Oswego is No. 1 In D3 Hockey, But They're Not Alone

The Oswego State Lakers have climbed to the mountain top of Division III men's ice hockey, but they're not alone.  Joining them is a very familiar companion, the Plattsburgh Cadinals.  Both Plattburgh and Oswego State earned 282 points in the USHCO.com poll released Monday afternoon. 

The Cardinals actually received one more first place vote than the Lakers despite the fact that Oswego State won this season's first head-to-head match-up between the two schools 5-2 on the road.  They will meet again Jan. 30 in Oswego.

Syracuse Basketball Jumps Two Spots In Two Polls

A pair of lopsided victories over Ivy League schools has bumped the Syracuse Orange further up the top 10 in both the AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Torday Coaches Poll.  The media members place Syracuse at No. 8 while the coaches put the Orange at No. 7, both polls were released Monday afternoon.

Colgate is next on the agenda for Jim Boeheim's bunch.  The Red Raiders are winless in five tries this season and appear to be lambs looking to avoid a slaughter at the Carrier Dome on Monday night.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 P.M. on Jim Boeheim Court, the game is not televised and can only be viewed in the Syracuse area by Verizon FiOS subscribers at ESPN360.com.

SI Names Jeter Sportsman Of The Year

For the first time in its 55-year history, the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award will go to a member of the New York Yankees.  The magazine announced Monday that Derek Jeter is the 2009 recipient of the award.

This October, the Yankee captain led the Bronx Bombers to their fifth World Series title since his debut with the franchise in 1996.  Jeter hit .334 this season with 18 home runs and 66 RBI.  He also stole 30 bases on just 35 attempts.  He had stolen just 26 bases over the previous two seasons combined.

His efforts at shortstop earned him his fourth AL Gold Glove Award in six years.  He also collected his fourth straight AL Silver Slugger Award to go along with the AL Hank Aaron Award.  The Aaron award is given annually to the bet hitter in each league, as voted on by fans and members of the media.

Jeter is the first baseball player to receive the SI SOTY award since the entire Boston Red Sox roster was awarded it in 1004 after winning the franchise's first World Series in 86 years.  Prior to that, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling shared the award after pitching the Arizona Diamondbacks to their only World Series title in 2001.  They defeated Jeter's Yankees in seven games.

Offensive Coordinator Rob Spence Out At SU?

As you can see in the screen grab above, FootballScoop.com is reporting that the Syracuse University men's football program has two coaching vacancies to fill as of today. The site reports that Offensive Coordinator Rob Spence and Wide Receivers Coach Jamie Elizondo have been "let go."

Multiple Syracuse reporters and bloggers have already expressed their surprise at the announcement in the case of Spence. I must say I do not share their sentiment.  The Orange offense ranked second-to-last in scoring and yards in the Big East this season.  Sure, quarterback Greg Paulus set a single-season school record for completions, but he averaged just seven yards per attempt, which also ranked second-to-last in conference.

As for Elizondo, I don't think anyone will express any surprise at his dismissal.  The receiver corps at SU had a season-long case of the dropsies that never seemed to be cured.

The University has yet to release a statement concerning any coaches to the football coaching staff.

UPDATE:  Syracuse's Sue Edson (Assistant Director of Athletics in charge of Athletic Communications - because we're Syracuse and we're above using the title of SID) has confirmed to Syracuse.com that Spence, Elizondo, and defensive line coach Derrick Jackson are not being retained.

Pepsi Center Hosts 'Melo v. Johnny In High-Scoring Affair

Only two players have been drafted in the NBA lottery out of Syracuse University over the past eight years. Those two men are going head-to-head tonight on the hardwood at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. Carmelo Anthonty's Denver Nuggets led Johnny Flynn's Minnesota Timberwolves 64-50 after 24 minutes of play in Sunday night's regular season match-up. The game can be viewed online by clicking here.

UPDATE: Flynn has led the Wolves on a 14-3 run to start the second half and it is now a three-point game with under eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.  Thus far, Flynn has scored 12 points and Anthony has poured in 19.

UPDATE #2: Make that a 21-7 run to tip off the third as the Wolves have tied the game 71-71.  They are looking to snap a 15-game losing streak after winning their season opener.

UPDATE #3: Break up the Timberwolves!  Minnesota snapped their 15-game losing streak with a 106-100 victory over Denver.

This Holiday, Say "I Cheated" Like Never Before...Or Like Kobe Did

The Tiger Woods one-car accident story has dominated the headlines over at TMZ.com over the past few days, and their latest post is a doozy.  The website has somehow learned the details of a phone call between Woods and a friend that took place soon after the golfer's Friday morning car crash.  Here is what Woods allegedly told his friend over the phone regarding his relationship with his wife and the rumors that he has been having an affair:

During the phone conversation on Friday, Tiger told his friend, "I have to run to Zales to get a 'Kobe Special.'" The person on the other end of the phone asked Tiger what a "Kobe Special" was. The reply -- "A house on a finger."

During the conversation, Tiger said his wife had "gone ghetto" on him.

I still feel like this story hasn't even hit peaked yet.

Jim Fassel Is A World Champion (He Had a 1 in 4 Shot)

Twelve years after being named the NFL Coach of the Year, Jim Fassel is irrelevant a world champion.  His Las Vegas Locomotives won the inaugural United Football League Championship Game on Friday.  The league has confirmed that it will return for a second season.

Video: Crosby Turns Trick On Hat Night At Mellon, Pens Pound Rangers

A puck misplayed by New York goalie Steve Valiquette ignited a four-goal third period for Pittsburgh as the defending Stanley Cup Champions crushed the Rangers 8-3 Saturday night at Mellon Arena.

We're (Going To Be) #1! St. Norbert Blanked

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team has won three consecutive games since being voted the No. 2 team in the nation by USCHO.com.  And for three consecutive polls they have remained the brides' maid.  Now after an idle holiday weekend, the Lakers will likely find themselves atop the Division III hockey world.

Top-ranked St. Norbert had their perfect record shattered by Salem State in a 3-0 shutout Saturday night in the St. Scholastica Tournament.  The Green Knights had raced out to an 9-0-1 start, looking poised to avenge the previous season in which their streak of seven straight 20-win campaigns came to an end (19-8-1).  But Salem State junior James Lacour (pictured) played the role of streak stopper on Saturday with 31 saves for his first collegiate shutout.

The Vikings improved to 4-1-0, recovering nicely from their first loss of the season the night before to the host Saints.  St. Norbert is now 9-1-1 and will host St. Scholastica twice next weekend.

Pepsi Center Is Melo's Center As Anthony Drops 50 On Knicks

It had been two years, 11 months, and 12 days since Carmelo Anthony landed an uppercut to the chin of Mardy Collins before 19,763 patrons at Madison Square Garden in a 2006 game between Anthony's Denver Nuggets and Collins' New York Knicks.  The incident still serves as a shiny black eye on an otherwise brilliant seven-year professional career for Anthony.  But for the former Syracuse Orange forward, Friday night's game may have served as a metaphorical steak over a bruised peeper.

Anthony lit up that same Knicks franchise with a career-high 50 points as Denver outlasted the Knicks 108-105 at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  His first of two successful free throws with 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter wound up being the decisive tally as it gave the Nuggets a 126-121 lead.  His second foul gave him 50 points in a game for the first time in his NBA career.

"They might have been the two toughest free throws I've shot in a while," Anthony told reporters after the game. "We've got the game on the line, 50, you're right there and you want to get it. If I didn't say I wanted to get it, I'd be lying to you. I'm right there. But most importantly they were two big free throws."

The fact that Anthony made 15-of-16 at the charity stripe is a small miracle for any player who has ever donned the orange and blue of Syracuse, a program notorious for their struggles at the line.  But Anthony seemed to be dialed in from all spots on the floor, hitting 17 of 28 shot attempt.

New York's Al Harrington also turned in a memorable performance, dropping in 41 points to fall one short of his career best.  But after the game, even he had to marvel at 'Melo.

"He's got the total package right now," Harrington said. "He's hitting 3s, he's hitting mid-range, he can get to the free throw line whenever he wants. When you play against a guy that's going like that, there's nothing you can really do. I think our guys did a pretty good job, because if they didn't he would have had 70."

Laker Hoops Alumnus Leads Columbia To The Dome

Former Oswego State hoops player Joe Jones leads his Columbia Lions into the Carrier Dome tonight to face the unbeaten Syracuse Orange. VOTL's CoverItLive coverage is below:

Happy Thanksgiving

Former Orange Donté Greene Has Breakout Game Against - Who Else - My Knicks

We Win Friday, That's Called A Winning Streak. It Has Happened Before.

BOX: #9 Syracuse 88, Cornell 73

CoverItLive: #24 Syracuse vs. #4 North Carolina

Oswego State Tops Utica, Runs Winning Streak To 6

Salem State transfer Justin Fox netted his second game winning goal of the season as Oswego State beat Utica 3-2 Saturday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena.

Oswego State Wins 5th Straight To Close Road Trip

Stephen Mallaro (pictured) has yet to score a goal on home ice in his collegiate career, but the Oswego State junior now has three markers on the road to start the 2009-10 season.  The blueliner from Syracuse lit the lamp twice, including the game-winner, in a 5-1 victory at Cortland (2-4-0) on Friday. 

Mallaro has played in all seven games this season as #2 Oswego State has jumped out to a 6-1-0 start.  The victory over the Red Dragons capped a six-game road trip in which the Lakers won five straight games after dropping a 2-1 decision at Elmira on Oct. 24.

Sophomore Eric Selleck assisted on Mallaro's deciding goal as well as two others to push his point total to 20.  He is on pace to have the highest-scoring season for a Laker since Don Patrick's 56-point performance in 2002-2003.  Selleck's point total is tops in the nation, as are his 14 assists.  His six goals rank second behind freshman Cody Reefer from top-ranked St. Norbert.

Senior goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor won his third-straight start in place of the flu-riddled Paul Beckwith.  KGT has made a strong case for consideration as the team's top net minder for the rest of the season.  He has a 1.33 GAA and save percentage of .947 in his first 180 minutes of ice time as a Laker, though Beckwith's numbers were also impressive before he fell ill (2.26 GAA, .930 Sv Pct).

Junior Chris Laganiere continues to thrive on the team's top line and equaled a career high with his sixth goal of the season.  Line mate Justin Fox also found the back of the net for his fifth goal.  The line of Laganiere, Selleck, and Fox has combined for 17 goals and 34 assists in just seven games together.

Senior assistant captain Neil Musselwhite potted the sixth shorthanded goal of his career in the second period to give Oswego State a 3-1 lead.  Musselwhite did not find the back of the net in the first three games of the year, but now has three markers in the last four games.  His four assists give him seven points, making him one of five Lakers averaging at least a point-per-game this season.

Oswego State returns home Saturday night for a much-anticipated meeting with unbeaten Utica College (2-0-1).  The Pioneers helped the Lakers open the Campus Center Ice Arena on Oct. 20, 2006.  Oswego State won that game 4-3 in front of 2,980 fans.  They'd face Utica once more that season, a 5-2 Lakers victory in January, before going onto win the national championship.  The two clubs haven't met since.  That drought ends tonight with the opening faceoff scheduled for 7 P.M.

Crunch Will See A Silver Anniversary In Syracuse

Lindsay Kramer reported the deal was as good as done on Sept. 1.  Some ten weeks later the official announcement has come that the Syracuse Crunch will continue to call the city's OnCenter War Memorial their home through at least 2019.  The franchise has played all of their home games at the 58-year-old arena since they moved to the Salt City from Hamilton, Ontario prior to the 1994-95 season.

Team owner Howard Dolgon received a large incentive to keep the franchise in Syracuse after the Onondaga County Legislature approved a new scoreboard for the old barn in September.  That's when Kramer first reported that a verbal agreement had been reached between the team and the facility for a new five-year lease with a team option for an additional five years.  It turns out that the option was taken out of the final deal.

The positive new twist is that the original pact was going to be five years, and then five one-year options. Now, it's just a straight 10-year commitment.

"We liked the direction the Oncenter is going. We've always said were going to be long-term players in the community,'' said Syracuse owner Howard Dolgon.

John Wetteland Now Knows The Feeling of Watching Him Close

John Wetteland might be nuts.  And this might be karma.  From ESPN.com:

A woman at Wetteland's home in Texas called for help for a possibly suicidal person, according to the Denton County Sheriff's office.

Police said Wetteland came out of the house with his hands in the air and asked for help.

Do not feel bad for this guy and his ERA of 14.54 in the '95 playoffs.  And no, I don't care who won the World Series MVP in '96.

Coach Outburst Gets Ryan Scott on Network TV

Look closely at the video of Louisiana Ice Gators coach Brent Sapergia losing his s*** aggressively protesting a penalty and you will see former Oswego State goaltender Ryan Scott (pictured).  The SUNYAC's all-time leader in wins is seated at the far end of the opposing team's bench,  He was enjoying a night off when Sapergia launched into a tirade that made national news (video embedded).

Scott is in his first season a member of the Pensacola Ice Flyers and second season as a netminder in the Southern Professional Hockey League.  He played for Richmond last season before the franchise folded.  He is currently 2-1-0 with a 2.29 GAA for the Ice Flyers.

It's Starting To Look As Though This May Actually Happen

Senator Charles Schumer spoke with Lindsay Kramer of The Post-Standard on Thursday about the logistics of an outdoor hockey game in Syracuse between the Crunch and Binghamton planned for Feb. 20 at the New York State Fairgrounds.  In his latest blog post, Kramer breaks down the behind-the-scenes efforts of Crunch owner Howard Dolgon:

- Dolgon suggested maybe waiting until 2010-11 to try the game, but Schumer said all the pieces are in place to make it happen now, so let's go for it.

- The initial date of the game was Dec. 5. But the Crunch wanted more time to sell and market the game, so February was the target date. Although Syracuse winter weather is always dicey, the parties agreed that playing outside in January or early February was particularly icy.

- The total cost of the event isn't clear yet, but it's usually been viewed in that $800,000-$900,000 range. The Crunch will pay up to $550,000 for the game, maybe much less depending upon the marketing costs. Three to six major sponsors will bring in about $350,000 total. Paterson got $75,000 from the Empire State Development Corp.

- The rink will start going up a week to 10 days before the event, and might be available for use by local youth teams.

Oswego State Ranked #2 In Latest National Poll

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team finished five points behind St. Norbert College in the first regular season poll release by USCHO.com on Monday.  The Lakers moved up six spots from the preseason poll announced two weeks ago after starting the season 5-1-0, including a 5-2 victory over pre-season No. 1 Plattsburgh on the road Saturday night.

This marks Oswego State's highest ranking since they topped the 2007-08 pre-season poll.  They currently hold a record of 2-1-0 against ranked opponents, with match-ups against #5 Adrian, #13 Hobart, and a rematch with #3 Plattsburgh still to come.

Photo: Jared Crast

Selleck, KGT, White Lightning Sweep SUNYAC Awards

The SUNY Athletic Conference honored three members of the Oswego State men's ice hockey team this week.  Eric Selleck was named SUNYAC Player of the Week for his three goal, four assist performance over the weekend in the Lakers' North Country sweep of Potsdam and Plattsburgh.

Kyle Gunn-Taylor was named conference goaltender of the week as he picked up a pair of victories in his first action as a Laker.  KGT stopped 56 of the 59 shots he saw while filling in for H1N1 victim starter Paul Beckwith, who stayed in Oswego over the weekend with an illness.

Freshman Jon Whitelaw tallied his first three collegiate goals during the road trip and also recorded an assist.  Two of his goals came in Saturday's 5-2 victory over Plattsburgh, which snapped a 10-game winless streak in the rivalry series for the Lakers.

Puck Flattsburgh! Oswego State Tops Cardinals 5-2

I think of no better way to gloat than to post this recently-surfaced video of Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery, or "Emmer," rapping prior to the 1986 Beanpot Tournament.

Needless To Say, I Won't Be Tweeting About Mike Williams Anymore

Oswego State Alumni Goalie Update

Here is the latest on some former Oswego State backstops:

Potter The Condor
On the right is your first look at Tim Potter as a member of the Bakersfield Condors.  Below is your first listen as Potter was interviewed prior to his first ECHL game by ESPN Bakersfield:

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Hot Start For Scott
Ryan Scott, the goalie behind the 2007 Oswego State National Championship team, has signed with the expansion Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League.  Through three games he has a record of 2-1-0 with a GAA of 2.29 and a save percentage of .895.  Pensacola is currently tied for the best record in the league at 3-1-0.  Scott won 14 games in 33 appearances last season for the now-defunct Richmond Renegades of the SPHL.

Perno Practices With Amerks
Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle profiled former Oswego State goaltender Len Perno in Thursday's paper.  Perno, 38, played in net for the Lakers in the early 90's.  He lives in the Rochester area and was recently called in to practice with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.  Here is an excerpt from Kevin Oklobzija's article:

Perno's own pro career after SUNY Oswego was short, taking him to the old West Coast Hockey League in 1995-96, and then just about everywhere in 1996-97 (Utica, Knoxville, Binghamton and even his hometown Amerks).Nowadays his only hockey comes in the area adult leagues. He's also helping out as a coach for the mite team that his son, Lenny, plays on. By day, he operates The Perno Group, a direct placement agency for those in the engineering and software fields.

Gajda Goalie Fight Video
Lastly, I thought I'd provide you with a video that has been sitting on YouTube for a little while.  It's a clip of former Lakers netminder Tyson Gajda getting into a goalie fight in the ECHL.  I post this in honor of my pilgrimage to Gajda's hometown of Westfield, MA yesterday.  Enjoy:

Mike Williams Bids Farewell Via Facebook

Well, I guess that's that.  Former Syracuse University wide receiver Mike Williams took to his Facebook account Tuesday afternoon to send a message out to his friends.  It read the following:

"thanks cuse! thanks for everything my best time was here and to all my real fans i promise i will b somewhere where u guys can keep being great FANS WITH OUT YOU THERES NO ME and to all my haters thanks to yall 2 cause i couldnt do it with out yall SO JUST KEEP HATIN .and LAST BUT NOT LEAST to all my teammates I LOVE YALL YALL MY 2 FAMILY THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES."

That would appear to quell the rumor that Williams has reconsidered his decision to leave the program.  On Monday afternoon, I Tweeted that Williams quit to avoid being suspended by coach Doug Marrone for a second time.  The source of that information was a starting player on the Orange defense.  The source also stated that Williams was to be suspended for, "getting into trouble with teammates."  They did not elaborate on that statement, and I was puzzled as to what they had meant.

Hours later, the following appeared on the Syracuse.com fan forum:

"Here is what I heard from credible people: Williams, Bailey, Tiller, and Ball broke team rules and went to Turning Stone. In route, they got in a minor car accident. They were specifically forbidden from going there...when faced with repurcussions, Williams lost it, flipped out, and quit."

The user who posted this went onto say that Williams had realized he made a mistake and asked to be reinstated.  The post read that Marrone let the team vote on Williams' status and that the team had voted him back on.  That seemed to mark the beginning of the "he's back" rumors.  Part of the forum post gained a great deal of credibility around lunch time Tuesday when ESPN's Joe Schad Tweeted:

"Mike Williams had a late night vehicle incident after the last gm that was going to lead to another suspension."

Minutes later, Syracuse University announced that the Orange lineup would look a bit different on Saturday in Pittsburgh.  The school issued a press release stating that center Jim McKenzie would return from injury and play.  Also, defensive end Jared Kimmel would be shutting it down for the season to have his knee operated on again.  But the golden nugget was buried in the last paragraph:

"The Orange will also be without running back Antwon Bailey, defensive end Torrey Ball and offensive guard Andrew Tiller, who have been suspended for a violation of team rules."

Bailey, Ball, and Tiller.  The same players mentioned in the post on Syracuse.com.  It took Daily Orange reporter Connor Orr less than three hours to confirm with state police what had been written on the fan forum the day before:

"From New York State Police -- Williams, Tiller, Ball and Bailey in accident 5:30 Sunday morning. Tiller (driver) not being charged."

A full story was published on the Daily Orange web site just before 4 p.m.  In it, Orr and Abram Brown reported that a man named Nathan Pimrose had rear-ended Tiller at around 5 a.m. early Sunday morning.  The article does not mention if the players had visited or intended to visit Turning Stone Casino.

The accident took place in Lenox, NY.  The casino is in Verona, less than 10 miles away.  Syracuse.com's Charles McChesney reports that the accident took place on Thruway I-90 and that Pimrose was driving a tractor trailer.  He also writes that State Police say Pimrose was at fault for the accident.  Both articles say that police do not believe alcohol was involved in the accident.

As per usual, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician was on top of all the coverage today.

Notebook: Oswego State Returns From Western NY Trip With Four Points

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team came out of their Western New York road trip unscathed for the fourth consecutive season Saturday night.  The Lakers' 7-4 victory over Fredonia came 24 hours after Friday's 4-1 domination of Buffalo State.

Oswego State now has an overall record of 3-1-0 with a perfect mark of 2-0-0 in conference play.  It's just the first week of November, but the SUNYAC standings already have a familiar look to them - Plattsburgh and Oswego at the top, followed by everyone else.

NOTES:

• One red flag for the Lakers is their power play success rate.  Coach Ed Gosek is usually displeased whenever the team is converting on less than 25 percent of their man up opportunities.  That being said, he must be beside himself this week.  After converting on 2-of-5 chances in a season-opening win against Elmira, Oswego State has failed to score on their last 17 man-up opportunities.  The 2-for-22 mark puts the Lakers at nine percent on the year.
  

• As bad as they've been when they have a man advantage, the Lakers have been equally as impressive when they're a man down.  Oswego State had not allowed a power play goal going into Saturday's match-up at Fredonia.  The Blue Devils lit the lamp twice on the power play, but that still leaves the Lakers at a 90 percent penalty kill rate.
  

• The top forward line of Chris Laganiere, Eric Selleck, and Justin Fox (pictured) combined for 16 points on the weekend.  Laganiere looks poised for a breakout junior year, as he is averaging a point and an assist per outing through the first four games.
  

• Junior Stephen Mallaro scored his first collegiate goal in the 4-1 win over Buffalo State.  His marker came on a rebound midway through the opening period and stood as the game winner.
  

• Sohomore Paul Beckwith had his worst game of the short season on Saturday (four goals allowed on 27 shots), but all-in-all he has been exactly what Oswego State thought they were getting in net.  His GAA is a miniscule 2.26 and he has stopped 93 percent of the shots he has seen.