in Moncton.

The line of Duguay/Hammerheim/Blackmore accounted for 3 of the 5 goals and 8 points overall. Jessica Holt chipped in off the point and Lyse Rossignol had her first goal as a Tommie.

UdeM was first on the board when a shot and scramble in front of the Tommies net put the Ladies behind. STU settled down after that and scored their first at 9:37 as Ashley Duguay poked a puck in that squeaked through the UdeM keeper off a shot from Lucrece Nussbaum. Ninety seconds later Lyse Rossignol cashed in by shooting and following up on her own rebound. Three minutes later Jessica Holt jumped in off the point on a UdeM turnover and buried one shorthanded to make it 3-1.

In the second the Ladies showed great control down low and sweet Caroline Hammerheim found the twine from the slot. Caroline had a great game all around including diving out to block a shot in the third. UdeM scored on a weak play by STU but the Tommies were fighting off a 5 on 3 PK. Last goal was scored by Ashley Duguay with 24 seconds to go in the second to make it 5-2.

St. Thomas out shot Moncton 11-5 in the first, 14-10 in the second and 10-7 in the third. Mia Leander got the start in net facing 22 shots.

Men's action: The Tommies were outscored 5 to 2 against Moncton in a chippy affair at the Bouctouche Arena. Rookie forward Jason Rinzler had both Tommies goals. Two of Moncton's goals were scored off of bad bounces from the boards and into empty nets. Guy Miszczak started in net and allowed 3 goals before Ben MacFarlane relieved him. hockeyscene.com Story

Pre-Season: Tommies Golden in shoot-out.

The Tommies got their just desserts tonight but it took four periods and a shoot-out to beat the Queens University Golden Gaels 4 to 3. Although the score was close there were periods of time when STU dominated play but just weren't able to finish around the net.

It was Queens who scored the first two goals, all of this after being heavily out shot and by all accounts out played. Bryan Main from Devan Praught slimmed the lead at 8:04 and Brad Gallant from Wes Welcher tied it on the powerplay at 10:46. Shots on goal favoured the Tommies 15 to 10 in the first.

There was no scoring in the second period and the Tommies continued to hold control of the shot clock 30 to 21. The game remained tied until late in the third as Wes Welcher potted his first for the Tommies on a good feed from Max Chamberland after Erick Tremblay made a great play to keep the puck in the zone. Everyone thought the lead would hold but give Queens credit for their no quit attitude as they bounced back within a few minutes to tie. Shots after 3 periods were 42 to 29 for STU.

The Tommies played the first three and one half minutes of overtime shorthanded as Matt Davis held the fort. In the final minute and a half of 4 on 4, Max Chamberland came oh so close to ending but missed the open net. Final shots on goal were 42 -29.

In the shoot-out Queens missed on their first two tries and Max Chamberland made a nice deke for the Tommies first goal and Brad Gallant buried his chance upstairs to seal the win. The Tommies head to Bouctouche tomorrow night and take on les Aigles Bleu. Daily Gleaner: Tommies win in a shootout

Pre-season continues Friday night at Willie O'Ree Place

The Tommies first "home" game of the 2008 - 2009 pre-season is coming up on Friday night at WILLIE O'REE PLACE as STU hosts the Queen's University Golden Gaels. Game time is 7:00 PM.

If you can't make it to the game, check back here Friday evening for a complete recap.










Update: Note the venue change from the LBR to Willie O'Ree Place

Daily Gleaner: Eagles working to get Tommies up to speed

The Tommies are taking their show on the road tonight, across the river to O'Ree Place rather than their traditional LBR home.

Eagles wants fans to avoid any potential traffic tieups due to construction in the area and congestion stemming from UNB's hosting of the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres Patriotes game tonight at 7 p.m. at the Aitken Centre. UNB and UQTR also play Saturday at 4 p.m.

"We didn't want people to be inconvenienced by the construction around the rink," Eagles said. "UNB had their stuff done already, but we really wanted to play Queen's and they're going on to Acadia the next night."

Kellar to speak at STU women's media night

Daily Gleaner Article

The fifth annual St. Thomas University Women's Hockey Media Night will highlight a busy weekend for the Tommies' women's team.

Media Night is tonight at the Fredericton Inn while tomorrow the team hits the ice at the LBR for a 2 p.m. exhibition game with the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus.

Sunday, STU will travel to the Hub City for a return exhibition game with UdeM at the J. Louis Levesque Arena, also at 2 p.m.

For more information on tonight's Media Night with Becky Kellar, check here.

STU Alumni looking for players

The Molson Old Stars Hockey Tournament takes place again this year at Saint Mary's Alumni Arena. Former Tommie Andrew Sim is putting together this year's squad, and time is running out. The deadline for former players to register is TOMORROW, Tuesday September 22nd. If you're a former Tommie, email Andrew for all the details. If you know a former Tommie who may be able to take part in this event, click the email icon below to pass this item along to them.

Pre-Season: Tommies split weekend series vs. Redmen.

In an early afternoon game at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, the McGill University Redmen repaid the Tommies for the previous night's loss by posting a 5 to 3 win. Goal scorers for the Tommies were Devan Praught, Jason Rinzler, and Justin Roy. Matt Davis played the first 2 periods and allowed 4 goals while Ben MacFarlane played the third.

McGill press release by Earl Zukerman :

MONTREAL – McGill exploded for four first-period goals en route to a 5-3 win over the St. Thomas University Tommies in men’s preseason hockey at the Maurice Richard Arena, Sunday.

Simon Marcotte of Longueuil, Que., Evan Vossen of Swift Current, Sask., and Alexandre Picard-Hooper, a freshman from Boucherville, Que., each scored once and set up another as the Redmen avenged Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Tommies. Benoit Arsenault notched the game-winner in the first period and Eric L’Italien added the insurance goal with 1:28 remaining.

The Redmen, who outshot St. Thomas 30-28, led 4-2 after the first period and 4-3 after two.

Jason Rinzler, Justin Roy (shorthanded) and Devan Praught replied for the Tommies, who went 0-for-4 on the powerplay, and fell to 1-3 in preseason play.

The Redmen penalty-killing unit looked in mid season form as they snuffed out a two-man disadvantage for two full minutes while ahead 4-2 early in the middle stanza.

McGill went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, with Vossen making it 2-0 in the ninth minute of play and Arsenault giving the Redmen a 4-2 lead late in the opening period.

Both teams took advantage of the exhibition nature of the game, dressed extra players and used two goaltenders. Hubert Morin, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman out of St. Lawrence College a Jr. AAA team, near Quebec City, got the start between the pipes for McGill and was credited with the victory. He saved 15 of 17 shots before being replaced midway through the second period by freshman Danny Mireault, who came from Joliette of the Quebec Jr. AAA league. Mireault allowed one goal on 11 shots.

The Tommies started senior Matt Davis in nets and he played the first two periods, He was beaten four times on 18 shots and took the loss. Freshman Ben Macfarlane of Woodstock, N.B., played the final frame and kicked aside 11 of 12 shots.

Daily Gleaner Weekend Recap

Pre-Season: Miszczak shuts out McGill.

Montreal native Guillaume(Guy) Miszczak had a successful home coming last night as he guided the Tommies to a 3 - 0 win over the defending OUA champions the McGill University Redmen. Guy faced 33 shots in the complete game win and kept the Redmen at bay on 7 power play opportunities.

There was no scoring in the first period as the Tommies were out shot 9 to 3 and were forced to weather a 2 man advantage for a minute at the end of the period. The second period started off better at 3:41 as Jeremy Turgeon scored the eventual game winner with assists to Brian Soso and Ryan Lehr. STU's power play would finally click at 9:27 when Andrew Estey scored from Matt Foster and Ryan Lehr with his second assist of the game. The Tommies final goal was into the empty net and went to Bryan Main with helpers to Turgeon and Justin Roy.

Final shots on goal were 33 to 20 in favour of McGill. St. Thomas will have little time to rest on their laurels as they play another exhibition game against the Redmen this afternoon.

Thursday's Daily Gleaner Articles

Seems to be an issue with the Blogger site. Twice our updates to the previous post, which contained yesterday's Gleaner articles, have disappeared. So here they are again...

[$quirrels] outscore Tommies
Bruce Hallihan's column

Pre-season: Tommies fall to $quirrels

The Tommies got off to a good start tonight in Woodstock, but couldn't hold back a $quirrel surge, dropping a 10-4 decision in the "Battle for Abby" game.

STU jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the strength of a pair of goals by Brad Gallant. Jason Rinzler added his second goal of the pre-season. But the $quirrels would charge back with 3 goals of their own against starting netminder Ben Macfarlane to tie things up 3-3 after the first 20 minutes of play.

The $quirrels controlled the action in the 2nd period, taking the lead which they would not relinquish. Matt Foster scored for the Tommies, but it was 6-4 $quirrels after 2 periods. Matt Davis took over between the pipes for Macfarlane midway through the middle frame.

In the 3rd period the Tommies ran into penalty trouble and the $quirrels are potent with the man advantage. 4 unanswered goals in the third period sent the Tommies back home, suffering the loss by a final score of 10-4

New Addition to Coaching Staff

From the Tommies Official Site:

ASSISTANT COACH: Brad Shepard
Brad is entering his first season with the Tommies. Brad is an excellent pick up for STU. He spent several years as an assistant with UNB and has won two National Championships. He has also worked as an assistant in the OHL with North Bay under former UNB and Vancouver Canuck assistant coach Mike Kelly.

Get Your Tommies Season Pass!

We received this email from Harold DeCourcey of the Friends of STU Hockey:

Friends and Alumni:

On behalf of the Tommies coaches, staff and players, we hope everyone had a great summer. With a nip of fall in the air, another AUS hockey season is just around the corner. In fact, the Tommies played their first exhibition game last night.

Even though coach Eagles has lost several players from last years squad, he has recruited an impressive crop of newcomers and with a solid core group of returnees, you can count on this years edition of the Tommies to be an energetic, hardworking and an entertaining crew.

Once again, the Friends of STU Hockey will be selling seasons passes for $100. These passes will be honoured at all exhibition and regular season home games. Purchase of a pass is a great way to show your support for the team. For those who purchased a pass last year, your 2008-09 pass will be in the mail within the next few days. In the meantime, if there are changes to your pass needs please let us know so we can make the necessary adjustments. And for those of you who would like to join the ever growing number of Friends pass holders, you need only to respond to this email, and we will do the rest.

The "Friends" thank you for your past support and look forward to seeing many of you on a regular basis at the "Beav".

GO TOMMIES GO!!!

Harold

for/Friends of STU Hockey

So contact Harold at dec@nbnet.nb.ca and get your season pass today!

Keller to speak at Tommies' dinner

Daily Gleaner Article

Becky Keller, who helped Canada's women's hockey team win four gold medals at the IIHL world championships, will be the guest speaker at the fifth annual St. Thomas University women's hockey media night at the Fredericton Inn Friday, Sept. 26.
The event which includes a meal, silent auction, live auction and introduction of this year's Tommies' women's team coached by Peter Murphy is open to the public beginning at 6 p.m.
Tickets cost $25 for one, $80 for four and $150 for a table of eight. Contact to purchase tickets is John Waite at 455-1503 or e-mail at jwwaite@frederictoninn.nb.ca.
Keller, who plays for the Burlington Barracudas, was part of the gold medal-winning Canadian team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
She was also part of the Canadian contingent which captured the silver medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Overall, she has been a part of eight Canadian medals.

Rinzler selected STU male athlete of week

Daily Gleaner Article

First year forward Jason Rinzler of Moncton had a goal and an assist as the St. Thomas Tommies lost 5-3 to University of Prince Edward Island Panthers in pre-season hockey action on the weekend. For his efforts, Rinzler was named Moose Light Athlete of the Week at the school for the period ending Sunday.

Battle for Abby Wednesday in Woodstock

Bugle-Observer Article

The [Carleton Civic Centre in Woodstock] will host a highly-anticipated benefit hockey game that evening between the UNB and STU varsity men's university hockey squads from Fredericton, set for 7 p.m.
Proceeds from the CIS pre-season exhibition match will go to Abby Taylor, 18, of Woodstock, a talented women's hockey player who was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2008.
Tickets to the event are $10 a person.

...General admission tickets, which are also being pre-sold at the CCC, are going fast. Only 1,200 tickets to the contest will be sold. Fans are asked to come early for a good seat, as this will be a general admission event.

A reminder - your first chance to see the Tommies in action this season, and a great cause. If you're not able to attend, check back here on Wednesday night for game results.

09/17 Update: Dave Ritchie Column - Daily Gleaner

Pre-season gets underway. Tommies 3 - Panthers 5.

The 2008-09 hockey season has started, unfortunately for the Tommies it got off on the wrong side of a 5 to 3 game. The Tommies were down 3 to 0 after 1 period and 4 to zip after 2. The team got rolling in the third when rookie Jason Rinzler scored at 1:36 followed quickly by Jeremy Turgeon at 2:09. Jason Cassidy slimmed the margin again around the 10 minute mark but that would be it for the scoring on this night.

Guillaume Miszczak got the start in net and played the first 30 minutes before Ben McFarlane finished up in the final 30. Shots on goal were 11 to 5 in the first, 9 to 9 in the second and 7 to 8 in the third for a total of 27 to 22 for UPEI. Bryan Main (see separate story below) played for the Tommies while Brian Soso, Wes Welcher, and Matt Davis were healthy scratches. STU will continue their pre-season in Woodstock on Wednesday night versus the $quirrels.

Daily Gleaner Game Story

Meet the new Tommies - Bryan Main

Photo Credit: PEI Rocket
Tommies fans can breathe a sigh of relief, with a new defenseman suiting up for this afternoon's tilt against the Panthers. 20-year old Bryan Main joins STU after being released by the QMJHL's PEI Rocket, where he alternated the captains sweater in the second half of last year with other senior Rocket players. Bryan was drafted in 2005 in the 8th round, 137th overall into the QMJHL by Gatineau, accumulating 35 points in 195 games with the Olympiques and the Rocket. Bryan is no stranger to the sin bin, with 381 PIM's in his "Q" career.
Below, Bryan takes on the Halifax Mooseheads' Shawn O'Donnell, taking his licks early but ultimately scoring the takedown.


As an aside, we're wondering - with the additions of Brian Soso, Brad Gallant, and now Bryan Main - if the Tommies got the memo that there's no fighting in the AUS? At least we know the Tommies won't get pushed around this year.

Exhibition Sked Kicks Off Sunday

Today's Daily Gleaner breaks it down for us. The Tommies will hit the ice on the Island against the UPEI Panthers on Sunday. The complete schedule is also available at the Tommies' website. For those not up to the trip across the Confederation Bridge, your first chance to see the 2008 - 2009 edition of the Green and Gold in action comes Wednesday night at 7:00 in the "Battle for Abby" game in Woodstock.

The Tommies preseason schedule in a nutshell:
09/14 @ UPEI
09/17 vs UNB (Woodstock)
09/20 @ McGill
09/21 @ McGill
09/26 vs Queens (LBR)
09/27 @ UdeM (Bouctouche)
10/3 vs UPEI (LBR)
10/11 vs Acadia (Sussex)

And of course, opening weekend sees the regular season get in gear Oct. 17th with the Tommies visiting Moncton, then hosting UPEI on the 18th. The Official Tommies schedule page has all the details.

Bourbeau and Hennigar - Teammates?

Hey, it could happen. Of course, you'd have to be living under a rock not to be aware that $quirrel megastar Rob Hennigar signed a two-year deal with the New York Islanders. And former Tommie Jean Bourbeau signed on with the Isles' Central Hockey League affiliate Odessa Jackalopes. Now, optimistic $quirrel fans may envision "Henny" playing setup man to captain Bill Guerin, but he's likely headed to Bridgeport (by the way, what is a "Sound Tiger"?). Now, the latest news has "Bourbs" headed to the Isles' AHL preseason camp. Odessa head coach Paul Gillis calls Jean "A ‘heart-and-soul’ type of guy who finishes checks, kills penalties, and does all the dirty work in order to be successful on the ice.". While it would be a remarkable feat for Bourbeau to make the two-league jump from the CHL to the AHL, congratulations to Jean. It's nice to see all his hard work paying off.

One more year for Matt Seymour

Photo Credit: Ian MacAlpine

No, Matt Seymour won't be suiting up with the Tommies this year but he does have one more year left at university. STUTommies.com caught up with "Matty" recently:

I am very excited to be in the STU BEd program as it is something that I have been striving for since I came... It was a long road to get this far, but its been worth every second. Not too sure how much hockey I will be playing this year, as you know the program is very time consuming and that is my number one priority at this point. I was helping Mike [Eagles] out...at the hockey camp, and would like to still be around the team as much as possible. But as mentioned before, I am not sure how much time I will have to do that, so I am just waiting to get settled in on school before I can make any commitments. I am hoping to teach elementary school in the future, possibly high school at some point also. They pretty much place us in schools, so basically its up to them to decide where we are going... Thanks for inquiring about me, its nice to know that you're not forgotten!

Thank you Matt for all the memories. We'll never forget your 5 point night versus the Squirrels a few years back. A character player that can never be fully replaced. Best of luck.

St. Thomas Tommies Hockey School a Success

From the Daily Gleaner's Letters to the Editor (scroll down a bit):

Bravo, Tommies, for good work with young hockey hopefuls

Re: St. Thomas University hockey school

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of following my twin grandsons through the hockey school conducted by St. Thomas University.

One hundred and thirty-three young players of novice, atom and peewee age groups were put through a strenuous program of skating, puck-handling and shooting skills by the Tommies players in a style and with expertise they had never before experienced.

As they eagerly worked through their newly taught drills one day and learned new ones the next, the open-eyed joy of accomplishment, participation and pure, old-fashioned fun was evident on each and every young face.

Each youngster was made to feel as though he were the only hockey player on the ice, as the Tommies players worked with them one on one, as required, with patience and a friendly approach.

Goaltenders benefited equally, as they toiled happily through drills and skills pertinent to their position, skillfully taught by experts of the trade.

In addition to head coach Mike Eagles, the Tommies players were: David Crossman, Scott Judson, Mitch Price, Jason Rinsler, Justin Roy, Wes Welcher, Cory Banfield, Eric Trembly Devon Praught, Matt Foster, Jason Cassidy, Andrew Estey, Ryan Murphy, Brad Gallant and Jeremy Turgeon.

Goaltender coaches were Ben MacFarland, Guillaume Miszczak Matt Davis. Hovering behind the scenes and making things run smoothly was the ever-present Doc Feeney.

Well done guys. You have done yourselves, STU and the game of hockey proud. Along the way you have made 133 youngsters happy and better hockey players for the experience.

You have also made this old alumnus very, very proud.

William H. Gillen

Keswick Ridge, N.B.

Kudos to Coach Eagles, players, and staff for a job well done!

President's Cup Game set for Woodstock

From the Bugle Observer Online Edition:

Hockey fans from the River Valley region and beyond will join together on Wednesday, Sept. 17 for a benefit hockey game for Abby Taylor, a local hockey player who is the battle of her life against cancer.

Proceeds from a men's match between the UNB and STU varsity squads, set for 7:30 p.m., will go towards travel and related costs for Taylor's treatment.

"Abby is in a difficult battle with cancer, so we thought this was one way we could help her," says event co-organizer Steven Jones. "Abby played hockey in Woodstock most of her life and was on the girls high school team last year."

Donations towards the cause are also being accepted.

The game between the two university powerhouses will feature some of New Brunswick, and Canada's, top college skaters. Many of the players on both teams are graduates of New Brunswick's elite ice systems.

Donations to the Taylor fund will also be accepted.

How many of our families have not been impacted by this awful disease? It's not a long drive for what should be a spirited exhibition game between the two rivals, and a way for the extended hockey community to help out this young lady and her family, not just financially, but certainly a good turnout and support will be an emotional lift for Abby as she continues to battle.

Mark your calendar. September 17th. Two weeks from tonight. Click on the email icon just below to send this post to all your contacts as well.

Update: Tickets to the game will cost $10.00. There will be a silent auction held during the game as well. For more information or to donate items for the auction, contact Wendy Williams at 461-2600.