Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Thanks.

I promised a proper blog this week, but I'm fresh out of ideas, so you're just going to have to settle for my heartfelt thanks and a pretty banner that I just whipped up in no time flat tireless worked on all afternoon.

The "thanks" is for anyone who has come to visit the blog throughout the school year, whether you enjoyed it or not, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to check out the work we are doing here. I'd like to say we have new and exciting things planned for next semester, but as of now, I've only got more of the same planned. But I digress. Again, thank you for checking out the blog, and I hope to have your continued support as we enter the second semester of VOTS next month.

The banner is to wish all Saints fans a very happy holiday season. I'm excited to get the family together and have a break from the hustle and bustle of the school year. So, to everyone who has checked out VOTS this year -- Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Joyous Ramadan, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday -- whatever you're celebrating this time of year, let it be good.

Sleep easy,
-jh

Friday, December 11, 2009

Points & Prattle, Vol 11 - Dec. 11, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Good morning, St. Scholastica!

It’s that time of the week. The time when I try to remember what happened during the week and what is upcoming. However, this week, the energy is on high because apparently, there’s some interesting hockey games taking place this weekend. I can’t remember exactly. Maybe we’ll explore that more later.
  • A trio of Shout Outs!!! This week for you, from Coaches Deadrick, Salmela, and Wick. Coach Staniger is still to come today.
  • Coach Deadrick’s squad, the CSS women’s basketball team, had a pretty good week, to put things lightly. Now 4-5 overall, the Saints hit the century mark in a 101-67 victory over North Central and shot a program-best 60 percent from the field. They also set a new program record for assists with 29 and had 16 players score. Quite a game, quite a game. They’re off until Monday, when they take on Wis.-Superior across the border.
  • After being off last week when their meet was cancelled due to lack of snow, the Saints Nordic ski squad is back in action this week in Ironwood, Mich. for the USSA Early Season Classic. While Duluth finally got some snow this week, I’m sure they’re excited to get back on the trails!
  • The CSS men’s basketball team has had a tough week, losing two games on the weekend by a combined seven points and then getting ousted in their gym by North Central on Tuesday. But tomorrow, they will look to turn their fortune around against Carleton College. You can catch a preview of the game here, written by fellow CSS student intern Chris Doran.
  • I feel bad having forgotten about them last week when they were hosting a meet, but men’s and women’s track & field is underway with their indoor season, and two Saints already received UMAC honors. The first conference Players of the Week for Track & Field are freshman Justin Hanson and sophomore Alec Seeley. Hanson broke the 55m hurdles record at the BWC, while Seeley won the shot put with an 11.06m throw.
  • While not playing games for some 300 days, the CSS women’s hockey team has over half of their team recruited, or so says coach Jackie MacMillan, including some local products.
  • Last, but certainly not least, there is a men’s hockey game tonight, but I think you already knew that. I’ll be there, you should be, too. It’s going to be a packed house, but I assure you: that makes the atmosphere that much better. Get there early.
  • Congrats to Jordan Chong on being named the “third star” of the week in the NCHA, scoring the short-handed game-winner last Friday night against St. Norbert, and another short-handed tally on Saturday.
  • There’s also a hockey game tomorrow, but that one, you don’t have to be at Mars Lakeview Arena to enjoy (although, as I said, it will be that much better if you are). Saturday’s game will be broadcast on My9, and as always, both nights, you can listen to the games on ESPN Radio560-WEBC.

That’s all for today. Just one more blog before we take a much-needed holiday break. Hopefully, I come up with something interesting between now and Tuesday. But until then, take it easy and enjoy your weekend.

Go Saints!
-jh


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

This Weekend, D-III Hockey Rules the Northland

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Friday night is fight night at Mars Lakeview Arena.

No, Duluth’s resident boxer Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters won’t be in the house (at least not as anything more than a spectator), and this fight will take place in a rink rather than a ring.

It’s all because of the “Bridge Battle” which will go down this weekend, as the St. Scholastica Saints host the Wis.-Superior Yellowjackets in a weekend conference series for the first time in over a decade.

The Saints enter the weekend coming off a weekend split with the top team in the conference, St. Norbert College, taking their first conference loss of the season while earning an impressive overtime victory over the then-No. 3 team in the country.

“We were happy to have left with two points that other teams haven’t gotten,” said Saints Head Coach Mark Wick. “St. Norbert had three sweeps so far this season, and we took one. But at the same time, we always tell our guys not to be satisfied. We can always be better.”

The Yellowjackets also split their weekend series against Wis.-Stevens Point last week in exciting fashion, but not without cost: a post-game tussle with the Pointers has ’Jacket senior Chris Wilson and sophomore Tom Budziakowski disqualified from Friday night’s game. Wilson is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points on the season.

“Even with Chris [Wilson] out, they still have talent,” said Wick. “You can’t look at it like that, that they are at disadvantage missing him. Both teams will have guys out of the line-up, but all the teams in the conference, including us, have to have depth.”

The Saints, now second in the conference and just six points behind idle St. Norbert, could make up serious ground in this make-or-break weekend series, but it won’t come easy.

It’s no secret that the Saints have had their fair share of difficulties against the Yellowjackets, sporting a 29-71-5 program record against UWS which includes a 12-year-long winless streak, but the Saints are 2-2-1 against their cross-town rivals in their past five meetings including a dominant 7-2 victory in front of the Saints Army at Mars last Jan. 17.

“One of the things we, as a coaching staff, stressed was putting the past behind us,” said Wick. “These guys weren’t part of the losses, and they bought into the fact that we should be able to compete with anybody.”

Despite losing ten players from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, the Saints have picked up right where they left off with a group of 13 newcomers including 12 freshman stepping up and filling holes.

One question mark that was quickly answered for the Saints in 2009 was who would play goaltender. Losing all-NCHA standout Steve Bounds, the Saints had four goalies with little to no experience entering this season, but they have performed admirably.

Senior Zach Kleiman and sophomore Brennan Poderzay have combined for a goals against average of 2.64 while stopping 89 percent of opposing shots for 236 saves.

“It’s a nice situation. Both of them have played really well,” Wick said. “At some point, we might have to make a decision, but right now, we have some blemishes on our record, but none of them were because of goaltender playing. Rotating goalies isn’t always a bad thing, and they’ve done good with it.”

The Yellowjackets found themselves in basically the same position as they graduated all-conference goaltender Chad Beiswinger after last season, but they have had trouble finding consistency as all four goalies on their roster have seen ice time.

Most recently, freshman Garrett Tinkham has fallen into the starting role in four of the ’Jackets’ last five games, earning wins against Wis.-Eau Claire and Marian as well as the split last weekend with Stevens Point. Tinkham has a 3.01 GAA and has stopped 89 percent of the shots he has faced.

CSS is known to pepper the net like no other team though, averaging over 35 shots per game compared to 23-per for past Superior opponents and 28-per for UWS itself, which will no doubt prove to be a challenge for the young goaltender.

Despite that, UWS is second in the league in scores with 44 while CSS has 33 goals as a team this season.

“That’s an interesting statistic, I didn’t know that,” said Wick. “We’re not going to be concerned as long as we’re getting shots. Sometimes, it goes in streaks. Eventually, they’ll find the net.”

The Saints are in the bottom half of the conference in power play efficiency, while Superior sits atop the league, making good on one quarter of all man-advantages. Both teams are below the curve in penalty killing with success rates of 75.5 percent for CSS and 83.3 for UWS.

Special teams play will likely be huge in this showdown, and what the Saints lack in efficiency they make up for in discipline. They have the fewest penalty minutes in the league, while UWS has the second-most, including the post-game antics after last Saturday night’s game.

“We actually had this conversation as a coaching staff earlier,” said Wick.”We have the fewest penalties, but also the fewest opportunities. We talk a lot about discipline and how we’re at our best when it’s five-on-five. We have the fewest penalties, but again, we’re still not satisfied. We still need to get better on penalty kill and powerplay.”

Whatever it comes down to, fans can expect one thing this weekend in Duluth: great college hockey. The Saints and Yellowjackets always put on a show, and this weekend should be no different.

Both Friday and Saturday night games begin at 7:05 p.m., and Coach Wick has just three words of advice to those looking to see the game in what should be a full house at Mars Lakeview:

“Get there early.”

Friday, December 4, 2009

Points & Prattle, Vol 10 -- Dec. 4, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Good morning, Saints!

Time for another edition of Points & Prattle here on Voice of the Saints. It’s been a relatively slow week around here, and it’s a home-game-less weekend, which means plenty of time for my plethora of homework to be done… Sigh. But before we get to that, let’s look back at the week that was here at CSS.
  • The No. 7 Saints men’s hockey team had an impressive Thanksgiving weekend, defeating Salem State on Friday night thanks to a goal from senior Jordan Baird in OT. Salem then went on to down the then-No. 1 team in the country, St. Norbert, on Saturday afternoon 3-0. CSS then went on to handily defeat Lawrence University Saturday evening by a 7-3 final, which included the first goal of the season for senior Jordan Chong. In the end, it moved the Saints up one spot from eight and moved Norbert down to third going into this weekend’s conference showdown.
  • The Saints will need to take at least a couple points from St. Norbert this weekend if they want to slow down the conference leaders, who, at 6-0-0 in-conference with 12 points, is at least five points better than its next highest competitor and six ahead of CSS.
  • Baird was named the third star of the weekend in the NCHA for his game-winner.
  • Comparatively, the men’s basketball team had a relatively disappointing weekend, facing off against border rival Wis.-Superior on Saturday afternoon and falling by a 78-59 final. The Saints are 1-3 on the young season, but have plenty of reason for optimism entering conference play against Northwestern and Crown colleges this weekend.
  • Check out Coach Staniger’s Shout-Out!!! to the fans this week here.
  • The CSS women’s basketball team also had a disappointing weekend, falling in two games at the Wis.-Stout Tournament to the host-Blue Devils as well as Wartburg College. Despite the one-sided scores, senior Kirsten Haukom still had a good weekend, just barely missing a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds on Saturday afternoon.
  • Last, but certainly not least, our Nordic ski team enjoyed a week in Yellowstone last weekend, and finally got to see some snow. I go to junior Mason Bacso for my Nordic ski updates, and he says it was a successful week which included a lot of training, a lot of fun, and the movie “Scent of a Woman” on Thanksgiving.
  • Of those skiers who did compete, junior Julia Curry and freshman Kasey Bacso led the women’s and men’s teams, respectively. For more info, check out the write-ups here and here.

I have nothing to shamelessly plug this week, so that might be all we have for this go-around. Next week, expect a write-up previewing next week’s hockey Bridge Battle against UWS on Tuesday-ish and another P&P on Friday morning.

Just 20 shopping days ’til Christmas,
-jh

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

December Update/VOTS Plans

Voice of: Joe Hansen


Good morning, sports fans!

Quick update this week for you all. If you came looking for 5 Questions this week, I'm sad to say that we're going to put 5 Q's on the backburner for a while -- We've just got two coaches left for the winter season, and we're barely halfway done! So, that will go on hiatus until after the new year.

Next week, 5 Questions will be substituted with a preview article about the big men's hockey Bridge Battle on Dec. 11-12 between the Saints and the UWS Yellowjackets. The week after, I'm not sure yet. Maybe something fun.

Points & Prattle will return this week and continue for the next couple of weeks, but the 18-22 is Finals "Week," so I might be a little busy for blogging that week.

Then, I'll probably take a break from blogging for the holidays and return shortly after the new year.

That's all I've got for you today. Enjoy your weeks.

See you Friday,
-jh

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

St. Scholastica Thanksgiving Hockey Classic Preview

Voice of: Joe Hansen
As promised, it’s time for a quick preview of this weekend’s St. Scholastica Thanksgiving Hockey Classic, featuring the Saints, two sets of Vikings, and Green Knights. If those names don’t get your inner nerd excited, then perhaps some hype will get the sports fan in you ready for action:

St. Norbert College Green Knights (8-0-1, 6-0-0 NCHA)
The fact that St. Norbert has dominated the series between the Knights and Saints (37-7-2 all-time vs. CSS) is rather inconsequential, at least for one week, as they will not be facing each other in Duluth. Rather, the Knights will be hosting CSS next weekend in DePere, Wis. for a conference showdown, and it will be up to the Saints to knock the Green Knights from the ranks of the unbeaten – that is, if the Vikings don’t do so this weekend. The point is, I think the Saints tended to scare themselves against the Green Knights in the past, because last season, they proved they are very beatable, snapping a five-game winless streak against St. Norbert with a 3-0 victory in DePere.
Players to Watch:
F Shane Wheeler (Sr.) – 9 goals, 8 assists, 17 points
F Cody Keefer (Fr.) – 7 G, 7 A, 14 pts.
D Nick Tabisz (Jr.) – 4 G, 7 A, 11 pts.
G B.J. O’Brien (Jr.) – 1.37 GAA, .933 Sv.%, 2 shutouts

Salem State College Vikings (3-0-0, 0-0-0 MASCAC)
There’s not much history between the Saints and Vikings. In fact, there isn’t any history at all. This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Salem State has opened their season up with three straight victories, including a 4-3 overtime win over Fitchburg (Mass.) State their last time out. The Salem State Vikings are on a hot streak, but the Saints are undefeated their past three games as well, so it will be an interesting match-up when the two teams face-off on Friday night.
Players to Watch:
F Matt Johnson (Jr). – 2 G, 1 A, 3 pts.
F Justin Roy (So.) – 1 G, 2 A, 3 pts.
F Chris MacInnis (Sr.) – 2 G, 0 A, 2 pts.
G Jamie Lacour (Sr.) – 2.30 GAA, .921 Sv.%, 89 saves

Lawrence University Vikings (6-1-0, 5-0-0 MCHA)
The Saints and Vikings are making it a Thanksgiving tradition, playing each other Saturday, exactly one year to the day of their last meeting on Nov. 28, 2008. Last season, the Saints edged out the Vikings with a 4-3 overtime victory in a similar Thanksgiving tournament hosted by St. Norbert. St. Scholastica is 5-1-1 against the Vikings over the history of the two programs, but make no mistake about it: the Vikings are a good team. Their only loss on the season came from our perennial pain-in-the-neck, Wis.-Superior. They’ve won two games by seven goals this year and scored eight goals three times. This is a team that is capable of putting up big numbers, and they should not be taken lightly.
Players to Watch:
F Marc Howe (Sr.) – 9 G, 5 A, 14 pts.
F Ben DiMarco (So.) – 8 G, 6 A, 14 pts.
D Jameson Raymond (So.) – 1 G, 6 A, 7 pts.
G Evan Johnson (Jr.) – 3.03 GAA, .899 Sv.%, 170 saves

I figure there’s no reason to preview the Saints – if you’re here, you know who they are. Forwards Riley Riddell (Jr.) and Jeremy Dawes (So.) have looked great on offense, while a young defensive corps has helped out goaltenders Zach Kleiman (Sr.) and Brennan Poderzay (So.). I know it’s a holiday weekend and you’ll be fat and happy from your Thanksgiving dinner, but try and make it out for the games this weekend – you won’t be disappointed.


For more information on the tournament, as always, stay current with www.csssaints.com/.

For all of us in the St. Scholastica athletics department and at the Voice of the Saints, let me be the first to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! We’ll see you next week.

Enjoy the turducken,
-jh


Friday, November 20, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 9 - Nov. 20, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Good morning, St. Scholastica!

On one of the biggest college hockey weekends in the city of Duluth, Minn. in the 2009-10 season, the Saints are on a bye week, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty to get excited about here at St. Scholastica with men’s and women’s basketball well underway and the fall sports teams still racking up the accolades for an impressive season!

  • The fall season came to a close for at least one team last week as the Saints women fell by a 3-0 score to the Macalester Scots in the NCAA tournament. There’s nothing to hang their heads about, they had a great season and battled back from some injuries. Congrats on a great season!
  • With their season over, the CSS men’s team received a pair of prestigious awards this week as Toby Peter (Jr.) was named a Second Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA (College Sports Info. Directors of America) and ESPN (I think you know what this is), and Geofrey Kalanzi (Fr.) was announced as the recipient of the prestigious National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Lea Plarski Award. Read more about Kalanzi and the award here.
  • Katelyn Meger (Sr.) will not let the fall sports season end. She’s off to Nationals for cross country, her second straight appearance, after finishing ninth in the NCAA Central Regional last week. Congrats, Katelyn! I know you’ll do CSS proud.
  • Men’s basketball saw the nation’s longest winning streak come to an end in their season opener Sunday against Wis.-Eau Claire, but rebounded with an impressive victory over North Central Tuesday. The Saints will tip-off against Concordia-Moorhead tomorrow night, which can be seen live here.
  • As discussed in this week’s “5 Questions,” Coach Stacy Deadrick has inched one step closer to 200 career victories with win #199 Tuesday against North Central. The Saints are at Wis.-Stevens Point for a tournament this weekend and will take on Concordia-Moorhead and Stevens Point or Rockford College. The tournament web site can be found here.
  • Read some quick previews on this weekend’s basketball games here (men’s) and here (women’s), courtesy of my fellow sports information intern Chris Doran.
  • As I stated earlier, the Saints men’s hockey team is off this weekend after a pair of ties that was as frustrating as it was exciting in last weekend’s series against Wis.-Stout. Despite the ties, the Saints jumped Stout in the rankings and are now No. 8 in the nation, according to the USCHO.com/NCAA Division-III poll.
  • Next weekend, the puck drops on our Thanksgiving Classic as the Saints play host to Salem (Mass.) State on Friday night and Lawrence (Wis.) Univ. on Saturday night with a 7:05 p.m. start time each night. The No. 1 team in the nation, St. Norbert, will play the opposite team each day at 3:30 p.m. With the short week next week, we won’t have a 5 Questions, but Tuesday or Wednesday, I’ll be posting a preview of the tournament action, so stay tuned for that.
  • Finally, the Saints Nordic Ski team starts this season this week in West Yellowstone, Mont. Good luck to them this season, and I hope they enjoy their trip!

That’s all I have for you on a relatively slow week in CSS athletics. Stay tuned for the aforementioned Saints Thanksgiving Classic preview next week.

Enjoy your weekends,
-jh
Go Saints!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

5 QUESTIONS ...with Women's Basketball Coach Stacy Deadrick

Voice of: Joe Hansen
Good morning, St. Scholastica!

An unnamed source has told me that it's time for another edition of 5 Questions on the Voice of the Saints. Yesterday, I sat down with women's basketball coach Stacy Deadrick for an interesting interview. We talked about her upcoming milestone (200 victories), how her newest young athletes, and what it will take to succeed this season. Check it out:



That's all for today.

Enjoy your week,
-jh

Friday, November 13, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 8 - Nov. 13, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Good morning, St. Scholastica!

A Happy Friday the 13th to you all! Sportscenter asked this morning who my favorite player who wore/wears #13 is – and I emphatically said NOT Alex Rodriguez, but that’s neither here nor there – which made me think of Saints athletes who wore number 13 in recent years. Here’s the list, as I can tell:

  • Baseball: Adian Kummet (’09)
  • Basketball: Kyle Allen (’09)
  • Football: Drew Holm (So.)
  • Hockey: Shawn Barlette (’08)
  • Soccer: Abby Arrowsmith (Sr.), Geofrey Kalanzi (Fr.)
  • Volleyball: Emily Lindquist (Fr.), Erin Niles (’09)

So, as you can see: a pretty star-studded group of current and former athletes, but still rather sparse in terms of numbers. It would seem that in the sports where players have the most leeway to choose their numbers, they aren’t taking 13. Superstitious? Maybe. With that out of the way, let’s review a busy week of Saints athletics with the latest edition of Points & Prattle:

  • The week began with the crowning of three UMAC tournament champions, adding to our collection of five on the fall season, as men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball joined men’s and women’s cross country atop the conference.
  • If you weren’t at any of these games, you missed some great action. You can catch the women’s soccer championship game (with commentary from yours truly) on demand by clicking here.
  • Speaking of commentary from yours truly… Did you miss Saints hockey taking on Saint John’s last Friday? Check that here.
  • …but back to the Fall sports, we saw an impressive second season come to an end for Saints football on Saturday as they fell to Martin Luther. But there is plenty of reason for optimism coming off a 4-6 season which saw the Saints finishing third in the UMAC. All-Conference football awards should be announced soon, and I suspect we will see more than a few Saints honored this year.
  • Already this week, the Saints have had 11 athletes selected to the First Team All-UMAC in their respective sports, and six more chosen as Honorable Mentions. Check out the names, headed by two-time UMAC Player of the Year Toby Peter (Jr.), by clicking your favorite sport: Men’s Soccer, Volleyball, Women’s Soccer.
  • Saints soccer isn’t done as of yet, because the Saints women’s team was selected for the third straight season to compete in the NCAA Tournament. They will take on Macalester tomorrow evening, and you can catch live video of it here, starting at 7:30 p.m.
  • They are joined in NCAA competition this weekend by the cross country teams who will compete at the NCAA Regional in Grinell, Iowa. Coach Pfingsten previews the meet here.
  • The 10th ranked Saints men’s hockey team returns to their home ice tonight against No. 9 Wis-Stout. A sweep could put the Saints alone atop the NCHA standings as fellow conference leaders No. 1 St. Norbert and No.8 Wis.-River Falls do battle with Wis.-Stevens Point and Wis.-Eau Claire, respectively. Coach Wick previewed the match-up in his first ShoutOut! Of the year.
  • Saints men’s basketball goes to work on defending their own UMAC Tournament championship starting Sunday when they take on Wis.-Eau Claire. Coach Staniger sat down for 5 Questions with VOTS earlier this week, talking about his young team, who was picked to finish third in the UMAC this year, despite touting the nation’s longest winning streak at 11 straight games.
  • The Saints women don’t start this season until next Tuesday when they take on North Central, but it was announced earlier this week that UMAC coaches tabbed them to finish fourth in the conference.

That’s about all that’s going on for Saints athletics this week. Stay current with CSSsaints.com, and click to proper links on the side to follow the Saints on Twitter and Facebook. We’ll be back next week with more.

Enjoy your weekend,
-jh
Go Saints!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

5 QUESTIONS ...with Men's Basketball Coach David Staniger!

Voice of: Joe Hansen
Good morning, St. Scholastica!

We're a day late, but that's never stopped me before. It's time for the newest edition of 5 Questions on VOTS, and today's guest is head men's basketball coach David Staniger! We had a good chat about championship games, leadership, and new players. He seems excited about the time, set to make their home debut this Sunday against Wis.-Eau Claire -- so be there! Without further adu...



Enjoy, and I'll see you Friday for Points & Prattle!

Go Saints!
-jh

Friday, November 6, 2009

5 QUESTIONS ...with Men's Hockey Coach Mark Wick!

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Good morning, St. Scholastica!

Happy Friday to everyone! It's time for another exciting edition of 5 Questions on VOTS. Today, we begin the series of interviews with winter sport coaches, starting with men's hockey's Mark Wick. Coach Wick and I talk about youth, blackouts, and bosses. Very interesting stuff.



A quick programming note, directly involving hockey: Starting this weekend, Saints home games will not only be heard, locally and online, on ESPN Radio 560AM-WEBC, but will also be broadcast on the iFan Sports Network, so you can WATCH the game online here. And even more exciting, the local crowd will get to enjoy Saturday night's game on the local MyNetworkTV, channel 9 in Duluth, thanks to iFan and the Northland's Newscenter. You have plenty of venues to follow the Saints, so tune in and root them on this weekend!

Win Saints!
-jh

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Points and Prattle Playoff Preview (Vol. 7) – Nov. 3, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Good morning St. Scholastica,

It’s time for a special Tuesday edition of Points and Prattle, and not just because we missed it last week. We’ll have 5 Questions this Friday, and then return to our normal programming schedule next week. Today is an important day for the Saints because it’s the semifinals of the UMAC Tournament for three of our Fall sports. So, this is a Playoff Preview edition of Points & Prattle (gotta love that alliteration!)

Men’s Soccer

  • Finishing second in the UMAC, the Saints men’s soccer team will play host to Northwestern College this morning at 11:30 a.m. In their two regular season meetings, the Saints swept the Eagles by scores of 5-1 on the road at 2-0 at home.
  • The Saints come in on a four-game undefeated streak while the Eagles come off a loss to Crown College last Friday night.
  • The Saints men have not lost a UMAC first round match since the 1998 season.

Women’s Soccer

  • The women’s team, who won their sixth straight UMAC regular season title this season, will play host to the University of Minnesota, Morris at 2 p.m. on Saints Field. CSS shut out the Cougars in each of their two meetings this season by scores of 1-0 and 4-0.
  • Sophomore goalkeepers Bailey Mahlum and Erin Olejnicak each have two shutouts of the Cougars during their careers at CSS.
  • The Saints women won the UMAC tournament in each of the past two seasons

Volleyball

  • After getting the chance to watch the women’s volleyball team for the first time this past weekend, I can assure you that they can win any game against any opponent. They are extremely talented, but more importantly, they have a lot of fight in them.
  • The Saints finished second to three-time defending champion Northwestern in this year’s regular season and will host Northland College on Tuesday evening (7 p.m. – Reif Gym in the BWC on campus). CSS swept the season series against the LumberJills, beating Northland in straight sets when they hosted them last week, but took five games in Ashland on Oct. 14 to earn the win.
  • The Saints have not faced Northland in the postseason since the 2002 season, when the Saints swept the ’Jills 3-0.

Best of luck to each of our three teams playing today, and we hope that you will be able to get out to the games (despite the inconvenient timing of the soccer matches) to cheer on the Saints!

Enjoy your week,
-jh
Go Saints!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Presenting the VOTS All-Time Best Men's Hockey Name Team!

Voice of: Joe Hansen


Good morning St. Scholastica!

I promised something new and exciting this week, so here it is. In honor of the Saints men’s hockey team opening their season tonight against Wis.-Stevens Point, I give to you the presentation of the VOTS “All-Time Best Men’s Hockey Names Team.” But before we get started, one necessary note that would have been in P&P this week had I not planned this. Be sure to check out this video of the women’s soccer team hanging with first graders. It’s adorable and it’s on the front page of our site. But anyways, without further adu…


Part of my job in the Sports Information department is updating all our archives for use in media guides as well as online. For hockey, this includes the Saints’ all-time roster. If there’s one thing I know from growing up in the “State of Hockey,” it’s that the sport produces a lot of great names, and St. Scholastica’s program has been no different through the years.

Now, I could have done this using anyone whose name was the least bit suggestive, but I won’t. I’d like to think the sense of humor here at the VOTS is a bit more high-brow than that (if only just a bit). So, we’ll stay away from the adolescent humor (for the most part) and keep it clean. Here are some of the highlights, followed by the “Voice of the Saints All-Time Best Names Team.”

From the “Same Name” Department…
Rolf Flaig (1981-82)
G-Fridley, Minn
It’s not spelled the same, but it’s still basically the same name. Rolf’s a good guy; I met him at the athletics golf outing a few years back, but let’s face it: he shares his name with a Muppet. But if we’re going to fault somebody for that, we’ll have to get after every Sam, George, Clifford, and Sweetums we encounter, and that would be just silly.
Brad Johnson (1984-87)
F- Silver Bay, Minn
Any Minnesota Vikings fan knows who this is referring to, but what you may not know is that he also shares his name with a former Marlboro Man and a Civil War general. While our Brad may have never caught a touchdown pass from himself, he is the 1986-87 Saints Team MVP and captain as well as being an All-NCHA selection that season.
Jim Johnson (1979-83)
F-Virginia, Minn.
For this one, I could go with a NASCAR driver, one of three football coaches, a cornerback, a quarterback, a tight end, a right-handed pitcher, a left-handed pitcher, and two other Minnesota-based hockey players. Take your pick. This one is a former captain for the Saints in the 1982-83 season.
Guy LeBlanc (1980-84)
F-Silver Bay, Minn.
I suppose no one would REALLY mistake the 1980-81 Saints Rookie of the Year for the Canadian composer, but they still share a name. For some reason, I thought there was a more famous Guy LeBlanc out there, but when the only other option is this guy, I guess I was wrong. Either way, our Guy LeBlanc is 9th on the list of all-time scorers for the Saints, so he deserves some recognition.
John Miller (1980-84)
C-Minneapolis, Minn.
Here’s another name with options, but I had originally intended for this one to refer to the voice of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, alongside Joe Morgan. While Jon Miller may have called the most infamous home run of our generation, John Miller is a former captain at CSS.
Rick Royal (1986-90)
G - Pengilly, Minn.
It’s not THAT close, but will I ever have another legitimate reason to post this on the blog? It may only be funny to me, but the internet meme is close enough to the 1989-90 NAIA All-American’s name for me to include him.

From the “Gotta be a Nickname” Department…
Buzzy LaFond (1974-78)
F - International Falls, Minn.
After scouring the records, I have found out that Buzzy’s real name is Robert LaFond, but several of our records have him as just “Buzzy,” so this stays. His name seems more fitting to be attached to a member of the Superior Yellowjackets, but luckily for CSS, the 1976-77 NAIA All-American was on the blue-and-gold side of the bridge, as he racked up 155 points in his career, good for 7th all-time in Saints program history.
Bun Carlson (1974-78)
G - Cloquet, Minn.
Bun’s only referred to as “Bun” in the record books once, usually appearing by his full name, Warren Carlson, but once is enough for me. It’s difficult to say where the nickname might have come from: perhaps he was the first-born, his mother’s first “bun in the oven.” Nonetheless, what his nickname lacks in intimidation, it makes up for in fun.
Rocky Maas (1989-90)
F - Duluth, Minn.
I don’t know if Rocky was Mr. Maas’s real name, but what I can tell you is that the time frame is a bit too close to say that he was named after this guy. The movie came out in November 1976, so he would have to be only 13 or 14 when he played for the Saints. Despite the fact that the ’89-90 team was 3-23-2 on the season, I doubt they skated a middle schooler, no matter how skilled he may have been.
Carney Miller (1982-83)
F - Minneapolis, Minn.
Carney could be short for something cool like Carnell, and if it was, he probably should have stuck with that. He could also have gone with Cadillac. Although, it’s probably best that he didn’t, because his career would have been injury plagued after a good rookie campaign. At any rate, carnies are pretty scary, so I guess this name has the intimidation that Buzzy and Bun lack, but it comes up short in the ‘fun’ category, unless you consider this fun.

From the “Fun to Say” Department…
James Boots (1995-98)
G - Eden Prairie, Minn.
I could have put him in the “same name” category, but no one wants to be compared to an anthromorphic monkey in red galoshes. So, I won’t go there. “Boots” is a fun word to say (almost as fun as galoshes, coincidentally), so “James Boots” is automatically a fun name.
Bill Hoolihan (1977-79)
D - Grand Rapids, Minn.
The name “Hoolihan” may only be fun to say because of this movie, particularly this man, and because of this scene. Although, it’s spelled and pronounced very similarly to “hooligan,” which is an excellent word. So, Hoolihan gets the nod as one of the most fun names to say in CSS history.
Joey Martini (2004-09)
F- Calgary, Alta.
I’d be remised if I didn’t include the man with the best name in Division-III hockey the past four seasons. On top of being an All-Academic NCHA team member and a two-time All-NCHA Honorable Mention, Joey was a stand-up guy, and had a great name.
Ralph Throckmorton (1979-80)
F - Bloomington, Minn.
What else is there to say, really? “Throckmorton.” Just say it out loud, and you’ll know why it’s here. Also, Ralph. That’s all I’m going to say.

---

So, that about does it for the best names in the history of St. Scholastica hockey. With that out of the way, here is the starting six for our names team – the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the Voice of the Saints All-Time Best Men’s Hockey Names Team:








Name Pos. Hometown Years
Buzzy LaFond F International Falls, Minn. 1974-78
Rocky Maas F Duluth, Minn. 1989-90
Joey Martini F Calgary, Alta. 2005-09
Bill Hoolihan D Grand Rapids, Minn. 1977-79
Lyle Rock D Duluth, Minn. 1984-86
James Boots G Eden Prairie, Minn. 1995-98


Hopefully, everyone enjoyed this latest offering and it brought your some amount of humor on a Friday morning. As for those on the list, I would hope you took no offense as it’s all in good fun. Besides, you’re on the list because you have a great name! What’s so wrong with that?

That’s enough for one week. Five Questions returns Tuesday. Points & Prattle returns Friday. Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 6 - Oct. 23, 2009

Good morning, St. Scholastica!

It’s been a relatively quick week here at CSS Sports Information, but with men’s and women’s soccer home all weekend, it’s about to get busy for at least a few days. Even more importantly, we are just one week away from the start of hockey season. There’s no better feeling in the world.
  • With winter sports starting next week, it’s a good thing I finished up the fall coaches in 5 Questions this week when we interviewed head women’s soccer coach Dave Reyelts. The interview went great, and it’s one of my favorites to date. (Who knew I was a poet?) So check it out.
  • Dave’s lady Saints had their hands full last week with Crown and Northwestern colleges coming to town, but they escaped with a pair of wins thanks to late-game heroics and excellent goal-tending by sophomore ’keepers Bailey Mahlum and Erin Olejnicak.
  • For her efforts, which included stopping three breakaway plays by the Storm in route to a shutout, Olejnicak was named the All-UMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. Congrats Erin!
  • Also named All-UMAC was volleyball’s Sarah Kurtovich, her second-such honor for setting duties in her freshman campaign. She averaged nine assists per set last weekend as the Saints swept Martin Luther 3-0 and edged Bethany Lutheran 3-1. They now have six straight wins going into tonight’s match-up with Minnesota-Morris, which can be seen on the Cougar Sports Network. And that has nothing to do with this sort of Cougar either.
  • Men’s soccer had an interesting night on Wednesday as tempers flared against Augsburg. I wouldn’t say the chippiness was the reason, but the Saints did fall for the first time in five games by a 2-1 final. This weekend, Presentation and Minn.-Morris will get to face a frustrated Saints team, and I don’t envy the position. Goalkeeper Sam Reed is now third in the UMAC in goals against average and save percentage, as well as first in shutouts with seven.
  • Football dropped their first conference game of the year last week to perennial conference power Northwestern by a 55-28 score. Senior Chris Henagin had another 100+ yard game on the ground as well as putting a pair of touchdowns on the board.
  • I must first apologize because the last time I did one of these, I left out Cross Country. That was an accident on my part, and I want to say that the CC runners are just as important to us as any other sport. That being said, cross country competed at two different events last week, and did quite well for themselves.
  • At the Concordia-Moorhead Cobber Invite, senior Tara Connolly ran third for the women who finished second overall while sophomore Jim Linn led the men to a third place finish, running 13th overall.
  • Meanwhile, on the complete other side of the state (and even further, I suppose), six runners competed at the Wis.-Oshkosh Brooks Invite. Pat Bigaouette, Nick Mangan, and Tony Bye each ran personal bests that were good for second, fourth, and fifth all-time on the Saints all-time list. Katelyn Meger led the women with a 22nd place finish, while Jessie Lovering and Kristin Gronbeck each ran their season-best time.
  • And I don’t know why I keep putting myself through this by posting the link, but I’ve certainly never been more “proud” of my hometown than I was upon reading this story.

While, that’s all for this week. Things will get pretty busy next week as fall and winter sports start to overlap, but I have something special planned to coincide with the start of hockey season, so stay tuned for that.

Have a fabulous weekend,
-jh
Go Saints!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

5 QUESTIONS ...with Women's Soccer Coach Dave Reyelts

Voice of: Joe Hansen
Good morning, St. Scholastica!

Hello everyone! It's time to conclude our fall series of coaches with a grand finale featuring head women's soccer coach Dave Reyelts! Dave was excited to do it, and it made for a great interivew. We talked about sports (surprise!), recruiting, and celebrity. You'll get it when you watch. Enjoy!


My apologies for the lack of Points & Prattle last week. It will, without a doubt, return this week. School kept me busy last week. Thanks for watching!

Take it easy,
jh

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Approximately 5 Questions ...with Men's Soccer Coach Barry Chastey

An abbreviated version of 5 Questions this week. Long story short, we had some issues with the last question, so it had to be edited out. Just four questions this week. The glory of technology is that we can work around the problems with technology, but I digress. I hope you enjoy the latest in the 5 Questions series:



And with that done, I can announce that next week, we will finish up the fall coaches as I sit down with Women's Soccer coach Dave Reyelts. The people have been waiting, and he's excited to do it. Stay tuned for that, and we'll see you on Friday.

Have a great week,
-jh

Friday, October 9, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol 5 - Oct. 9, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Good morning, sportsfans!

After a long and busy week, VOTS returns for another exciting edition of Points and Prattle.

  • A month into the 2009-10 school year, the CSS Cable newspaper returns with yours truly as one of the co-editors. We’re not online as of yet, so those of you away from campus are out of luck. Soon enough, you’ll be able to read all of the articles on a new-and-improved Cable website. I’ll keep you posted.
  • The MLB postseason is underway, and I couldn’t be happier. Baseball on all day long? Seems too good to be true. Now, if only this were less ominous.
  • Speaking of professional sports (and I promise this tangent will end soon)… the UFL debuted last night with the Las Vegas Locomotives edging out the California Redwoods. Off-putting names aside, I hear the quality of football was good, so let’s hope this doesn’t go the way of the AFL.
  • Speaking of the AFL… Did you catch that great interview from Tuesday with a Arena-ball-coach-turned-CSS-head-coach Greg Carlson?
  • Speaking of CSS football… Congrats to senior Chris Henagin on being named the UMAC North Offensive Player of the Week for his 272-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Saints’ third victory of the season on Saturday afternoon. The Saints have a two-game winning streak (for the first time, obviously) entering Saturday’s game against Macalester, who comes to Duluth on a two-game losing streak.
  • Speaking of two-game win streaks (I promise, I’ll stop soon)… CSS volleyball is on a two-game victory binge after defeating Minnesota-Morris last night in the first game of Dig Pink week at the Reif Gym. Freshman Paige Hardy led the way with 15 kills and 24 digs in the five-set match which saw CSS come from two games down to win. Come out to the BWC tonight for another Dig Pink match-up, this time against Presentation College.
  • Speaking of Presentation (it’s too easy)… Men’s soccer tied Presentation on Sunday afternoon in a thrilling 1-1 double overtime match, but not before suffering their first defeat of the season against Minn.-Morris on Saturday. It’s too bad to see the undefeated streak go, but 8-1-2 is an excellent record and there’s plenty of season left.
  • The Saints women (see, I told you I’d stop) also tied in their last match, going to double overtime with Augsburg on Wednesday afternoon. Senior Beth Flesvig earned the game-tying score early in the second half, but the Auggie goalkeeper was able to keep the Saints out of the net for the rest of the game, making nine saves. Also deserving of a shoutout is sophomore goalkeeper Erin Olejnicak, who made six saves to keep her Saints in the game.
  • Speaking of ShoutOuts! (sorry, I had to)… The ShoutOuts! continue to roll in on our YouTube account, so if you haven’t seen them yet, check out this week’s batch, starring coaches Carlson, Chastey, Reyelts, and Moore.
  • Next week, I hope to have one of the soccer coaches on 5 Questions, but we’ll see which one is available. I know the anticipation will be killing you over the weekend, but hopefully, you can survive.
  • If you can, let me advise you to come on out for volleyball tonight and football tomorrow! Or, if you’re down in the Twin Cities metro, go support the men’s and women’s soccer team against Bethany Lutheran and Martin Luther colleges. It should be an exciting weekend for CSS athletics.
  • And on a completely unrelated note, was The Office last night excellent, or what?

Well, thanks for reading! It’s been a long week, and I am still busy with school work and Cable business, so that’s all I can offer you today.

Enjoy your weekends,
-jh

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

5 Questions ...with Head Football Coach Greg Carlson

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Good morning St. Scholastica...

It's time for another exciting edition of 5 Questions on a historic day in Minnesota sports. So, to wet your appetite as you get ready for an important baseball game tonight, enjoy my little show featuring head football coach Greg Carlson. We talk arena ball, a successful first half, and being a homeless team. Enjoy!



Win Twins!
-jh

Friday, October 2, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 3 – Oct. 2, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Good morning, St. Scholastica!

When I said I’d “try something new” this week, my intentions were not to forget about the VOTS audience, but it happened to end up that way. My sincerest apologies! I’ve been busy with school work all week. Professors, these days! Don’t they understand the need to please the masses with blogs? Oh well, next week will see the return of 5 Questions, so we need not worry about missing two weeks worth of Tuesday blogs. So, without further adu…

  • Men’s Soccer continues on their hot streak with three straight shutouts from goalkeeper Sam Reed. He hasn’t done it alone of course, as his defense held Hamline, Bethany Lutheran, and Martin Luther to just nine combined shots on net in the three contests. Freshman Erik Trochimchuk and sophomore Brandon Stemwedel were the offensive stars over the past week, with two goals each in the three games.
  • Speaking of soccer stars, junior Greg Doornink was named UMAC Defensive Player of the Week for his part in the pair of conference shutouts over the weekend.
  • The Saints women earned a pair of shutout victories over Homecoming weekend as they prepare for an exciting run starting this weekend with games against Minnesota-Morris (Saturday) and Augsburg College (next Wednesday). Senior Angie Groh led the Saints with two goals and three assists on the weekend, and they’ll need that offensive firepower to continue going forward.
  • But, even Groh’s scoring prowess was outshined as sophomore Molly Bergmann had her first start in net on Friday afternoon and earned her first collegiate victory and shutout en route to being named UMAC Defensive Player of the Week for women’s soccer.
  • After a disappointing Friday evening for Saints volleyball, the women turned it around on Homecoming Saturday and swept their two opponents, Bethany Lutheran and the dreaded Wis.-Superior Yellowjackets. For their part in the weekend, Saints sophomore Nikki Hughes and freshman Sarah Kurtovich were also named UMAC Players of the Week.
  • Hughes earned the honor of volleyball’s Defensive Player of the Week with 4.5 digs per set and a .946 receiving percentage. Kurtovich was Setter of the Week with 5.5 assists per set helping the Saints to a .219 attack percentage over the weekend. (And if you understand all of that, my hat’s off to you.)
  • And in the biggest game in the short history of Saints football, CSS “brought home the Bacon” (hat tip to the real voice of Saints athletics, Dave Cook) and earned a 22-16 victory over Minnesota-Morris thanks to the late-game heroics of third-string freshman quarterback Matt Bacon. With sophomore starter Jake Olson out for the game with an injury, and sophomore back-up Alex Thiry injured on a two-point conversion try late in the first half, Bacon went 9-13 passing for 120 yards and a rushing touchdown in the second half and helped clinched the Saints’ second victory of the season. Chris Henagin had 156 yards on the ground and a score, while Jonny Bennett had 95 yards and one touchdown receiving. All in all, a great game for the Saints…
  • … and in the great injustice of the week, NOBODY earned UMAC Player of the Week honors from the football team. The powers that be at the UMAC must not enjoy cured meat.
  • Cross country ran an important race over the weekend, the University of Minnesota’s Griak Invite. Once again, Nick Mangan and Katelyn Meger starred for their respective teams. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record on that one, but they're both excellent runners.
  • In coaching news, Chad Salmela, head coach of the Nordic Ski program, has been chosen to once again cover the Winter Olympic Games for NBC. He’ll do some color commentating in Vancouver, and since he did it in 2002 at the Salt Lake games, he can’t be any worse than me. Click here for the full story and here for the Vancouver Games’ official site.
  • As for next week’s 5 Questions victim, you’ll just have to wait and see. Oh, the suspense!

That’s all for this week’s P&P. Thanks for reading!

Have a great weekend,
-jh

Friday, September 25, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 3 - Sept. 25, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen
Happy Friday, sportsfans!


It’s time for an abbreviated edition of Points and Prattle, with a busy day ahead of me, and hopefully, an exciting Homecoming weekend for everyone here at CSS!

  • As predicted right here two weeks ago, my days of announcing Saints soccer were not yet over. My career continued with the Saints men’s match against St. Thomas on Wednesday afternoon.
  • The men are off to their best start since 1985 – it’s confirmed now, 1985’s team was awesome – in going 5-0-1. They are still unbeaten, but lost their winning streak in the aforementioned tilt against St. Thomas. As I called it on the iFan broadcast, the game was a battle of attrition with neither team allowing any significant scoring chances outside of the two goals scored. Freshman Josh Odukomaya netted his fourth goal of the season for the Saints, a beauty, in that one.
  • Speaking of ties, despite a tie last weekend against Northwestern, the Saints women have extended their regular season conference unbeaten streak to 60 consecutive games, dating back to Oct. 12, 2003. For a point of reference, a gallon of gasoline cost less than $1.50 in October 2003. The Saints also ‘stormed’ over Crown 5-0 last weekend, with sophomore keeper Bailey Mahlum earning her third career shutout.
  • Despite taking a loss in Superior, football’s Chris Doran was honored as a UMAC Player of the Week for two fumble recoveries, his first collegiate sack, and double-digit tackles in the Saints’ game Saturday vs. Wisconsin Lutheran. Congrats, Chris!
  • Cross Country also saw some athletes honored, as sophomore Jimmy Linn ran his personal record of 29:47 to earn UMAC POTW honors while senior Katelyn Meger finished fifth best among NCAA D-3 runners with a season best 23:23 at the St. Olaf Invite. Congrats, runners!
  • Last, but certainly not least, volleyball split in their two games in Illinois, following to host Illinois Wesleyan before responding with a sweep of Webster University. Senior Rebecca Udermann led the Saints with 27 kills on the afternoon, while sophomore Nikki Hughes had 41 digs.
  • As previously mentioned, it’s Homecoming weekend, so you have your pick of the litter for games: men’s and women’s soccer starting at 2 p.m. today, volleyball at 7 p.m. today, as well as soccer, volleyball, and football tomorrow afternoon. Cross country gets a much-deserved rest to enjoy the festivities, and I am envious.
  • If nothing else, my mother is a fan of 5 Questions on VOTS. I continued to ask the tough questions when I sat down with Steve Pfingsten this week. Next week, we’ll try something new, but 5 Questions will return soon.
  • Also on the multimedia front, ShoutOuts! received a blast of youth this week as some top student athletes joined their coaches to invite the fans out to the game. If you’re a fan of Angie Groh or Jonny Bennett, then today’s ShoutOuts! are perfect for you. You’ll also find some from earlier in the week on our YouTube channel, now located in the “Follow CSS” section over yonder. >>>

Programming note: I’ll be on the air again this afternoon, starting at 2 p.m. calling the action for the Saints men’s and women’s soccer team taking on Martin Luther College, on the iFan Sports Network. Click here and follow the appropriate links for that. Also, I’ll be writing game recaps for this weekend’s soccer matches if you are a big fan of my writing. Which, of course, you are.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

5 Questions ...with Head Cross Country Coach Steve Pfingsten

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Hey sportsfans,

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend. Mine was spent bedridden with an awful cold, which -- despite the concerns of everyone around me -- was not swine flu. Trust me. But I digress. Today's VOTS offering is another rousing rendition of "5 Questions," this week featuring Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach, Steve Pfingsten! Steve offered us some great insight on coaching longevity, the difference between male and female athletes, and team success in a largely individual sport. Enjoy!

Have a great Tuesday,
-jh

Friday, September 18, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 2 - Sept. 18, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Another week has come and gone. Time flies when you’re having fun, as well as when you're busy beyond comprehension. Nonetheless, it’s Friday, and Friday means another rousing edition of Points and Prattle here at VOTS, so without further ado:
  • My new “show,” 5 Questions has received some excellent reviews, so that should continue here at VOTS next week, provided I get over this awful cold before early next week.
  • My thoughts and prayers, this week, are with the family of the late-NCAA president Myles Brand. He was president for just six years, but did a lot in pushing the “student” part of the term “student athlete,” and that’s a good thing.
  • In today’s digression of the day, The Office season premiere last night was excellent, as always. Now, if only I had realized It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was on as well…
  • Congrats to four Saints on earning UMAC Player of the Week honors this week. In men’s soccer, freshman forward Joshua Odukomaya’s banner day did not go unnoticed as his seven points earned him the Offensive POTW, while sophomore goalkeeper Sam Reed earned himself a shutout and Defensive POTW. Football had senior RB Chris Henagin and his three touchdowns recognized, as sophomore FS Scott Greening’s two interceptions earned him the honor as well.
  • On the subject of football, they earned their first road victory in program history, a 33-8 slashing of Maranatha Baptist (Wis.) College, last week, and are now, for the first time ever, .500 on the season. They will look for another first – an above .500 record – on Saturday against Wisconsin Lutheran. The game is a home contest for CSS, but it will be played on Superior’s Ole Haugsrud Field.
  • As with last week, the Saints men’s soccer team is off to its best start in years. Now at 3-0-0, they’ve matched their start from 2004. One more victory will give them their best start on record, and it could come today against Northwestern. The Saints were 1-1-1 against the Eagles last season with just two goals scored by each team, so anything could happen in this rivalry.
  • Women’s soccer, currently on a two-game skid, takes to the field for UMAC play – where they are undefeated the past six regular seasons – as well this weekend, taking on Northwestern today and Crown tomorrow. The same two teams were on the receiving end of the Saints’ frustration from two straight losses last season, an unenviable position.
  • Cross Country was “home” last week… sort of. They ran the Campus Quest VI at Minn.-Duluth, where the women earned third and the men fourth. Senior Katelyn Meger once again impressed, finishing third, while junior Nick Mangan finished fourth on the men’s side, posting a personal best at 27:46.
  • Last, but certainly not least, our volleyball team split the weekend with two wins and two losses at Wis.-Superior, including their first three-game sweep of the season over the YellowJackets. Freshman Paige Hardy was again the star of the weekend, with 50 kills in their four games. This young team seems very exciting, and I can’t wait to see them Homecoming weekend. Before that though, they will travel some 500-plus miles to Bloomington, Ill. to take on Illinois Wesleyan and Webster universities.
  • On the web front, ShoutOuts!!! wasn’t a one-person show this week, with all five Fall coaches giving us a preview of the weekend. The CSS YouTube channel is filling up with great content already.
  • If you don’t have plans Saturday night (after the CSS football game, of course), then camp out with St. Scholastica and the United Way at Night Without a Home. There’s live music, it’s for a good cause, and it’s probably your last nice night to camp out this year, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Well, that’s all I have for you this week. VOTS returns Tuesday with our next 5 Questions segment, featuring Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country coach, Steve Pfingsten! We’ll talk about longevity in coaching, the difference between men and women student athletes, and maybe what makes a cross country runner tick. Should be fun.

Enjoy your weekends,
-jh

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

5 Questions... with Head Volleyball Coach Dana Moore

Voice of: Joe Hansen



Hey sportsfans,

Hopefully, everyone's weekend went well. I got a chance to relax after a hectic first week back in class, so mine was well. But enough about me, it's time for the first ever edition of "5 Questions," featuring head women's volleyball coach Dana Moore. We talk about slow starts, young stars, and appreciating the sport of volleyball. Enjoy!



Friday, September 11, 2009

Points and Prattle, Vol. 1 – Sept. 11, 2009

Voice of: Joe Hansen

Eight years ago today, my friend Steve told me “I guess a plane crashed into a building somewhere…” as we walked into gym class. Little did I know at the time, that plane crash would change the course of history forever. We should all take a moment today to think about the people whose lives were affected by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. I know I will.

The first week of classes for the 2009-10 school year has come and gone for CSS students. Hopefully by now, the freshman have adapted to their surroundings and have lost that confused look on their faces. Our sports teams are on the road this week, so no work for me this weekend. Instead, I’ll be focusing on homework! But without any further ado, here’s the first edition of Points and Prattle:

  • I tried my hand at play-by-play for women’s soccer for the first time last weekend (vs. Wis.-River Falls). It’s a work in progress, but I think it turned out okay. I don’t believe I’ve been relieved of my duties yet, so I should get another shot soon.
  • Speaking of women’s soccer, they picked up a pair of victories this week, including in the aforementioned Sunday afternoon meeting with the WIAC’s Falcons. First-year Saint Megan Stingle netted the overtime game-winner and then gave us a fantastic celebration photo. Wednesday’s 7-1 victory over the Northland LumberJills was a bit more understated, but still just as important, earning the Saints a current 1-0 record in the UMAC. As they say, you can’t win them all if you don’t win the first.
  • Men’s soccer earned themselves a 6-0 win as well against Northland, and are now 2-0 to start the season, accomplishing a feat which, surprisingly, they have not done since 2004. Freshman Joshua Odukomaya earned himself seven points, including a hat trick and one assist. The Saints’ six-goal shutout was the largest margin of victory for the Saints since Oct. 12, 2007 when they defeated Martin Luther College by the same 6-0 score.
  • While on that subject, congrats to Courtney Bonnick and Dustin James for sweeping the UMAC Player of the Week awards for Men’s Soccer! Dustin’s game-tying goal and Courtney’s game-winner made for quite an exciting game against Macalester last week.
  • Football started their second season with a 40-19 loss to Concordia-Chicago, but not through lack of effort. The Saints had the lead – twice – and also made a late surge that fell short. Quarterback Jake Olson started the game, going 22-30 with 240 passing yards and 2 TDs including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Mike VanMassenhove before being relieved by Alex Thiry, who went 4-4 for 31 yards and a score. All in all, it was a disappointing loss but a good jumping off point for the young Saints.
  • Women’s and men’s cross country finished third and fourth, respectively, in their first meet of the season, the Tom Barry Invitational. The meet was highlighted for CSS with impressive showings by Katelyn Meger, who finished third, and Tara Connolly, who finished eighth. Nick Mangan was the lone top-10 finisher for the men, but they all ran well.
  • Last, but certainly not least, volleyball has gotten off to a slow start, but rebounded with their first victories of the season on Wednesday at the Augsburg triangular. Paige Hardy was the star of the day with 23 kills in two games against Augsburg and Wis.-River Falls. Their first win was all the 225th career win of volleyball head coach Dana Moore. Congrats!
  • Speaking of Dana Moore, she was the second coach to do a Shout Out! for the CSS YouTube account. Check out hers or the first, starring head football coach Greg Carlson here.
  • Not much for news this week at CSS, although men’s basketball and men’s track & field both added some impressive recruits for their upcoming seasons.
  • If you haven’t already, become a fan of the Saints on Facebook and follow CSS or myself on Twitter. Warning: my tweets are often irrelevant and always random.

VOTS will return next Tuesday with the debut of my coach’s interview series, starting with head volleyball coach Dana Moore! We’ll talk about positive attitudes, slow starts, and how to truly appreciate volleyball. So, be sure to check that out!

Enjoy your weekend,
-jh

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

An Opening Statement

Voice of: Joe Hansen
Greetings, St. Scholastica sportsfans!

If you’ve been to the blog before, you’re probably noticing that things have changed around here. We have a fresh, new color scheme (and name) as well as a brand new webmaster. I’ve been entrusted with running this blog, so let’s get to know each other!

My name is Joe Hansen, and I am a third-year English and Journalism major at the college. I’ve been working in the Sports Information office since before my freshman year thanks to my since-graduated sister, who worked here in her final three years at the college. I’m not sure if my end-goal is to be a sports information director, but it sure is starting to look like it.

Working in sports information has given me plenty of exciting opportunities, including writing this blog, as well as having my work featured on CSSsaints.com, UMACathletics.com, and even the official page of the NCAA. College sports and writing are both passions of mine, so that is quite a thrill. I’m also a published author of short stories. Or short story, as the case may be.

But enough about me. Here’s what you can expect on Voice of the Saints in the upcoming year: I hope to update ever Tuesday and Friday. Fridays will usually feature a weekly wrap-up that I like to call “Points and Prattle,” while Tuesdays might feature something a bit more specific, such as detailed analysis of one of our teams (or a game) or a coach’s interview or something. I’d like to have a coach interview at least once per season, as time permits with my own class schedule and their busy schedules.

Last year, Jesse opened up the forum to coaches in a series called “Coach Speak.” If any of our coaches would like to speak out to his or her fans, I’d love to feature them as frequently (or infrequently) as they would like. We also saw the perspective of the players in a few entries. That’s very welcome, too. Just send submissions to jhansen2@css.edu.

If the blog gets enough interest, live blogging (in a “chat” form) could be an option, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, Voice of the Saints will be an outlet for a Saints sports fan (with just a wee bit of “insider” information) to talk to other Saints fans about the teams we love.

So, in the meantime, the school year starts today, so I’m off to class.

Enjoy your week. I’ll be back Friday.
-jh

Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Voice of the Saints re-launches Tuesday, Sept. 8.

As the students return to CSS, so will the official Saints athletics blog, now re-titled The Voice of the Saints. Come back next Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 for the debut of the new Voice of the Saints blog, and then check back every Tuesday and Friday for updates from the new official blogger of CSS, sports information student intern, Joe Hansen!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Report # 2 From England

CSS Women's Soccer Coach Dave Reyelts chimes in again from England.

"On our way to Chater, England... we stopped off to play Crewe Alexandra in Stoke. Earlier we toured Wembley Stadium home of the English National Team and where many concerts (U2 on the weekend) and other big events (NFL football) during the year. At Stoke, the Saints fell behind early to the high level Crewe club as the highly skilled Crewe players pinged balls across the field and deftly brought to the pitch, opening up seams in the Saints defense. 2 quick goals, followed by a late half goal put the Saints down 3-0 at the half. After making some tactical and personnel adjustments, the Saints scored 2 in the 2nd half and put another off the post before falling 3-2 to Crewe Alexandra.

Tomorrow, Off to Bolton to train with Bolton Wanderers FC and then to Wigan for another EPL game with Wolverhampton."

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Report From England


From Head Women's Soccer Coach Dave Reyelts

Third day in London. Saw Chelsea v Hull City at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
Chelsea won 2 to 1. Wow it was exciting stuff!! Today, we trained at
Fullham academy with their academy coaches. Beautiful facilities where
their English Premier League team trains!! In the afternoon, we won first
exhibition against Redbridge FC 6-2. The game was played in Essex
near London. Maybe more information and pics tomorrow.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Former CSS Cross Country Runner Breaks Record


Courtesy of Kevin Pates of the Duluth News Tribune

Jen Houck, former St. Scholastica cross country won the Park Point 5-mile race on Friday, setting a course record in the process. It was her second straight win in the event.

Houck, 25, and her coach, St. Scholastica Nordic ski coach Chad Salmela, projected a women’s winning time of 28:30, which was dead on. Houck ran 41 seconds faster than 2008 and broke Kari Robertson’s 1997 course record of 28:36. Serena Sullivan, 28, of Hibbing was second in 30:20.

The former St. Scholastica runner also was back in action following the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon, where she finished 11th in 1:22:08, but wasn’t thrilled with her time.

“Ultimately, I don’t know what my best distance is yet, but I do like longer races,” said Houck, a physical therapist at Villa Maria Health Care Center in Superior. “I’ll run a 10-miler next week, and then my first serious marathon in October at Twin Cities.”

Houck had previously won the Fitger’s 5K in April and the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K in May in Minneapolis.

Story Link

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

MacMillan: Women’s Hockey will be “competitive in the first couple of years”


Press Conference Transcription – July 1, 2009

Don Olson, Athletic Directior: “The College of St. Scholastica is very excited to, number one, be starting a women’s hockey program at the intercollegiate level. We have had a club program which, for the past six seasons, has been very successful, had great participation, and the natural transition from that would be to move to an intercollegiate program. We also feel that there’s many positive reasons for starting a program at St. Scholastica, given our geography (Northeastern Minnesota), the strong growth of high school hockey programs in the surrounding area, the strength of our men’s program and the conference which we play in. [It also] gives us a balance between our intercollegiate programs … ten sports on the men’s side and ten sports on the women’s side. So, we feel that’s a positive step for us.
“The first and most important step is to find the right fit as a coach. We conducted a national search. We had a tremendous talent pool, and we feel that, without a doubt, getting Jackie MacMillan to accept our position as the women’s hockey coach at the St. Scholastica is absolutely the right fit. Her background, starting as a player, growing up in Buffalo, Minnesota and being a pioneer in the area, having to play with the boys – not only excelled but took on many leadership roles. She played at Wisconsin, in their inaugural program, and excelled as an athlete and … academically. She was an all-conference performer and an academic all-conference honoree. What she expressed to us, and what we feel, is that participating in that inaugural program will help give her a feel as to what it’s going to mean to those student athlets who are part of our first recruiting class.
"Her experience in coaching at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Union College in Shenectady, New York, and most recently at New England College gives her a broad depth of … knowledge to take on the role as the first women’s hockey coach at the college, and I think, most importantly, being a private, liberal arts college – understanding the value of that … education and the balance between academics and athletics – is something that she well understands. So, it’s my great pleasure to introduce Jackie MacMillan, women’s hockey coach, College of St. Scholastica.”
Jackie MacMillan, Women’s Hockey Coach: “Thanks, Don. I’m extremely excited about the oppurtunity to come to Duluth and be a part of the community at St. Scholastica, and I want to thank Don and the rest of the people to start the program here. It’s an exciting oppurtunity to join the community of Duluth and hockey and all it has to offer, and hopefully, I can help in growing girl’s hockey in the area. I’m excited to work with Coach Wick and the men’s program and think we have a good opportunity to build a relationship between the men’s and women’s programs here. It’s a great opportunity for our student athletes to play hockey here. Hopefully, we can get some of the area girls to want to play – and be impact players – at the Division-III level here, and start a good program here. So, I’m excited about the opportunity.
Josh Zenner, WDIO TV (Duluth): “Jackie, if you had a vision for the team – maybe not so much wins and losses – but the type of team and the type of players, what would you like to see?”
MacMillan: “I’ve talked a lot about the type of players I want to bring in here, and definitely, for me, the value of hard work, a good, hard-working player is something that I really want to start building this program around and players that want to fit in at St. Scholastica and the community and just be good people and good citizens on campus – players who love hockey and want to be here for the right reasons.”
Rick Weegman, Duluth News Tribune: “About being a first-year player at Wisconsin, will you use any of that experience to help you in your first year here at St. Scholastica?”
MacMillan: “Yeah, when I found out that St. Scholastica was starting a program here, I thought that would be a very appealing opportunity for me since I had that experience as a player … It was very unique and very special, something I will never forget. Just wanting to give back and give players the opportunity to experience something very exciting. Actually, I was at Wisconsin the year before we actually started the program, and I was practicing with the men’s team. It was a very unique experience with me.”
Weegman: “That was something you will familiar with, being around the boys?”
MacMillan: “Yeah, it was quite an adjustment for me, going from boy’s hockey to girl’s hockey. There’s such a different dynamic, going from playing with boy’s to playing with girls.”
Weegman: “How was the experience of playing with boys in Buffalo (Minnesota)?”
MacMillan: “They were like brothers. They knew that I just wanted to play hockey … They were very protective of me. It was such a great experience, you know, I am still talking to a lot of them. They were excited for me to have the opportunity to go off to college and play.”
Tom Hansen, Northland’s Newscenter (Duluth): “Was it just a bonus that you had relatives in the area – you were originally born in Duluth, correct? (MacMillan: “Yep.”) Was it your goal to return to Duluth?”
MacMillan: “It’s interesting, because every time I came back here [with Wisconsin] to play against the Bulldogs, it just happened to be a family event, and I always had 30 or 40 people in the stands that were cheering me on. We had quite the Wisconsin contigent just because of my family. It wasn’t something that I originalyl planned, but it just happened to be a unique opportunity and a great fit. The school itself – I’ve been part of the small school atmosphere in a private college – was just a great fit for me.”
Hansen: “You’ve coached at the division-III level [and the division I level] as well as played at the division-I level. Is there a seperation there, between the two levels?”
MacMillan: “Less and less now. With the growth of women’s hockey in the past five years, it’s completely different now. The level of play has gotten so much better. The school I was coaching at the past two years, New England College, I think we could have played some Division-I schools … and be very competitive. The gap is closing and today’s women’s hockey players want to play hockey, and are serious about it. Whether it’s Division-III or Division-I, they want to play hockey; they want to be good hockey players; and they want to be part of a good program.”
Weegman: “Any plans on where to recruit from?”
MacMillan: “Well, first, I want to get the best players around the area in Northern Minnesota, but I want to get the most competitive players and the players who are going to be impact players at the Division-III level. You know, the players I am looking for will be the players that could play at the Division-I level but they want to be impact players at the D-III level and have a good experience at a great institution.”
Hansen: “[In regards to the club team,] what will your role be? Will there be potential players on your team two years from now?”
MacMillan: “I certainly would be scared to have 20 freshmen the first year, so I think, starting there and having conversations with any players who are part of the club program and are interested would be a good first step … I’m sure I will be around and would like to watch some games … I am sure I will be on the road quite a bit trying to field a time. I’ll be around to watch the games as much as I can and talking to those who hope to be a part of the program.”
Zenner: “How do you think it will take to field a competitive team [in the NCHA]?”
MacMillan: “I’m an ambitious, competitive person so I’m hoping to be competitive in the first couple of years. There’s a lot of good players out there and they all need a team. Finding a good first couple of classes, I think we will be competitive within the conference. Before long, I think we will be a top team in the country – that’s one of my goals. Obviously, I’m taking it one step at a time.”
Weegman: “Do you know if there are already a lot of players on campus that will be a part of the program?”
Olson: “Maybe I can [answer this.] I just spoke with the club coach this morning … Our roster on the club program has been in the range of 16-17 student athletes … Our estimation would be that there would be four to seven or eight members who would be willing [and able] to compete at the varsity level … and also six or seven incoming freshmen [for the 2009-10 school year] who might be interested in two years.”
Weegman: “How many applicants did you have and how important was it for you to get the coach in place now?”
Olson: “We had 55 candidates, and we felt very, very strong about our pool of candidates. The strategy at the College of St. Scholastica – football being the most recent example – has been to … hire a coach at least a year in advance, giving the coach the opportunity to recruit, to plan the schedule, to buy equipment, and those types of things. It was very important for us to start this summer and find the right fit. We are very excited about the process and the result, and now, we move forward from there.”
Dana Moore, Volleyball Coach: “[Coach MacMillan,] you recently finished your master’s degree, and [the committee didn’t hear] a more strong recommendation than from one of your professors. Can you tell us a little about your master’s program?”
MacMillan: “I participated in the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s educational leadership program. It was a two-year program that involved class work, but mainly, I focused on a project, the development of team cohesion, which works very well with what I’m doing now. I followed a team for an entire season, watching a program which was known for traditionally winning a championship, and it was just an interesting process. Hopefully now, I can use what I learned on that to help develop team cohesion in my program here.”
Hansen: “Obviously, [the team will] practice and play at [Mars Lakeview Arena], is there any thoughts to doing anything else locker room-wise or facility-wise over at that complex to accommodate?”
Olson: “I’ve had a lot of conversations with the board and Brandan Flaherty, the rink manager, and we are working on that process. We are looking at several different plans, and that’s the best I can say now.”
Jesse Robinson, Sports Information Director: “Thank you for attending. Don and Jackie will be available outside for further questions.”