Sunday 30 October 2011

Panthers pounce Tommies

Every team is going to have an off game and the Lady Tommies had a doozy today.  After leading early, St. Thomas dropped a 7 - 2 decision to the UPEI Panthers.

With Kristin Wolfe getting her first start in the Tommies net this season, the whole team was hoping to give her some support.  It all started well enough, as goals by Courtney Fox (D. Miller, E. MacIsaac) and Jordan Miller (C. McTaggart, A. Burns) with a UPEI goal sandwiched in-between, saw STU take a one goal lead into the first intermission.

From there it went downhill in a hurry with UPEI scoring three goals in the second and three more in the third to easily dismantle the Tommies.  Ferran Brown of the Panthers had a five point performance in the win.

The Tommies have less than a week to right the ship, as they stay at home to take on Saint Mary's on Saturday & St-FX on Sunday.

Saturday 29 October 2011

TOMMIES WIN!! Defeat X-Men for first victory of season

The Tommies finally got their first win of the season in a solid, well deserved, hard fought, 6 to 4 final over the #8 nationally ranked St-FX X-Men tonight in Antigonish.  Not only was this STU's first win of this season, it was their first road victory since October 31st, 2009 win they beat Dalhousie.

Randy Cameron scored the first 3 goals for STU as the game was tied 2 to 2 after the first and 3 to 3 after the second.  The X-Men scored early in the third on the PP to take the lead but the no quit Tommies replied with a goal from Felix-Antoine Poulin and  another quick one from Randy Cameron, with goal four and the game winner.  Stephen Sanza would score into the empty net to wrap things up.  Justin Collier gets the win in the STU nets and was huge when called upon.

In AUS women's play, the Lady Tommies were defeated 4 to 1 by Mount Allison.  Scoring for STU was Katie Brewster.

Friday 28 October 2011

Huskies outlast Tommies

It can't be said enough, there is no quit in our Tommies this year. NONE!! STU loses another close one tonight 4 - 3 to the Saint Mary's Huskies but word is starting to spread in the AUS, STU isn't to be taken lightly.

The Tommies jumped out to an early 2 to 0 lead in the first 7 minutes of the game on goals by Robert Zandbeek (MacDonald, Eagles) shorthanded and Brad Gallant (Zandbeek) on the powerplay. SMU replied with three straight goals, including two by Chris MacKinnon 1 minute apart, to take a 3 - 2 lead after one period.

STU tied the game at 10:41 of the second period - while shorthanded....again - when Brad Gallant chipped in a Jonathan Bonneau pass to make it 3 - 3. SMU would respond just over a minute later with their fourth goal and eventual game winner.

The third period began with SMU dominating most of the play but the final 8 minutes of the period drug on and on as SMU kept icing the puck and slowing down the Tommies at every turn. No matter what they tried, the Tommies could not find the equalizer. Charles Lavigne was magnificent in goal facing 37 shots. BOX SCORE

The Tommies will try to get in the win column tomorrow night against St-FX, who fell to Moncton this evening 4 to 2.

Four games scheduled this weekend

The Tommies hit the road for three of four games this weekend with an afternoon game at home on Sunday.  The men are set to invade Halifax tonight looking for their first win and take on the 2 - 3 Saint Mary's Huskies at 7 PM.  You can watch the SMU webcast HERE. Tomorrow night they head up the highway to St-FX and battle the X-Men. Game time is 7 PM, watch their webcast HERE.

The Lady Tommies head to Sackville tomorrow night and take on the Mounties at 5 PM. There is no broadcast available for this game. On Sunday the Tommies will be back home at the LBR to take on the UPEI Panthers. Game time is 2 PM AST and you can catch all the action with Randy Corey on Tommies TV.

GO TOMMIES!!

Sunday 23 October 2011

Tommies humbled in Moncton

The St. Thomas Tommies women's team headed to Moncton today hoping to settle the score somewhat after a disappointing 6 - 1 loss to Les Aigles in the pre-season. It didn't work out that way and STU lost by the same margin, a 5 - 0 thumping.

The first period was fine as the game remained scoreless. The second period saw U de M score one goal at the 7:00 minute mark, just as a Tommies penalty expired and then the wheels fell off.

Amanda Burns
Moncton would score 4 times in the third to bury St. Thomas. M-P Arseneault scored 4 times for U de M. Julia Shurun stopped 39 of 44 shots in the loss.

Amanda Burns was named interim Captain of the Tommies for this game in absence of Kayla Blackmore, who is sidelined indefinitely with an injury.

Lady Tommies on the road today

After more than a week since their last game the Lady Tommies head down the Trans Canada Highway to Moncton and take on the U de M Aigles Bleues at 2 PM. The team will be playing without their team Captain Kayla Blackmore, as she is recovering from a lower body injury she suffered last weekend versus Mount Allison. No time frame has been given on her return.

Today's game will be webcast and you can watch it HERE. Good luck Ladies. GO TOMMIES GO

STU Athletics recently caught up with Coach Peter Murphy and spoke to him about this year's Tommies. Here is the video interview and link to the full story.

STU Athletics: NEXT GENERATION OF TOMMIES JOIN A TALENTED SQUAD - WOMEN’S HOCKEY SEASON PREVIEW 2011 - 2012

Saturday 22 October 2011

Tommies' valiant comeback falls short against Axemen.

There's no quit in these Tommies.  The new STU attitude was on display tonight at the LBR as the Tommies battled back from a 3-goal deficit in the third period, but ultimately fell short, 7-5 to Acadia.

St. Thomas captured the early momentum at 2:15 of the opening period when Alexandre Labonte (Felix-Antoine Poulin) beat Axemen goaltender Peter DiSalvo for a power play goal, his first of the season, to give STU a 1-0 lead.  But the flow shifted back Acadia's way as they capitalized on a pair of power play opportunities of their own, with goals from Spencer Jezegou and Michael Ward.  Acadia outshot St. Thomas 11-9 in the first.

The Axemen jumped out quickly in the middle stanza on Joe Gaynor's first of three to make it 3-1.  STU responded quickly, drawing to within a goal on Brad Gallant's (Randy Cameron, Jordan Scott) marker at 2:34.  Andrew Clark restored Acadia's 2-goal advantage on a shot at which Charles Lavigne would wish to have another crack.  Clark expanded the lead to 5-2 at 9:01 on the powerplay, and the Tommies appeared to be down and out, trailing by 3 after 40 minutes, outshot 13-8 in the second period.

But the 2011-12 STU Tommies are demonstrating a resolute tenacity early on this season.  After some good work by Robert Zandbeek, Randy Cameron chipped a puck over to Chris Van Laren for his first goal as a Tommie at 5:21 of the third period to make it 5-3, setting the stage for the Steve Sanza show.  On an Acadia powerplay, Sanza took advantage of a turnover, using Matt Eagles - who would earn an assist on the goal - as a decoy on a 2-on-1, beating DiSalvo with a short-side wrist shot to pull St. Thomas within a goal at 6:39.  Sanza (Labonte) then potted his second of the night at 8:41, and the 493 in attendance came alive with the prospect of an exciting finish with the game tied at 5.  However, Gaynor scored at 12:47 to re-establish the Acadia lead at 6-5, and with Lavigne on the bench for an extra attacker, Gaynor outraced Poulin for the puck and finished off both the hat trick and the Tommies' hopes for their first victory of the season, sealing the 7-5 win.  Final shots on goal favoured Acadia 29-24.

The Tommies' men are on the road next weekend, with tilts versus Saint Mary's and St. F-X.

Friday 21 October 2011

Tigers outduel Tommies

The Dalhousie Tigers pulled out a 5 - 3 win tonight over the Tommies in the final home opener at the LBR.  A good effort by STU nonetheless but not enough to secure a win in front of a raucous home crowd.

Trevor MacKenzie with a one-timer at 13:55 got the Tigers off and running in the first period.  DAL's goalie, Bobby Nadeau, was solid holding the Tommies scoreless facing 15 shots in the period.

STU would reply early in the second on a powerplay when Matt Eagles outwaited Nadeau and slipped the puck by him at 1:34 to tie the game. REPLAY  Nadeau was replaced in goal by Wendell Vye after suffering an injury on an earlier play.  Dalhousie scored the next 2 goals at 4:49 and 13:43 to take a 3 - 1 lead.  The Tommies came right back 28 seconds later at 14:11 on a goal by Jonathan Bonneau assisted by Robert Zandbeek and Jordan Scott. REPLAY  The prettiest goal of the night was scored shorthanded by Andrew Andricopoulos at the 17 minute mark to tie the game.  Crops got the puck in the neutral zone and skated by the DAL defenseman, went to the front of the net, and wristed a shot that beat Vye. REPLAY The second period ended with the teams deadlocked at 3's.

The Tigers came out hungry in the third and heavily out shot STU 18 - 7 in the period.  The winning goal was scored at 6:17 by Pierre-Alexandre Vandall right off a face-off.  The Tommies could not recover and would give up an empty net goal to Ben Breault at 18:16 to fall by a score of 5 - 3. Daily Gleaner: Tommies keep trying for Ryan

St. Thomas will try to get their first win of the season tomorrow night versus the Acadia Axemen.  You can catch all the action with Randy Corey live on Tommies TV at 7 PM.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Matt Eagles named Tommies Captain

Matt Eagles
The St. Thomas Tommies have named Matt Eagles as the new Captain of the team. No surprise really as Matt was rumored in the preseason to be taking over from Erick Tremblay, who is spending extra time concentrating on his academics this year. Eagles is no stranger to wearing the "C" as he was the team captain in Moncton for his junior team. Daily Gleaner: "Eagles dons "C" for Tommies"

Don't forget that Friday night is the men's home opener versus the Dalhousie Tigers.  This will mark the 43rd and final opener at the LBR since the Tommies started playing in Fredericton back in 1964. (STU did not ice a team between 1975 and 1979)  It should be a loud one at the LBR, as it will also be a residence challenge, so there should be some extra motivation for the men. IF you aren't able to attend don't forget that all Tommies HOME games are webcast this year on Tommies TV.

A quick shout out to the following players on being named CIS Academic All Canadians for 2010-2011. A lot of hard work goes into an award like this, these players certainly deserve the recognition.

Jason Cassidy (Toronto, Ont)
Matt Eagles (Fredericton, NB)
Ben MacFarlane (Woodstock, NB)
Guillaume Miszczak (Montreal, QC)
Christian Morin (Dartmouth, NS)
Erick Tremblay (Gatineau, QC)
Kayla Blackmore (Fredericton, NB)
Kathleen Boyle (Saint John, NB)
Andrea Fischer (Bern, Swiss)
Jessica Holt (Woodstock, NB)
Lyse Rossignol (Fredericton, NB)
Laurianne Savard (St-Adelphe, QC)
Julia Sharun (Edmonton, AB)

Congratulations!!!

Tuesday 18 October 2011

"New hockey coach, new approach" by Chris Morehouse

Here is an article from the Aquinan written by Chris Morehouse, a soon to be Tommie. I didn't know that Chris was taking Journalism at STU but if this article is any indication, he should do well. As a Tommies fan I must admit that it gives me hope. I hope it does for you as well. For that I say "Thanks Chris".

Here are a few excerpts from the article. The link to the full article is below.
Hours before practice starts at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink, and hours after, he’s preparing: everything from sharpening skates to cleaning the dressing room to doing the players’ laundry. Those may not sound like regular coaching duties, but Ryan isn’t your average coach.

“I feel that by changing the atmosphere and expectations of our team and making players proud to be a Tommie will create success and change our team’s image.”
The Aquinan - New hockey coach, new approach

Saturday 15 October 2011

Tommies pull out OT win over Mounties

The Lady Tommies opened their season tonight at home against Mount Allison with a big win in overtime. Mt. A opened the scoring at 10:02 on the powerplay on a goal from Chelsea King, assisted by Courtney King. Later in the period, captain Kayla Blackmore went awkwardly into the "White Monster", suffering a lower body injury. Blackmore stayed on the ice for several minutes before eventually being taken off by stretcher to hospital. Reports are she's doing OK, and we wish Kayla a full recovery and look forward to her return to the Tommies as soon as she is able. The period ended with the Mounties up by a goal, having outshot STU 9-2.

The second period was scoreless, Mt. Allison held a 7-6 edge in shots, but the Tommies controlled much of the play in the last half of the period.

St. Thomas found the back of the net to tie things up at 11:47 of the third on a goal from Erin MacIsaac, assisted by Jenna Scott. The Mounties again outshot STU 12-9 as the game advanced to overtime.

The Tommies killed off an Amanda Burns penalty in the extra period to keep the win possible. Just a few minutes later Dani Miller sent a great pass to Renata Mastna, who fired a quick shot past the Mt. Allison goalie to give the Tommies the opening night victory and win for their team captain, who was listening to the game in the hospital. AUS Box score  Aquinan Article

In AUS men's hockey from Wolfville, the Tommies fell 3 - 1 to Acadia. The teams were tied 0-0 after the 1st. Acadia scored two quick goals to open the 2nd period but the Tommies fought back to close the gap and the period ended 2-1 Acadia. Acadia put the game on ice with a goal mid way through the 3rd. STU's lone goal came off the stick of Jordan Scott (Brad Gallant - Rob Zandbeek).

Charles Lavigne took the loss in net making 38 saves as Acadia out shot the Tommies 41-29. Bryan Main earned the game's 2nd star honors. Acadia Athletics story and box score

Home opener tonight versus Mount Allison

Tonight marks the final home opener for the Tommies at the venerable Lady Beaverbrook Rink.  St. Thomas takes on the Mount Allison Mounties at 7 PM.  If you are planning to come to the game please think about rocking some pink attire this evening as the Lady Tommies are supporting Breast Cancer awareness.  An absolute great cause!!

Can't make it to the game tonight?  No problem!  St. Thomas University will be webcasting all men's and women's home games this season.  Thanks to Randy Corey for doing the PxP, now the official voice of the Tommies, not just the men.  Here is the link, http://w3.stu.ca/stu/athletics/broadcast/default.aspx You will find a permanent link on the side really soon.

Meanwhile in Wolfville, the men will be looking to get into the win column against the Acadia Axemen. It was a tough 2 to 1 loss last night for STU and it won't get easier tonight versus Acadia on their notoriously tough olympic size ice surface. You can watch the game live RIGHT HERE.

Good luck to both our teams and GO TOMMIES!

Friday 14 October 2011

Close call but Tommies fall to Tigers

The Tommies couldn't get that one extra bounce they needed tonight and lost a close 2 to 1 game in Halifax versus the Dalhousie Tigers.

It started off great for STU, as Felix-Antoine Poulin scored 39 seconds into the 1st period with Randy Cameron and Steve Sanza getting assists. The Tigers would tie the game later in the first when Shea Kewin got the lucky bounce off his skate to go by Charles Lavigne. Shots in the period were 10 to 9 for STU.

The second period was scoreless but dominated by Dalhousie as they pumped 21 shots on the STU net. The Tommies could only muster 6 on Bobby Nadeau, as the score remained tied after two.

The Tigers took the lead at 3:08 of the third on a goal by Jordan Gagne and held on for the victory, as STU couldn't get the equalizer. STU held the shot advantage in the period 10 - 9 but overall the Tigers, with a strong middle stanza, out shot STU 41 - 28. CIS Boxscore

The Tommies move on to Wolfeville tomorrow night against a strong Acadia team that was thumping Moncton tonight 9 to 2 late in the third. I'll have the link for the broadcast (both men's and women's) tomorrow.  Daily Gleaner: Tommies fall to Tigers and HCH AUS roundup: Tigers top Tommies

AUS Preview pegs Tommies for 8th

The always excellent AUS Preview by Bruce Hallihan is available in today's Daily Gleaner. Unsurprisingly, the Tommies are predicted to finish last in the always tough AUS conference.  Bruce has prognosticated the standings as follows:

1. UNB
2. St-FX
3. Acadia
4. SMU
5. UPEI
6. Moncton
7. Dalhousie
8. St. Thomas

Daily Gleaner AUS preview
Daily Gleaner: Coaches expectations

Tommies fans are of course hoping to prove Bruce wrong.  At the least, you need to crawl before you walk, and we're hoping to see some on-ice improvement this year.

It all begins tonight for STU against Dalhousie. Here is the webcast link for the game.

On another note, UNBHockeyFans.com is conducting their 3rd annual AUS Hockey Pool.  Check it out and play along.

Also, congratulations to former Tommie Keith Wynn on signing with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Lady Tommies building for nationals

The Tommies may not have all the pieces to the puzzle yet but Coach Murphy is working on it and although he lost some good players this year, he's brought in some good ones too. Jamie Ross of The Daily Gleaner caught up with Peter Murphy recently and looked ahead to the 2011-2012 season and Nationals in 2014.
Their regular season gets underway this weekend with a Saturday night match up against the Mounties at 7 p.m. at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink.

Murphy said he likes what he's seen of his new-look squad thus far, though the 6-1 loss to UdeM made it clear the team needs more time to get on the same page, organizationally speaking.

"They're coming along. They're making better and better decisions the more they play," he said. "It was a good test for us. Moncton is a team where you need to be sharp on your systems, and (a game like that) exposes the younger team a little bit."
In regard to Nationals:
Murphy said the team will strive to maintain or improve on its third place regular season finish from last season, meanwhile continuing to build toward 2014.

"We still have two recruiting seasons between now and then," he said.

"You have to look at who will be done next, and where the holes in the roster are going to be. How do you fill those holes, and how can you get there in two years?"
Check out the full article DG: The Tommies are building, not rebuilding, says Murphy

Sunday 9 October 2011

Not a Grand night for Tommies

The U de M Aigles Bleus pounded the Tommies tonight 11 to 2 in Grand Falls. Moncton was "on" from the "get go" and had scored 5 goals by the 7:06 mark of the first period. Charles Lavigne was pulled after goal number four and replaced by Justin Collier, who would surrender the final seven.

Moncton would score their sixth goal at 3:24 of the second period before Brad Gallant (Labonte, Cameron) scored on the PP at 4:10 and Matt Eagles (Morin, Andricopoulos) on the PP at 13:30 to make it 6 to 2. They would get no closer.

U de M would score one more time in the second frame and four more in the 3rd period to round out the scoring.

While this wasn't the ending to the preseason STU had hoped for, the big win on Friday night versus the Panthers should be a better measuring stick to gauge their progress. The Tommies looked sluggish tonight and perhaps with good reason. They arrived early this morning from PEI to have a few hours sleep before boarding the bus again early this afternoon to play in Grand Falls. Let's hope for better results next week in the regular season.

Friday 7 October 2011

Tommies defeat Panthers for first exhibition win

The monkey is off Troy Ryan's back, as his St. Thomas Tommies recorded their first win under his tenure, 2 to 1 over the UPEI Panthers.

The first period was scoreless but goals by rookie Chris Van Laren at the 13 minute mark of the second period and Alex Labonte in the third were enough to ensure the victory. Andrew Andricopoulos, Randy Cameron, and Stephen Sanza all had assists. UPEI also scored in the third but the Labonte goal proved to be the winner.

Charles Lavigne was stellar in net tonight for St. Thomas stopping 29 of 30 shots while STU fired 26 the other way. The Tommies are back in action tomorrow night against U de M in Grand Falls. GO TOMMIES!

Thursday 6 October 2011

Tommies hit the road for final weekend of preseason

The Tommies continue their exhibition hockey schedule this weekend with two away games at neutral sites. On Friday night STU heads to Summerside to take on UPEI at Credit Union Place. Game time is 7 PM. The Panthers defeated the Tommies in their opening pre-season game on September 21st, 7 – 3. Of significance in this game will be the return of four year St. Thomas player Devan Praught to a green jersey. Unfortunately (for us) it will be for the Panthers, as Devan received word this week that he has been given approval by the CIS to play this season for the Panthers without sitting out a year. Congratulations are in order and we wish him well in the B Ed program at UPEI.

On Saturday night the Tommies head to Grand Falls to take on the U de M Aigles Bleus. The game will take place at 7 PM at the E.P. Sénéchal Centre. The Aigles Bleus have been solid in exhibition play so far this year with wins over Acadia, Dalhousie, and UPEI. This is the final preseason tune-up before the regular season gets underway next Friday night the 14th against Dalhousie in Halifax. The Lady Tommies start next Saturday night the 15th at home against Mount Allison.

Sunday 2 October 2011

Men's Tommies trying to build a successful program

STU Athletics has just released an interesting article on this season's men's hockey team. Here are a few highlights and I'm really excited to see this level of commitment by the University in showcasing/covering athletics at STU. Please keep it up! BRAVO!!
“It’s going to be tough on them, and it’s even tougher when you’re coming to a team that isn’t a top-end team. The guys know they have a challenge,” says Ryan. “The team hasn’t done well in the last few years. But, we’re all working to change that.”

Ryan is taking it slow and not trying to move the program faster than it can develop. Competing in a very tough AUS conference, the players need time to gel, develop and adjust to the university game.

“Right now there’s limited staff here. Early on I don’t mind it this way. I’m helping with the taping, I’m doing the laundry, I’m doing sort of everything to run the program. So when I go ask a player who normally thinks he’s a first-line guy to go play a checking role on the fourth-line, I feel he has no argument against me because I’m doing things to help the team that coaches don’t do.”


STU Athletics: MEN’S HOCKEY SEASON PREVIEW – FIRST STEPS TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM

Tommies finish 2nd at Moncton tournament

It wasn't the result the Tommies were looking for this afternoon against Moncton but it is the one they will have to take. STU lost 6 to 1 against U de M in the championship game of Moncton Invitational Tournament.

The Tommies were shell shocked in the first period getting out shot 20 - 2 but survived it well going into the second frame tied at zeros.

Moncton rattled off 3 goals in the middle stanza, including an early powerplay marker and a shorty. The Tommies had the better of the period shots but couldn't get one by the U de M goalie.

Dani Miller scored STU's lone goal early in the third period from Kayla Blackmore but this was it for the Tommies. Les Aigles would score 3 more times to cement the win. Final shots on goal were 35 to 31 for U de M. Dani Miller was STU's player of the game.

With second place at the tournament wrapped up, two Tommies took home All-Star honours. Amanda Burns on defense and Kayla Blackmore up front earned 2 of the 6 All-Star positions.

That ends the Ladies' pre-season games. Their next action will be regular season against Mt. Allison on Saturday, October 15th at the LBR.

Daily Gleaner: STU falls in women's hockey final

Lady Tommies in UdeM tournament finale today

In-spite of a disappointing 5 to 4 overtime loss to the Saint Mary's Huskies yesterday afternoon, the Tommies will get a chance to play for first place today in the U de M Hockey tournament going on in Moncton. Yesterday's games saw MT. Allison defeat Dalhousie 5 to 3 and Moncton down UPEI 6 to 5 in OT. Therefore DAL, MTA, SMU, and STU finish with one and one records but only St. Thomas' loss was in overtime. It was the deciding factor and enough to push STU through to the finals.

The Tommies will take on the undefeated U de M at 3:00 PM this afternoon. With five goals in two games look for Kayla Blackmore to get named to the Tournament all-stars during the post game ceremonies. The game will be webcast and you can watch the action HERE. GO TOMMIES!!

Saturday 1 October 2011

Tommies fall twice in OT

Both St. Thomas teams were overtime losers in AUS exhibition play today. In Moncton, the Lady Tommies dropped a 5-4 decision to Saint Mary's, despite outshooting the Huskies 58-27. Kayla Blackmore scored a pair of goals, with singles from Renata Mastna and Courtney Fox. Katie Brewster chipped in 3 assists. STU went 3-for-9 on the powerplay.

At the LBR, the Men were 4-3 losers to visiting UQTR. Brad Gallant, Randy Cameron and Yuri Cheremetiev were the goal scorers for the Tommies, who were outshot 36-33.
Daily Gleaner: Narrow loss for Tommies

The Lady Tommies are back in action at the UdeM preseason tournament tomorrow, against a still to be announced opponent. The Men will travel to Summerside on Friday night to face UPEI.