The men’s swimming team kicked off its 2009-10 campaign at the Western New York Invite, held at the University of Buffalo. The team hopes to build on a strong finish from last season and received solid performances from its returners and newcomers.
Senior Mariusz Michalik highlighted the meet with four medals including two golds to lead the Bonnies. Michalik teamed with sophomore Peter Koenig and juniors Dawid Kundzik and Jared Robinson to earn a silver in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:36.37.
The University at Buffalo women’s soccer team shutout Northern Illinois, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon, giving the team its second win of the weekend. Freshman Stephanie Velez scored both Buffalo goals as the Bulls improve to 3-10-1 (2-3-1 MAC).
Stephanie Velez
Velez scored her first goal of the game at the 6:24 mark to give the Bulls an early lead. Capitalizing on a Northern Illinois foul, Angela Nicholas belted a free kick from about 30 yards out. Velez picked it up in front of the net, catching the NIU goalkeeper off guard to sneak in the goal. The remainder of the first half was evenly matched with UB taking the advantage in shots, 6-4. UB goalkeeper Amy Coron came up with a big save at the one minute mark of the half to keep the Bulls up one at the halftime break.
Volleyball Continues Winning Ways on the Road at Rider
The Canisius College volleyball team extended its perfect record in conference road matches with a four-set win at Rider on Sunday. The Golden Griffins won 25-22, 25-11, 21-15, 25-16 to improve to 8-10 overall and 5-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Freshman Samantha Good led all players with 18 kills. Junior Renee Lettow had her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore setter Janelle Davis had 31 assists and nine digs. The Canisius back row had three players with double-digit digs — freshman Allyson Severyn had 21 digs while senior Kaela Glenn and sophomore Carley Youngman each had 12 digs.
And you thought last week’s Miami debacle was bad? By comparison that was Ali vs. Frazier all over again.
The Buffalo Bills went out, at home, against a winless Cleveland Browns team in a game they absolutely had to have. Rather than win, they laid the ultimate egg. The result was a 6-3 demoralizing loss and in essence dashed the Bills playoff dreams just five weeks into the season.
If you want to know how ghastly things have gotten for the Bills offense, here’s all you need to know; Browns quarterback Derek Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes for a total of 23 yards.. And he was the winning quarterback.
I just spoke to several fans outside Ralph Wilson stadium and the consensus is the owner is ready to receive a massive demonstration today.
There are dozens of anti Dick Jauron signs all over, and protesting groups are ready to drown out Wilson’s halftime ceremony (he’ll be receiving his Hall of Fame ring) with “Fire Dick” chants.
One group has even taken the trouble of going around to various tailgating parties to recruit demonstrators.
Signs are starting to indicate this afternoon’s contest against Cleveland could be head coach Dick Jauron’s final stand. Whispers around the team are rapidly turning into rumblings, and could come to a dramatic head by Monday morning if the Bills fall at home to the lowly (and winless) Browns.
It’s the second consecutive week the Bills face off against an opposition that’s failed to win a game. Last week the Bills traveled to Miami in a crucial divisional battle against the then 0-3 Dolphins. Buffalo simply failed to show up and were rewarded with a 38-10 spanking.
Some bullets & bits to get you ready for this afternoon’s game.
* The Bills are very likely to catch a nice break offensively as Cleveland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson is likely to miss the game with a hamstring injury. It would be the second consecutive week the top defender facing the Bills missed the game with a bad hamstring. Miami’s Joey Porter missed last week’s game with the same injury. Jackson is tied for third in the NFL with 39 tackles, a number shared by Bills linebacker Keith Ellison.
* Donte Whitner (thumb) and Bryan Scott (ankle) will both miss their consecutive game. George Wilson and Jarius Byrd get the starts again at safety.
The Erie Community College football team dropped a crucial Northeast Conference game on the road in Peckville, PA to Lackawanna College October 10.
Erie took a 3-0 lead in to halftime as Mike Lawandus (Lancaster/Sweet Home) kicked a 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first half.
The defensive first half featured nine-straight punts to open the game. The ninth one by Erie led to their only points of the game. Joshua Bailey mishandled the Kats punt at his own 22-yard line and the fumble was recovered by Trent Alls (Buffalo/Riverside).
The University at Buffalo volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Ball State on Saturday night at Worthen Arena as the Bulls were unable to sustain the momentum from a set two victory. The loss drops UB’s record to 12-7 on the year and 3-3 in the MAC.
Ball State took the contest 25-22, 17-25, 25-16, 25-15 as the Cardinals hit .286 opposed to .172 for the Bulls. After falling in a tightly-contested first set, the Bulls defeated Ball State 25-17 in the second. However, the host Cardinals won both the third and fourth to take the match.
The key to winning on the road is to play great defense and take advantage of your chances. The Sabres played great defense and had plenty of chances. They capitalized only once when Mike Grier scored the only goal to give the Sabres a 1-0 victory in Nashville.
The Sabres limited the Predators to 25 shots and Miller stopped them all to earn his first shutout of the season. Miller made some really good saves including a dandy on a shorthanded breakaway by Marcel Goc late in the third to keep the game scoreless.
The University at Buffalo football team dominated in all phases of the game in a 40-3 Homecoming day victory over Gardner-Webb before 15,812 fans. Buffalo rushed for 250 yards – led by Ike Nduka who had 131 yards on 24 carries – and threw for 258 yards, with senior flanker Brett Hamlin recording six receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. The Bulls jumped to a 33-3 halftime lead and cruised in the second half to their third consecutive Homecoming Day win. Nduka became the first Bull in the Division I-A era to go for over 100 yards in his first two starts.
Sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard completed 16-of-20 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns – including two of them to senior tight end Jesse Rack – in a highly-efficient performance.
Jared Chunn had 15 carries for 117 yards and two scores as Kean University (4-1/4-0) raced past visiting Buffalo State (1-4/1-3), 37-0, in an NJAC contest Saturday at Kean Alumni Stadium.
Kean outgained Buffalo State 390-260 for the day, including 242-106 on the ground. The Bengals were limited to 1 of 11 on third-down conversions and were just 1 of 3 on fourth downs.
Tom D’Ambrisi was 8 of 14 passing for just 141 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Kean. Bekim Bujari led the Cougars defense with 11 tackles and a sack.
With the Bills 1-3, you might be too sick to your stomach to even think about food. Or maybe you, like me, eat to numb your feelings. I guess I can pride myself on helping you fill the void in your Sundays with good, fatty food.
Although, as week five approaches, we do have one thing going for us. The Browns suck. Yeah, so the Browns have won 9 out of their 14 games against the Bills. So what. At 0-4, and with Braylon Edwards gone, we definitely have a good shot. If their last 2 games against the Bills mean anything, it could be a close game. I don’t want your eyes to have to leave the screen for a second, nevermind have you running back and forth to the kitchen.
The Niagara women’s hockey team comeback from three one-goal deficits to earn a 3-3 tie against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers on Saturday afternoon at Dwyer Arena.
“I’m happy with our effort in the game (today),” head coach Chris MacKenzie said. “We bounced back and kept battling.”
After starting the season with two strong performances in New England and Tampa Bay, the offense of the Buffalo Bills has stunk in consecutive losses to New Orleans and Miami. Outscored 65-17 in those two losses, Buffalo’s offense has generated a meager 10 points and many more mistakes in playing the Bills out of two winnable games.
If there’s one team that could cure some of Buffalo’s ills offensively (if only for one game), it’s the Cleveland Browns. Buffalo’s Week 5 opponent currently possess the dubious honor of being the NFL’s worst defense, surrendering 403 yards per game in their 0-4 start. Granted, their opponents are a sparkling 14-2 early this season (they’ve played Minnesota, Denver, Baltimore and Cincinnati), but bad is bad no matter which way you look at it.
Count me in as one of the people that loved the way the Sabres played following the lockout. They had a high powered offense that lit up the scoreboard at a record pace. They were also winning games and made it to the conference finals two seasons in row.
Since that time the Sabres have missed the playoffs two consecutive seasons and the offensive has been inconsistent. Every once in awhile you see glimpses of the team that could score goals on command, but mostly they manage just one or two goals like they have the last two games–though they haven’t lost in regulation either yet.
The Portland Pirates must feel like its groundhog day.
After losing by a 5-2 score while giving up three power play goals last weekend to the Springfield Falcons, the Pirates did exactly the same thing, giving up three more power play goals to the Albany River Rats, in a 5-2 loss, before a crowd of 2,162 at the Times Union Arena on Friday night.
In the early portion of the season, special teams has clearly been a problem for the Pirates giving up six goals on 11 attempts for opposing teams, while they are 0-for-12 with the man advantage.
The Niagara men’s hockey team (0-0-1) were unable to hold onto a two-goal lead, settling for a 4-4 tie against the visiting Colgate Raiders (0-0-1) on opening night in front of 1,508 fans at Dwyer Arena.
The Purple Eagles were leading 4-2 heading into the third period, but two goals in a span of 2:25 late in the final stanza sent the game into overtime.
“We battled hard and did all the right things for forty minutes,” head coach Dave Burkholder said. “We just couldn’t finish it off.”
Former Buffalo State men’s basketball player James Tyndal (Bronx/Msgr. Scanlon) has signed a contract to continue his playing career with the Harlem Wizards, a professional traveling show-team.
Tyndal played four years at guard with the Bengals, averaging 7.5 points and 2.7 assists-per-game in 79 games, but averaged 10.8 points and 3.8 assists as a starter during his junior and senior seasons. He was an honorable mention All-SUNYAC selection last year as a senior.
The Canisius College hockey team fell in its season opener to Ferris State, losing by a score of 5-2.
Senior Carl Hudson (Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario) scored the Griffs’ lone goal of the game, with senior Josh Heidinger (Buffalo, N.Y.) and freshman Torrey Lindsay (Grosse Isle, Manitoba) each tallying an assist.
Senior Andrew Loewen (Winnipeg, Manitoba) stopped 39 shots in goal for the Griffs.
The Buffalo Bulls will host Gardner-Webb in a homecoming showdown on Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. This is the first meeting between the two schools.
“They are a good football team,” said head coach Turner Gill, “They are 3-1 on the season, and know how to win ball games.”
The Bulls (1-4, 0-2 MAC) are coming off a hard-fought 20-13 loss to MAC powerhouse Central Michigan. Buffalo had three chances to score in the fourth quarter, but were unable to capitalize.
Discovering a silver lining in the Buffalo Bills 2009 season thus far is about as effortless as convincing the American public George W. Bush was the most popular president since JFK. The Bills were within a play of pulling a monumental opening night upset at New England and handled an atrocious Tampa Bay at home the following week. With this year’s campaign seemingly on the hot trail the Bills promptly went out and laid consecutive eggs against New Orleans and Miami.
Now the Bills sit at 1-3 and going nowhere faster than (metaphor). The team now looks utterly lifeless and their head coach’s approval rating has plunged further than any Dow Jones stock ever could.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is why Mike Grier is a great addition to the Buffalo Sabres.
With under a minute left in the game and Buffalo up by a goal, Grier deflected two attempts by the Coyotes to gain the offensive zone, taking crucial amounts of time off the clock and forcing the Phoenix forwards to regroup. Ryan Miller held strong and withstood the Coyotes final push, making several huge saves to hold the lead for the home team. The Sabres doubled their offense from their last effort, putting two pucks past Coyotes goaltender Jason Labarbera, while keeping the defensive play that they established last Saturday against the Canadiens, again holding the opposition to one goal, a redirection by Matthew Lombardi. Buffalo controlled the flow of play for almost the entire game, forcing Labarbera to make nearly forty saves.
The men’s swimming team kicked off its 2009-10 campaign at the Western New York Invite, held at the University of Buffalo. The team hopes to build on a strong finish from last season and received solid performances from its returners and newcomers.
Volleyball Continues Winning Ways on the Road at Rider
And you thought last week’s Miami debacle was bad? By comparison that was Ali vs. Frazier all over again.
I just spoke to several fans outside Ralph Wilson stadium and the consensus is the owner is ready to receive a massive demonstration today.
Signs are starting to indicate this afternoon’s contest against Cleveland could be head coach Dick Jauron’s final stand. Whispers around the team are rapidly turning into rumblings, and could come to a dramatic head by Monday morning if the Bills fall at home to the lowly (and winless) Browns.
Some bullets & bits to get you ready for this afternoon’s game.
The Erie Community College football team dropped a crucial Northeast Conference game on the road in Peckville, PA to Lackawanna College October 10.
The University at Buffalo volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Ball State on Saturday night at Worthen Arena as the Bulls were unable to sustain the momentum from a set two victory. The loss drops UB’s record to 12-7 on the year and 3-3 in the MAC.
The key to winning on the road is to play great defense and take advantage of your chances. The Sabres played great defense and had plenty of chances. They capitalized only once when Mike Grier scored the only goal to give the Sabres a 1-0 victory in Nashville.
The University at Buffalo football team dominated in all phases of the game in a 40-3 Homecoming day victory over Gardner-Webb before 15,812 fans. Buffalo rushed for 250 yards – led by Ike Nduka who had 131 yards on 24 carries – and threw for 258 yards, with senior flanker Brett Hamlin recording six receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. The Bulls jumped to a 33-3 halftime lead and cruised in the second half to their third consecutive Homecoming Day win. Nduka became the first Bull in the Division I-A era to go for over 100 yards in his first two starts.
Jared Chunn had 15 carries for 117 yards and two scores as Kean University (4-1/4-0) raced past visiting Buffalo State (1-4/1-3), 37-0, in an NJAC contest Saturday at Kean Alumni Stadium.
With the Bills 1-3, you might be too sick to your stomach to even think about food. Or maybe you, like me, eat to numb your feelings. I guess I can pride myself on helping you fill the void in your Sundays with good, fatty food.
The Niagara women’s hockey team comeback from three one-goal deficits to earn a 3-3 tie against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers on Saturday afternoon at Dwyer Arena.
After starting the season with two strong performances in New England and Tampa Bay, the offense of the Buffalo Bills has stunk in consecutive losses to New Orleans and Miami. Outscored 65-17 in those two losses, Buffalo’s offense has generated a meager 10 points and many more mistakes in playing the Bills out of two winnable games.
Count me in as one of the people that loved the way the Sabres played following the lockout. They had a high powered offense that lit up the scoreboard at a record pace. They were also winning games and made it to the conference finals two seasons in row.
The Portland Pirates must feel like its groundhog day.
The Niagara men’s hockey team (0-0-1) were unable to hold onto a two-goal lead, settling for a 4-4 tie against the visiting Colgate Raiders (0-0-1) on opening night in front of 1,508 fans at Dwyer Arena.
Former Buffalo State men’s basketball player James Tyndal (Bronx/Msgr. Scanlon) has signed a contract to continue his playing career with the Harlem Wizards, a professional traveling show-team.
The Canisius College hockey team fell in its season opener to Ferris State, losing by a score of 5-2.
The Buffalo Bulls will host Gardner-Webb in a homecoming showdown on Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Discovering a silver lining in the Buffalo Bills 2009 season thus far is about as effortless as convincing the American public George W. Bush was the most popular president since JFK. The Bills were within a play of pulling a monumental opening night upset at New England and handled an atrocious Tampa Bay at home the following week. With this year’s campaign seemingly on the hot trail the Bills promptly went out and laid consecutive eggs against New Orleans and Miami.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is why Mike Grier is a great addition to the Buffalo Sabres.
