Andrew Nicholson scored 34 points, including 9-of-9 from the free throw line, and St. Bonaventure (9-5, 1-0 A-10) outlasted Charlotte (8-8, 0-2) 92-88 in three overtimes in the Bonnies’ conference opener Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center.
The 49ers, who overcame 10- and 11-point deficits in the second half, trimmed the Bonnies’ 53-42 lead with a 15-3 run midway through the second frame and the teams kept it close after some wild swings to start.
With 48 seconds to play in regulation, Charlotte’s Derrio Green drained a jumper to put Charlotte up 68-66. On the ensuing possession, Demitrius Conger drew a foul but missed both attempts from the line. St. Bonaventure junior F Da’Quan Cook got a critical offensive rebound underneath that led to a pair of made Cook free throws, sending the game into the first overtime, 68-68.
Former Buffalo Sabres star Miroslav Satan may be done with the NHL, but he’s not ready to call it a career. Satan, who last played in the league with Boston last season, has signed to join the Dynomo Moscow of the KHL for the remainder of the season.
Satan played in Buffalo for eight seasons spanning 1997 to 2003. In 566 games for the Sabres, Satan scored 224 goals , seventh-most in team history and had 456 points, the 10th-most by a Sabre.
His best season was in 1998-99 when he scored a career-high 40 goals. He originally came to the Sabres in 1997 in a trade for Craig Miller and Barrie Moore.
Satan also played with Edmonton, New York (Islanders) and Pittsburgh during his career. He won his first and only Stanley Cup with the Penguins two seasons ago.
Oneonta (4-7/3-1) shot 51-percent from the field and overcame an early 9-0 deficit to defeat visiting Buffalo State (6-4/1-3), 86-70, this afternoon in a SUNYAC contest.
Chris Cartwright led Buffalo State with 27 points. Jake Simmons added 16 points and three steals, and Glenroy Carr (New York/Sweet Home)added 10 points.
After a fast start by Buffalo State, the home team took control and never trailed in the second half. Oneonta owned the glass, outrebounding Buffalo State, 48-28.
Buffalo State will remain on the road tomorrow for a 4 p.m. conference game at Oneonta.
The Niagara men’s hockey team (11-7-2, 8-5-0 AHA) fell into a 3-0 hole that was too much to overcome, as the host Holy Cross Crusaders (7-11-2, 6-5-2 AHA) defeated the Purple Eagles 5-1 at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon.
“Our special teams let us down tonight,” Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said. “Holy Cross had more energy and vigor then we did during five-on-five situations, which isnever a good situation. We played from behind and mustered 48 shots but couldn’t close the gap.”
Much like Niagara did a day earlier, Holy Cross struck quickly, netting two goals in a span of 2:42 to put the Purps in a 2-0 hole. The Crusaders would add to their lead just four minutes into the middle stanza, when Everett Sheen added his second goal of the game shorthanded, beating freshman netminder Cody Campbell.
The Buffalo Bills are making at least one coaching change. The team announced today that Inside Linebackers coach DeMontie Cross has been relieved of his duties.
Cross was one of the few holdovers from the Dick Jauron regime after Chan Gailey was named the head coach last January.
Cross joined the Bills as a defensive assistant in 2006 and was the team’s assistant Inside Linebackers and Special Teams coach from 2007-09.
There’s no major coaching changes expected from Gailey’s staff.
Maybe Lindy Ruff should call out his goaltender more often. After saying Ryan Miller has just played “OK” so far this season early Thursday, Miller went out and looked like his old Vezina trophy winning self, stopping all 36 shots he faced as the Buffalo Sabres got a shutout win on the road, 3-0 over the San Jose Sharks.
The victory was a milestone for Ruff, who earned his 500th career win as head coach, all coming with Buffalo.
Luke Adam, Jochen Hecht and Thomas Vanek scored the goals for the Sabres, who played one of their most complete games of the season. Vanek’s goal was his third straight game with a tally and 16th of the season.
So it’s known to all, I’m not going past the first three picks of the 2011 NFL Draft in this or future mocks for two reasons: First, it’s too much thinking and hard work for my taste and lastly, I don’t really care what happens after the Buffalo Bills make their selection.
I’m also going to amend my mini-mock at least a few dozen times between now and late April so if you bet the farm on what I write now, I have a lemon-colored car I’d love to sell you.
Updating my mock will occur whenever I deem necessary. That could include developments such as Andrew Luck staying at Stanford and potential Bills free agents they may (or may not) re-sign or bring in new.
What I lack in quantity when it comes to picks I’ll try to structure with widespread (hopefully not boring) enlightenment as to why I see Buddy Nix going where I’ve went.
As if Buddy Nix’s offseason menu didn’t already have enough on his plate, you can add re-doing a pair of deals to his entree. While the talk of which free agents to bring back, new ones to target and the upcoming NFL draft will dominate headlines over the next few months, locking up two of his emerging offensive stars heading towards the final year of their deals will be a high priority.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Stevie Johnson as it stands will enter 2011 with just one year left on their contracts.
Fitzpatrick signed a three-year deal with the Bills in 2009 and is scheduled to profit $2.8 million next season. At his year-end press conference this Monday head coach Chan Gailey said he’s “very committed” to Fitzpatrick. That commitment needs to extend beyond the football field.
Mary Kat Cabot, beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, offers an interesting tidbit about former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator/interim head coach Perry Fewell. Cabot reports that Fewell is a serious candidate for the Cleveland Browns head coaching vacancy.
Citing a league source, Cabot writes Fewell is a “serious candidate for head coach and not just to satisfy Rooney Rule.”
After failing to get his interim lifted in Buffalo last offseason as Buddy Nix instead hired Chan Gailey, Fewell went to New York to become defensive coordinator for the Giants under head coach Tom Coughlin.
The NFL announced Thursday that Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams has been added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster.
Williams will replace Richard Seymour of the Oakland Raiders, who will miss the game with an injury.
This will be the first Pro Bowl appearance for Williams, who many argue deserved to be on the roster to begin with. He was also an alternate last season.
Williams led the Bills with 5.5 sacks this season and had 87 tackles; the second-most by any defensive tackle in the NFL. He also led the Bills with 14 tackles for losses— more than double the amount of the nearest Bills defender. Throw in a pair of fumble recoveries and Williams was by far the most consistent Bills defender on a unit that was lousy overall, surely the reason he was snubbed from the Pro Bowl to begin with.
Williams, who earned $1.75 million in base salary last season and will make the same again in 2001, is signed through 2012.
The University of Stanford has announced that quarterback prospect Ryan Luck will be returning for school for his junior year and not declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft.
Wow… Wow… Wow.
Without question Luck was headed towards being the number one pick by Carolina when the draft got underway in late April. According to reports, Luck’s desire to earn his degree (Spring 2012) in architectural design outweighed his ambition to go to the NFL this year and make millions.
The University at Buffalo women’s basketball team won its third consecutive game on Wednesday night, defeating Akron in its MAC opener, 61-45, at Rhodes Arena. The Bulls improve to 8-6 on the season and win their MAC opener for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
The Zips took an early lead in the game scoring seven of the first nine points, taking their largest lead of the game at five just two minutes into the game. The Bulls responded with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game on a basket by senior Kourtney Brown. UB led by as many as seven in the opening half as Brown had 17 of her game-high 28 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Bulls took a 26-21 lead into the half.
Demitrius Conger booked a double-double with game highs of 21 points and 10 boards, Ogo Adegboye had 17 to go with nine assists, and St. Bonaventure (8-5) ended its non-conference season with a 68-55 win over Arkansas-Little Rock (8-9) Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
The Bonnies took control for good behind a 16-2 run that turned a 39-37 advantage into a 16-point cushion at the 7:51 mark of the final period. The run – powered by 3s from Adegboye and Conger – occurred with preseason Atlantic 10 First Team selection Andrew Nicholson on the bench, as the junior was saddled with foul trouble from the start. He finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 from the floor in just 20 minutes of action.
Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) scored twice and Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./Syracuse Crunch) logged two assists, as the U.S. National Junior Team captured the bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship with a 4-2 win over Sweden here this afternoon.
Team USA finished the tournament with a 4-1-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record and earned consecutive medals for the first time in tournament history, having won the gold medal last year in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask. This year’s bronze medal marked the seventh medal in U.S. National Junior Team history, and fourth in the last eight years.
“It was an honor to be behind the bench for the United States,” said Keith Allain, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. “Our guys played with a lot of pride tonight, and they really came together over the last few weeks to represent their country.”
New York Mets Manager and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Terry Collins will speak at the Bisons annual Hot Stove Luncheon, Friday, January 21 inside the Grand Ballroom at the Adam’s Mark Hotel (12pm).
Collins, 61, was hired by the Mets as the 20th manager in franchise history on November 22, 2010. He served the 2010 season as New York’s minor league field coordinator, overseeing all phases of the Mets’ minor league operations. The 61-year old managed the Bisons for three seasons from 1989-1991 and was 246-186 during his time with the club. His .569 winning percentage as Herd skipper is the 8th highest in the 125-year history of the Buffalo Bisons. Collins was inducted into the Buffalo Bisons Hall of Fame in 1992.
Since there’s only 32 of its kind in the world, being the head coach of a NFL football team puts you amongst a minuscule fraternity. Chances to land one of those coveted 32 spots aren’t easy to come by and it’s a huge gamble to turn one down when you have the chance to join.
Jim Harbaugh gambled last year when he did just that…. and it looks like he’s hit the jackpot.
Last year when newly minted Buffalo general manger Buddy Nix conducted his head coaching search, he made it known he’d be pursuing someone offensive minded. It led him to offering the position to Harbaugh, the Stanford head coach, who surprisingly turned it down. Eventually the job was offered and accepted by Chan Gailey…. and the rest is 4-12 history.
Despite the Buffalo Bills porous record in his first year as general manager and debatable draft decisions this past April, there’s one thing that categorically makes me fond of Buddy Nix. He’s a football guy—nothing more and nothing less and the last thing he’s fearful of is assembling change.
He’s also not afraid to man-up to mistakes and rectify them. He dumped Trent Edwards once he lost his starting job when he could’ve had him toil as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup. He settled with tackle Cornell Green instead of keeping him around for two more years, even though the free agent pickup was a disaster as a starter before landing on Injured Reserve. He traded Marshawn Lynch to Seattle after he felt confident enough Fred Jackson was healthy enough to shoulder the load. He not only claimed the controversial Shawne Merriman off waivers, he extended his contract despite the injury history and Merriman getting hurt 20 minutes into his first Bills practice.
To quote Mick Foley, Nix has a surplus of “testicular fortitude”
The big snow storm of early December temporarily ruined the volleyball dome for one of Western New York’s best places to play indoors, Holliday’s in West Seneca. I spoke with the owner of the place, Andy, and not only has the dome been restored, by they’re ready to get back to hosting leagues.
Their next volleyball season begins in January 31. They also have four-person dart leagues set to start about a week from today.
For anyone interested in participating in either league you can visit Holliday’s at 935 Harlem Road in West Seneca or call 824-8812 for more information. While you’re at it, tell them the folks at Buffalo Sports Daily sent ya.
The Niagara men’s basketball team will host the Rider Broncs on Friday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. The Purple Eagles will honor Calvin Murphy as a part of Niagara’s participation in the fourth annual Legends Classic this season.
Prior to the game, fans can be a part of a private event with Murphy. Fans can be a part of the festivities by purchasing tickets in advance for $15, which includes game ticket. With your purchase, a ticket will also be donated to a local youth organization for Friday’s game. To guarantee your spot, please call Julie Moses at 716-286-8494 or email at jmoses@niagara.edu.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at St. Vincent Hall-room #407 on the campus of Niagara University with a meet and greet gathering. This will be followed by a film session led by Murphy where he will discuss memories on the court. At 8 p.m. there will be a dessert reception courtesy of Holiday Inn Niagara Falls at the Gallagher Center “Under The Taps”, which will build up to the 9 p.m. tipoff.
In a report by the Buffalo News, UB football got themselves a high profile recruit when defensive tackle Kendall Patterson verbally committed to play football from the school.
Rodney McKissic reported that Patterson, a 6-foot-2, 272-pounder from Hyattsville, Maryland sent him a text message to confirm his commitment.
McKissic writes that Patterson was also offered scholarships by South Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan State, North Carolina Sate and Ohio (among others). Obviously, this is quite the coupe for UB. Patterson is rated as a three-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.
This brings UB up to 18 recruits for 2011.
Here is Patterson’s highlight video and for more information about him, see Rodney’s blog entry at the Buffalo News.
A pair of mistakes by a couple of Buffalo Sabres forwards, one old and one new, cost the team a point on the road Tuesday night. The Sabres still earned a point in their in 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but they’re anything but happy about it.
Tied 3-3 with less than six to play in the third, Sabres rookie Luke Adam fired the puck into what amounted to an empty net while on the power play. Tyler Ennis’ stick stopped the puck from going in when the puck was inside the crease.
Then in overtime, veteran forward Jochen Hecht missed an easy goal after failing to score in a wide-open net. A short time later Colorado’s David Jones beat Ryan Miller on the power play to get the Avalanche two points.
If last Thursday’s game was any indication, Reggie Witherspoon’s UB Bulls should be right in the thick of a heated conference race come March.
Pretty impressive for a team predicted to finish dead last in the MAC’s Eastern Division by the conference’s coaches. Pretty impressive for a team that lost six seniors, five of which led the team in minutes played.
But for Witherspoon, it’s just another day in the park. The 12th-year head coach has made a habit of exceeding expectations since his first day on campus.
Unfortunately, he’s also made a habit of not breaking through and reaching the NCAA Tournament either. Coming into the season, there was some widespread thought around western New York that perhaps the man solely responsible for making UB basketball even remotely relevant was on the hot seat.
Let me preface by stating a couple of things. Firstly, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about Andrew Luck over the next few months because frankly, it’s next to an impossibility that he’s going to fall to the Buffalo Bills with the third overall draft pick in April…. and I’m even more certain Buddy Nix isn’t going to trade up to get him.
From what I’ve learned about Nix over the past year, he’d rather spend an eternity listening to Trent Edwards preach quarterbacking philosophy than surrender precious draft picks to move up for a player. If anything, Nix is far more likely to trade down from the third spot. I’m not turning any stones over when I inform you Nix likes having as many picks as possible as he’s said multiple times it’s his key to turning Buffalo’s fortunes around.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said he doesn’t know if he’ll dress seven defensemen or not as the Sabres start a three-game road trip Tuesday night in Colorado, but he did reveal that Patrick Kaleta won’t be playing in any of them.
Kaleta has what Ruff described as an “upper-body, out extremity” injury. Translation— Kaleta has a broken hand or wrist.
When Buffalo last played against Boston on New Years evening, Ruff dressed Craig Rivet as an extra defensemen and forward Nathan Gerbe was a healthy scratch.
It’s a new year for everyone and speaking of new, we’re looking for some new writers here at Buffalo Sports Daily to show off their writing skills.
I’m looking for writers with some experience or aspiring journalists who have the talent and motivation to produce quality work. With a readership that’s growing daily, this is a tremendous opportunity to get your work out there for thousands of sports fans to see…. and help build your resume and pad your writing portfolio for bigger opportunities.
I’m open to writers and columnists covering all topics, teams and sports but mainly interested in those willing to do some high school, amateur and special events stuff. Athlete profiles and special interests stories are what excites me most—and what this online pub is most lacking.
Andrew Nicholson scored 34 points, including 9-of-9 from the free throw line, and St. Bonaventure (9-5, 1-0 A-10) outlasted Charlotte (8-8, 0-2) 92-88 in three overtimes in the Bonnies’ conference opener Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center.
Former Buffalo Sabres star Miroslav Satan may be done with the NHL, but he’s not ready to call it a career. Satan, who last played in the league with Boston last season, has signed to join the Dynomo Moscow of the KHL for the remainder of the season.
Oneonta (4-7/3-1) shot 51-percent from the field and overcame an early 9-0 deficit to defeat visiting Buffalo State (6-4/1-3), 86-70, this afternoon in a SUNYAC contest.
The Niagara men’s hockey team (11-7-2, 8-5-0 AHA) fell into a 3-0 hole that was too much to overcome, as the host Holy Cross Crusaders (7-11-2, 6-5-2 AHA) defeated the Purple Eagles 5-1 at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Buffalo Bills are making at least one coaching change. The team announced today that Inside Linebackers coach DeMontie Cross has been relieved of his duties.
Maybe Lindy Ruff should call out his goaltender more often. After saying Ryan Miller has just played “OK” so far this season early Thursday, Miller went out and looked like his old Vezina trophy winning self, stopping all 36 shots he faced as the Buffalo Sabres got a shutout win on the road, 3-0 over the San Jose Sharks.
So it’s known to all, I’m not going past the first three picks of the 2011 NFL Draft in this or future mocks for two reasons: First, it’s too much thinking and hard work for my taste and lastly, I don’t really care what happens after the Buffalo Bills make their selection.
As if Buddy Nix’s offseason menu didn’t already have enough on his plate, you can add re-doing a pair of deals to his entree. While the talk of which free agents to bring back, new ones to target and the upcoming NFL draft will dominate headlines over the next few months, locking up two of his emerging offensive stars heading towards the final year of their deals will be a high priority.
Mary Kat Cabot, beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, offers an interesting tidbit about former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator/interim head coach Perry Fewell. Cabot reports that Fewell is a serious candidate for the Cleveland Browns head coaching vacancy.
The NFL announced Thursday that Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams has been added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster.
The University of Stanford has announced that quarterback prospect Ryan Luck will be returning for school for his junior year and not declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft.
The University at Buffalo women’s basketball team won its third consecutive game on Wednesday night, defeating Akron in its MAC opener, 61-45, at Rhodes Arena. The Bulls improve to 8-6 on the season and win their MAC opener for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Demitrius Conger booked a double-double with game highs of 21 points and 10 boards, Ogo Adegboye had 17 to go with nine assists, and St. Bonaventure (8-5) ended its non-conference season with a 68-55 win over Arkansas-Little Rock (8-9) Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) scored twice and Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./Syracuse Crunch) logged two assists, as the U.S. National Junior Team captured the bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship with a 4-2 win over Sweden here this afternoon.
New York Mets Manager and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Terry Collins will speak at the Bisons annual Hot Stove Luncheon, Friday, January 21 inside the Grand Ballroom at the Adam’s Mark Hotel (12pm).
Since there’s only 32 of its kind in the world, being the head coach of a NFL football team puts you amongst a minuscule fraternity. Chances to land one of those coveted 32 spots aren’t easy to come by and it’s a huge gamble to turn one down when you have the chance to join.
Despite the Buffalo Bills porous record in his first year as general manager and debatable draft decisions this past April, there’s one thing that categorically makes me fond of Buddy Nix. He’s a football guy—nothing more and nothing less and the last thing he’s fearful of is assembling change.
The big snow storm of early December temporarily ruined the volleyball dome for one of Western New York’s best places to play indoors, Holliday’s in West Seneca. I spoke with the owner of the place, Andy, and not only has the dome been restored, by they’re ready to get back to hosting leagues.
The Niagara men’s basketball team will host the Rider Broncs on Friday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. The Purple Eagles will honor Calvin Murphy as a part of Niagara’s participation in the fourth annual Legends Classic this season.
In a report by the Buffalo News, UB football got themselves a high profile recruit when defensive tackle Kendall Patterson verbally committed to play football from the school.
A pair of mistakes by a couple of Buffalo Sabres forwards, one old and one new, cost the team a point on the road Tuesday night. The Sabres still earned a point in their in 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but they’re anything but happy about it.
If last Thursday’s game was any indication, Reggie Witherspoon’s UB Bulls should be right in the thick of a heated conference race come March.
Let me preface by stating a couple of things. Firstly, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about Andrew Luck over the next few months because frankly, it’s next to an impossibility that he’s going to fall to the Buffalo Bills with the third overall draft pick in April…. and I’m even more certain Buddy Nix isn’t going to trade up to get him.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said he doesn’t know if he’ll dress seven defensemen or not as the Sabres start a three-game road trip Tuesday night in Colorado, but he did reveal that Patrick Kaleta won’t be playing in any of them.
It’s a new year for everyone and speaking of new, we’re looking for some new writers here at Buffalo Sports Daily to show off their writing skills.
