As first reported by the Buffalo News on Friday, Terry Pegula is now officially the owner of the Buffalo Sabres. The sale from Tom Golisano was approved by the NHL Board of Governors.
Pegula will meet the media as owner for the first time when he holds a press conference downtown at the HSBC Arena on Tuesday morning.
Surely, Pegula hasn’t liked what he’s seen over the past two games. The Sabres dropped a contest Wednesday to a team they’ve owned in recent years, Toronto, 2-1 and were shut out Friday night against the St. Louis Blues, 3-0.
Although it’s likely wishful thinking for many that Pegula will take over and immediately make sweeping changes, don’t be surprised to see a transaction or two take place before the February 28 NHL trade deadline, if for nothing else than to send a message to both the team and fans that the status quo perceived under Golisano’s direction is formally over.
Pegula has pulled no bunches when it comes to forecasting how he expects his team to be. Last week he told John Murphy of WIVB-TV that the Sabres “will win a Stanley Cup.. and then you know what.. . We’re going to win another Stanley Cup.”
The Niagara baseball team was shutout 5-0 by the No. 23 Wichita State Shockers in the 2011 season opener on Friday at Eck Stadium.
“We played a great game today against a very tough team,” head coach Rob McCoysaid. “We got a solid outing from Joel (Klock) and our defense played well behind him. Tomorrow we will look to improve at the plate and continue to play hard.”
A four-run third inning by the 23rd-ranked Shockers (1-0) spoiled a strong showing by Niagara (0-1) in its season opener. Starting pitcher freshman Joel Klock gave the Purple Eagles seven strong innings in his first collegiate game. Klock had five strikeouts, while allowing five runs and scattering seven hits.
For any athlete playing high school basketball just months before graduation, senior night is always special. It’s special to hear your name introduced to the crowd one last time. It’s special to pose for pictures with the parent(s) who paved your way to opportunity. Most importantly, it’s special to suit up in uniform one last time in your home gymnasium and create a memory you hope will last for the rest of your life.
To say Friday evening is a night St. Joe’s senior A. Keith Louie won’t soon forget would be a monumental understatement. The final shot of Louie’s regular season high career not only gave his team a victory… it gave them an upset win over the team ranked first in all of New York State.
Louie’s basket with 19.8 seconds turned out to be the final bucket between two of the premier basketball programs in the area. Fourth-ranked St. Joe’s stunned number one Niagara Falls, 59-58 to hand them their first loss of the year on the last day of the regular season.
Down 58-57 in the game’s waning moments, Louie took an inbounds pass, went the length of the court and then used a perfect pick by Connor Rehbuam to slice to the hoop for a layup.
The Buffalo Sabres are suddenly finding opposing nets unkind to their sticks. After being held to one goal against Toronto two nights ago, the offense was even worse Friday against the St. Louis Blues. The stagnant Sabres offense was completely shut down and ultimately shut out as St. Louis skated to a 3-0 victory.
Former Sabres backup goaltender Ty Conklin turned away all 25 shots the Sabres threw at him.
Buffalo hopes to get things together offensively when they face the Washington Capitals at the HSBC Arena in a 12:30pm start.
A solid 60-minute effort from the Niagara men’s hockey team (17-11-3, 14-9-1 AHA) resulted in a 3-0 shutout of the host Canisius Golden Griffins (9-16-6, 8-11-5 AHA) at Buffalo State Sports Arena on Thursday evening.
Junior Chris Noonan made 28 saves, en route to earning his first career shutout victory, placing Niagara in a tie for second place with Robert Morris.
“Noonan played well tonight and kept us in the game,” Niagara Head Coach Dave Burkholder said. “Noonan made several key saves. It’s not how many saves you make, but it’s when you make them and Noonan made the big saves when we needed him.”
Noonan has not allowed a goal in the last 85:55 of gameplay, after entering last Saturday’s 5-4 overtime victory against Air Force.
McKinley entered their finale Thursday at Hutch Tech in need of hitting a daily double to get their name on the Yale Cup. First they’d need to defeat a pesky Engineers squad that has given city teams fits all season. Then, they’d also need Riverside to do them a favor and knock off East High School, of which both results would give the Macks a share of the crown.
McKinley handled their own business, blowing Tech off their own floor early then holding on for a 65-52 victory. Unfortunately for Macks, Riverside didn’t cooperate. They were hammered by East to give the Panthers the title all to themselves.
John Black led McKinley (15-3) with game-highs of 17 points and 17 rebounds. Anthony Sanders gave the Macks 13 huge points to go with 11 rebounds while reserve Damon Canty scored 16 points off the bench.
Let’s get something straight right off the bat— I’m excruciatingly aware I’m not going to win any Buffalo Bills fans over with my latest mock draft. I’m embracing myself for a slew of derogatory comments sure to range from questioning my sanity to offers of euthanasia. Yes, that’s how passionate fans of a franchise that has perennially lost remain.
A defensive lineman with the third overall pick most don’t have rated as the first, second, third or even fourth best prospect in the draft? Yes, yes there’s where I’m going in my latest mock.
Look, until now I’ve been all about the sexy when it amounts to skilled position stars becoming a Buffalo Bill. While many fans scratched their heads, pulled out hair follicles and shrieked profusely at their television sets in the seconds following Buddy Nix’s selection of C.J. Spiller last April, I was circling victory laps around my homemade war room table. Until now, I was thrilled when the team would sign a Terrell Owens and worry about Chris Kelsay’s prowess later.
The Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, today announced their promotional calendar for the 2011 season. The team will once again provide the top sports and family entertainment and value in Western New York with an extensive list of special events, promotions and giveaways throughout the summer at Coca-Cola Field.
The Bisons will open their 126th season of professional baseball on Opening Day, presented by Subway, on Thursday, April 7 against the Syracuse Chiefs at Coca-Cola Field (3:05 p.m.). The team will also debut its BisonsTV HD board, the largest high-definition board in all of minor league baseball, on Opening Day, to add a new level of entertainment to each day or night at Coca-Cola Field.
“Our fans have always embraced the Bisons Baseball experience because of our efforts to add an unparalleled level of value to every game ticket,” said Mike Buczkowski, Bisons Vice President/General Manager. “Our fans know they will be part of a fun, safe and affordable family sports and entertainment experience every time they visit Coca-Cola Field.”
A Kashief Edwards jumper in the paint as time expired lifted Niagara to a 67-65 victory over archrival Canisius on Wednesday at the Gallagher Center to cap one of the most exhilarating contests in the history of the rivalry.
“That was one for the ages, there’s no doubt about that,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “This is what college basketball is all about and what it means to have a great rivalry. When Niagara plays Canisius (you can) throw out the records. It’s going to be a great game, anybody can win, (and) it will probably go down to the wire. I don’t know if it gets any closer coming down to the wire then it did tonight. “
The 169th meeting between Niagara (7-21, 4-12 MAAC) and long-time rival Canisius (13-12, 7-8 MAAC) concluded with one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the series. NU appeared to be on its way to its eighth straight win over Canisius at the Gallagher Center. The Purple Eagles went on a 13-4 run to break a 30-30 tie with five minutes left in the first half to take a 43-34 halftime lead. NU extended its lead to as much as 11 in the second before the Golden Griffins gradually chipped away at the deficit. Continue reading ‘Niagara Beats Canisius On Buzzer Beater’
The Buffalo Sabres had an opportunity to move into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and draw even with the Carolina Hurricanes for the final spot in the playoff chase. Playing at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, of whom the Sabres have completely owned the past few years, it seemed a mere formality.
Unfortunately it didn’t happen. The Sabres lost to Toronto at the HSBC Arena, 2-1. It was Toronto’s first win against Buffalo in four tries this season.
The Sabres offense sputtered, managing just one goal, scored by Paul Gaustad with less than a half period to play.
As first pointed out by Nick Mendola of WECK 1230, who interviewed top NFL prospect Nick Fairly today, the potential top pick of the NFL draft will be holding court with Buffalo Bills fans only tonight at 7:30pm Q&Q session via his @NickFairley251 Twitter handle. If you use the hashtag #askFairleyBills in the form of a question, Fairley will likely get to it.
In more important news, Mendola grilled Fairley about his comments when upon announcing his intention to enter the draft, Fairley said he wanted to play somewhere that ‘wasn’t too cold’.
“Not at all, it was just a joke,” Fairley told Mendola Wednesday. “We have cold gear… that’s what it’s for.”
Mendola also asked Fairley what type of defense he’d be a better fit; the 3-4 or 4-3. Fairley said it really didn’t matter.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares was named Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Tavares recorded a season-high nine points, including five goals and four assists, in the Bandits’ 16-7 win at Philadelphia on Feb. 12. His first goal of the night made him the first NLL player to score 700 goals in his career. The nine points and five goals were the most Tavares had scored since scoring nine (6+3) in a 15-11 win at Boston on Apr. 4, 2009.
Tavares now has a team-high 30 points on the season. He leads the team in both goals (12) and assists (18). He is in the top 15 in the league in all three scoring categories. Continue reading ‘Tavares Names NLL Player of the Week’
Tuesday night I got the opportunity to cover a basketball game between arguably the biggest rivals in all of high school sports; Canisius vs. St. Joes. In the rematch from last month (Joe’s won the first game on enemy turf), it was Canisius who pulled out the clutch road victory. When these teams plays the site is irrelevant, as the stands are always flooded with rowdy fans from both schools.
If you don’t think these fans take this bitter rivalry seriously, check out the reaction I was able to capture as the final buzzer sounded and the Canisius fans storm St. Joe’s home court. Notice the refs running for dodge as well.
For a full recap of what turned out to be a very exciting game, click here.
The New York Mets announced that they have signed Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract in an invitation to major league spring training.
Isringhausen, 38, was originally selected by the Mets in the 44th round in the 1991 First-Year Player Draft. The 6-3, 230-pounder pitched with the Mets from 1995-1999 going 18-21 with one save and a 4.67 ERA in 60 games, 52 starts.
Isringhausen last pitched in the majors with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 appearing in nine games. He underwent “Tommy John” surgery following his brief stint with the Rays.
Last year, Isringhausen pitched in seven games with the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate, going 1-0 with a 9.53 ERA (5.2IP, 6ER).
The righthander is 45-50 with 293 saves during his 14-year major league career with the Mets, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals and Rays. Isringhausen was named to the All-Star team in 2000 and 2005 and led the National League with 47 saves in 2004.
The Buffalo Bills announced that they’ve released defensive end Marcus Stroud on Wednesday. Stroud has played the past three seasons in Buffalo, accumulating a total of 150 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 46 games.
Stroud was one of the better defensive tackles in the league when he came to Buffalo in 2008 after seven years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had good moments in Buffalo and was rewarded a four-year extension in April 2009. But he never quite played up to the level he showed in Jacksonville and when the Bills switched to a 3-4 defense last year it was no longer a good fit for Stroud.
He was due $4.5 million in salary from the Bills in 2011. We wrote on Monday that the Bills will target a defensive end very early in the draft and cited a source that University of California Cameron Jordan is one that Buddy Nix is very interested in– and also wrote Stroud had probably played his last down in Buffalo, though we didn’t know he’d get cut this soon.
Senior goaltender Allison Daley and junior midfielder Megan Oosting were both named to the All-MAAC Preseason Women’s Lacrosse Team, as voted on by the conference’s coaches. As a team, the Griffs were selected to finish third in the preseason poll.
The 2010 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Daley posted a save percentage of .501 and a goals against average of 11.76 last season. She finished her junior campaign ranked fifth nationally with 10.5 saves per game and 10th with her .501 save percentage.
Maybe Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will give Jhonas Enroth a few more starts in relief of an overworked Ryan Miller in future contests. Enroth stopped 32 shots through regulation and overtime and then stopped the last five pucks he saw in a shootout as the Sabres kept hot with a 3-2 win at Montreal.
The 10-round shootout was the Sabres second-longest in history. It finally ended when Jochen Hecht beat Carey Price to earn Buffalo two big points. Buffalo is now a perfect 5-0 in shootouts.
it was Enroth’s first start in Buffalo since November 24, when he allowed just one goal to Pittsburgh but still lost the game, 1-0. It ended a streak of 31 straight starts for Miller.
The 2010-11 Canisius vs. St. Joe’s rivalry saw round two Tuesday evening in Kenmore and for now, it’s a draw. The way both teams are looking on the high school basketball circuit right now, there will be a rubber match on March 2—with the Manhattan Cup on the line.
Last month St. Joe’s went into Canisius and handed the Crusaders their only Monsignor Martin Association loss of the season. Canisius returned the favor tonight, defeating the Marauders, 82-78 in front of a standing room only crowd.
A pair of free throws by senior guard Aaron Nevins with less than three minutes left finally put Canisius up for good in a wild affair that saw five lead changes and multiple ties in the fourth quarter alone. You hear the term “tight game” thrown out all the time, but indeed, this was a tight game.
For the duration of four quarters, neither team ever led by more than seven points.
Nevins, Gordon Lyons and Matt Hart were the difference for Canisius, scoring all but five of their team’s 32 final quarter points.
The Ohio Bobcats shot 74 percent in the second half to erase an eight-point halftime deficit and defeat Buffalo, 76-69, at Alumni Arena on Tuesday night. It was just the third home loss suffered by the Bulls this season.
Buffalo (15-9, 7-5 MAC) jumped out to an 11-point first-half lead and held a 32-24 lead at the half.
A Dave Barnett dunk extended the Buffalo advantage to 48-39 with 13:57 left in the game. A layup by Zach Filzen put the Bulls ahead, 58-51, with nine minutes remaining. However, an 11-2 Ohio scoring run gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game, 62-60, with 5:21 remaining.
It’s round two of Western New York’s biggest high school hoops rivalry. Canisius travels to Kenmore to take on St. Joe’s in a huge grudge match. With a victory, St. Joe’s will clinch the regular season title and run the table in the Monsignor Martin Association for the first time since 2005-06. A Canisius win will likely result in identical league records atop the Catholic league.
St. Joe’s won the first meeting on the road, 67-57 on January 29. Joe’s is currently ranked fourth among large schools in WNY while Canisius is fifth.
Follow play by play action right here with live updates and stats. We’ll get the party started slightly before 7pm in front of what’s sure to be a raucous crowd.
During last year’s NFL draft, University of California defensive lineman Tyson Alualu seemingly came out of nowhere and ended up a top ten draft pick (by Jacksonville), screwing up every Mock Draft known to man in the process. This year his teammate Cameron Jordan could see the same fate, maybe even go higher… and I’m talking about skyrocketing all the way up to Buffalo with the third pick.
There aren’t many college prospects I’ve had kind of opportunity to talk to any sources within the Bills about, but Jordan is an exception. From what I’ve heard, the Bills organization and Buddy Nix in particular is sky-high on Jordan, especially after getting a first-hand look at the unreservedly dominant display he put on during the week of practices at the Senior Bowl. From what I’ve already read and been told since, Jordan was unblockable no matter where he lined up and who stood in front of him.
Look, Nix can tell you until he’s blue in the face that he’s going to pick the best player available regardless of position. But it doesn’t take a mind the equivalent of a NFL general manager to conclude the Bills run defense is an unqualified embarrassment. I learned the 276 rushing yards the New York Jets second and third stringers hung on the Bill starting defense in the season finale had a mortified Nix observing with his hands covering his eyes out of humiliation.
As a part of the Division of Athletics “Takedown Cancer” event on Sunday February 20th, the University at Buffalo will host a book signing with author, Jill Kelly. A woman of many titles, Jill is the wife of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, a mother, chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Hunter’s Hope Foundation, author and speaker.
A New York Times Best Seller, Without a Word: How a Boy’s Unspoken Love Changed Everything was inspired by Jim and Jill’s late son Hunter, who suffered from Krabbe Leukodystrophies disease. Without a Word is a journey of finding life, joy and faith in the midst of suffering. Without a Word is about sacrifice, hope, suffering & indescribable joy. It’s a memoir of how a little boy’s unspoken love… changed everything. It’s the Kelly Family story.
Jill recently just released two other books – Prayers of Hope for the Brokenhearted and Prayers for Those Who Grieve. Kelly will be signing her books from noon until 1:00 p.m. in the Alumni Arena foyer. Without a Word: How a Boy’s Unspoken Love Changed Everything is available in bookstores nationwide, copies available for sale at the event.
For the fourth time this season, senior Bryan Haczyk of the Niagara men’s hockey team (16-11-3, 13-9-1 AHA) has been named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s Co-Player of the Week , after netting four goals during a weekend split with Air Force.
Haczyk is sharing the honor with sophomore Erik Vos from Holy Cross, who netted two goals, three assists and five points during the past weekend. Niagara has now won eight AHA Player of the Week awards, the most in the conference, including Haczyk, a conference leading four-time honoree.
Haczyk accounted for four of Niagara’s seven goals this past weekend. During Friday night’s 3-2 loss, Haczyk netted the game-tying goal in the third period. During Saturday night’s 5-4 overtime win against Air Force, Haczyk netted his second career hat-trick, by netting a goal in each of the first three periods of play.
Lancaster traveled to Orchard Park on a light Monday evening of high school basketball and survived with a 61-57 win in Class-AA action.
Lancaster led at the half, 35-30.
Lancaster (12-5, 6-4) won for the third straight time since losing to Jamestown by eight on February 4. If they defeat West Seneca West later this week they’ll likely be a fourth seed in the Class-AA playoff and no worse than a fifth. Senior Zak Plonka poured in 29 points for Lancaster while J.J. Harrington added 15 and Jake Kroll chipped in with 13 points.
Orchard Park is having a rough go in 2010-11 after winning the regular season crown and making it to the semi-finals of the Class-AA championships last year at Buffalo State. The Quakers fell to 2-9 in league play and 6-11 overall. Matt McCormick finished with 19 points while Jeremy Kuhn added 16 points.
The Niagara University Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Chase Brooks as men’s soccer head coach.
“Chase Brooks is a winner who can take the Niagara University men’s soccer program to the NCAA Tournament,” said Niagara University Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. ”We were blessed with a huge pool of candidates who believed in the potential of Niagara University and Chase stood out among all of them. He will be a mentor for our student-athletes and provide a stronger foundation so we can compete for MAAC Championships.”
Brooks come to Niagara after spending four seasons as the top assistant coach for the Dayton Flyers men’s soccer program. Brooks’ main focus was on recruiting scheduling, travel and player development, as well as serving as co-director of the UD Soccer Academy. Continue reading ‘Niagara Tabs Brooks As Soccer Coach’
As first reported by the Buffalo News on Friday, Terry Pegula is now officially the owner of the Buffalo Sabres. The sale from Tom Golisano was approved by the NHL Board of Governors.
The Niagara baseball team was shutout 5-0 by the No. 23 Wichita State Shockers in the 2011 season opener on Friday at Eck Stadium.
For any athlete playing high school basketball just months before graduation, senior night is always special. It’s special to hear your name introduced to the crowd one last time. It’s special to pose for pictures with the parent(s) who paved your way to opportunity. Most importantly, it’s special to suit up in uniform one last time in your home gymnasium and create a memory you hope will last for the rest of your life.
A solid 60-minute effort from the Niagara men’s hockey team (17-11-3, 14-9-1 AHA) resulted in a 3-0 shutout of the host Canisius Golden Griffins (9-16-6, 8-11-5 AHA) at Buffalo State Sports Arena on Thursday evening.
McKinley entered their finale Thursday at Hutch Tech in need of hitting a daily double to get their name on the Yale Cup. First they’d need to defeat a pesky Engineers squad that has given city teams fits all season. Then, they’d also need Riverside to do them a favor and knock off East High School, of which both results would give the Macks a share of the crown.
Let’s get something straight right off the bat— I’m excruciatingly aware I’m not going to win any Buffalo Bills fans over with my latest mock draft. I’m embracing myself for a slew of derogatory comments sure to range from questioning my sanity to offers of euthanasia. Yes, that’s how passionate fans of a franchise that has perennially lost remain.
The Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, today announced their promotional calendar for the 2011 season. The team will once again provide the top sports and family entertainment and value in Western New York with an extensive list of special events, promotions and giveaways throughout the summer at Coca-Cola Field.
A Kashief Edwards jumper in the paint as time expired lifted Niagara to a 67-65 victory over archrival Canisius on Wednesday at the Gallagher Center to cap one of the most exhilarating contests in the history of the rivalry.
The Buffalo Sabres had an opportunity to move into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and draw even with the Carolina Hurricanes for the final spot in the playoff chase. Playing at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, of whom the Sabres have completely owned the past few years, it seemed a mere formality.
As first pointed out by Nick Mendola of WECK 1230, who interviewed top NFL prospect Nick Fairly today, the potential top pick of the NFL draft will be holding court with Buffalo Bills fans only tonight at 7:30pm Q&Q session via his 
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares was named Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
The New York Mets announced that they have signed Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract in an invitation to major league spring training.
The Buffalo Bills announced that they’ve released defensive end Marcus Stroud on Wednesday. Stroud has played the past three seasons in Buffalo, accumulating a total of 150 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 46 games.
Senior goaltender Allison Daley and junior midfielder Megan Oosting were both named to the All-MAAC Preseason Women’s Lacrosse Team, as voted on by the conference’s coaches. As a team, the Griffs were selected to finish third in the preseason poll.
Maybe Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will give Jhonas Enroth a few more starts in relief of an overworked Ryan Miller in future contests. Enroth stopped 32 shots through regulation and overtime and then stopped the last five pucks he saw in a shootout as the Sabres kept hot with a 3-2 win at Montreal.
The 2010-11 Canisius vs. St. Joe’s rivalry saw round two Tuesday evening in Kenmore and for now, it’s a draw. The way both teams are looking on the high school basketball circuit right now, there will be a rubber match on March 2—with the Manhattan Cup on the line.
The Ohio Bobcats shot 74 percent in the second half to erase an eight-point halftime deficit and defeat Buffalo, 76-69, at Alumni Arena on Tuesday night. It was just the third home loss suffered by the Bulls this season.
During last year’s NFL draft, University of California defensive lineman Tyson Alualu seemingly came out of nowhere and ended up a top ten draft pick (by Jacksonville), screwing up every Mock Draft known to man in the process. This year his teammate Cameron Jordan could see the same fate, maybe even go higher… and I’m talking about skyrocketing all the way up to Buffalo with the third pick.
As a part of the Division of Athletics “Takedown Cancer” event on Sunday February 20th, the University at Buffalo will host a book signing with author, Jill Kelly. A woman of many titles, Jill is the wife of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, a mother, chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Hunter’s Hope Foundation, author and speaker.
For the fourth time this season, senior Bryan Haczyk of the Niagara men’s hockey team (16-11-3, 13-9-1 AHA) has been named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s Co-Player of the Week , after netting four goals during a weekend split with Air Force.
Lancaster traveled to Orchard Park on a light Monday evening of high school basketball and survived with a 61-57 win in Class-AA action.
The Niagara University Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Chase Brooks as men’s soccer head coach.
