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for November 2010
 When you say the Buffalo Bills are currently hamstrung with injuries it’s no exaggeration. Literally, hamstring injuries Spencer Johnson and Kyle Williams may force the Bills to alter their defensive personnel when they face the Bengals Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.
Johnson has already been ruled out for Sunday by Bills head coach Chan Gailey. In his place will be third-round rookie draft pick Alex Carrington. Johnson has been a valuable asset in defensive coordinator George Edwards’ rotation, compiling 32 tackles to go with a sack and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, Carrington will be dressing for just the third time this season. While no Bills fan is happy about Johnson being injured, getting to see what Carrington can do on the field will be a welcomed site.
Carrington, or as my WECK 1230 radio host friend Brad Riter likes to call him, “NOT Colt McCoy”, has registered just one tackle while seeing precious little playing time.
Continue reading ‘Hamstrung Bills May Turn To Carrington, McCargo’
 After a timid first month of the season, the Buffalo Sabres bounced back over the past couple weeks, rattling off an impressive 4-1-1 record in their last six games and taking Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier off the hot seat, at least for the time being. The Sabres sit two points out of the playoffs with over three quarters of the season left to play, and if they continue to improve on their latest stretch of play, fans will have reason to step away from the ledge.
♦ For starters, props to Jhonas Enroth on his play in relief of Ryan Miller and his first career win. Even though his numbers statistically speaking were less than stellar, he put Buffalo in a position to win every time he started, which is more than you can say for Patrick Lalime, and Ruff must feel that same way too. Lalime only started once in Miller’s absence.
♦ The Sabres also finally have a consistent line of offense. Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek have been phenomenal over this stretch, scoring a combined eight goals over the six-game hot streak and carrying the team to numerous more quality scoring chances.
Continue reading ‘‘Cleared But Not Out’ – Sabres Looking Better’
 The Niagara volleyball team fought off early jitters to defeat the No. 8 seed Siena Saints, 3-1 (17-25,25-23,25-19,25-10) in the 2010 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Niagara will face No. 4 seed Fairfield in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. which will be aired on ESPN3.
Top-seeded Niagara (23-8) tied a school record with 23 wins and extended its program-best winning streak to 17 matches, which is the seventh longest current streak in the nation. The Purple Eagles had to come from behind to defeat Siena (10-20) in a rematch of last season’s semifinal encounter. Niagara stumbled out of the gates, but improved immensely in each set afterwards.
Continue reading ‘Friday Daily Dose’
 If you’re interested in chatting with Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner, you can do so Thursday at noon by visiting this link: http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/nfl/2010/11/17/bills_insider_whitner/
Be forewarned however; these chat are official Bills chat, and the questions have to be submitted ahead of time. Therefore, I highly doubt you’ll see any questions appear that actually question his productivity. Then again, according to what Chan Gailey has been feeding fans, no interceptions, forced fumbles or sacks doesn’t mean he hasn’t been fantastic this season.
(And yes, I’m still bitter that Whitner Twitter-blocked me.
Continue reading ‘Thursday Daily Dose’
 When you looked at this game on the Buffalo Bills 2010 docket several weeks ago, you probably took the liberty of penciling in a loss. The Bills on the road, traveling to a Cincinnati Bengals team that went 10-6 last season to win the AFC North, including an incredible 6-0 sweep over their divisional foes.
The defense was stout, ranked 4th in the NFL last season in yards allowed. Only 18.2 points per game were surrendered, seventh-best in the league. Offensively, Cedric Benson was a revelation at running back, rejuvenating a once-failing career with 1,251 rushing yards. Quarterback Carson Palmer was expected to have a huge year after adding former Bills receiver Terrell Owens and picking up tight end Jermaine Gresham in the first round of the 2010 draft.
But a funny thing happened on the way to a second straight Bengals march to the playoffs. After starting the season winning two of their first three games, Cincinnati suddenly made losing an art form. They’ve dropped six straight games to fall to 2-7 on the season. All six losses have been by a score or less and just like their Sunday opponent Buffalo; they keep finding ways to lose.
Continue reading ‘Bengals Could Implode With Loss to Bills’
 The Niagara men’s basketball team fell in its season opener versus the Wisconsin- Milwaukee Panthers, 90-73, on Wednesday night at the Gallagher Center, despite a career-high 22-point night from junior forward Kashief Edwards.
“We talked in the locker room about learning and a couple of phrases about it: learning on the job and learning the hard way, and both things happened tonight,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “We have a very young team and we are going to be learning on the job every night.”
Niagara (0-1) started the game with a fast start and finished with a career-high night from Edwards and three freshmen scoring in double-figures. Edwards scored 16 of his career-high 22 points in the first half and had solid contribution from freshmen guards Antoine Mason, Skylar Jones and Marvin Jordan. Mason, who drained a 3-pointer in his first-ever shot to give NU a 3-0 lead, had 10 points in the first half. Jones scored 13 in the half and Jordan had three assists in the opening four minutes.
Continue reading ‘UWM’s Second Half Run Stops Niagara In Opener’
 It’s very rare in sports when a team enters a game on a hot streak, loses that night but still feels as good about their prospect leavings as they did coming in. But with the Buffalo Sabres, that may be the case after a tough loss at Washington Wednesday night.
Trailing 3-0 more than halfway through the game against the best team in the NHL, the Sabres stormed back valiantly to get within a goal and were it not for some head-over-heels saves by Washington netminder Michal Neuvirth, Buffalo would’ve been going to overtime for a sixth straight game, at the very least.
Despite showing a lot of grit and determination, when the scoreboard clock struck zero the Sabres were on the losing end of a 4-2 decision, their first regulation loss since falling to Montreal on November 5.
Continue reading ‘Frantic Sabres Rally Comes Up Short in Loss’
 University at Buffalo men’s basketball head coach Reggie Witherspoon has announced the signing of Xavier Ford to a National Letter of Intent. The 6-8, 200-lb. forward will join the Bulls beginning in the 2011-12 season.
Ford hails from Colorado Springs, CO where he played for head coach Jim Masterson at Harrison High School. He averaged 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots per game last season as a junior en route to earning honorable mention All-State honors. He is also a two-time All-League selection.
Ford also played for the AAU program Colorado Chaos and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Desert Invitational in Phoenix.
“Xavier is a talented kid who is very versatile both offensively and defensively,” Witherspoon said. “He has proven to be a hard worker and someone we are excited to have join our program.”
Keith McShea of the Buffalo News reports this morning that for the second time in three years, the Empire State Games has been sacked. According to his article, the 2011 games scheduled for Rochester have been officially cancelled.
After the 2009 games in Hudson Valley were cancelled because of state budget problems, Buffalo successfully hosted the games this past year at venues throughout Western New York.
“To have it go so well, and to have all the people in Western New York support it locally, it’s a travesty,” said Ralph Galanti to McShea.
Galanti was the Chairman of the 2010 games in Buffalo.
Continue reading ‘Empire State Games Gets Canned… Again’
 The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team dropped a road contest at Youngstown State, 64-53, on Tuesday night for its first loss of the season. It was fitting the Bulls were playing the Penguins because it was cold shooting that cost UB in the game.
Buffalo (1-1) shot 38 percent from the field, but it was the free throw line where the Bulls really struggled. UB converted only 9 of its 27 free throw attempts on the night.
The Bulls jumped out to a 10-2 start and it looked as though the team was on its way to another lopsided victory. However, the Penguins responded with a 17-0 scoring run to take a 19-10 lead. Buffalo closed the half on a 9-0 scoring run of its own to cut the lead to 32-29 at the half.
A layup by Javon McCrea brought the Bulls to within one point with 7:11 left in the game. However, that would be as close as the Bulls would get as Youngstown State responded with seven unanswered points to regain a 53-45 lead with 4:27 remaining and eventually pulled away for the 11-point victory.
Continue reading ‘UB Loses Road Opener at Youngstown State’
 (The following is the start of a new weekday series we’re calling The Daily Dose, featuring a compilation of news, notes and views from around the Buffalo sports world.)
Either Buffalo Bills linebacker Aaron Maybin is in complete denial, or he just doesn’t get it.
Maybin, rightfully so in a lot of ways, has been getting blasted everywhere from the fans and media, in part because the 11th overall pick of just a season ago has been benched for the past four games. He’s on the fast track to joining Mike Williams and Erik Flowers as some of the bigger Bills’ draft bust in recent history.
Continue reading ‘Wednesday Daily Dose’
 The Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo’s next opponent on Sunday, has signed a former Bill Tuesday to their active roster. Former Buffalo offensive linemen Kirk Chambers inked a deal with the team, according to their official team website.
Chambers is a six-year veteran who’s appeared in 67 career game. He played the past three years in Buffalo, appearing in 46 games over three years 14 starts. Chambers was beat out by undrafted rookie Cordaro Howard for a roster spot this past summer. He was released on September 4.
Conspiracy theorists will complain the Bengals primary reason for signing Chambers is for informational purposes about the Buffalo offense. While Chambers was in camp under Chan Gailey, he was cut before the regular season started and it’s quite obvious the dynamic of the offense has changed since Ryan Fitzpatrick took over for Trent Edwards.
 Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler announced that the Bandits will be offering 300 Level season ticket packages in addition to the existing ticket options for the 2011 season.
The 300 Level season tickets will cost $136 for all eight Bandits home games ($17 per game), offering fans a savings of $7 per game off of the regular box office price.
Fans will get an opportunity to decide which seats they want for their season ticket packages at the Bandits’ open practice, which will take place on Sunday, Dec. 5 at HSBC Arena. The team will practice from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by an autograph session in the 100 Level concourse from 12:30 to 1:30.
Continue reading ‘Bandits Announce 300 Level Season Ticket Deals’
 The Niagara Purple Eagles tip off the 2010-11 season against the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. inside of the ‘Taps’ Gallagher Center.
This game marks Milwaukee’s first trip into the Gallagher Center and just the second time that these two teams have ever met, with Niagara winning the first game on Feb. 20, 2010 by an 85-79 margin.
A Rich History of Basketball
When Niagara tips off against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, it will be the start of the 104th season of basketball for the Purple Eagles.
Continue reading ‘NU Hoops Tips Off Season Wednesday at Gallagher Center’
 Eric Mosely has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team, head coach Mark Schmidt announced Tuesday.
“We’re excited to have Eric join our basketball program,” said Schmidt. “He’s an athletic guard who can really score the basketball. He fits what we are trying to do in terms of pushing the ball in transition and he’s a good defender on the ball. He’s going to come in and help us right away.”
Continue reading ‘Bonaventure Men’s Basketball Adds Eric Mosley’
 Senior Kourtney Brown added to an already impressive career on Monday night as she recorded a new career high with 34 points in a 78-69 loss to Cleveland State. Brown added 16 rebounds for her eighth straight double-double and the 31st of her career.
UB got off to an impressive start, scoring the first eight points of the game. The 8-0 lead would wind up being Buffalo’s largest of the game. The Vikings then went on a 16-7 run to take their first lead of the game. The two teams traded baskets, before Cleveland State went on a 9-0 run just before half, taking an eight-point lead into the lockerroom.
Continue reading ‘Brown’s Career High Not Enough for UB Women in Loss’
 If we’ve learned one thing about the Buffalo Sabres over the past nine days, it’s that they don’t like deciding things in regulation. For the fifth straight time Monday night, a Sabres contest was dragged into extra time. Facing one of the top teams in the NHL in the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo failed to hold onto a two goal lead in the third period.
It didn’t end up mattering because for the fourth time in their last five games, Buffalo skated to the locker room with two big points.
Tyler Myers scored a spectacular goal, beating Vancouver goalie Cory Schneider with just 23 seconds left in overtime to give Buffalo a 4-3 win, culminating one of the more exciting extra sessions you’ll ever see, with both teams taking turns on odd man rushes down the ice.
Continue reading ‘Sabres Stay Hot with OT Win Over Canucks’
 Coming into today, both skeptics and even the most ardent of supporters echoed the same sentiments. If the Buffalo Bills were going to get a win and avoid a dubious 0-16 season, it was going to come this afternoon against the Detroit Lions.
The Bills finally delivered, earning a 14-12 victory over Detroit in front of just under 57,000 jubilated fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Unfortunately a lot of Bills fans didn’t get to see their first, and possibly only win of the season. The game was blacked out locally, forcing thousands of fans to the radio and internet feed watching.
Those who didn’t see the game missed a Bills defense that is clearly showing signs of improvement. After being an abomination of a run defense for most the season, Buffalo slowed the opposition ground attack for a second consecutive week. They held Chicago to only 104 yards last week in Toronto and were even better against the Lions, holding them to just 77 yards rushing. Rookie Jahvid Best had 17 carries but managed just 35 yards.
Continue reading ‘Bills Finally Earn First Win, 14-12′
 When the Buffalo Bills take the field this afternoon to face the Detroit Lions, they’ll be in a position they’ve been unaccustomed to this season; favored. Why wouldn’t they? Buffalo is squaring off against a 2-6 team playing without its starting quarterback and have dropped a mind-blowing 24 consecutive games on the road.
Of course, being 0-8 hardly makes the Bills a lock to get their victory in nine tries. The running game has been anemic all season long, matched only by their porous run defense. They also anticipated Shawn Merriman making his debut, though that hope ended about 15 minutes into his first practice this past Wednesday when Merriman re-injured his right Achilles.
If the Bills were ever going to win a game this season, today’s the day to do it. Unfortunately if you live in the Western New York area, you won’t see it unless you bought a ticket. After selling out 26 consecutive home games, this game will be the second straight Bills home blackout.
Continue reading ‘It Could Be Now Or Never For Bills Today’
 Coming into the season, for all the unanswered questions surrounding the Portland Pirates, there was one position that certainly didn’t need to be questioned.
The goaltending tandem of Jhonas Enroth and David Leggio.
Now, it’s even more secure after the Buffalo Sabres announced they’ve signed Leggio to a two-way NHL contract on Thursday.
Leggio entered the season on an American Hockey League contract, and has been the better of the two goalkeepers so far to date. In eight games, Leggio is 7-0-1 with a 2.71GAA and a .917 save percentage.
Continue reading ‘Enroth, Leggio Add Stability in Pirates Goal’
 Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today that goaltender Jhonas Enroth has been returned to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
Enroth played in four games with the Sabres after being recalled from Portland on November 2, finishing with a record of 2-1-1, 3.43 GAA and .876 save percentage. He earned his first career win in a 3-2 shootout at Toronto on November 6. Both of Enroth’s wins came in shootouts, making him the first goalie in NHL history to win his first two games via the shootout.
At the time of his recall Enroth had a 4-2 record in seven games with Portland, along with a 3.51 GAA and .895 save percentage.
Enroth was selected by the Sabres in the second round (46th overall) of the 2006 Entry Draft.
 It was a lost evening at UB Stadium, as the Bulls lost their starting quarterback, four turnovers and the football game to visiting Ball State by a 20-3 score.
The Bulls led 3-0 when starting quarterback Alex Zordich was lost to a rib injury in the first quarter and Buffalo was outscored 20-0 from that point on in dropping to 2-8 on the season.
The Bulls struggled mightily offensively after Zordich’s injury as backup Jerry Davis completed 5-of-16 passes for 39 yards. Buffalo was held to a season-low 144 yards of total offense.
Continue reading ‘UB Falls to Ball State in Football’
 Canisius College senior Julius Coles scored a team-high 21 points and sophomore Gaby Belardo chipped a career-high 19 points to help lead the Golden Griffins to an 80-70 win over long-time rival St. Bonaventure in front of a sellout crowd in the Koessler Athletic Center Friday night in the season opener for both teams. Canisius is now 1-0 on the year after winning its season opener for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.
Sophomore Alshwan Hymes posted a career-high 13 points and senior forward Greg Logins came off the bench to record 10 points. St. Bonaventure junior Andrew Nicholson led all scorers on the night with 23 points to go with seven rebounds in the losing effort for the Bonnies (0-1).
Continue reading ‘Canisius Beats Bona in Men’s Hoops Season Opener’
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced the Sabres have signed goaltender David Leggio to an NHL contract. Leggio was previously under contract with the Portland Pirates, Buffalo’s AHL affiliate.
A native of Williamsville, NY, Leggio (6’, 180 lbs., 7/31/1984) has a 7-1 record in eight games with Portland this season, posting a 2.71 GAA and .917 save percentage. Leggio is second in the AHL in wins, after starting his Portland career with a six-game winning streak.
Leggio was signed by Portland as a free agent on August 6, after spending last season with TPS Turku in Finland. The 26-year-old Leggio played four years of college hockey with Clarkson University from 2004-08.
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With the 2010 season coming to a close, the Buffalo Bulls will welcome in Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon in the final home game for 18 seniors, with many leaving UB Stadium as some of the most decorated players in program history. The Bulls will look to snap its three-game losing streak against the Eagles all time in the series.
