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!