Jason Cassidy’s Blog: The holiday ‘break’ and welcoming new recruits

From THN.com:

...hockey is a game about improving your team relative to those in the league. And if other schools are bringing in quality talent, you’ve got no choice but to follow along and take those risks if you stand any chance of winning.

Tommies end 2009 on a high note

The Tommies sent the Varsity Blues back to the Big Smoke winless against Fredericton competition. Kenton Dulle and Matt Eagles each had two points to pace STU to a 3 to 2 victory.

The first period was scoreless with the Tommies going 0 for 3 on the PP which was ineffective all afternoon. Toronto would score first on the PP at 9:40 when Kyle Paige missed on his original shot but a large rebound was pushed past Ben MacFarlane just inside the post. Mike Reich would reply on some hard work by Tyler Dietrich when he kept the puck in at the Toronto blue line and made a nice pass to Reich, who buried the opportunity. Shortly thereafter at 12:18, Kenton Dulle found the top shelf on a good pass from Matt Eagles. STU would score their third of the afternoon shorthanded at 15:09 when Matt Eagles intercepted the puck in the Blues end and saucered a pass to a streaking Alex Labonte for the eventual game winner.

Andrew Kizito would narrow the lead to one at 5:23 of the third on a shot from the left wing circle that MacFarlane would certainly like to have back. St. Thomas ended the game being out shot 25 to 23 with Matt Eagles picking up the Tommies' player of the game award. STU went 0 for 7 on the PP and Toronto went 1 for 3.

Next game for the Tommies is Saturday night January 2nd against UPEI, 7PM at the LBR. According to one source UPEI has lost defenseman Bret Nasby who has left the team.

Remembering Mike Power

In today's Daily Gleaner, Dave Ritchie remembers his co-worker and friend Mike Power who left us all to early back in May of this year. We know that women's hockey in the city of Fredericton miss Mr. Power greatly because as Dave points out, "It didn't seem to matter whether it was high school or university, girls or boys, summer or winter. He was interested, as much, it seemed, in the people involved than the sport they represented. "

Thank you Mike, you will be remembered. David Ritchie: 2009: Remembering our former colleague and his love of local sports

Tommies feeling the Holiday Blues

Speaking of the blues, tune in to 95.7 The Wolf for your daily blues fix. As for the game tonight at the LBR, Moncton scored two goals in the first period and two in the third en route to a 4 to 3 victory over the Tommies.

Erick Tremblay scored two second period goals at 14:55 and 18:47 to even the score at 2 -2. Jason Cassidy would give STU a short lived lead early in the third period. Guillaume Miszczak got the start and played well despite the loss, facing 31 Moncton shots. STU fired 21 the other way.

With his two goal performance Erick Tremblay was named the Tommies' player of the game. STU will play the loser of tonight's UNB - U of T matchup. Game time will be 3 PM at the Aitken Centre if UNB wins and 7 PM if Toronto emerges victorious.

UPDATE: The Squirrels defeated U of T 5 - 1, so STU will play Toronto at 3pm at the Aitken Centre on Wednesday. Daily Gleaner: Todd give U of T the Blues (Hey, if you like the Blues check out 95.7 The Wolf for all the Blues you can handle) UNBHockeyfans story

Daily Gleaner: Soucy does in Tommies with late game heroics

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Lady Tommies update: With any luck we should see a full Tommies squad for the first time this season in the New Year. The flu reeked havoc with the team but has made its way through most of the players.

Kayla Blackmore should also be returning to the line-up in the New Year. It will be the first action Kayla has seen in almost a year. Coach Murphy expects to use her in special team opportunities the first weekend and reevaluate from there.

STU Olympian preparing for Vancouver: Lucrece Nussbaum has made it through the first set of cuts at the Swiss Pre-Christmas camp. She leaves for their second camp today (Dec 28th). The Swiss name their team Dec 31st and there are apparently two more players to be cut but it looks like they will be forwards, so we should get the good news soon.

Lukie will return to STU Jan 11th after playing in the MLP cup. She will then leave Feb 1st for the Olympics and will return the day after Switzerland plays their final game in Vancouver.

Suspensions settled: You win some, you lose some. The AUS has ruled that Corey Banfield will not be suspended for 1 game but in their wisdom have upheld the one game suspension to Kenton Dulle. Kenton will miss the January 8th game against the Squirrels.

Interesting quote: "I'm never going to talk a kid out of that (going to University) because I played in that league and I coached in that league. Unless you figure you're going to make it to the NHL, you can't retire on American League money. At some point in your life you're going to need to get an education in order to get a job." Malcolm Cameron, coach of the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.

The same coach that signed Justin Bowers and Jadran Beljo. Things that make you go hmmm??? Source

Tommies prepare for second half

With only one point separating 7th place Dalhousie from 6th place St. Thomas, every game becomes important from here on in. STU takes to the ice in exhibition action Tuesday at 5 PM versus Moncton at the LBR in the annual Pete Kelly Cup hosted by UNB. The Blue Eagles are only 4 points behind the Tommies in the standings and defeated STU on November 20th 4 to 1.

Coach Eagles hasn't landed any new bodies for the roster at this time but points out the return of some familiar faces.

Tommies head coach Mike Eagles is hoping defenceman Bryan Main (concussion) and forwards Max Chamberland and Corey Banfield will be ready to play.

Main has been sidelined for more than two months. He was spilled into the boards in an Oct. 24 game against Dalhousie.

"Bryan was feeling a lot better when he left (for Christmas)," Eagles said. "Max and Corey should be fine, but we won't be 100 per cent sure until we practise (Monday)."

Eagles won't take a chance on goaltender Charles Lavigne, however. Lavigne suffered a groin injury Nov. 7.

Although he's played since, he still hasn't fully recovered, leaving Ben MacFarlane and Guillaume Miszczak to mind the fort.

Daily Gleaner Article

Happy Holidays from STUTOMMIES.com

With all of the beautiful white snow falling today in Fredericton we wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone the best for the Christmas season and a joyous and prosperous 2010.

Thanks to all our student athletes, coaches, and volunteers that make STU hockey so great. We sincerely hope that your Christmas holidays are the best ever.

To our loyal Tommies faithful, AUS fans, and local media we appreciate your support and look forward to hearing from you in the new year.

Former Tommie Tony Carlisle killed in crash

It is with deep regret that we mention the passing of former Tommies' defenseman Tony Carlisle. (STU Tommies 89-92) Tony was 41 years old. We offer our condolences to his family and friends. Tony Carlisle 1968 - 2009

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Former Tommie doing well: The Daily Gleaner catches up with Eric Bissonnette and his new business venture.

"They asked me if I was interested in coming to school here, and I just said "Yes!" said Bissonnette. "I could barely speak English." He said he had to get a map to find out where it was.

"I didn't expect to be here after my first year," said Bissonnette, chuckling. "I was a bit of a lost soul. I played major junior and I was never an academic at all. I really thought I was just going to come for a year and play hockey and see what it was all about."

The rest, as he says, "is history."

He spent five years on campus, earned his Bachelor of Education degree, and found himself in the process.

"I fell in love with the school and the city...it was really good for me. It gave me a direction in life," he said.

FULL GLEANER STORY

STU may return to Chatham? - It looks like it is possible.

The provincial government and the federal MP for Miramichi say they're on board with the idea of St. Thomas University setting up a campus in Miramichi.

The university's board of governors has agreed to pursue a campus based out of St. Michael's Basilica convent in the former town of Chatham.

Daily Gleaner - Province backs creating STU campus in Miramichi

Bowers CHL player of the week - A little bit late but Justin Bowers was named the Central Hockey League's player of the week for November 23 to 29. Allen Americans' story

Tommies rebound versus Mounties

After a tough loss yesterday afternoon against Moncton, the Tommies scored one goal each period and glided to a convincing 3 - 0 shutout win versus Mount Allison. Julia Sharun picked up the win facing 17 shots and was sharp when she had to be.

The first period was rather uneventful until 17:53 when Lyse Rossignol fished a loose puck behind the Mounties net and found a wide open Charity Walls for the games first goal. Amy Kelbaugh picked up the other assist. Shots after one period were 7 to 7.

Mount Allison seemed to spend most of the second frame in the penalty box but it only took until the 2:59 mark of the period for the Tommies to capitalize on the PP. Lucrese Nussbaum wristed one top shelf from Kathleen Boyle and Caroline Hammerhiem for the 2 - 0 lead. STU would come close several more times but Meagan Corley-Byrne stood her ground in the Mt. A net facing 14 shots in the period. The Mounties fired 7 the other way.

Rookie Katelyn Brewster would close out the scoring on the powerplay at 2:32 of the third with assists to Jillian Coughlin and Amy Kelbaugh, her second point of the night. The Tommies thoroughly out played Mt A in the final period outshooting them 9 to 3 for a game total of 30 to 17. Sharun records STU's first shut out of the season. Amy Kelbaugh, who seemed to be flying all evening and with 2 points, was the Tommies player of the game.

With the win St. Thomas leap frogs Saint Mary's for fourth in the AUS standings, 1 point behind Dalhousie for third heading into the Christmas break. Daily Gleaner: Tommies rebound in AUS women's

Jason Cassidy's Blog: Club culture

Jason Cassidy's latest entry at The Hockey News:

Winning teams in the CIS are bound through a strong sense of team and brotherhood. Take the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who’ve won a record 13 national championships. The University of New Brunswick, also an annual powerhouse, has been to the national championship game three consecutive seasons, winning two of them. These teams make the most with the roster they have recruited year after year.

That one was for you UNB fans. Here is another interesting note

In the Atlantic Division (AUS) there has been speculation surrounding the abrupt resignation of University of Prince Edward Island coach Dylan Taylor. Rumour has it the players were fed up with his coaching methods and had lost confidence in his ability to guide the team.

I’d be surprised to see the truth actually surface, but it demonstrates the importance of culture and winning. When teams lose, they look to their leaders and coaching staff for guidance. In this case, it may not have been there. And when that culture isn’t there, a few simple trades can’t solve the problem to get your team out of a hole.

That’s why hockey is the most fascinating game on Earth. The logic goes far beyond what it should, and we love it.

Heartbreak on the Hill

Tommies goaltender Charles Lavigne was both saviour and goat tonight in the 2nd installment of the Battle of the Hill at the Aitken Centre as the $quirrels downed STU 3-2 in overtime.

The $quirrels controlled the first period, outshooting the Tommies 10-3. While STU did a good job of controlling the middle of the ice in their own zone, including killing off 3 penalties, the $quirrel attack was too much and finally resulted in John Scott Dickson's goal at 18:42 when he redirected Luke Gallant's point shot to put UNB up 1-0.

STU regrouped for the second period and had stretches of maintained pressure. The Tommies capitalized early on their first power play of the game when Alex Labonte got his stick on the puck, tipped by Devan Praught off Kenton Dulle's shot, and STU evened the score at 1-1. Shots were not so lopsided in the second, favouring UNB 14-11 for a 40-minute total of 24-14.

The $quirrels came back with a vengeance in the third period, and if not for several big saves by Lavigne, they would have taken the game in regulation. Swarming the Tommies' net several times, one flurry proved too much as Chris Culligan one-timed a Dickson pass home for the go-ahead goal at 4:58. But at 13:04 of the third, Andrew Andricopoulos sent a pass forward to Matt Eagles who gained the zone and fed Labonte in the left wing circle, who rifled a wrist shot past Travis Fullerton in the UNB net for his second goal of the game on just the 3rd shot of the period for STU. The Tommies held on the rest of the way to force overtime. Shots on goal after regulation were 41-17 for the $quirrels.

Both teams exchanged chances in the overtime period, but at 3:10 Kyle Bailey gained possession after Lavigne mishandled a clearing attempt from behind the net and could not get back in position in time to stop Bailey from taking advantage of the lucky break and scoring the OT winner.

The Tommies finish the first half with a 4-8-2 record for 10 points and remain 1 point ahead of Dalhousie, who lost 6-5 in overtime to Saint Mary's. The Tommies will see exhibition action over the Christmas break, next hosting Moncton on December 28th at 3pm at the LBR as part of the Pete Kelly Cup tournament. Daily Gleaner: Net result UNB still unbeaten (Thanks to the Gleaner staff who participate in discussion here and at UNBHockeyfans.com. We are sure that the vast majority of readers appreciate your TIMELY comments)

Aigles Bleues squeak past Tommies

In a game where every inch of ice was fought for, U de M scored a second period goal that stood as the game winner as they squeaked past STU 1 - 0.

Kristin Wolfe and Kathy Desjardin were the show this afternoon as they kept their respective teams in it as every chance but one was stopped. The first period was scoreless with STU holding the edge in play and the shots equal at 10 apiece.

Moncton scored just before the 7 minute mark as Natalie Cormier shot the puck that Wolfe saved but Valarie Boisclair was there to put the rebound past her. That was it for the goal scoring on this day as the final shots on goal favoured Moncton 29 - 22.

The Ladies are back in action tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 PM versus the Mount Allison Mounties at the LBR.

West is best for Tommies

The Wild West Line combined for 10 points and some late game heroics to propel St. Thomas to a come from behind 7 to 6 victory tonight at the LBR over UPEI. Mike Reich was the Tommies' player of the game with 2 goals - including the game winner - and 1 assist. Kenton Dulle with 1 goal, 2 assists and Tyler Dietrich with 2 goals, 2 assists were successfully reunited for a big win.

STU started off on the right foot at the 15 second mark when Mike Reich went hard to the net, took the shot, and Tyler Dietrich was there to bang home the rebound. UPEI tied it up at 2:41 when Charles Lavigne let out a big juicy rebound that Taylor Raszka capitalized on. STU went ahead again when Reich got a break and scored on his own rebound. First period ended with the Tommies leading 2 to1 and outshooting the Panthers 12 -7.

UPEI played a much better second period tying the game at 7:58 after Brandon Biggers knocked down a Lavigne clearing attempt and scoring on the empty net. Jared Gomes and Cory Vitarelli scored to put the Panthers up 4 to 2. STU gained a 5 on 3 advantage late in the period and Erick Tremblay rifled a blast from the point past Jhase Sniderman at 19:54 to pull the Tommies back within a goal. Shots favoured UPEI 13 to 9.

Biggers extended the UPEI lead at 3:03 of the third period but the Tommies would bounce back with Jason Cassidy redirecting Brad Gallant's wrist shot at 8:08. Dulle tied it up on a perfect pass from Dietrich, who lifted the puck past a sprawling UPEI defender to find the streaking Dulle. However, the Panthers regained the lead at 16:21 on a Zach McCullough goal. The Tommies battled back once again as UPEI took a late penalty which cost them as Dietrich scored his second of the night at 18:41 on the PP to tie the game at 6 - 6. The Panthers took another penalty at 19:02 and Reich, on a great individual effort, motored down the right side, cut in on goal, and beat Sniderman for the winner. Daily Gleaner: Wild comeback for Tommies

With the win the Tommies improve to 4-8-1 for 9 points and remain 1 point up on Dalhousie, who defeated St-FX 6 - 4, and pulled to within 3 points of 5th place UPEI. Next up for the Tommies are the Squirrels tomorrow night, 7 PM at the Aitken Centre in their final game of the first half. Daily Gleaner: Players take Battle of the Hill 'very seriously' - Squirrel

Also on tap this afternoon at 4PM, the Lady Tommies take on Les Aigles Bleues. If you can't get to the game you can listen live at 97.9 CHSR.

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Tommies' new arena: To the left is the architect's rendition of the new Grant-Harvey Centre, the new home for St. Thomas Tommies hockey. The project has not entered the construction phase yet, so it will probably be the fall of 2011 or winter of 2012 before STU takes the ice.

Photo credit: The Daily Gleaner

Who's in? Who's out?: I guess we will have to wait and see but to date there has been no ruling on the Corey Banfield or Kenton Dulle suspensions. If no decision has been made by now there is obviously some validity to the appeals. In regard to the Banfield suspension, was it the "hit" that hurt the Saint Mary's player or the subsequent hit when he bounced off the glass divider? Are they one in the same or are they different? Tough call and the AUS officials must be pondering some sort of similar questions.

EDIT: This was in today's (Friday, Nov. 27) Daily Gleaner:

According to AUS executive director Phil Currie, the one-game suspensions to forwards Kenton Dulle and Corey Banfield assessed by AUS hockey chair John Ryan were dismissed by an appeals committee on a matter of procedure.

Ryan apparently erred in not giving the student-athletes a chance to respond to the complaint launched by Saint Mary's. Therefore, the judicial committee dismissed the suspensions. Saint Mary's resubmitted to women's hockey chair Pierre Arsenault of Mount Allison University.

He had 48 hours to review the video, and the athletes have three days to respond in writing.

The last paragraph is a tad confusing but I don't think anyone is suspended. End Edit.

As for the wounded Tommies, Tyler Dietrich will be back, Bryan Main is still out, and Charles Lavigne is probable but not 100%.

Lady Tommies on CHSR: Saturday's game versus UdeM will be broadcast on 97.9 CHSR. Game time is 4PM. You can expect this game to be close and physical as these provincial rivals take it up a notch against each other. If we're lucky the Tommies will pull out a regulation win but it would be nice to see another seven deep shoot out like the one in Moncton a few weeks back. Edit: Some interesting reading in today's Gleaner courtesy of Bill Hunt.

Former Tommie returning Friday night: When UPEI comes to the LBR on Friday night there should be a familiar face behind the Panther's bench. Mark Rupnow (STU Tommies 92-95) is the "interim" assistant coach for the Panthers or at least he was over the weekend for both UPEI home games. We wish Mark well.....but not on Friday night.

Bernier burns Panthers in overtime

St. Thomas only lead one time in this afternoon's game versus UPEI but ultimately it was the only time it matter. Team Captain Dominique Bernier scored at 5:49 of overtime to lift her Tommies to a 3 to 2 decision over the Panthers.

The first period was scoreless with STU holding the territorial and shots on goal advantage 9 to 7. UPEI hung tough and had some good scoring chances but could not convert.

The Panthers got on the board first at 2:08 of the 2nd frame scoring on the PP from the stick of Amber Gaudette. STU responded at 5:40 when Jillan Coughlin got her third of the season from Bernier and Brewster. UPEI had a glorious chance to regain the lead when a STU defender was called for closing her hand on the puck in the crease which resulted in a penalty shot. Kristin Wolfe stayed with the shooter, who rung it off the post. Game tied after 2 with shots favouring STU 20-17.

The third period saw UPEI forge ahead once again on a two man advantage at 9:58 but Lucrese Nussbaum knotted the game at 13:23 when she came in from the point and smashed one past UPEI's goalie Kristy Dobson. Kelbaugh and Rossignol drew the assists and did a lot of hard work down low.

With the remainder of the third period solving nothing, Dominique Bernier would pull out the win for STU. With UPEI concerned with 2 other Tommies in their zone an open lane appeared and Domi skated in and let a wrister go that beat the goalie clean for the OT dramatics.

Kristin Wolfe gets the win facing 25 shots while STU fired 30 the other way. Daily Gleaner: Women Tommies post weekend sweep

Next game for the Ladies is Saturday night against arch rival Moncton starting at 4 PM. The game can be heard live on 97.9 CHSR or on the net at http://www.chsrfm.ca/.

Tommies nip Mounties

The score was a tad closer than the Tommies would have liked but the end result is all that matters. STU out shot MT. Allison 40 - 19 and scored a 3 to 2 win to improve their record to 4-3-1 for 9 points and 5th place.

The Mounties played even with the Tommies for the first few minutes of the game but STU pulled ahead shorthanded when strong fore checking payed off. Lyse Rossignol stole the puck off a defenders stick just inside Mt A's blueline, skated in alone and made no mistake on the breakaway for a 1-0 Tommies lead at 13:39. STU dominated the shot clock 11 to 4.

The Mounties would counter at 2:53 of the second when Jillan Greene stole the puck off our D and tucked it past Julia Sharun. The tie lasted until the 7:52 mark of the period when Kelly Matthews scored on a goal mouth scrum from Fischer and Holt. The goal was scored on the PP with the Tommies up two women.

The Tommies thoroughly out played the Mounties in the third but it wasn't until Amy Kelbaugh scored at 14:26 from Nussbaum and Rossignol that STU got the eventual winning goal. Mt. A would reply 39 seconds later to keep things close but they were unable to mount any other great pressure.

With a goal and an assist, Lyse Rossignol was named Tommies player of the game. Julia Sharun got the win in net stopping 17 shots. Next up for STU is UPEI tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM at the LBR.

Tommies out-La-Chanced

In a game that could have been classified as much of a "must-win" for the Tommies as any other so far this season, STU fell 4-1 to UdeM tonight at the LBR. Facing the 2-9 8th place Aigles Bleus, St. Thomas mustered only 6 shots on goal in the first period, finding themselves down 2-0 after 20 minutes on goals from Piere-Andre Bureau and Mathieu Betournay. Moncton outshot STU 10-6 in the first frame.

The Tommies came out stronger in the 2nd period, and Jason Cassidy appeared to have beaten UdeM goaltender Kevin Lachance, but the goal judge did not signal a goal and the referee immediately waved it off. STU continued to press and had opportunities, but Lachance made big saves off Kenton Dulle, Jordan Scott and Matt Eagles to keep the Tommies scoreless. Remi Gautreau scored on a 3-on-1 to give Moncton a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes. St. Thomas outshot Les Aigles Bleus 13-9 and the teams were even at 19 apiece after the second, but Moncton took a commanding lead into the intermission.

Mike Reich finally got the Tommies on the board at 11:28 with his first goal as a Tommie, with assists going to Kenton Dulle and Wes Welcher. But that was as close as STU would get, and Moncton finished off the Tommies with Betournay's second of the night into the empty net with just 45 seconds remaining. Ben MacFarlane was tagged with the loss, as UdeM outshot STU 29-28 for the 4-1 win.

With the victory, Moncton improved to 3-9-0 while Dalhousie fell 3-2 to Acadia in Halifax. Both the Tigers and Les Aigles Bleus have 6 points after 12 games and sit 1 point behind the Tommies, who maintain their precarious hold on the final playoff spot with just 2 games remaining before the Christmas break. Daily Gleaner: Aigles Bleus soar past struggling Tommies

Those final 2 games come next weekend as STU hosts UPEI on Friday night and then travel up the hill to visit the Squirrels on Saturday.

How large does the overtime loss extra point against the Squirrels look right now?

Mathieu Melanson commits to STU for 2010-2011

In a surprise announcement, the Tommies have added Mathieu Melanson to the roster for the 2010-2011 season. Mathieu has played pro hockey for portions of the past three years that also included a 9 game stint in the AUS.

Melanson will be a point producer in this league and will be a key addition up front for STU. Daily Gleaner Article
________________________
Photo Credit: QMJHL

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Playing or not?: That is the question and we don't have an answer yet. The AUS has still not heard the appeal on Kenton Dulle and Corey Banfield's suspensions. They should be heard today. Dave Crossman should be in the line-up Friday night versus Moncton, Charles Lavigne is still out for sure, Tyler Dietrich and Bryan Main are still question marks. Daily Gleaner Article

Lady Tommies on CHSR: Finally a little radio love for STU women's hockey. Last Friday night's game versus Moncton was their first on College Hill Radio and it won't be the last. The next live broadcast will be November 28th at the LBR vs. Moncton. If memory serves me correctly, I believe this will also be a residence challenge. Should be a good, loud crowd for the Tommies.

Walking wounded returning: Most of the Tommies should be back in the line-up this weekend. Kayla Blackmore is the only one that will probably remain sidelined.

Not STU news but news nevertheless: The UPEI Panthers men's team have lost their coach Dylan Taylor and 2 assistants. Bruce Hallihan's article in today's Gleaner touches on this surprise. If you're interested in reading the gossip "blogs" Bruce refers to, please check HERE for HF Boards and HERE for the Charlottetown Guardian article with comments at the bottom.

Game 11 Live Blog STU 1 Acadia 5 Final

The Tommies fall 5-1 to the Axemen tonight. Max Chamberland scored the
only goal of the 3rd period when his centering pass went in off Zach
MacMillan. Corey Banfield and Kenton Dulle registered the assists.
Final shots were 39-26 for Acadia. An important game coming up for the
Tommies on Friday as they host Moncton at the LBR. With the loss STU
falls to 3-7-1 on the season, in 6th place, 1 point ahead of
Dalhousie.

Daily Gleaner: Tommies troubles continue

Game 11 Live Blog: STU 0 Acadia 5: 2nd Intermission

3 more goals for Acadia in the 2nd period.  Andrew Clark, David Lomas and Scott Tregunna scored and the Axemen lead the Tommies 5-0 after 2 periods.  Momentum definitely shifted to Acadia early in that period.  Although the Tommies managed 13 shots on goal, Kris Westblom has been solid in net for Acadia.  The Axemen shot 15 for 31 over 2, STU has 21 after the 2nd.

SMU downs Tommies in O/T

After an exciting win last night in Moncton the Tommies had to face another tough challenge this afternoon in Halifax against the 2nd place SMU Huskies. Saint Mary's was first on the board off a deflection from the point that eluded Julia Sharun but Caroline Hammerheim scored on the PP from Lucrece Nussbaum to tie the game. Shots favoured STU in the period 11 - 9.

No scoring in the second frame with STU out shooting SMU 10 - 7.

With the Tommies still suffering from a short bench and some penalty trouble, the Huskies out shot them badly in the third. Courtney Fox led a rush into the SMU zone, fed Amy Kelbaugh, who promptly passed to a streaking Lyse Rossignol who made no mistake for a 2 to 1 Tommies lead. It was short lived as the Huskies got a 2 on 1 three minutes later and converted to tie the game and force overtime.

SMU got breaks in OT with power plays but could not convert but with 10 seconds left SMU banked a puck off the side of the net that went right to a player in front and they put it just inside the post for the 3 to 2 win. Nevertheless, the Tommies secure 3 points on the weekend. Next game for St. Thomas is next Saturday afternoon against Mt. Allison.

Game 11 Live Blog: STU 0 Acadia 2: 1st Intermission

The Tommies deserved a better fate than they received in the first 20 minutes here in Wolfville.  Both teams played mostly even in the first period, but a delay of game penalty against Ben MacFarlane cost STU as Chris Bruton scored a goal that went in off Erick Tremblay at 13:15.  Bruton scored again at 18:23 to make it 2-0.  Acadia outshot St. Thomas 16-8 in the first period.  Kenton Dulle had a great chance to get the Tommies on the board in the late stages of the period, but Kris Westblom made a fine pad save to keep it 2-0.

Game 11 Live Blog: STU @ Acadia: Warmups

We're in Wolfville for tonight's game between St. Thomas and Acadia. We'll be on the air about 6:55 on 95.7 The Wolf. The Tommies are coming off a 5-1 loss last night in Halifax to Saint Mary's, while the Axemen beat Moncton last night 4-1.

Ben MacFarlane (0-2, 6.37, .817) starts for STU while Kris Westblom (4-2, 3.98, .855) gets the nod for Acadia.

The Tommies are 3-6-1 (7 points) on the season so far - in 6th place - just 1 point up on Dalhousie, who beat UPEI last night. Acadia is tied for 3rd place with Saint Mary's at 6-3-0 (12 points), 1 point back of St. F-X.

STU Scratches:

Charles Lavigne

Bryan Main

David Crossman

Tyler Dietrich

Acadia Scratches:

Doug Clarkson

Adam McIllwraith

Beau Prokopetz

Alex MacDonald

Paul Kurceba

Don't forget our contest. First person to email me at randy@957thewolf.ca with the Tommies first goal scorer will get a Cold F-X prize pack valued at $75. Good luck.

Moncton gets hit by Wall and scared of Wolfe

The Lady Tommies pulled out a HUGE win against Les Aigles Bleues toinght in Moncton with a 2 to 1 shoot out final. The first period was scoreless with Moncton holding the advantage in the period.

STU hit the scoresheet first in the second frame on a nice wrister by Lyse Rossignol. The goal would stand until the third when Moncton's big gun Marie-Eve Provost tied it up. Overtime solved nothing.

In the five deep shoot out Moncton scored on their first two shots by Labrie and Boisclair. Jillian Coughlin and Amy Kelbaugh were held off the score sheet. The third shooter, Lyse Rossignol got one back for STU and Kristin Wolfe stopped shooter 3, 4, 5 for Moncton. Dominique Bernier missed on #4 but Sweet Caroline Hammerheim tied it up on the final shot #5.

With extra shooters necessary, Katie Brewster was robbed by the Moncton goalie Kathy Desjardin but Wolfe shut the door on Moncton shooter #6. STU would have no "Charity" for Moncton on this night with Charity Wall potting a goal on chance #7. Kristin Wolfe stoned the last Moncton shooter for the big Tommies win. STU gains the important two point and sit one back of Moncton for 4th in the AUS.

Daily Gleaner Article

Game 10 Live Blog: STU 1 SMU 5 Final

The Tommies fell 5-1 to Saint Mary's tonight at the Halifax Forum. The
Huskies made it 5-0 before Matt Eagles scored at 17:44 to put STU on
the board on a 5-on-3 advantage as he tipped an Andrew Andricopoulos
point shot past Neil Conway. Ryan Lehr also picked up an assist on the
goal.
The Tommies fall to 3-6-1 with 7 points, but Dalhousie's 7-4 win over
UPEI moves them to within a point in the chase for 6th place.
Tomorrow night STU visits Acadia, a 7pm start on 95.7 The Wolf.

Game 10 Live Blog: STU 0 SMU 4 2nd Intermission

Saint Mary's is in complete control of the hockey game at this point.  The Tommies have been unable to establish any sort of control, even on the couple of power plays they had in the second period.  I get the sense, as I mentioned on the air, that the Huskies are in complete control, yet aren't really pressing the issue either.  That said, SMU still scored twice in the second, with Chris Morrison scoring at 1:49 on a beautiful pass from Marc Rancourt, then at 7:56 on the powerplay with David MacDonald scoring on a tipped shot.  In Ben MacFarlane's defence, all 4 goals have been pretty much unstoppable.

Game 10 Live Blog: STU 0 SMU 2 1st Intermission

The Huskies' powerplay won the first period, taking advantage of their first two man advantage situations.  There was a several minute stretch featuring some solid hits and a bit of after the whistle jostling, but that seems to have settled down.  Saint Mary's opened the scoring at 3:16 on the powerplay as Cody Thornton redirected Andrew Hotham's shot past Ben MacFarlane.  Then at 10:21, on a play that featured some exceptional passing and puck movement by the Huskies, Cam Fergus rifled a one-timer for a 2-0 lead.  MacFarlane did make one particularly spectacular save on Cody Thornton who looked to have plenty of net for a one-timer, but the shot was low and MacFarlane got across to make a big stop.

Game 10 Live Blog: STU @ SMU Warmups

The Tommies are at the Halifax Forum tonight to take on Saint Mary's, who shutout STU 4-0 at the LBR on Sunday afternoon.  Sunday's game was a chippy, rough affair to say the least and Kenton Dulle and Corey Banfield received 1-game suspensions stemming from incidents in the game.  However, both Dulle and Banfield WILL play this weekend.  Their suspensions have been appealed and will not be reviewed until at least the first of the week.  Speaking of the Banfield hit/penalty/suspension, I want to address my comments at the time of the incident.  You'll recall that Banfield hit SMU's Cody Thornton, who hit his head on the stanchion and had to leave the game.  Having an excellent view of the play at the time, I did not believe the hit to be dirty, although the result was unfortunate.  I have not had the benefit of a video replay, so I can only go by how I viewed the hit in the split second that it happened.  I've heard the opinions of those who saw the hit on video afterwards and they have been divided, so without seeing it myself, I'll leave it at that.  That said, my on-air comments at the time were more in question of the fact that the linesman made the call about a minute later after play was stopped, and assessed a 5-minute major and game misconduct.  I wondered why the call was made in that fashion, particularly since the referee was only a few feet from the hit and from my point of view saw it take place.  Since then, the following rule has come to my attention:

Linesmen shall point out the offender and report to the Referee at the first stoppage, their version of any infraction of the rules which calls for ... a Major or Match penalty or any conduct calling for a Bench Minor, Misconduct, Game Misconduct or Gross Misconduct Penalty

This is from Rule 5.3 (d) of the Hockey Canada Rule Book

So while the validity of the official's call may be debated, proper procedure was followed.  So for that, I stand corrected.

Warmups are just getting underway.  St. Thomas will start Ben MacFarlane in goal (0-1, 7.32, .811) while Saint Mary's will counter with Neil Conway (3-0, 2.60, .892)

STU Scratches:

Charles Lavigne

Bryan Main

Tyler Dietrich

David Crossman

SMU Scratches:

William Harvey

Brandon Verge

Tombits

Eagles comments on HHOF inductees: Bruce Hallihan catches up with Coach Mike Eagles as he reminisces about playing against this year's crop of Hockey Hall of Fame members. Bruce Hallihan Article

Depleted ranks versus SMU: We learn from today's Daily Gleaner that St. Thomas will be missing some vital parts for the entire weekend and a few extra tonight.

The St. Thomas Tommies, meanwhile, will be without four mainstays, including goaltender Charles Lavigne, when they travel to play Saint Mary's tonight and Acadia tomorrow night, both 7 p.m. starts on 95.7 The Wolf.

Tyler Dietrich and David Crossman both have "upper body" injuries, while Lavigne pulled a groin muscle. All left during the first period of last Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Huskies and didn't return.

They won't this weekend either.

"I don't think they're long-term injuries," said coach Mike Eagles, "but they're all questionable for this weekend."

Actually, there's no question. They've yet to practise. They won't play.

Lavigne "is not day to day," said Eagles. "Until he gets back on the ice, we won't really know." Defenceman Bryan Main also remains out after suffering back and neck injuries in a fall into the boards in a game against the Dalhousie Tigers Oct. 31.

The Tommies will also be missing forwards Corey Banfield and Kenton Dulle tonight. They'll be serving one-game suspensions for their actions in last Sunday's game against the Huskies and will sit out tonight's rematch.

Aigles Bleues waiting for Tommies: STU plays Moncton tonight in another heated battle between rival schools. Moncton's coach Dennis Ross says "I will play with three complete lines and two goaltenders and two extra players. The two games [this weekend] are very important, as the standings are very tight. " Hockeyscene.com article

The Lady Tommies will be ready as these are important points for them as well.

Hits to the head/checking from behind a problem in hockey

In today's Daily Gleaner Dave Ritchie laments in his column about hits from behind and hits to the head. With all the idiotic plays that have been happening in hockey recently, we thought it was worth sharing.

Remember when minor hockey instituted a "stop sign'' strategically placed on the back of the hockey jersey with the message being: if you can see this sign when about to check an opposing player, then 'stop' to think about the potential repercussions of such a hit.

It might only be one 'steamboat' in terms of time, but seeing the stop sign as you're about to drive a guy into the boards can't help but serve as a reminder that checking-from-behind is not a cool thing to do. And maybe players will be inclined to let up at the moment of decision.

Daily Gleaner: Why the debate over blows to the head, hits from behind in hockey?

Huskies shut down Tommies

The Tommies lost more than just the game against Saint Mary's this afternoon, falling 4 to 0. The first period saw three Tommies felled by injuries. Dave Crossman left the game with a reported upper body injury, Tyler Dietrich was knocked out with a possible rib injury, and Charles Lavigne had to be helped off the ice after an apparent groin pull late in the frame. No word on the severity of the injuries.

After a scoreless first period SMU took control scoring 2 goals in the second and another 2 goals in the third. The Huskies were 2 for 10 on the PP and STU was 0 for 7. There was no flow to the game but acknowledging the Tommies were out played, the referee Jeff Hopkins was the star attraction calling a total of 24 penalties including a bizarre hit to the head call to Corey Banfield over a minute after the so called infraction took place.

Ben MacFarlane did yeoman like duty replacing Lavigne in net facing 28 shots over 2 periods. Final shots on goal 39 to 21 for SMU. The Tommies remain in 6th spot in the AUS standings, three points up on Dalhousie and Moncton.

Daily Gleaner: Woeful weekend for STU

Tommies cut down by Axemen

The St. Thomas Tommies, recovering from a flu bug that affected 11 players and forced the postponement of last night's scheduled game against Saint Mary's, dropped a 6-3 decision to the Acadia Axemen tonight at the LBR.

The Axemen opened the scoring at 1:20 of the first period on a big rebound that Zack McMillan batted out of midair and into the open net. STU responded at 8:37 when Kenton Dulle accepted a pass from Mike Reich and powered his way to the front of the net and found a space between the pads of Acadia goaltender Kristofer Westblom. Then at 10:18 Tyler Dietrich carried the puck from the Tommies' blueline and found the five-hole on a shot from the left wing to give STU a 2-1 lead. However, Acadia would tie the game on Scott Tregunna's wraparound goal at 13:38.

The teams played even for most of the second period, until Tyler Whitehead received the puck off a rebound off the "Great Wall" and backhanded it over a sprawling Charles Lavigne to give Acadia a 3-2 lead with the 4-on-4 marker. The Tommies ended the period by taking two penalties at 19:50. Mike Reich was called for roughing and STU received a bench minor for too many men on the ice.

After an amazing early save by Charles Lavigne, Acadia capitalized on the two man advantage as David Lomas scored off a big rebound to give the Axemen a two goal advantage. Acadia trapped their way through the remainder of the third period, until Matt Eagles found the back of the net at 18:24 on the powerplay and with Lavigne out of the net for an extra attacker. But as the Tommies pressed for the equalizer with Lavigne still on the bench, Acadia scored a pair of empty net goals to seal the victory.

Final shots on goal favoured Acadia 26-21. Kenton Dulle was the lone Tommie to notch multiple points, with a goal and an assist, and was named the Tommies Player of the Game.

St. Thomas will host Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm at the LBR, rescheduled from Friday night. Listen Live on 95.7 The Wolf, online at www.957thewolf.ca

One GO vs. SMU, one NO GO vs. SMU

Bad news first. The Lady Tommies' game this weekend versus the Saint Mary's Huskies has been postponed, not enough bodies to fill out the roster. Nothing has been rescheduled at this time. NO GO.

Good news second. The men's game versus the Saint Mary's Huskies has been rescheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3 PM. It's a GO.

The regularly scheduled game against the Acadia Axemen will still be played Saturday evening at 7 PM. Let's hope everyone has fully recuperated.

Daily Gleaner: STU men back on ice today

Friday Night v. Saint Mary's Postponed?

Just spotted this on the AUS Schedule page. Waiting on confirmation.

UPDATE: Received confirmation from Coach Eagles that Friday night's men's game vs. Saint Mary's has indeed been postponed.

Daily Gleaner: Flu-riddled Tommies postpone tonight's home game

Main priority is getting healthy

From today's Daily Gleaner:

The 21-year-old defenceman practiced with his St. Thomas Tommies teammates for about a half hour Wednesday but left early after feeling "a little lightheaded," he said. "I don't know if it's because I've been off the ice for a week and a half, but I decided not to push it."

That means Main is doubtful to return to the Tommies' lineup for their Atlantic University Sport Men's Hockey Conference contests against the Saint Mary's Huskies Friday night and the Acadia Axemen Saturday at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink. Game times are 7 p.m.

and...

"I'm still going to chase for that puck," he said. "You're not going to quit on your job because something like this happens. You just take it in stride and learn from it. But you can't lose your edge. Otherwise, there's no point in even coming back."

Tommies Highlights

Playing catchup... here's all the available highlights and interviews from the broadcasts on 95.7 The Wolf up to October 31. Enjoy.

Oct. 23/09 STFX 7 STU 6 Highlights
Oct. 23/09 Charles Lavigne Interview
Oct. 23/09 Matt Eagles Interview
Oct. 24/09 Peter Murphy Interview Pt. 1
Oct. 24/09 Peter Murphy Interview Pt. 2
Oct. 28/09 Bill Hunt Interview
Oct. 28/09 Doc Feeney Interview
Oct. 30/09 STFX 4 STU 3 Highlights
Oct. 30/09 Dave Crossman Interview
Oct. 30/09 Max Chamberland Interview
Oct. 31/09 STU 4 DAL 3 Highlights (including video of Lavigne save and Banfield winner)
Oct. 31/09 Gary Smith Interview Pt. 1
Oct. 31/09 Gary Smith Interview Pt. 2

Tombits

Thank You BOB: After more than a decade of providing scores, updates, and more Bob Adams has retired from active service. Bob has volunteered his time and resources over at the Bob Adam's CIS Webpage for many years and we want to sincerely thank him for his tireless efforts. As far as men's hockey is concerned, it was the best place (and sometimes the only place) to get all the CIS scores.

Bob will be enjoying his time in Halifax with his 9 grandchildren and we are sure he will still make it out to the odd CIS event. THANKS AGAIN!!

Hockey sweeps weekly honours: Corey Banfield and Amy Kelbaugh are this week's STU male and female athletes of the week.

Amy played a strong game vs. StFX, scoring one goal and setting up another as the Tommies downed the X Women 3-1. Amy is a first-year Arts student from Springside, Saskatchewan.

Corey had a goal in the 4-3 loss to X on Friday the 30th. He also scored a goal in regulation and had the shoot-out winner in the 4-3 win vs. DAL on Saturday. Corey is a third-year student from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. STU Release

Video Highlights: The men's hockey site has been updated with video of this past weekend's shoot-out at Dalhousie. Check out Charles Lavigne's larcenous save on Kenzie Sheppard and Corey Banfield's shoot-out winner. CLICK HERE We look forward to Randy Corey's update this week for the audio highlights.

Game 7 Live Blog STU 4 DAL 3 FINAL

The Tommies have defeated the Tigers 4-3 in a shootout here in
Halifax. STU took a 3-1 lead with Max Chamberland's goal at 1:34 but
DAL responded with goals at 9:46 and 16:56 to even the score. Overtime
solved nothing even though both teams had powerplays in the extra
period.

In the shootout, Charles Lavigne made a remarkable save on Kenzie
Sheppard who looked like he had the goal but Lavigne, not giving up on
the play, brought his left arm around and stopped the shot along the
ice with his glove. Chamberland scored for STU but Trevor Mackenzie
scored for the Tigers to keep things squared. The Tommies fifth
shooter, Corey Banfield beat Bobby Nadeau to give STU the victory.
With the win the Tommies improve to 3-3-1 for 7 points. Next up on the
weekend are Saint Mary's and Acadia on Friday and Saturday nights,
respectively.

Thanks for tuning in and reading along.

HCH Men's & Women's roundup: Tommies edge Tigers in shootout

Game 7 Live Blog STU 2 DAL 1: 2nd Intermission

Sorry, I got caught up listening to Gary Smith in the first
intermission and ran out of time to blog. STU carried the play in the
first and could well have been up by 3-0. Corey Banfield did score for
the Tommies at 9:43 from Estey and Lavigne. In the second, the Tommies
started out strong and the 4th line capitalized again with Andrew
Estey poked his own rebound home with assists to Gallant and Banfield
at 8:19. Credit to Andrew Andricopoulos for good work deep in the zone
to get the play started.
The Tommies got into some penalty trouble and paid for it with Jacob
Johnston's powerplay goal at 12:43.

Game 7 Live Blog STU @ DAL: Warmups

Warmups are underway at the Dalhousie Arena for this afternoon's 2pm game between the Tommies and Tigers. Dalhousie is sporting a nice new set of home jerseys, I'll try to get a picture uploaded shortly.

The Tigers beat Moncton 6-4 last night while STU fell 4-3 to St. FX. Charles Lavigne gets the start for the Tommies. Bobby Nadeau will be in goal for Dalhousie.

STU Scratches:
Mitch Price
Bryan Main
Guillaume Miszczak
Jordan Scott

DAL Scratches:
Devrin Stonehouse
Chris Wall
Gabriel Lundin
Jordan Berk

Tune in on 95.7 The Wolf or http://www.957thewolf.ca/

Tommies win home opener 3 to 1

The Lady Tommies got the best of St. FX getting their second win of the season 3 to 1. X controlled the play in the first but Amy Kelbaugh went five hole on a nifty pass from Charity Walls to get STU on the board first. Shots on goal were 15-9 for the X-Women.

The 2nd period saw St. Thomas come out better than the first but penalty trouble limited their time in the offensive zone. Time for the penalty killers to step up and they were able to keep X off the board. Caroline Hammerheim would get the eventual game winner when she jumped on a rebound off a shot by Kelly Matthews with the 2nd assist to Jssica Holt. X lead had the advantage in shots at 17 - 7 but STU had the advantage where it mattered 2 to 0 at the end of the 2nd frame.

In the third period Coach Murphy tinkered with the lines and put Rossignol, Kelbaugh, and Coughlin together. First shift for the new combination worked out immediately with Coughlin scoring on a pretty feed from Kelbaugh. Second assist to Lyse Rossignol. X would score shortly after but that was it.

Julia Sharun got the win making a few highlight reel type saves on 40 shots while STU countered the other way with 21. A good crowd made it out to see this game and loved every minute of it.

According to the AUS site tomorrows game against Dalhousie has been cancelled. We will confirm this as soon as possible.

Tommies 3 - X-Men 4 FINAL

Thanks to Randy Corey for the live blog tonight. A slight technical issue came up after the game so here is the final info. from the third period.

Bryce Swan from Mangan and Undershute scored on the PP at 1:30 of the third as X went ahead to stay. The Tommies pressed the entire period but one slip late cost them at 18:06 as Kevin Undershute scored from Mangan and Bragg on a 3 on 1. With time ticking away and Charles Lavigne on the bench, Devan Praught scored at 19:22 from Andricopoulos and Chamberland but the Tommies couldn't muster the equalizer. Final shots on goal favoured St-FX 41 - 37.

AUS roundup from the Daily Gleaner

Game 6 Live Blog STU 2 St FX 2 2nd Intermission

After two periods of play in Antigonish the Tommies and X-Men are tied at 2-2.  The X-Men carried the balance of play with a couple of odd man rushes and Charles Lavigne had to make a big save on a Brett Robertson breakaway and ensuing rebound chance from Matthew Bragg.  However, STU would score first in the second with a two man advantage as Kenton Dulle wired a one time from the blueline to make it 2-1 at 17:31.  But St. FX tied it up on a powerplay of their own on a goal by Brennan Wray.  The X-Men outshot the Tommies 14-9 in the second period and hold a 31-23 advantage so far.  The Tommies got a bit sloppy in the second period, and need to tighten it up in the third period.

Game 6 Live Blog STU 1 St FX 1 1st Intermission

A solid period by the Tommies.  STU failed to convert on an extended 5 on 3 early in the game, but at 16:05 with Joey Perricone behind his goal playing the puck, Corey Banfield got back there and applied pressure to dig it loose.  With a few bodies in the crease area, Perricone couldn't get back around before Banfield put the wraparound home to give the Tommies a 1-0 lead.  However, at 18:37 with a delayed penalty against STU and Perricone on the bench for a sixth skater, Brett Robertson sent it across to the top of the crease area and Brett Morrison made contact enough to put it by Charles Lavigne, who immediately pleaded his case for apparent goaltender interference to the referee, but the goal stood to make it 1-1.  STU and St FX both put 14 shots on goal in the first period.

Game 6 Live Blog: STU @ St. FX Warmups

Warmups are underway at the Keating Millennium Centre in Antigonish.

Charles Lavigne (2-3, 3.93, 0.899) will start for STU. Joey Perricone (1-2, 3.24 0.915) gets the nod for the X-Men.

STU Scratches:

Bryan Main (did not make the trip)

Guillaume Miszczak

Brad Gallant (sore shoulder)

Jordan Scott

StFX Scratches

Ryan Sparling

Kurt Jerrett

Robbie Lawrance

Ryan White

Game 6 Live Blog: STU @ St. FX Pregame

Before we jump into tonight's live blog, let me apologize. I promised highlights before the road trip, but it was a busy week that ran short of time. I'll work feverishly next week playing catchup on your Tommies Audio Highlights.

We're in Antigonish awaiting the start of tonight's rematch between the Tommies and the St. FX X-Men. It was a week ago tonight at the LBR that STU held a 6-2 lead in the 2nd period only to fall 7-6. To their credit, the Tommies have played extremely well since that 3rd period letdown and they are well aware that X will be gunning for them tonight, so expect them to come out prepared.

Listen Live tonight on 95.7 The Wolf or online at www.957thewolf.ca (click the logo to the left). David Crossman (1st) and Maxim Chamberland (2nd) will be Mike Marshall's intermission guests tonight. I'll be back once warmups are underway with tonight's scratches and starting goalies.

By the way, tune in early tonight. We've got a brand new show on the air called The 4th Period Radio Show, talking NHL Hockey. It's on now, check it out.

St-FX in town for Tommies Home Opener

After two weekends on the road the Lady Tommies return to the friendly confines of the LBR to play their home opener. Game time is 7 PM and admission is FREE if you bring a non-perishable food item to the game.

Today's Gleaner has a nice feature on 5th year student athlete Caroline Hammerheim. She reflects on her time spent at St. Thomas.

Wherever she ends up, she’ll have fond memories of STU. “I really like this campus,” she said. “It’s small, so you meet more people. I feel more comfortable at St. Thomas than I might have felt at a bigger school.” Daily Gleaner Article: How Swede it’s been for Hammerheim at STU

The Tommies are hoping for a good crowd tonight so grab a can of soup, feel good for helping a good cause, and check out your team in action.

Tommies push Squirrels to Overtime

It was a valiant effort put forth by the St. Thomas Tommies this evening but the talented Squirrels attack proved one bounce too many as STU fell 2 to 1 in overtime.

Charles Lavigne was stellar on this night as he turned aside 39 shots and stood on his head by times proving true his advanced billing as an AUS star in the making. Unfortunately the winning goal at :44 seconds of O/T was an unstoppable deflection.

After skating even with the Squirrels in a scoreless first period, the Tommies opened the scoring at 9:19 of the second period. Jason Cassidy notched his team leading fifth goal, firing home the rebound off a Devan Praught shot. Max Chamberland picked up the second assist.

The Tommies got into penalty trouble late in the second frame and UNB capitalized with the tying goal in the final minute. Credit has to be given to the strong penalty killing unit as STU killed 5 of 6 powerplays including a 47 second five on three, as well as a double minor in the first.

St. Thomas withstood UNB's relentless attack in the third period and gained a point by forcing overtime. In the tight AUS this may be an extremely valuable point when assessing the playoff picture.

Next up for the Tommies is St-FX on Friday night in Antigonish. Game time is 7 PM. The weekend will wrap up with a Halloween matinee at 2 PM Saturday in Halifax against the Dalhousie Tigers. Both games can be heard on 95.7 The Wolf. Daily Gleaner Story

Squirrels vs. Tommies, Game 1 tonight

Are we ready to rumble? Our beloved, modest, and humble friends from UNB will be at the LBR tonight looking to protect their 4 and 0 record, while the good guys in Green and Gold will look for an important two points against a tough opponent.

Matt Eagles and the Tommies are ready to play the mighty Squirrels. "When you're a team that's going up against guys with a little bit more talent, you've got to stick together," said Eagles. "He [Danny Flynn] always used to say that if your fist is smaller than the other team's fist, you've got to squeeze it even tighter," he said. "You've got to be a tight knit group, and that's the way we've got to play." Daily Gleaner: Eagles not about to concede anything

Tickets can be purchased today at MacTavish's Source for Sports at 228 Queen St, JB O'Keefe Fitness Centre, or at the LBR starting at 5:30.

Tommies Highlights

It's taken a little longer than I would have liked to get these uploaded, but here they are.... highlights and interviews for the Oct. 17th game at UPEI, a 9-4 loss. Unfortunately, we lost our connection and didn't get the call on the Tommies' first goal, but the other 3 are there, as well as Part 2 of Mike Marshall's interviews with both Bruce Hallihan and Mike Eagles. Apologies for the quality. We didn't have a phone line, so had to connect via cellphone. Enjoy.

Oct. 17/09 UPEI 9 STU 4 Highlights

Oct. 17/09 Mike Eagles Interview Pt 2

Oct. 17/09 Bruce Hallihan Interview Pt 2

Currently editing the audio of the Oct. 23rd St. FX game, I'll have that up before this weekend's road trip. Unfortunately, I don't have suitable audio of the Oct. 24th Dalhousie win.

Thanks for tuning in to the broadcasts. Remember, if you can't be at the LBR tomorrow night, tune in to 95.7 The Wolf or online at www.957thewolf.ca

Tombits

Lady Tommies home opener: After 2 weeks on the road the Tommies finally get to play their home opener on Friday night. It isn't going to be easy as 3 and 1 St-FX come in to do battle. The Tommies have a little pay back on their minds as the X-Women defeated STU 5 to 1 in their home opener on October 16th.

Sweden gets the nod: Sweet Caroline Hammerheim is the female athlete of the week at St. Thomas.

The female athlete of the week is Caroline Hammerheim of the Women's Hockey programme. Caroline played two very strong games for us on the weekend scoring 2 goals on 11 shots, one in our 4-2 win over MTA and one in our 3-1 loss to UPEI. Caroline is a fifth year player from Bromma Sweden. STU Release

Short benched: The Tommies were a little short staffed this past weekend with only five defensemen and nine forwards dressed. Kathleen Boyle is still out with an injury, Alexis Laird is in the very demanding Social Work program and had work to do that couldn't wait. This is the price you pay for having 10 Academic All Canadians on the team. Rumour has it the Ladies are convinced they will have more AAC's this year. Good luck Ladies, you can do it!!

It's Squirrel season: No I'm not talking about hunting, although the thought.....no no no. UNB comes down the hill Wednesday night for the first regular season meeting of the two teams. With recent history being soundly against us, we have our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. With the probable loss of two defensemen for this game the Tommies will be in tough against a loaded opponent. It's just fact people, they are 4 and 0 so far this season and have one of the deepest rosters (if not the deepest) in the CIS. We aren't going soft, we still have our habitual hate-on for our rodent neighbours, but you have to be realistic.

If the score ends up unflattering like the exhibition game at Willie O'Ree Place (We hope it doesn't and are looking for a win from STU just like everyone else) its OK. This time we won't be alone. UPEI, U deM, SMU, Brock, and McGill have all felt the Squirrel bite but perhaps this time we BITE BACK. YEAH!

Lady Tommies fall to Panthers

Sometimes things don't go your way. The Tommies lost a tough game to UPEI this afternoon 3 to 1.

Julia Sharun got the start in net and played well but penalties were the Tommies undoing on this day. STU dominated the first outshooting UPEI 11-7 according to the score keeper. A couple of goal posts and some heavy pressure did not result in anything for the Green and Gold. UPEI scored on a broken play as the puck sat at the top of the crease and took the 1-0 lead into intermission.

UPEI outshot STU 9-6 in the second thanks to a couple of power plays and were able to capitalized on both of them. The only time the Panthers had extended pressure was on PP.

The Tommies got on the board as Caroline Hammerheim got in 2 on 1 with Andrea Fischer and blew a slap shot past the UPEI goaltender but that would be it. The third saw both teams get PP time but neither could convert. The Tommies did everything but score and the final was 3 to 1. STU outshot the Panthers 33 - 24.

The Tommies head back to Fredericton for their home opener. It should be a good one as St-FX is in town on Friday night October 30th at 7 PM.

Bryan Main Update

I know a lot of you have been wondering about the condition of Bryan Main so we fired off an email to verify his condition. As Bill Hunt kindly let us know last night in the comments, Bryan had a CT scan that came back negative (negative = good) and was able to walk out of the hospital under his own steam. No time frame has been given for his return to play and really isn't important in the scheme of things. We are just happy to know Bryan is alright.

The situation was eerily similar to what happened to Sebastian Savage of U de M a few years back. The puck was dumped deep into the Tommies end in the final 10 seconds of the first period. Icing was waved off and Ben Van Lare of Dalhousie followed Bryan into the corner of the LBR where the Zamboni comes onto the ice. Through the race to get to the puck Bryan lost his footing and went head long into the end boards. Charles Lavigne immediately summoned for help and fortunately Dr. Graeme Young was close by to render assistance. Bryan was immobilized and taken to the hospital on a back board.


We chalk this one up to good luck and thank God everything is OK with Mr. Main.

Daily Gleaner: Fallen player provides Main motivation for Tommies

Tommies get first win in Sackville

The Lady Tommies got their first win of the season on Saturday evening in Sackville to the relief of everyone. STU came out hard and pushed for a 4 to 2 victory versus Mt Allison.

The first period was scoreless with the Tommies holding the advantage on the shot clock 17-11. In the second period Caroline Hammerheim would shove the puck, and the goalie into the net for the first goal of the night. Exactly one minute later Charity Walls got the puck behind the Mounties' net and scored on the wrap around with helpers to Lyse Rossignol and Amanda Burns. Mt A. scored one to make things close but the Tommies would not be denied on this night as new recruit Andrea Fischer got it back 40 seconds later with a blast from just below the dot as Kelly Matthews screened the goalie. STU dominated the period outshooting them 23-6.

In the third, the Mounties would not lie down as they scored at 3:02 to make it 3-2. That is as close as it got, as the Tommies responded well with a tighter fore check and better back check to shut things down. With Mt. A's goalie pulled Amy Kelbaugh from Jessica Holt would ice the victory with the empty netter. Final shots in the period were 14-7 and 49-24 overall for STU.

The stars of the game were the Matthews, Hammerhiem, Fischer line who controlled the play physically. Kristin Wolfe got the win in nets for a Tommies team that was shorthanded with only 5 D and 9 forwards dressed for the game. St. Thomas stays on the road and plays UPEI tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM. We hope to have a game update later in the evening. AUS roundup from the Halifax Chronicle Herald

Tommies trounce Tigers

After a disappointing turn of events last night against the X-Men, St. Thomas rebounded nicely with a convincing 9 to 3 win versus Dalhousie. Eight Tommies had multiple points tonight and the Welcher, Eagles, Labonte line got on track with an impressive 11 points.

The first period was a tight affair with the score being 2 to 1 at the end. Labonte and Gallant scored for STU. The Tommies and their fans received a big scare when Bryan Main was taken to hospital after being removed from the ice on a stretcher following a heavy collision in the corner with Tiger Ben Van Lare. Reports were positive on his condition at the end of the game and we are all hopeful that Bryan is OK.

STU started off a little hesitant in the second frame as their thoughts must have been with their teammate. It took until 3:11 before Corey Banfield notched his first of the season and the flood gates began to open. The Tommies added a goal from Wes Welcher at 8:02 on the PP that chased Josh Disher from the Tigers net. New recruit Bobby Nadeau came in but would fare no better. Goals by Kenton Dulle and Matt Eagles would give the Tommies a 6 to 1 lead after 2.

After last night's third period collapse everyone waited to see which St. Thomas team would take the ice in the third. It was the good one. Alex Labonte scored his second of the game at 1:10 to keep things rolling. Devan Praught and Jason Cassidy added powerplay markers to cement the victory. Dalhousie scored two late period goals past Charles Lavigne but it was too little too late.

Final shots on goal were 34 to 30 for STU. Labonte, Welcher, Banfield, Tremblay, Praught, Eagles, Dulle, and Gallant all had a multiple point game.

Matt Eagles was the first star tonight contributing 4 points in the win. Next game is Wednesday night versus the Squirrels at the LBR. Other games tonight saw UNB roll over Saint Mary's 7 to 4, Moncton down X 5 to 3 and Acadia beat UPEI 4 to 1.

In women's action the Lady Tommies defeated Mt. Allison 4 to 2. Hopefully we will get some details to follow.

Wheels fall off Tommies Wagon

40 minutes of solid play does not a 60 minute win make. On a night when all looked well after two periods, the Tommies left the ice after the final buzzer with nothing to show for the night's efforts, falling 7-6 to St. F-X.

STU held a 3-0 lead after the first with goals by Kenton Dulle and Jason Cassidy, who scored twice. After allowing the X-Men back into the game in the first 7:45 of the second, the Tommies dominated the rest of the second period when Kenton Dulle scored his second, Devan Praught scored his first of the season and Wes Welcher scored on a shorthanded breakaway. Though St. F-X would score another in the second, the Tommies maintained their 3 goal lead after two periods with a 6-3 lead, even outshooting their opponents 29-23 over 40 minutes.

Those second intermission smiles around the LBR quickly faded when Ryan Sparling scored on a wraparound at 0:22 of the third. The X-Men found life from there, with back to back goals by Bryce Swan to even the score 6-6. A shorthanded breakaway goal by Sparling with 5:39 remaining gave the X-Men a lead they would not relinquish. Despite pulling goaltender Charles Lavigne for an extra attacker in the final minute, STU could not score the equalizer and X clung to the 7-6 victory, sending the Tommies and their fans home with more questions than answers and nothing to show in the standings for the night.

St. Thomas outshot St. F-X 39-37 and Kenton Dulle was named the Tommies' Player of the Game with a 2-goal performance. Andrew Andricopoulos added 2 points for STU.

The Tommies will try to regroup for Saturday night as Dalhousie visits the LBR for a 7pm start. The Ladies head to Sackville to take on the Mounties.

Daily Gleaner: Tommies let home opener slip away

Erick Tremblay hard at work for Tommies

In today's Gleaner defenseman and new team Captain Erick Tremblay gives us some idea what the Tommies will do this year.

"That's for sure," [Tremblay] said. "That's not even a question. Our goal is not just to make the playoffs. Our goal is to win. The goal is to go to the finals. Maybe that's not realistic to some people in the city. There are people who don't believe in us, because we had a bad season last year. But in our heads . . . we've got winners on this team. I think (the goal) is nothing less than at least two or three rounds." Daily Gleaner: Tremblay likes what he 'C's

Tonight's home opener versus the X-Men should be extra fun as St. Thomas is hosting a residence challenge. If last year's challenge is any indication, this evening's game should be loud.

Tommies Highlights

Each week, I'll post the Tommies "Audio Week in Review" with interviews from the past week's games and the audio of the Tommies' goals. I got a bit of a late start this week, so for now here is the audio from STU's 4-2 win over UDM on Friday night. I'll update this post with the audio from the UPEI game before the end of the week. I'm sure most of you will be considerably less interested in that one, but I'll only post the Tommies' goals, so hopefully that will make it sound a lot better. Hope you enjoy the clips, and as always thanks for listening to the broadcasts.

EDIT: The YouTube windows are a bit overpowering, so instead here are the direct links to take you to the site.

Oct. 16/09 Mike Eagles Interview Pt1

Oct. 16/09 Bruce Hallihan Interview Pt1

Oct. 16/09 STU 4 UDM 2 Highlights

Tombits

Apologies to the Ladies: As you may have noticed we didn't have very much information on the Lady Tommies over the weekend but we do have excuses and we hope this will suffice...for now. In the past we have been able to obtain box scores from the CIS national site shortly after games have finished. They weren't always perfect but at least you could get a picture of what transpired.

Well this year the CIS has not been updating the box scores and therefore we have limited means of knowing what has happened to our hockey team other than the score. We were fortunate enough to see Jillian Coughlin score her first of the season versus Dalhousie the other night and other than that, the score was all we had.

Tommies hockey is men's and women's and it is important to us. We will try our best to give you whatever information we can, whenever we can.

It wasn't a great weekend for the Green and Gold but you know they will be pushing hard this weekend to right the ship. STU vs. ST-FX box score and STU vs. Dalhousie box score.

It has been a while: Friday February 7, 2003 to be exact. This was the last time the Tommies had defeated Les Aigles Bleus at the J. Louis Levesque Arena in Moncton. The score back in 2003 was 6 to 3. It took 6 years and 8 months but thanks to great performances by Tyler Dietrich, Charles Lavigne and gang we doubled them again 4 to 2.

We know of one other place we haven't won at either since February 2003, but let's not go there.

Dietrich male athlete of the week at STU: After a 2 goal performance including the game winning goal versus Moncton and another 2 goals and assist versus UPEI, Tyler Dietrich gets the nod as male athlete of the week. STU Press release

The WW Line of Reich, Dulle, and Dietrich contributed 11 points and a combined +7 over the weekend.

We must admit we were a little apprehensive about a former Squirrel being on the team but we're over it. Great weekend Tyler!!

Attention Fredericton hockey fans: If you're interested in going to a GOOD hockey game, without the winner being predetermined in the warm up skate, come on out to the LBR on Friday and Saturday night, 7 PM. I can't guarantee the Tommies will win but I can guarantee you won't know either when you sit down to watch.

Tommies finish opening weekend with a split

The Tommies went into Charlottetown looking for a perfect weekend but had to settle for the split after the UPEI Panthers spanked them 9 to 4. The Panthers scored 3 first period goals to chase Charles Lavigne and would show Ben MacFarlane the same treatment scoring 3 more in the second and third periods.

The WWL (Wild West Line) of Dulle, Reich, and Dietrich were on the ice for three of the Tommies four goals. Tyler Dietrich (a great weekend) had 2 goals with Scott Judson (1 G & 1 A) and Max Chamberland picking up the others. Kenton Dulle had three assists with Mike Reich and Corey Banfield each getting one.

UPEI's defenceman Dylan Quale and forward Matthew Carter each had big nights with 5 points a piece.

A little concern late in the third as Tyler Dietrich was caught on the wrong side of an illegal hit (penalty called on the play) and was slow getting up. We hope he is alright. The Tommies played most of the 2nd half of the game down two defencemen as Andrew Andricopoulos and David Crossman were both assessed game misconducts.

In Ladies play from this evening, the Tommies lost 2 to 1 against the Dalhousie Tigers. Scoring STU's lone goal was Jillian Coughlin.

Last night the Ladies fell 5 to 1 to the ST-FX X-Women.

Both Tommies teams will come back to Fredericton and regroup for next weekend's action.

No game blog from UPEI tonight

Randy Corey just e-mailed and told us he isn't able to Live Blog tonight's game versus UPEI. The Tommies will be playing shortly and we will give you a game recap after.

We would like to pass our thanks along to Randy Corey for last night's game blog and wish the Tommies GOOD LUCK tonight.

Above: Tommies warming up at UPEI

Game 1 Live Blog: STU 4 UDM 2 FINAL

The Tommies pulled out their first win of the season tonight despite a
lacklustre 3rd period. Mathieu Betournay scored a power play goal at
10:11 to make it 2-1. Charles Lavigne held the fort for STU and Tyler
Dietrich cashed in for his second at 16:19. Jason Cassidy sealed the
win with an empth netter at 19:11. The Tommies got a bit lazy in their
own end and Guillaume Parenteau was able to narrow the gap to 4-2 but
too little, too late for Moncton.
Thanks for tuning in. Join us tomorrow live from Charlottetown at 7pm.

Game 1 Live Blog: STU 2 UDM 0 after 2

The Tommies got into a bit of penalty trouble early in the 2nd, with
the Tommies killing the remainder of Andrew Andricopoulos penalty then
a Mike Reich penalty. But it was on the power play that Ryan Lehr
scored to make it 2-0 at 12:47 with a nice low point shot. Shots on
goal in favour of Moncton 19/33 to STU 7/15

Game 1 Live Blog: STU 1 UDM 0 after 1

The Tommies started off slow, pinned in their own zone several times
forcing several defensive zone faceoffs. STU found its jump near the
halfway point and were rewarded with a goal by Tyler Dietrich after
some good work by Kenton Dulle and Mike Reich. Shots on goal were 14-8
in favour of Moncton, though the Tommies were down 7-1 in that
category after 10 minutes.

Game 1 Live Blog: STU@UDM Warmup

Warmups are underway at JLL.
Tommies Scratches:
Mitch Price
Jordan Scott
Guillaume Miszczak
Brad Gallant

Blue Eagles Scratches:
Christopher Rodrigue
Mathieu LeBlanc
Patrick Lockyer
Bruno Pierre Gosselin
Pier-Alexandre Poulin

And yes, new addition Kenton Dulle is in the lineup for STU wearing #41.

Game 1 Live Blog: STU@UDM Pregame

Getting set for the season opener tonight at the refurbished J. Louis
Levesque Arena in Moncton. The rink looks great. An exterior facelift,
new seats, a new heating system and we've even got carpet and new
chairs in the press box.
It's expected the Blue Eagles will start Kevin Lachance while the
Tommies will give Charles Lavigne his first AUS start.
We'll be live on the air at 6:45 on 95.7 The Wolf and online at
www.957thewolf.ca
Apparently my blog posts update to Twitter automatically so if you
need to follow the score on your mobile device you can do so at
www.twitter.com/stutommies or follow the Twitter link on this page.

Tombits

AUS Men's Preview: Bruce Hallihan's EXCELLENT AUS preview is out today. So run out, buy a copy of the Gleaner and plunk down into a nice comfortable chair and read until your heart's content. For those of you not able to obtain a copy of the Gleaner here it is. Each team has an individual link. 2009 Men's AUS Preview - STU Tommies - UPEI Panthers - Moncton Aigles Bleus - SMU Huskies - ST-FX X-Men - UNB Varsity Reds - Dalhousie Tigers - Acadia Axemen

Sharun is earning keep: A great article by Chris Fox on STU goalie Julia Sharun and a season preview of the Tommies. The Lady's also start out on the road tonight in Antigonish. Game time is 7 PM and the game is being webcast by SSN HERE. Daily Gleaner: Sharun earning her keep for Tommies

Praught Male Athlete of the Week: After a 4 point night versus Dalhousie Devan Praught was awarded the St. Thomas male athlete of the week award. STU Press release

Imitated never duplicated: We have made some wholesale changes to the site, as you may have noticed. There may be a few bugs and some changes left to come but in the mean time if you're viewing and see a problem, let us know. Thanks and enjoy another great AUS hockey season.

Tommies recruit Kenton Dulle from WHL Blazers

In a surprise announcement the St. Thomas Tommies have added forward Kenton Dulle (pronounced Doolie) from the WHL Kamloops Blazers. Playing parts of 5 seasons in Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Kamloops, Kenton was injured in a car accident back in May of 2005 which limited his 05 - 06 season.

The Daily Gleaner has more [link]

Listen Live to Tommies Hockey on 95.7 The Wolf

The new season is almost upon us and I am very pleased to be able to don the headset for a 3rd season with the Tommies. STU is looking pretty good after a rough start to the preseason and I feel confident I'll be calling playoff games again this season.

Since we last chatted, I've taken on an expanded role with the radio station, and we are thrilled to be bringing the Tommies to you over the air and online. We have launched a new format. We are Rock 'n' Blues 95.7 The Wolf, streaming online at www.957thewolf.ca. We hope you will check us out. Besides great music, we have plenty of sports programming as well.

Harold DeCourcey will join me again on Friday night as we will be on the air live beginning at 6:45 from Moncton. There's lots to talk about so we want to get an early start on Friday night's game. We'll have improved, expanded Tommies coverage for you this year as Mike Marshall joins the broadcasts with lots of in-depth interviews. This weekend tune in for a season preview with Coach Mike Eagles and we're hoping to have the Daily Gleaner's Bruce Hallihan with us for our annual discussion of his highly anticipated AUS Preview. I'll be live blogging as often as possible, and you can also follow along with updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/randyradio

Looking forward to being back in the press box, and a great season of Tommies Hockey on Fredericton's Home for Sports 95.7 The Wolf!

Jason Cassidy's Blog: Trials and tribulations of a road trip

Jason Cassidy's latest entry at The Hockey News

Though for us university folk, bus trips are a chance to catch up on class reading, assignments and share ideas about similar classes.

One thing’s for certain: I’m sure most professional hockey players avoid reading advance qualitative research methods, biomechanics or macro theory before a big game.

Tombits

Interview with a goalie: STU Journalism recently caught up with Coach Mike Eagles and new goaltender Charles Lavigne. Check out the Youtube video below.

Mr. Cassidy knows best: Jason Cassidy finds out more about H1N1 in his interview with Tommies' Athletic Trainer Chris Beaudoin, team physician Dr. Graeme Young, and Kelsey Knowles of the women's volleyball team.

Regular season starts on the road: The Lady Tommies begin their regular season on Friday night, 7 PM versus the X-Women in Antigonish. The men head to Moncton to tangle with Les Aigles Bleus. Game time is 7 PM and can be heard live at Rock 'n' Blues 95.7 The Wolf.

Remembering Hammy: The Tommies had a pregame ceremony Friday night honouring long time Fredericton sports fan Roy Dalton Kitchen, better known as Hammy. He intended on being at the STU game Friday night and would have been thrilled with the 10 - 4 result. We extend our sympathies to Mr. Kitchen's family. Gleaner Article

Attention Poolies: Our friends over at UNBHockeyFans.com have invited us to join them in a regular season AUS Men's Hockey Pool.

Think you know AUS hockey? Put your skills to the test by joining our open-invitation, free AUS Hockey Pool. There's no money at stake, just bragging rights. We'll track the results of all competitors by posting weekly standings. The winner will have the right to lay claim to the title of "World's Greatest AUS Hockey Mind" and mock the inferior hockey knowledge of the losers.

Should be good fun, though a test of a Tommies fan's inner fortitude if you find yourself having to secretly cheer for a Squirrel. And you've got to love the trophy...