Every report out there still indicates that billionaire Terry Pegula is going to eventually by the Buffalo Sabres from current owner Tom Golisano, but according to a story Thursday by WGRZ.com, the sale isn’t happening as soon as many had hoped.
WGRZ says that a NHL spokesperson spoke with the television station and said that the Sabres sale to Pegula will not be on the agenda for approval at the Board of Governors meetings that will take place next week in North Carolina.
The WGRZ source told them there will be a “report on the status of the sale, but no vote.” If they haven’t already, after Pegula and Golisano agree on all terms of the sale, it still won’t be finalized until it receives approval from the NHL’s Board of Governors. Every indication is that the vote will not be a problem for Pegula.
The Buffalo Sabres announced that Sean Green is the 2011 recipient of the J. Michael Duffett Memorial Award, presented each year to the coach whose contributions to amateur hockey in Western New York “best exemplifies the knowledge, teaching, love of the game and gentle humanity of Mike.” The award will be presented to Green at Friday’s game against the New York Islanders.
The executive director and driving force behind the success of the Hasek’s Heroes program, Green becomes the 26th recipient of the Duffett Award. In addition to his work with Hasek’s Heroes, Green is head coach of the Williamsville South varsity hockey team, and has been involved with Amherst Youth Hockey for the past 20 years. While growing up in Buffalo, Green was proud to call Michael Duffett his coach for several seasons, many of which while playing alongside Duffett’s son Brian.
♦ A guy named Gary Lantinen from Barker, actually took the time to write the local paper in Lockport to complain about Newfane’s student section, The Blue Zone, for chanting “airball” and “start your tractors”. I’ll probably put up a separate post on this at another time, but for now I have these thoughts. First, you’re giving thick-skinned farmers a bad rap by being so overly sensitive (besides, they all know you shouldn’t run those machines cold). Second, he may have set the stage for numerous “Gary needs a hug” chants the next time the Raiders visit Newfane.
♦ After suggesting that Maryvale might lack scoring options beyond Blair Estarfaa, the Flyers dropped 99 points on Pioneer.
♦ Maryvale’s 99 points were the fifth most scored by a WNY team this season. The top four are Jamestown 106, Newfane 102, Chautauqua Lake 101, and Bishop Timon-St. Jude 100.
Timon traveled down to Batavia Thursday evening and gave the highly touted Blue Devils all they could handle, but fell short as Batavia survived a tough test with a 67-61 victory.
The game was tight all the way with Batavia leading by five after one, four after two and just three points after three. But every time Timon came close to grabbing the lead, a big play by Batavia kept them on top.
As is usually the case with the Section V powerhouse, Andrew Hoy was the difference. The school’s all-time leading scorer dropped a game-high 28 points, including five three-pointers and dished out six assists. Justin Washington added 16 points to go with eight rebounds.
Maybe, just maybe the talk of the Buffalo Sabres already being toast for the 2010-11 NHL season may have been a tad premature.
Desperately fighting to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Sabres were faced with the task of taking on Montreal at home on Tuesday and Boston on the road tonight; a pair of teams ahead of them in the standings. Buffalo rose to the occasion on both nights, defeating Boston 4-2 to complete the sweep of their Northeast Division rivals.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that six Buffalo Bandits are eligible for fan voting to be named starters for the 2011 NLL All-Star Game, which will be held Feb. 27 at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.
Bandits players appearing on the ballot are forwards John Tavares and Tracey Kelusky, defensemen Scott Self and Chris White, transition player Mark Steenhuis, and goaltender Mike Thompson.
Fans can visit NLL.com once a day from now until Feb. 7 to vote for the starting lineups for the East and West All-Star Teams. On Feb. 27, the game will be broadcast live on VERSUS at 2 p.m.
The Fur & Feather Bait Shop in Wilson and OutdoorsNiagara.com are hosting The Wilson Harbor Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, February 5, 2011 from dawn until noon. The species targeted during this event are trout, pike, perch and any panfish.
Each category pays 50%, 30%, and 20% with 100% payback and only one fish can be entered per angler. The entry fee is $10 with kids 12 and under free. Award ceremony and picnic to be held at noon.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler announced that the team will wear its 20th anniversary retro jersey during the Jan. 22 home opener at 7:30 p.m. at HSBC Arena against the Toronto Rock.
The alternate jersey was designed to pay homage to the early seasons of Bandits history, when the team wore a similar uniform. It commemorates the 20th anniversary of the beginning of Buffalo Bandits lacrosse.
The Bandits will wear the retro jersey a total of five times this year, including four home games:
It was a fantastic night for UB big man Mitchell Watt against Kent State. Watt blocked eight shots last night— the third most in UB history.
None were better than this one. To top it off, Watts came down the court following the rejection, took a pass from Bryon Mulkey in the lane and posterized a Kent State defender with a thunderous dunk.
It’s a good lineup this weekend for drinks and live music over at Mooney’s Sports Bar in Tonawanda and as always, there’s no cover charge for either event.
On Friday it’s the music of the Bleeding Hearts, who go on stage at 10pm. The band plays a set that mixes classic hits from the 60’s and 70’s all the way through the retro 80s and into the alternative hits from the 90s. You can check out their website right here.
Saturday is the return of The Teasers (pictured left), one of Buffalo’s most popular party rock bands.
Both nights feature a wide variety of drink specials and their kitchen featuring an extensive menu is open well into the night.
Mooney’s is located at 1531 Military Road near Sherdain Drive in the Town of Tonawanda. The phone number is 877-1800.
Byron Mulkey scored 21 of his career-high 27 points in the first half to jumpstart the Bulls to a 79-54 win over Kent State in men’s basketball action at Alumni Arena on Wednesday night.
Although Mulkey’s offensive performance opened many eyes in Alumni Arena, it was the UB defense that really helped the Bulls defeat the Golden Flashes. Buffalo held Kent State to a season-low 33 percent shooting from the field, forced 19 turnovers and had 10 blocked shots. Mitchell Watt rejected a career-high eight shots – the third highest total for a single game in school history.
A pair of free throws by Titus Robinson gave the Bulls a 4-3 lead and they never looked back. With the Bulls leading, 22-18, Mulkey caught fire. Over the final six minutes of the half, the senior point guard scored 16 of the Bulls’ final 21 points of the half, including four three-pointers. UB led Kent State, 43-31, at the break.
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today that defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani has been recalled from the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
This is the first recall of the season for Gragnani (6’2”, 200 lbs., 3/11/1987), who is second on the Pirates in scoring with 30 points (7+23) in 38 games. His 23 assists are tied for the team lead, and he equaled a Portland franchise record on January 15 when he collected five assists in an 8-3 win over Worcester. The 23-year-old Gragnani has 176 points (42+134) in 258 career AHL games with Portland/Rochester. Gragnani has six previous games of NHL experience with Buffalo since 2007-08.
Gragnani was selected by the Sabres in the third round (87th overall) of the 2005 Entry Draft.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits transition player Mark Steenhuis was named NLL Transition Player of the Week for Week 2 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Steenhuis recorded two assists and four loose balls before scoring an empty-net goal to seal the Bandits’ 9-6 victory over the Philadelphia Wings Saturday, Jan. 15 in Philadelphia. His efforts helped the Bandits earn their first victory of the 2011 season and improve their record to 1-1.
So, if I were to tell you last winter that the Buffalo Bills would say goodbye to both Terrell Owens and Josh Reed before the start of free agency, James Hardy would get cut before the fall, Lee Evans would go on to have the worst statistical season of his career in 2010 and Trent Edwards would utterly flame out as the starting quarterback, you’d be safe to assume the team’s wide receiver situation would be in total chaos, no?
You’d be entirely wrong.
Perhaps with the exception of Kyle Williams’ emergence as a Pro Bowl caliber defensive tackle regardless of scheme, no storyline on the Bills largely mediocre 2010 season had a better ending than the rapid resurgence of third-year receiver Stevie Johnson. After two seasons of play about as eventful as a Dick Jauron press conference, Johnson literally exploded, both on and off the field into Buffalo’s lone must-see attraction.
The last time Jamestown and Clarence squared off in high school hoops, the Section VI Class-AA championship was on the line at Buffalo State College. Jamestown would end the Red Devils Cinderella season last March, 63-42.
Tuesday evening the stakes weren’t nearly as high, but Jamestown played with the same intensity and stunning athleticism as last year en route to a 79-67 road victory.
Star junior forward Jaysean Paige was benched for the entire first quarter by Jamestown head coach Ben Drake for disciplinary reasons, but sophomore guard Tommy Campion made sure his team wouldn’t fall in any hole. He buried all nine of his points in the first eight minutes as the Red Raiders ended the first up 18-16.
Paige entered the game to start the second quarter and it wasn’t long before it became business as usual for his second-ranked large school. Clarence continued to play tough in the second quarter largely on the sharp shooting of senior David Hill, trailing 36-31 before Jamestown would cease command in the third.
Already struggling for much of the season, Ryan Miller got off to another bad start when David Desharnais scored on the power play 5:19 into the game to give Montreal a 1-0 lead over the Buffalo Sabres in a critical showdown for the home team Tuesday night. But Miller slammed the door on the Canadians the rest of the way as Buffalo eventually found a way to win in overtime, 2-1.
Jason Pominville scored on the power play 1:09 into the extra session while Montreal forward Scott Gomez was in the box for high sticking with assists from Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis to secure the much-needed win.
Ennis scored Buffalo’s lone regulation goal in the second period, also on the power play from Vanek and Tim Connolly.
Former Buffalo football standouts Josh Thomas and Peter Bittner will both have a chance to showcase their skills for National Football League scouts in senior all-star games in the next few weeks.
Thomas, a three-year starter at cornerback, will play in the 86th Annual East-West Shrine Game this Saturday in Orlando, FL. The game kicks off at 4 pm at the Citrus Bowl and will be shown live on the NFL Network.
Thomas, one of the top cover corners in UB history, finished his Bulls’ career with 29 career passes defended, tied for fifth best in school history. The Cedar Hill, TX native racked up 24 career starts and was named to Phil Steele’s All-MAC third team this past year.
When you finish 4-12 it’s hard to boast about a whole lot going right for the Buffalo Bills. Since few critics expected them to be in playoff contention, they pretty much lived up to expectations in 2010. Still, that doesn’t mean the campaign didn’t generate its fair share of bright spots.
General manager Buddy Nix plucked an uneventful rookie class in his first year of running the organization’s draft. But while Nix’s first-year crop won’t be confused with the 1983 class that produced Jim Kelly and Darryl Talley anytime soon, Nix did crack a couple of solid post-draft base hits.
The UB Bulls found themselves in dire need of a victory this past Saturday. They sat at 0-2 in MAC play after a pair of frustrating three-point losses and were welcoming in one of arguably the three best teams in the conference in Akron.
It was one of those most overused clichés in sports, a “must-win” game. Even with three-quarters of the conference schedule remaining, UB (9-6, 1-2 MAC) really couldn’t afford to drop to 0-3, a full two games behind four different teams for first place.
Whether or not it was must-win, the Bulls got a much-needed victory with a 73-70 triumph over the Zips, forging an already muddled East division into an extreme version of parody.
Granted, the 2011 MAC season is only three games old, but all six teams in the East division are separated by just one game, something that was expected — to an extent. In fact of the nine games played by MAC East teams, eight games have been decided by single digits. In addition, five of those nine were decided by three points — including all of UB’s games so far — and another game by four.
The Buffalo Sabres take to the ice tonight for a very important home contest against the Montreal Canadians and head coach Lindy Ruff will flip flop his top two centers for the contest.
At practice on Monday Jochen moved up to center the top line between Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Struggling Tim Connolly was demoted a line and will center Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford. The other two lines aren’t set in stone yet because the availability of forward Patrick Kaleta is still in doubt.
Kaleta has been out of the lineup since suffering a hand injury on December 28 at Edmonton. Kaleta is hoping to get the OK from the doctors to rejoin the lineup but Ruff sounded only guardedly optimistic after practice Monday about his chances.
If Kaleta can go he’ll probably take Nathan Gerbe’s spot on the fourth line with Rob Niedermayer and Luke Adam. It appears that Mike Grier, Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick will remain intact as the third forward line.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to get geared up for every Buffalo Bandits home games this season with the Bandits Pre-Game Party in the 100 Level Harbour Club at HSBC Arena. It all gets started for the 2011 home opener this Saturday against the Toronto Rock. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Pre-game party includes a buffet of assorted pizzas, chicken wings and nachos, along with two drink coupons (beer/soda). The buffet starts game days at 6 p.m. and runs until the opening face-off. Patrons who have already purchased a game ticket can attend the Bandits Pre-Game Party by paying $15. A Bandits game-day combo package is also available for $30 and includes a 300 Level game ticket and buffet.
The Niagara men’s basketball team was edged by the Manhattan Jaspers, 51-49, on Monday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium.
“This was a very tough loss,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “We had a lot of chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t make a play when we had to, either on the offensive or defensive end.”
Niagara (4-15, 1-6 MAAC) had two decent looks in the final five seconds to pull out the win. Trailing 50-49 with five seconds remaining, Marvin Jordan’s 3-pointer clipped the rim andAnthony Nelson missed the put back with two seconds left.
Former Buffalo Sabres netminder Dominik Hasek currently holds the NHL record for save percentage over a full season; turning away 93.7% of all pucks that came his way in 1998-99. That record could be in serious jeopardy.
Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is on fire and his stellar play continued again Monday afternoon with a 31-save shutout in the Bruins 7-0 win over Carolina. The shutout improved Thomas’ save percentage to .944, which of course if he can keep the pace will shatter Hasek’s record.
It’s quite the turnaround for the 36-year old Thomas, who came off hip surgery following a terrible 2009-10 that saw him lose his starting job to youngster Tuukka Rask before the postseason began.
Canisius College women’s basketball freshman Courtney VandeBovenkamp was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday. VandeBovenkamp wins the award for the second time in the last four weeks, and a Canisius freshman has now won the award seven times on the season.
VandeBovenkamp averaged 6.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games last week to go along with six assists. The 6-foot-1 forward scored eight points in two of the games, shooting 40 percent overall and 50 percent from behind the arc. VandeBovenkamp had 14 rebounds in the win over Siena, the most rebounds by a Canisius freshman since Maggie Guidry had 16 rebounds twice during the 1996-97 season.
Other Canisius freshmen to be named MAAC Rookie of The Week this season are Jen Morabito (Jan. 3 and Dec. 20), Jamie Ruttle (Dec. 6 and Nov. 29) and Jen Lennox (Nov. 22.). Continue reading ‘VandeBovenkamp MAAC Rookie of the Week’
Despite rarely producing an impact on the football field throughout his five-year tenure in Buffalo, likely soon to be ex-Bills safety Donte Whitner continues to say… and write plenty dramatic things off it.
It’s a poorly kept secret Bills general manager Buddy Nix along with the majority of the team’s fans think Whitner is certifiably insane for publicly stating he wants top-five safety money with his next contract. Therefore, Whitner has seen and heard plenty of chatter wishing him a farewell en route to his next destination—whenever free agency begins.
Whitner’s comments via his Twitter Sunday aren’t likely to land him any new supporters on a return to the team.
“mornin’ message to Buffalo Bills fans… Be careful what you wish for!… Good day.” Whitner tweeted.
Every report out there still indicates that billionaire Terry Pegula is going to eventually by the Buffalo Sabres from current owner Tom Golisano, but according to a story Thursday by WGRZ.com, the sale isn’t happening as soon as many had hoped.
The Buffalo Sabres announced that Sean Green is the 2011 recipient of the J. Michael Duffett Memorial Award, presented each year to the coach whose contributions to amateur hockey in Western New York “best exemplifies the knowledge, teaching, love of the game and gentle humanity of Mike.” The award will be presented to Green at Friday’s game against the New York Islanders.
♦ A guy named Gary Lantinen from Barker, actually took the time to write the local paper in Lockport to complain about Newfane’s student section, The Blue Zone, for chanting “airball” and “start your tractors”. I’ll probably put up a separate post on this at another time, but for now I have these thoughts. First, you’re giving thick-skinned farmers a bad rap by being so overly sensitive (besides, they all know you shouldn’t run those machines cold). Second, he may have set the stage for numerous “Gary needs a hug” chants the next time the Raiders visit Newfane.
Timon traveled down to Batavia Thursday evening and gave the highly touted Blue Devils all they could handle, but fell short as Batavia survived a tough test with a 67-61 victory.
Maybe, just maybe the talk of the Buffalo Sabres already being toast for the 2010-11 NHL season may have been a tad premature.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that six Buffalo Bandits are eligible for fan voting to be named starters for the 2011 NLL All-Star Game, which will be held Feb. 27 at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.
The Fur & Feather Bait Shop in Wilson and OutdoorsNiagara.com are hosting The Wilson Harbor Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, February 5, 2011 from dawn until noon. The species targeted during this event are trout, pike, perch and any panfish.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler announced that the team will wear its 20th anniversary retro jersey during the Jan. 22 home opener at 7:30 p.m. at HSBC Arena against the Toronto Rock.
It’s a good lineup this weekend for drinks and live music over at Mooney’s Sports Bar in Tonawanda and as always, there’s no cover charge for either event.
Byron Mulkey scored 21 of his career-high 27 points in the first half to jumpstart the Bulls to a 79-54 win over Kent State in men’s basketball action at Alumni Arena on Wednesday night.
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today that defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani has been recalled from the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits transition player Mark Steenhuis was named NLL Transition Player of the Week for Week 2 of the 2011 NLL Season.
So, if I were to tell you last winter that the Buffalo Bills would say goodbye to both Terrell Owens and Josh Reed before the start of free agency, James Hardy would get cut before the fall, Lee Evans would go on to have the worst statistical season of his career in 2010 and Trent Edwards would utterly flame out as the starting quarterback, you’d be safe to assume the team’s wide receiver situation would be in total chaos, no?
The last time Jamestown and Clarence squared off in high school hoops, the Section VI Class-AA championship was on the line at Buffalo State College. Jamestown would end the Red Devils Cinderella season last March, 63-42.
Already struggling for much of the season, Ryan Miller got off to another bad start when David Desharnais scored on the power play 5:19 into the game to give Montreal a 1-0 lead over the Buffalo Sabres in a critical showdown for the home team Tuesday night. But Miller slammed the door on the Canadians the rest of the way as Buffalo eventually found a way to win in overtime, 2-1.
Former Buffalo football standouts Josh Thomas and Peter Bittner will both have a chance to showcase their skills for National Football League scouts in senior all-star games in the next few weeks.
When you finish 4-12 it’s hard to boast about a whole lot going right for the Buffalo Bills. Since few critics expected them to be in playoff contention, they pretty much lived up to expectations in 2010. Still, that doesn’t mean the campaign didn’t generate its fair share of bright spots.
The UB Bulls found themselves in dire need of a victory this past Saturday. They sat at 0-2 in MAC play after a pair of frustrating three-point losses and were welcoming in one of arguably the three best teams in the conference in Akron.
The Buffalo Sabres take to the ice tonight for a very important home contest against the Montreal Canadians and head coach Lindy Ruff will flip flop his top two centers for the contest.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to get geared up for every Buffalo Bandits home games this season with the Bandits Pre-Game Party in the 100 Level Harbour Club at HSBC Arena. It all gets started for the 2011 home opener this Saturday against the Toronto Rock. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The Niagara men’s basketball team was edged by the Manhattan Jaspers, 51-49, on Monday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium.
Former Buffalo Sabres netminder Dominik Hasek currently holds the NHL record for save percentage over a full season; turning away 93.7% of all pucks that came his way in 1998-99. That record could be in serious jeopardy.
Canisius College women’s basketball freshman Courtney VandeBovenkamp was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday. VandeBovenkamp wins the award for the second time in the last four weeks, and a Canisius freshman has now won the award seven times on the season.
Despite rarely producing an impact on the football field throughout his five-year tenure in Buffalo, likely soon to be ex-Bills safety Donte Whitner continues to say… and write plenty dramatic things off it.
