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for November 2010
 It’s a very sad day in the Buffalo and NHL sports world as Hall of Fame hockey writer Jim Kelley has passed away following a fight with pancreatic cancer.
Kelley started covering the Buffalo Sabres for the Buffalo News in 1981. Through the years, Kelley covered 23 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Later he would go on to work for FoxSports.com, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and eventually Sportsnet.ca.
He also briefly covered the Bills, including while they were in the midst of their four-year Super Bowl run.
The three-time president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, to say Kelley will go down as one of the better sportswriters in history is an understatement. The Hockey News once declared Kelley “100 People of Power and Influence in Hockey.”
Continue reading ‘Hall of Fame Writer Jim Kelley Loses Fight With Cancer’
 We reported on speculation of Tom Golisano looking to sell the Buffalo Sabres first on Sunday, citing a report from the Boston Globe. In this morning Buffalo News story, Bucky Gleason took it a step further, investigating sources and getting quotes from team president Larry Quinn.
Now the bombshell has come out. The Hockey News is reporting that Tom Golisano is indeed selling his interest in the Buffalo Sabres.
Terry Pegula has signed a letter of intent to buy the Buffalo Sabres from Golisano for about $150 million, according to the report by Ken Campbell; a report that’s being denied by Sabres team president Larry Quinn.
Continue reading ‘Report: Pegula Working On Buying Sabres From Golisano’
 Senior forward Bryan Haczyk has been recognized for his stellar week last week for the Niagara men’s hockey team (8-5-2, 6-3-0 AHA), earning Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week Honors, as announced by the conference on Monday.
For the third time in the last five weeks, Niagara has won AHA Player of the Week honors, with Haczyk’s five-point week the latest. The speedy New Jersey native netted two assists in a 4-2 win over Colgate, a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win against Army and scored the lone Purple Eagle goal in a 4-1 loss to Army. Haczyk and sophomore teammate Giancarlo Iuorio currently have picked up at least a point in their last 11 games.
Niagara, a team that is receiving votes for the third straight week in the USCHO.com poll hosts UConn for the very first time this weekend, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
 The Buffalo Bills have signed guard Marc Dile and cornerback Trae Williams to the team’s practice squad, according to a team release.
Dile went undrafted in 2009 and signed with Tampa Bay after playing his college ball at South Florida. He was on the active roster for five gameas last season before being released and eventually resigned to the practice squad.
Williams was drafted in the fifth round by Jacksonville in 2008 but didn’t make the roster. He has spent time with Pittsburgh, Seattle and Philadelphia. Like Dile, Williams also played his college ball at South Florida.
 There aren’t a lot of things you can label as a pleasant surprise when you’re football team is 2-9, but the Buffalo Bills have themselves a gigantic bolt from the blue in fireball defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
All Williams has done for an otherwise ghastly Buffalo defense is contribute 60 tackles this season, which happens to be more than any other defensive lineman in the entire National Football League. He’s also dropped opposing quarterbacks five times for sacks. Among NFL defensive tackles, only rookie sensation Ndamukong Suh (8) and Mike Wright (5.5) have more
Losing team or not, Williams’ play has been Pro Bowl praiseworthy. If you’re not convinced ask Pittsburgh Steelers center Chris Kemoeatu, who was victimized by Williams for two sacks Sunday and flagged for holding Williams on four separate occasions.
“He’s definitely a great player,” Kemoeatu told reporters in the locker room. “Everybody knows he’s strong as hell. I thought we had a good week preparing for him. But my hat goes off to him. He’s a helluva baller. He’s physical, comes off the ball and just hits you in the helmet.”
Continue reading ‘Kyle Williams Proves Pro Bowl Worthy’
 Nestled literally on the Buffalo/Cheektowaga border, Papa Joes Sports Bar & Grill (1011 Walden Avenue) is one of the more unheralded, yet busier and entertaining bars in all of Western New York. It’s a place customers flock to from near and far, whether you reside moments down the road or the middle of nowhere, it’s become one of the more diverse watering hole establishments in all of town.
The reasons for Papa Joes success is easy to see. The bar entails a combination of modernity as well as respect to the traditional setups you see in most neighborhood bars. But don’t be fooled by its rather ordinary exterior appearance; Papa Joes has amenities you’ll find inside very few bars in the area, and certainly no other in its busy urban neighborhood possess.
First let’s knock off many of the variables you’ll find at most places favorite beverages are enjoyed. There’s daily drink specials, ability to wager on Quick Draw, a pool table, well-mixed jukebox and pair of big screen TVs to watch sporting events.
But there’s four things in particular that make Papa Joes unique in many regards and downright exclusive in others. They include:
Continue reading ‘BAR SPOTLIGHT: Papa Joes Sports Bar & Grill – 1011 Walden Avenue’
 The Buffalo Bandits announced they will hold an open practice event at HSBC Arena on Sunday, December 5, offering fans their first chance to catch this year’s Bandits roster in action. The event will also feature the unveiling of the team’s new retro jersey, commemorating 20 exciting years of Bandits lacrosse, as well as an autograph session featuring this year’s Bandits squad.
Doors for the event will open at 9 a.m. Sunday, with the Bandits taking the field at 10 a.m. for an open practice. Practice will run until noon, followed by the unveiling of the team’s new 20th anniversary retro alternate jersey and an autograph session featuring players seen on the field. The Buffalo Bandettes dance team will also be on hand to perform and sign autographs.
The Bandits, in conjunction with Upstate New York Transplant Services, will also hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to stop by the East Wing of the 100 Level Concourse to donate.
Continue reading ‘Bandits to Unveil 20th Anniversary Logo at Open Practice Sunday’
 After a strong weekend against Bentley, freshman defender Ben Danford of the Canisius College hockey team earned Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week accolades.
In two games against the Falcons, Danford recorded four points, one goal and three assists. In the opener, the blueliner posted an assist on a third-period short-handed goal. Danford then tallied a career-best three points in the finale, leading the Griffs to a 3-2 victory. The rookie recorded two assists in regulation and won the game in overtime with his first collegiate game-winning score. During the weekend, Danford recorded a point on four of Canisius’ five goals.
During his rookie campaign, Danford has totaled 11 points, two goals and nine assists. He currently leads all Atlantic Hockey freshman defenders with his 11 points – five more than the next highest rookie – and ranks fourth in Division I among freshman blueliners. Danford is also tied for first among Atlantic Hockey freshmen with his 11 points, while placing third in the league for scoring by a defensemen.
Danford and the Griffs are off until Friday, Dec. 17, returning to action at RIT.
 First-round picks Zack Kassian and Mark Pysysk are among four Sabres prospects that were named to Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp Roster, in an announcement made by Hockey Canada in Toronto. Marcus Foligno and Brayden McNabb round out the foursome, giving Buffalo an NHL-best four players on the 39 player roster that will take part in Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp from December 12-15 in Toronto. The final roster will be announced at the conclusion of camp, and will represent Canada at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
Kassian (RW, 6’3, 226 lbs.) picked up his fourth four-point game of the season yesterday, and leads the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) in scoring with 39 points (12+27) in 21 games. Kassian’s 27 assists are also third-best in the OHL.
The 18-year-old Pysyk (D, 6’2”, 182 lbs) was Buffalo’s first-round selection (23rd overall) last June, and has eight assists, 43 PIM’s and a +5 rating in 21 games for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.
Continue reading ‘Four Sabres Prospects Named to Canadian Jr. National Team Roster’
 Following Sunday’s heartbreaking loss in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey held court with reporters following Monday’s practice. There were plenty of news, notes and quotes worth reporting.
Stevie Johnson was not made available to the media today. He basically was given time to chill out and collect his thoughts. That hasn’t stopped him from expressing himself via Twitter Monday afternoon.
“He’ll deal with hit and he’ll come out strong. He’s a good man. He’ll be fine.” Gailey said about Johnson.
Gailey expects C.J. Spiller to return this week from a hamstring injury that’s forced him to miss the past two games. He also expects Spencer Johnson back from his hamstring injury this week.
Continue reading ‘Chan Gailey Holds Court’
 Those who’ve endured the Scott Norwood kick, Music City Miracle, Ronnie Harmon drop, Leodis McKelvin fumble and Dallas Monday Night Football debacle among others thought you seen it all. But just when you assumed it was safe to slam the book on ways the Buffalo Bills can lose football games, a brand new chapter was written yesterday when the Bills lost in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 19-16.
After feeling like they were headed towards a blowout home loss, the Bills punched the Steelers in the mouth repetitively in the second half (that’s when the Steelers didn’t beat themselves up with dumb plays) and eventually forced overtime. In the extra session that will go down in Bills’ infamy, the team blew not one, not two but three different chances to have it end in victorious fashion.
Continue reading ‘What We’ve Learned About the Buffalo Bills’
 The Niagara University Athletics department recently signed an agreement with Nike and ADPRO Sports to become an all-Nike school.
In the partnership, the Purple Eagles will only wear Nike apparel and equipment, including uniforms, footwear and practice gear.
“Nike and ADPRO Sports are proud to continue our partnership with Niagara University,” President of ADPRO Sports Ron Raccuia said. “We have great respect and admiration for Ed McLaughlin and his team of coaches and administrators. We look forward to helping their student-athletes reach their goals.”
Continue reading ‘Niagara Athletics Partners With Nike’
The preliminary roster for the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team will be unveiled December 7 at a press conference at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., USA Hockey announced today. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EST.
The roster will include approximately 28 players who will gather Dec. 16 in Albany, N.Y., for a training camp in preparation for the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Jim Johannson, U.S. National Junior Team general manager and USA Hockey assistant executive director of hockey operations, will be on hand in Buffalo for the press conference, while Team USA Head Coach Keith Allain will be available via teleconference. The announcement will be streamed live at USAHockey.com.
Continue reading ‘USA Hockey to Announce Preliminary Roster in Buffalo’
 Buffalo State’s Jake Simmons was named the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Bengals to a 94-87 win at Pitt-Bradford.
The sophomore philosophy major was 10 of 12 from the field with 27 points as the Bengals remained unbeaten on the season at 3-0. Buffalo State trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half before battling back with the help of Simmons’ third 3-pointer of the game with 2:24 remaining in the opening stanza to give Buffalo State the lead for good.
Simmons leads the SUNYAC through three games, averaging 26.7 points-per-contest, and also has hit a league-best 18 3-pointers. He is also second in the conference, averaging 3.0 steals-per-game.
Buffalo State will open SUNYAC play on Friday at home against Cortland at 8 p.m.
 Through the course of their existence, the Buffalo Bills seemingly had written the book on finding ways to lose football games. But just when you thought you got through the entire novel, the 2010 Bills put out a brand new bonus chapter out on Sunday.
Steve Johnson flat-out dropped a bomb in the end zone from Ryan Fitzpatrick in overtime that would’ve given the Bills an upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and sent fans into hysteria. But as he did four other times throughout the game, Johnson let the ball and eventually the game, slip right through his fingers.
Pittsburgh stopped a stunned Buffalo team after the Johnson drop, got the ball back and marched down the field to win, 19-16 on Shaun Suisham’s 41-yard field goal, his fourth of the game.
“Why So Serious” may need to be replaced by “Catch The Freegin Ball”
To the Bills credit, they battled down to the wire like they’ve done for six straight games. Down 13-0 and looking like they’d get run out of their own stadium, the Bills dominated the second half and forced overtime. In fact, had it not been for Johnson’s fourth drop near the Pittsburgh goal line that was intercepted by Troy Polamalu, there may not have been overtime.
The Bills actually should’ve won the game three separate times in overtime. Leodis McKelvin took the kickoff back into Pittsburgh territory and would’ve scored a touchdown or at least gotten into field goal range, but was tripped up by teammate Arthur Moats. Later, Chris Kelsay sacked Ben Roethlisberger at the Pittsburgh goal line but didn’t fall on the loose fumble that Roethlisberger got back.
We’ll have plenty more on this game later tonight or early tomorrow. Frankly, I need some time to begin to digest this. I’m beyond stunned.
 It’s not exactly classified information to Buffalo Sabres fans that team owner Tom Golisano hasn’t been the most active of bosses. It’s also been acknowledged in past reports that Golisano has at least entertained the possibility of selling the team. Well, in a report sure to make Sabres lovers uneasy, there’s speculation again that Golisano is poking around at the possibility of unloading the franchise.
According to a report in the Boston Globe by writer Paul Dupont, Golisano is prodding around.
Dupont writes “Getting vibes once again that Sabres owner Tom Golisano is poking around for a prospective buyer for his Lake Erie stick carriers. … The name that comes up in all NHL club sales talk is RIMM guru/hockey lover Jim Balsillie, who made himself no friends among NHL owners when he tried to pirate the Phoenix Coyotes away to Toronto’s outer suburbs. But the key name to keep in mind if this heats up: Terry Pegula. He’s the guy who forked over the $88 million gift for Penn State to build a rink and fund scholarships for Division 1 hockey. Pegula’s wife, Kim, is from suburban Buffalo, a good sign for the locals. No one ever wants to leave the Buff.”
Continue reading ‘Is Golisano Poking Around For a Sabres Buyer?’
The National Football League announced its 25 semifinalists for the 2011 Hall of Fame class and as all Buffalo Bills fans expected, Andre Reed is on the list.
Unfortunately a pair of Bills’ greats hoping to make the list were excluded. Special team’s great Steve Tasker and linebacker Darryl Talley failed to make the cut down to the final 25.
Cornelius Bennett, Kent Hull and Fred Smerlas were the other Bills among the 114 preliminary nominees who didn’t make it down to the 25 semi-finalists.
Reed narrowly missed entry to the Hall last year, making it all the way to the final 10 before the list was cut down to the five enshrines. This is the fifth consecutive year Reed is among the final 25 up for consideration.
Continue reading ‘Reed Among 26 NFL Hall of Fame Semifinalists’
 As the Buffalo Bills take the field today to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, here’s a statistical rundown on many of the Bills players and where they rank in the league in the respective categories.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is 11th in the AFC with an 88.1 quarterback rating. He’s thrown for 18 touchdowns, tied for fifth-best in the AFC. He’s also thrown for 1,951 yards (11th in AFC) and his 245 passing yards per game is eighth-best in the conference. Keep in mind that he’s only started eight games this season.
Fred Jackson is 14th in the AFC with 562 rushing yards. His five rushing touchdowns are tied for seventh and he has five carries of 20 or more yards, tied for fifth in the AFC.
Continue reading ‘Bills Players: By The Numbers’
 Some think the Buffalo Bills have amazingly improved over the past several games. Meanwhile, critics merely credit the sudden turnaround to facing NFL punching bags Detroit and Cincinnati over the past two weeks. We’ll learn unquestionably if the Bills development is genuine or a sham this afternoon when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers at a sold-out Ralph Wilson Stadium.
After a substandard 2009, the Steelers (7-3) are back among the NFL’s elite teams. They possess the fifth-ranked defense in the league and although many consider him the king of douchebaggery, Ben Roethlisberger is leading an offense that’s showing more potency with each game.
Buffalo (2-8) can earn itself reverence in league circles if they can upend Pittsburgh or at the very least play them down to the wire. Even before the Bills current two-game winning streak, they lost three straight games by a field goal, all against playoff contenders Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago.
Continue reading ‘Preview: Bills vs. Steelers’
 I’ve made it my mission recently to watch college football games more intently, specifically with teams that have elite prospects that could intrigue the Buffalo Bills, who barring a miracle over their last six games will be picking early when the 2011 NFL draft commences next spring.
With growing sentiment that Andrew Luck will be the top player selected overall should he elect to come out (he’s only a sophomore)… and the strong possibility the Bills have played themselves out of the Luck sweepstakes in recent weeks, I made sure to catch Ryan Mallet of Arkansas, regarded by most as the second-best quarterback prospect after Luck, take on a tough LSU team Saturday afternoon.
I began my viewing completely on the fence regarding Mallet as worthy of an early first rounder by the Bills, and finished thinking the exact same thing. While I certainly don’t profess to being a draft day guru, nor will I ever be confused with Buddy Nix when it comes to evaluating talent, these eyes saw a lot to like— and not to like about Mallet.
Continue reading ‘Is Ryan Mallet a Good Fit For Bills?’
 The Niagara men’s basketball team fell to the Albany Great Danes, 75-65, in its second game of its three-game Legends Classic weekend on Saturday at Calihan Hall.
Niagara (2-3) had three Purple Eagles scoring in double-figures in the defeat. Junior Kashief Edwards led Niagara with 19 points and had eight rebounds, freshman Malcolm Lemmons set a new career-high with 15 points and grabbed six boards and senior Anthony Nelson had season-highs with 11 points, eight boards and seven assists.
“We lost the game in the last four minutes of the first half,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “We played well for 15 minutes in the first half, but we got a little satisfied. We learned the hard way tonight that when you get satisfied it may not be enough to get the win.”
Continue reading ‘Niagara, Bona Fall in Men’s Hoops’
 Even though the Buffalo Sabres defeated Toronto Friday night, they took a lot of liberties that led to ugly penalties and got away with large portions of sloppy play. While that worked against the Maple Leafs, it wasn’t about to again against the Montreal Canadians Saturday evening.
For all intents and purposes the Sabres took off the first period and spent the rest of the game trying to play catch up. When the final horn sounded, Montreal handed the Sabres a 3-1 defeat.
The Sabres are 0-3 this season against Montreal.
Continue reading ‘Sabres Offense Lacking In Loss To Habs’
 Plagued by early fouls on many of the starters, the Buffalo Bulls men’s basketball squad was unable to find a flow on offense, falling to Indiana State 58-54 Saturday afternoon at the Hulman Center. Zach Filzen led the team with 13 points.
The game began with the team’s trading baskets and Buffalo led 11-9 with just under eleven minutes to play in the first half, but seniors Byron Mulkey and Jawaan Alston and junior Mitchell Watt each had already picked up two fouls. Indiana State was already in the bonus with over twelve minutes to play in the first half but made only three of eight free throw attempts in the half to keep the game close.
Continue reading ‘Slow Half Dooms UB In Loss At Indiana State’
 It ’s over before it even started.
Shawne Merriman’s Buffalo career is likely over after the team officially placed in him Injured Reserve on Saturday. Merriman was claimed off waivers by Buffalo on November 3 but never played a down for the team. He was injured just 20 minutes into his first practice with the team, hurting his Achilles.
Merriman collected $1.8-million during his time with Buffalo. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Bills also placed linebacker Keith Ellison in Injured Reserve today. It’s the second straight year he’s failed to finish the season healthy. He’s also unlikely to be back in 2011.
The good news is that former UB star Naaman Roosevelt has been promoted to the 53-man roster. Roosevelt has been on the practice squad since signing with the Bills as an undrafted free agent this past April. Linebacker Thomas Williams was also promoted from the practice squad.
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If you’ve watched the Buffalo Bills defense from the first snap of the season, there are two things that indisputably come to mind. One is that the unit as a whole has been atrocious. The other is that undersized defensive tackle who was allegedly supposed to be phased out of the 3-4 scheme has been the lone true exception.
