Monday, December 20, 2010

This week in SMC Athletics

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The men's and women's basketball teams ended the fall semester for Saint Michael's College athletics over the weekend. The women split a pair of games at the Florida Institute of Technology/Carmax Holiday Tournament, while the men suffered an overtime loss at Queens (N.Y.) College.

The women's basketball team (4-4) played in Florida for the first time in five seasons, and came back with a win following Sunday's 62-49 victory against Palm Beach Atlantic University. In that game, junior Coreen Hennessy (Chatham, N.H./Fryeburg Academy) led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points in just 15 minutes of action, making 5-of-7 shots from the field. Classmate Caitlin Quinn (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) added 11 points and four steals. The win came less than 24 hours after a heartbreaking defeat, as the Purple Knights opened the tournament with a 61-60 setback to the University of West Florida on Saturday. Senior Logan Pintka (Schenectady, N.Y./Colonie Central) set a career-high with 29 points and added seven rebounds against West Florida, helping her earn All-Tournament Team honors. She finished 17-of-22 from the foul line on Saturday - just one shy of matching the program record in both categories, set by Tara Clark '99 against West Liberty State College on November 29, 1997.

The men's basketball team (3-6) lost its second overtime contest this season, falling at Queens on Sunday, 81-72. The Purple Knights rallied from a four-point deficit in the final minute of regulation, as senior Nate Birr (Burnsville, Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) made a jumper and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds of the second half to force the extra session. Saint Michael's, however, was outscored in overtime 20-11. Freshman Michael Holton, Jr. (Portland, Ore./Sunset/The Winchendon School) netted a team-high 20 points in the loss, while sophomore Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Men's ice hockey junior Reave MacKinnon (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg Saints) was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week last Monday afternoon (December 13), and received Eastern College Athletic Conference East Honor Roll accolades as well. MacKinnon received the honors after becoming the first Purple Knight in nearly 11 years to score four goals in one game, leading Saint Michael's (4-3, 2-0 NE-10, 2-3 ECAC East) to a 6-4 win at Franklin Pierce University on December 11.

Women's ice hockey sophomore Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) and freshman Michelle Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass./East Coast Wizards) were also named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference East Honor Roll last Monday afternoon. Stevens stopped a career-high 59 shots in a 5-2 loss to Potsdam State University on December 10, while Doherty - in her collegiate debut - tallied a goal and an assist to lead Saint Michael's (2-8-1, 1-4-1 ECAC East).

A pair of seniors - Liz Freiberger (South Walpole, Mass./Walpole) and Jenn Senecal (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) - were named to the 2010 New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association All-New England Second Team, it was recently announced. Both players played in all 17 games for the Purple Knights in 2010, and helped Saint Michael's win 25 games in their four-year careers.

Approximately 20 members of the men's lacrosse team lent a helping hand on December 11-12, as the student-athletes donated their time - and muscle - for a worthy cause. The squad spent time loading and unloading Christmas trees sold at City Market, with proceeds from all sales going to the Committee On Temporary Shelter (COTS).

Upcoming Schedule:
Day Date Event
Tue. Dec. 28 Men's ice hockey vs. U.S. National University Team (ex.), 7 p.m.

Fri. Dec. 31 Women's ice hockey vs. Colby (SMC Holiday Classic), 4 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 1 Women's ice hockey - Colby vs. St. Catherine(SMC Holiday Classic),1 p.m.
Men's ice hockey vs. Johnson & Wales (SMC Holiday Classic), 4 p.m.
Men's ice hockey - Castleton vs. Morrisville St. (SMC Holiday Classic), 7 p.m.

Sun. Jan. 2 Women's ice hockey vs. St. Catherine (SMC Holiday Classic), 1 p.m.
Men's ice hockey - Castleton vs. Johnson & Wales (SMC Holiday Classic), 1 p.m.
Women's basketball vs. Bentley, 1:30 p.m.*
Men's basketball vs. Bentley, 3:30 p.m.*
Men's ice hockey vs. Morrisville St. (SMC Holiday Classic), 4 p.m.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Purple Knights Men's Lacrosse Team Prepares for Winter Training Schedule

The St. Michael's College Men's Lacrosse team has finished their first semester team practices. Individual sessions consisting of four or five players working on stickwork skills have elso come to an end.

As finals are rapping up around campus, lacrosse players are preparing to go home to their families to enjoy the holiday break. While on break, the team will prepare for the Spring season with an intense weight-lifting schedule where players can choose from a 3, 4, or 5 day workout plan. In addition, every player is challenged to be able to run 1 mile in under 6 mintues by the end of break. Head Coach Paul Schimoler has stressed the importance of being in excellent condition to his players in order to outlast opponents come the fourth quarter of games.

"I think we're gonna have a great season with the players we have," says junior defenseman Evan White. "In the past years, the potential has been there but now that we have matured, its time to step up to the plate and reach our expecations."

In the closing meeting before break, the team reviewed their preseason goals and gained inspiration to work as hard as they can to imporove.

According to junior defenseman Garrett Clark, the team needs everyone to step up as leaders, from seniors all the way to first years.

"We are in a unique situation where we have a young team," says Clark. "We all need to work hard and come together as a team and there is no telling how far we can take this season."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

This Week in SMC Athletics

As the Purple Knights enter the last week of action before Christmas break, men’s hockey junior Reave MacKinnon (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Winnipeg Saints) provided a bright spot in a tough week for Saint Michael’s with a four-goal performance in a 6-4 win at Franklin Pierce.

The men’s hockey team (4-3-0, 2-0-0 NE-10, 2-3-0 ECAC East) lost 8-1 to nationally-ranked Norwich on Tuesday before snapping a three-game losing streak with a 6-4 win at Franklin Pierce on Saturday. MacKinnon strung together six points in two games, including a four-goal performance against the Ravens that marked the first time a Saint Michael’s men’s hockey player has scored four goals in a game since Jeremy Coccaro ’02 netted five goals against Suffolk on Jan. 22, 2000. MacKinnon currently ranks third in the Northeast-10 and fourth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference East in points. Senior Nick Sheehan (Potsdam, N.Y./Cornwall Colts) scored a goal and handed out two assists during the week. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Dec. 28 when the Purple Knights host the U.S. National University team for an exhibition game at Cairns Arena at 7 p.m.

The women’s hockey team (2-8-1, 1-4-1 ECAC East) dropped both games of a weekend series at Potsdam State, losing 5-2 on Friday before falling 6-3 on Saturday. Freshman Michelle Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass./East Coast Wizards) scored her first career goal just 1:23 into her first collegiate game on Friday. Doherty, who sat out the first nine games of the season recovering from a concussion, netted the opening goal and recorded an assist in the 5-2 loss to the Bears. Sophomore goalie Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) made a career-high 59 saves on Friday. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Dec. 31 against Colby in the opening game on the SMC Holiday Tournament at Cairns Arena.

The men’s basketball team (3-5, 1-4 NE-10) suffered its first home loss, 72-57, against Saint Anselm on Tuesday in its only game of the week. Sophomore Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) paced Saint Michael’s with 15 points, and freshman Michael Holton, Jr. (Portland, Ore./Sunset (The Winchendon School)) recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) added 10 points and eight rebounds. Saint Michael’s celebrated the 40-year career of recently retired Cliff Brenier, the Purple Knights’ official scorekeeper, during pregame ceremonies. A video of the event can be found here. The Purple Knights, who currently ranked in the top three in the NE-10 in field goal and free throw percentage, return to action on Sunday, Dec. 19, for a non-conference game at Queens (N.Y.) at 1 p.m.

The women’s basketball team (3-3, 2-3 NE-10) surrendered a nine-point halftime lead to lose to Saint Anselm 59-56 in overtime at home on Tuesday in its only game of the week. Senior Meghan McCormack (Barrie, Ont./Saint Peter’s Secondary School) recorded a double-double with a team-best 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and sophomore Nicole Adach (Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen) also notched a double-double (without making a field goal) on perfect 12-of-12 free throw shooting and 10 rebounds. Saint Michael’s heads to Florida on Dec. 18-19 for a two game stint in the Florida Institute of Technology Christmas Tournament.


This Week’s Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 18
Women’s Basketball vs. West Florida (Florida Tech Christmas Tournament)4 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 19
Women’s Basketball vs. Florida Tech/Palm Beach Atlantic (Florida Tech Christmas Tournament), 2/4 p.m.

Men’s Basketball at Queens (N.Y.), 1 p.m.

*Northeast-10 Conference Game

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

This Week in SMC Athletics

Saint Michael’s basketball celebrated 37 years of hoops at the Ross Sports Center, the men’s hockey team saw its season-opening tear come to an end, and the baseball team was reinstated to the Northeast-10 Conference to cap the first week of Purple Knight action in December.

The men’s basketball team (3-4, 1-3 NE-10) won its lone game of the week, beating So. New Hampshire 74-68 at home on Wednesday on the 37th anniversary of the first game played at the Vincent C. Ross Sports Center. Sophomore Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) led Saint Michael’s with 17 points, while freshman Michael Holton, Jr. (Portland, Ore./Sunset (The Winchendon School)) had 14 points and five rebounds to help the Purple Knights claim their first Northeast-10 Conference win of the season. Junior Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds, and senior Nate Birr (Burnsville, Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) recorded 11 points and five assists. Saint Michael’s is now 2-0 at home, and will host Saint Anselm on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The women’s basketball team (3-2, 3-2 NE-10) beat So. New Hampshire and Chestnut Hill by 19 and 21 points, respectively, to post a 2-0 week and win their home opener for the seventh consecutive season. Junior Caitlin Quinn (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) drained 5-of-7 three-pointers on her way to a game-high 19 points against the Penmen on Wednesday, and junior Coreen Hennessy (Chatham, N.H./Fryeburg Academy) scored a career-high 19 points and went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe in the team’s first-ever meeting with the Griffins on Saturday. Saint Michael’s plays its last home game of the month on Tuesday against Saint Anselm at 5:30 p.m.

The men’s hockey team (3-2-0, 1-0-0 NE-10, 2-2-0 ECAC East) suffered its first two losses of the season, dropping road contests to Hamilton and Amherst over the weekend. Sophomore Petr Soustal (Unicov, Czech Republic/Hartford Wolfpack) scored his first collegiate goal in a 4-1 loss at Hamilton, and sophomore Dan Pelletier (Sutton, Mass./South Kent School) did likewise in the following day’s 6-1 setback to the Lord Jeffs. Sophomore Colby MacDonald (Byfield, Mass./The Gunnery School) recorded his first career point by assisting Pelletier’s goal. Saint Michael’s hosts nationally-ranked and defending national champions Norwich on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The women’s hockey team (2-6-1, 1-4-1 ECAC East) split a weekend series at Sacred Heart, losing 2-1 on Friday before bouncing back with a 4-2 win on Saturday. Junior Maddy Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets/Rutgers Univ.) scored twice in two games, including the game-winner in the second contest to extend her team lead with seven goals. Santore has now scored a goal in seven of the last eight games. Senior goalie Alysia Goldman (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Hebron Academy) made 39 saves in her first victory of the year. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Friday with a 4 p.m. game at Potsdam State University.

The swimming and diving men finished fifth and the women sixth at the Northeast-10 Invitational at Bentley on Saturday and Sunday. For the men’s side, junior Dan Healy (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington) had the men’s best finish with a second-place performance in the 100-yard backstroke. For the women, junior Eileen Mullowney (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) won the 50-yard freestyle, breaking her own program record by .01 seconds. The Purple Knights resume their season on Jan. 13 when they host Bentley for the first of five straight home meets.

The baseball team will rejoin the NE-10 beginning in the 2012 season, as the result of a revised league schedule that the conference office announced on Tuesday. Saint Michael’s competed in the NE-10 in baseball for nine seasons from 1990-98 before becoming an independent program. A primary reason for the College’s decision to become an independent for baseball beginning in 1999 was significant concern about missed class time, an area addressed in the NE-10’s proposed baseball schedule for 2012. With these changes to the scheduling model in place, the conference will be able to provide a better balance between competitive opportunities and academic pursuits. “This is a huge day for the Saint Michael’s baseball program” said head coach Paul Morgan, who enters his third season at the helm of the program in 2011. “Moving back into the Northeast-10 Conference will allow us the opportunity to compete annually against some of the best NCAA Division II teams in the Northeast, and play in some of the best baseball facilities in the country. Saint Michael’s baseball has such a loyal group of alumni who have supported this program, and they will be thrilled to hear this news.”


This Week’s Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 7
Women’s Basketball vs. Saint Anselm*, 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Hockey vs. Norwich^, 7p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs. Saint Anselm*, 7:30 p.m.

Fri. Dec. 10
Women’s Hockey at Potsdam State, 4 p.m.

Sat. Dec. 11
Women’s Hockey at Potsdam State, 1 p.m.
Men’s Hockey at Franklin Pierce*, 7 p.m.

*Northeast-10 Conference Game
^Eastern College Athletic Conference Game

Friday, December 3, 2010

Men's Soccer: Summer trip to England

The men's soccer team traveled to England this summer. Here's a video of highlights from the trip!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Alpine Skiing: Thanksgiving Camp

From Guest Blogger: Ashley Langlands '12

The Ladies
The alpine ski team has finally kicked off the season over Thanksgiving break with five days of skiing in Sunday River, Maine.  Eight guys and six gals (along with our two coaches!) packed up three SMC vans, and caravanned four hours in search of snow! No doubt about it, we found some!
It was the first time on-snow for the majority of the team members this season. We began with a fun-filled day of drills and free skiing, which soon built up to some gate training over the next few days.  Each day the mountain kept the snow guns at full blast to increase coverage, and open some new terrain.  As the days went by, the weather got even better and the sun was even shining the last two days!
Carl Oscar and John David
Spending as much time together as we do, we become our own sort of family. The close-ties of this year's team became apparent on Thanksgiving when 16 of us sat around a family table and enjoyed an amazing turkey dinner with all the fixings (and of course some yummy dessert!) at the Bethel Inn. We squeezed in, passed the gravy, and spilled some things, too. :-P
With every family comes sibling rivalry. On Saturday night, the team played Laser Tag and things got pretty intense. Everyone was preparing their game faces for the ski season.
All in all, the camp was a total success! Great on snow training and fun-filled adventures with teammates! 


The Coaches
Some team members will be racing this Saturday at Killington in a Vermont Cup race, so keep your fingers crossed and your eyes peeled for results!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

This Week in SMC Athletics

Winter sports celebrated five wins last week and the fall season officially came to a close, commencing with a strong showing by both cross country squads at the NCAA Regionals in Boston on Sunday.

Freshman Gabrielle Naranja (Fort Kent, Maine/Fort Kent Community) powered the Saint Michael’s women’s cross country team to a 13th-place finish out of 30 teams at Regionals. Naranja, the foundation of the team the entire season, paced the Purple Knights with a 16th-place finish in the 187 runner field, finishing the six-kilometer race in 23:41. Junior Caitlin Ferland (Vergennes, Vt./Bay Path) finished second for Saint Michael’s and 74th overall in 25:21. For the men, junior Matt Smith (Winchester, Mass./Muhlenberg) ran the 10-kilometer race in 34:10 to finish in 69th place. Sophomore Colin Delaney (Lake Placid, N.Y./National Sports Acad.) finished three seconds behind Smith for 70th place.

The men’s basketball team posted an 86-79 come-from-behind win over Concordia at home on Saturday to cap a 1-1 week, marking first-year head coach Michael Harding’s first win at the Ross Sports Center. Saint Michael’s trailed the Clippers well into the second half, trailing by eight points with 10 minutes to go. Harding’s squad scored 10 of the next 12 points to tie the game at 68 heading into the final seven minutes, and a 9-0 run helped the Purple Knights pull ahead for good. Freshman Michael Holton, Jr. (Portland, Ore./The Winchendon School) tallied 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, helping the hosts erase an eight-point second half deficit. Holton also handed out seven assists without committing a turnover in the win, and averaged 21 points and 5.5 assists per game during the week. Sophomore Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) tallied 20 points for the third time in four games, and junior Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Purple Knights return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Franklin Pierce at 7:30 p.m.

The women’s basketball team scored 49 points in the second half on their way to beating UMass Lowell 80-64 in the season-opener at home on Wednesday. Saint Michael’s held a slim four-point lead at the half and the River Hawks pulled within four (52-48) again with 10:49 to play, but the Purple Knights answered with a 14-2 run that put them in the driver’s seat the rest of the way. Saint Michael’s combined to hit 12 three-pointers, tying the program record for a single game set against Saint Anselm on Jan. 19, 1994. Freshman Cara Deroy (Camden, Conn./Hamden) and junior Caitlin Quinn (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) each had 15 points for Saint Michael’s. Seniors Logan Pintka (Schenectady, N.Y./Colonie Central) and Mandy Scott (Vergennes, Vt./Vergennes Union) had 14 and 11 points, respectively, rounding out the four Purple Knights in double figures. The win marks the first time the Purple Knights have won by 16 points since Jan. 9 of last year and the first 80-point game since winning 85-74 in overtime at Dominican Jan. 21, 2008. Saint Michael’s returns to conference play on Tuesday on the road against Franklin Pierce at 5:30 p.m.

The men’s hockey team opened its season in grand fashion and scored a combined 11 goals in home wins over Southern Maine and the University of New England. In a true sharing of wealth, six different Purple Knights scored in Friday’s 6-2 win, and five different players scored in Saturday’s 5-0 victory. Juniors Brady Earle (Columbia, Md./The Gunnery School) and Reave MacKinnon (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Winnipeg Saints) each tallied four points over the weekend. Earle and sophomore Josh Geary (Wellesley, Mass./Phillips Andover Acad.) were the two Purple Knights to score twice, and MacKinnon and senior Alex Higgins (Phoenix, Ariz./Kent School) each dealt out three assists. Senior goalie Brendan Rimmer (Newbury, Mass./Pingree School) earned his first career shutout by way of a 5-0 score over the Nor’easters on Saturday. The Purple Knights open their Northeast-10 schedule on Tuesday when they host Assumption at 7 p.m.

The women’s hockey team suffered back-to-back losses to UMass Boston and Saint Anselm over the weekend, falling to the Beacons 2-1 on Friday before being shut out 6-0 by the Hawks on Saturday. Junior Madelena Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets/Rutgers Univ.) scored the lone goal for Saint Michael’s, extending her team-leading total to five goals. The Purple Knights will see some time off until they travel to Sacred Heart for a two-game series on Dec. 3-4.

The women’s swimming and diving team took its third decisive win of the season, beating Norwich 212-56 on Wednesday. The men’s side fell 169-121. For the women, senior Hannah Houley (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) won both one-meter dives, and junior Eileen Mullowney (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) continued her strong performance with 50- and 200-yard freestyle wins. Mullowney also helped win the 200-yard freestyle and medley relays. For the men, junior Nick Franks (Needham, Mass./Needham) won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, and swam the first leg in the winning effort of the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Purple Knights return to action on Dec. 4-5 at the Bentley Invitational.

Contact: Tony Bonvechio - Phone: (802) 654-2929

Friday, November 19, 2010

Women's Ice Hockey: My first semester.

Hey all!
I am quite new to this blogging thing, so here goes nothing. I am a senior Biochemistry major and Religious Studies minor here at Saint Mikes. This year has been quite difficult for me and being a part of the ice hockey team thus far because I also was one of the captains of the field hockey team. According to an adjustment from the NCAA, our field hockey season was extended to two weeks longer than previous seasons. The meant that our last game was on November 13th.

Being a part of the ice hockey team as well I missed all of dry land (which starts in September, so I always miss that) and a month of on ice practices including five games. This has been really hard to deal with because I haven't quite been able to connect with all the new players. That being said, my first game with the team was November 19th at 4:00 vs. UMass Boston, after only 3 days of practice. That game went pretty well in my eyes, though we did lose 2-1. The next day, the 20th, we lost to Saint Anselm 6-0. This game started off well, but as it went on we began to lose our intensity and allowed a few unanswered goals. This of course is never good becuase in most games it is hard to pick yourself and your team up after being down by a few goals.

The next weekend I missed our two games at Sacred Heart University, a Division I school. I was in Louisville, KY for the NFHCA Division II Senior All-Star game. It was an honor to be selected to play, and was a lot of fun getting to know some of the girls who I had been playing against for the past four years. Though I was not present at the Sacred Heart game I felt great pride and joy for my teammates as I texted one of them to find out what had happened. The first game my team had ended up losing by one, but on Saturday we came out with a victory! This was quite an accomplishment since we are a Division III school in ice hockey.

The weekend after that (December 10th and 11th), I was able to travel with my team to play Potsdam. This weekend marked the official beginning of my ice hockey season as I saw it, because there would be no more interruptions from field hockey events. We struggled with the puck that weekend and although we scored 5 goals, pretty good for us, they scored more. We ended up losing both games by 3 goals. This was disappointing and frustrating to every one of us because we knew we could have given them better games. Sometimes the outcome of all your hard work is not always what you would like it to be.

So this ended our fall semester with a record of 2-8-1. We were looking forward to a better half of the season with the start of Winter break and the New year.

- Kaleigh

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Alpine Skiing: The Road to Winter

Hey Purple Knight fans!
This is Gabbi from the Alpine Ski Team. Learn about me here: http://bit.ly/ajBteN
Now, onto what is important: The team! We have spent this fall getting into shape and craving snow. Mondays and Wednesdays are for cardio and agility workout. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we do a weight lifting program. On Fridays, we have game day, where the team participates in soccer or speed-ball. It lets everyone work off the aggression of not yet having snow. :-P Mostly, it's just a fun break from the normal workouts and it's good for the fancy footwork.
This year, we have ten women and ten men trying out for the team, but we will only be able to name 9 of each. (To meet the athletes, head to the Ski Team Blog.) This has made everyone extra motivated to get in shape and participate in things like team dinner. Despite the individual competition, the team has very close over the past few months, which is a great indicator that the team will be cheering their teammates on in the start gate and at the finish line!
We also have a new coaching situation this year. Our head coach is Angus "Gus" Macleod and our assistant coach is Molly Macleod. (See their bios here: http://bit.ly/aMS9xq) Gus was with the team last year, but this will be Molly's first season. She has been with the team full-time as of Nov. 8th. She is going to be a fabulous addition to the Alpine Ski Team.
Below are some pictures of the team and I will be posting pictures after the team gets on snow at Stowe this weekend! For more frequent updates on the team, head to the blog, Twitter, or Facebook page.
Andrew Keating does TV watchers

JD Levine on the Skier's Edge

Ashley Langlands and Gabbi Hall for the ball

Kevin OBrien and Peter Benedetto '10 in the sand

Team Dinner at Gus's House

Christina Billotti does ski prep!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Men's Lacrosse Falls Against RPI in Fall Ball Finale

The St. Michael's College men's lacrosse team traveled to Troy, NY on Saturday, Oct. 23 to face off against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers.

The teams faced off at 5:30 pm. in RPI's brand new East Campus Athletic Village. Two scrimmages took place throughout the night with both teams putting their 2010 fall ball experience to the test against each other.

The Purple Knights lost the first scrimmage 12-4 however the scoreboard is not indicitive of how the game was played. St. Mikes opened with a two goal lead after Sophomore Attackman Pete Donnally scored twice off of assists from Juniors Max Zuccarini and Andrew Buccellato.

The Knights weren't able to capatalize on the momentum however as they surrendered six straight goals from RPI's high powered offense. The Knights were not able to regain their composure as the final score was 12-4.

Freshman Goalie Theo Furguson got the start in net and played very well. He gave up his duties at halftime to Freshman Chris DeMairo, who also made many key stops. Other positives for the Purple Knights included a good man-down percentage in the first half although there were too many minutes spent in the penalty box.

The two other goals were scored by Buccellato and Marty Vanzo coming off of assists from Nate Etre and Kevin Hunt respectively. Although the Purple Knights were on the losing end of the scoreboard, there are many positives they'll be able to take away from the scrimmage such as knowing that they played hard.

The teams faced off in a second scrimmage with four, 10 minute quarters. The Purple Knights were again on the losing end of a 4-1 game but many young players gained important experience.

Freshman Goalie Andrew Landers played for the first time in net this Fall and had a successful first outing. The defense worked hard and played physical and although the offense was not able to put up many points, there were many good posessions.

This was the second scrimmage of the Fall for the mens' team. Earlier, they were victorious in an exhibition against Bishops University, a Canadian team. The RPI scrimmage marked the end of the 2010 Fall ball schedule for the Purple Knights and they will not return to team action until after Chrismas break. Until then, they will have a workout schedule as well as individual skill sessions.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Baseball: Traditional Purple vs. Gold Weekend Continues

This Sunday, SMC baseball wrote another chapter in the Purple vs. Gold "World Series" tradition. At the end of each fall season, we split the guys into two teams and engage in a best of three series that can be described as spirited and competitive. It also involves a fair amount of artificial trash talking, vocalization of inside jokes, and lots of yelling. As a member of the Gold team this year, I was hoping to extract some revenge over the two game sweep my teammates and I enjoyed last year.

Unfortunately, my fate was the same, as the Gold team lost 2-0 and 7-5 in a long, 14-inning day. However it was a nice way to wrap up the fall season, that was pleasantly productive. The stands and sidelines were spotted with parents that made the trip to watch the games. A special thanks goes out to the Estey family and all the other parents that were involved in bringing the in-between game spread into our lives. Three hours into our day, food was quite necessary.

As Purple emerged victorious once again, our head coach, Paul Morgan, vowed to choose more wisely next year. (He is yet to win a Purple-Gold series yet. Coach Ed Poland has dominated the series). But all in all, you could tell how pleased he and the rest of the coaching staff were to see the progress the team is making.

Now it's on to the offseason for us. Class of 2010 graduate Tony Bonvechio has been awesome in creating a strength and conditioning program that has really brought a different sense of legitimacy to what we do while the snow falls. Just a heads up to the SMC community, we will be selling Super Raffle tickets in the coming months to benefit our annual trip to Florida. The grand prize is two United Airlines flight vouchers and $1,500 in cash. So if you're interested in winning cool stuff and helping us out just hunt down a baseball player. It won't be too hard to find us -- we're pretty loud, and sometimes obnoxious.

Now I'll leave you with a "Yogism" -- the odd ramblings of Hall of Fame catcher, Yogi Berra. This will be a pattern, by the way.


"Half the game is 90% mental."
- Yogi Berra

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Beginnings of the Volleyball Season

THE 2010 ST. MICHAEL'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM!!!! GO KNIGHTS!

As some of you may know, the volleyball season is almost done at this point but, I wanted to tell you
about how pre-season went.

On August 13, I arrived on campus with the rest of the volleyball girls to start our pre-season training. It was a lot of hardwork, sweat, and pain, but there was a lot of fun along with it. We had triple sessions everyday so our life for two weeks was literally just eat, sleep, breathe, and volleyball.


For Volleyball, our pre-season starts before everyone else gets on campus, which was really cool being a freshman because I got used to campus before my fellow classmates arrived. It was also handy that I was moved in before my roommate because it was less cluttered and made it easy for her to move in!


I knew from the very beginning that being on the volleyball team was going to be one of the best things that would happen to me while on campus. All of the girls were really welcoming to the six freshmen and we instantly felt like we were a part of the family. Our head coach, Chris Kilmer, does a great job with the team as he pushed us through all of the difficult workouts as well as promoted team bonding by going camping as well as team dinners with karaoke.



The great thing about St. Mike's athletics is that it communicates very well with the faculty. In being a part of the NE-10 conference, we do a lot of traveling for games, and sometimes that means missing classes. During pre-season, we made letters to our professors to tell them in advance the classes that conflicted with our traveling schedule to make arrangements to make up missed assignments, tests, or quizzes. The faculty is extremely cooperative and appreciative that we acknowledge we are STUDENT-athletes who care about our studies (notice student is first!! you don't pay the money for sports, it's for your education!).



To check out our team roster and team information, go to http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/wvball/2010-11/roster
Hope you enjoyed my blurb on volleyball pre-season! Keep your eye out for more volleyball posts!
-Brianna :)