Friday, February 25, 2005
Ice melts from under their feet
By Chris LaFuria
sports commentary
The 1980 Winter Olympics
revealed a turning point for the
sport of hockey in the United
States. Fans gathered behind a
team of young prodigies who
dismembered the Goliath-like
Soviets and conquered Finland
to bring the gold medal to the
states. 25 years later, the sport,
that takes a backseat to the
mainstream sports, is tarnished.
In 1980, students, children and
youngsters dropped everything
to join forces and defeat the
world. Now, the National
Hockey League refuses to give
up any amount of money to play
a handful of games.
Wednesday February 16,
2005 will live forever as a day
of infamy for many fans around
the country. As NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman
put it, "This is a sad, regrettable
day that all of us wish could
have been avoided."
A situation which locked
players out of financial negotia
tions quickly turned into a sea
son-long cancellation due to the
failure in establishing a consen
sus for a salary cap. Both sides,
the players and owners, bar
gained back and forth before
deciding to cancel the season.
The players decided that a legit
imate salary cap for each team
could be found at $49 million.
The figures of the owners were
about $6.5 million less than the
players' consensus. As a result,
the NHL will miss all 1,230
games scheduled this season.
All of this havoc erupted after
the 2004 season, when NHL
teams found themselves barely
making any revenue. Even with
the massive sales of players' jer
seys, tickets, vendor and other
miscellaneous NHL products,
the salaries of the players out
numbered the profit of most
teams, leaving many teams in
the red.
This cancellation means more
•m 4!
Women's Water polo starts season at Buckenell
By Steve Schleicher and
Anthony Spoto
contributing writers
Feb. 19-20 the women's water
polo team traveled to Bucknell
University to compete in the
Bison Invitational. They opened
up Saturday morning in an exhi
bition game against Michigan
State's Club Team.
Sophomore Brittany Yost
scored the loan goal for the Lions
in a loss. After the game Head
Coach Joe Tristan remarked, "It
was good to start out with an
exhibition game because it
allowed us to get game experi
ence without the pressure of wor
rying about stats or a record."
The blue and white matched up
polo team scrimaged the men's
Freshman Amanda Wiest looks
pool.
The women's water
Thursday afternoon.
oppostite end of the
Sign up for Intramural 6 vs. 6 Volleyball. Men's, Women's, and Coe d
• ntries will be excepted at the front desk in the Junker Center o
I nline through the athletics website. DEADLINE: MARCH 4 @
' .M. Contact Rob Wittman with any questions (rww3@psu.edu).
WE NEED WRITERS
If you're interested in sports and are driving your friends crazy because you think
you're the next Dick Vitale or Jillian Barberie, write for us! Contact Sam Cibula at
sac2s2@psu.edu or Sara Kamber at sak926@psu.edu.
National Hockey League Commissioner ttman announces
the current NHL hockey season has been canceled at a press conference
in New York City on Wednesday, Feb.l6
drain. It will leave a stain on the
game, which will take more than
bleach to remove. A countless
number of factors lie in the
equation of this disaster. Many
of the elite players, such as
Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull,
Steve Yzerman, Ron Francis,
Dave Andreychuk and Mark
Messier, are either in their for
ties or quickly approaching the
declining years of their careers.
On the other end of the spec
trum, many international super
stars will have to wait one more
year to exhibit their talent, due
to the subsequent cancellation
of this June's draft.
with division I George
Washington for their second
game of the tournament.
Sophomore Cara Ludwig scored
Behrend's only goal resulting in a
loss.
Early Sunday morning the
Lady Lions were at it again this
time taking on division I
Maryland. The early morning
game kick started the offense as
they tallied six goals. Ludwig led
the scorers with a hat trick, Yost
scored two and fellow sopho
more Alexis Puhala added a goal.
"I felt this was our best game
during the tournament," said
Ludwig. "We were able to move
the ball around the perimeter
more effectively allowing us to
have a few good lucks at the
CA
~....)
selves, hockey, which has strug
gled to gain American populari
ty, takes two steps backwards in
their progression for recogni
tion. This season was supposed
to mark the commencement of a
television deal between the
NHL and NBC in which more
games would be displayed on
national television, possibly
adding to the popularity of the
game. Unfortunately, this is a
two year agreement, and, with
this cancellation, half of the deal
is wasted.
The Tampa Bay Lightning
won last years' Lord Stanley
Trophy for winning the Stanley
After the hard fought loss
against Maryland the Lady Lions
had to come back to face nation
ally ranked (14th) Hartwick.
Despite facing long odds, the
girls played a great game but fell
short scoring a single goal.
"The Bison Invite was a tough
tournament to start out our sea-
son," said senior captain
Samantha Cibula. "I think we are
the only women's team at
Behrend that faces Division I
team consistently throughout our
schedule, and starting the season
against three DI schools isn't
easy for anyone. It was our fug
tournament and we came back to
Behrend knowing what we had to
work on, we have a tough season
ahead and are look
ing forward to the
challenges the
season presents."
That loss
brings the
women's record
to 0-3. The blue
and white start
inter-league play
March 6 against
University of
Michigan, and the
Indiana Hoosiers
before heading to
Colorado Springs
for spring training at
the Olympic
Training Center.
polo team in practice
open teammate at the
PORT
players and owners have not
only salaries to worry about but
also whether or not the fans will
return and hockey will recover.
Undoubtedly, there has been a
blemish placed on the sport of
hockey in the United States.
While the game flourishes inter
nationally, the U.S. exert respect
for a struggling sport with finan
cial issues. If the league finds
grounds for compromise in the
matter of salary, then, possibly,
a resurrection for the sport may
occur. Owners and players alike
need to get their acts together
and do what's best for the sport.
Play on!
Behrend Beacon: What are your plans for after graduation?
Erin Troester: I plan on going to graduate school to get my master's degree in special educa
tion. I plan to teach autistic children and behavioral/emotional support when I am done with my
master's.
Isiah Meek: I am going to move back to New Jersey, get a job as an accountant and make a lot
of money and never come back to Erie, Pa., because it's too cold and it snows a lot up here.
BB: What will you miss most about Behrend?
ET: I love Behrend. Once I was here, transfering to UP was never something that crossed my
mind. I have had to many great opportunities here, both in the classroom and in the pool. It has
been great to represent my school in DIII swimming and water polo, which is something I
wouldn't have been able to do if I hadn't come to Behrend. I will also miss my friends a lot
because they have made my college experience amazing.
IM: I will miss the whole college atmosphere and all of the friends that I made.
BB: What is your favorite memory from your sport?
ET: My favorite memory is when I scored the game winning goal against W&J my sophomore
year with 8 seconds left on the clock. Making that shot boosted my confidence and made me
feel good to contribute so much to my team.
IM: My favorite memory is being all-ECAC for the past three seasons and being ranked
amongst the top hurdlers in the nation.
BB: What is your funniest or most embarrasing moment?
ET: My funniest memory is traveling to Division 111 nationals in California my sophomore year
when Sarah McGarvey read her in her horoscope "you will experience transportation problems
today." Sure enough, one of the engines on our plane blew and we had to turn back to Chicago.
And then, our flight to L.A. was rerouted. By then, the car rental place had given away our 15
passenger van. And when we finally got a van, we ended up driving around in circles on the
L.A. freeway. Of course, the plane prank on the return trip is something I will always remem
ber with a smile.
IM: My funniest moments are the slip-ups I've commited, my roommates know all about that
cl
`O.-...)
will be crowned. The last
time there was no champion
awarded was in 1919, when a
flu epidemic plagued the
league (coincidentally, that
was a year after the Red Sox
won their last champi
onship...a generous curse
sharing).
Another concern about the
end of the season lies in a
description by Nashville
Predator forward Jim
McKenzie. "The scary part
now for hockey is do the fans
come back? We're not base
ball, we're not the national
pastime," stated McKenzie.
In 1994, a strike left the
Major League Baseball sea
son in shambles. However,
due to the popularity and tra
dition behind baseball, it
recovered. Fans quickly
recovered their aggression
towards owners and the
seasons continued.
In an online poll con
ducted by Slam Hockey,
18,669 people were asked
if they were hopeful that
the 2005 season would be
saved. 11 percent said
"Yes." 28 percent said
"No." Two percent
responded, "Don't know."
An astounding 60 percent
of the people said that they
didn't care either way. This
is very dangerous. Now,
enior pot
Erin Troester
Women's Water Polo
Driver
Men's tennis team goes
1-1
in season opener
By Amy Frizzell
managing editor
The men's tennis team
opened its season over the
weekend with a double header
at Baldwin Wallace. The
Lion's dropped its first match
against Baldwin Wallace 0-9
but quickly rebounded in its
second match defeating Tiffin
7-2.
"Against Baldwin Wallace,
our inexperience really
showed. You could tell we
were nervous because they're a
tough team," said Head Coach
Jeff Barger. "We came back
and beat Tiffin which helped
get our confidence back."
The team achieved great suc
cess last year going 14-7 which
tied the school record for most
wins in a single season. It also
won AMCCs defeating
Frostburg by just one point.
The Lions suffered a great loss
this year losing five of its
seven line-up players.
Sophomores Brian Espin, who
will be filling the No. 2 posi
tion, and Matt Meyer, who will
be in the fourth spot, are the
team's only returning players
to the line-up, they will also
lead the team this year as co
captains.
Both players received all
conference honors in both sin
gles and doubles. Along with
being named to all-conference
teams, Espin also received the
team's rookie of the year
award. Meyer received AMCC
co-newcomer of the year along
with the team's most improved
player. They will be joined by
freshmen Miles Boyea who
will fill the No. 1 slot, Todd
Guarnieri filling the third slot,
James Myer taking the fifth
slot and finishing out the line
up will be Trevor Dougherty at
six.
"We overall played well.
The freshmen really stepped up
for the players we lost," said
Me er. "Baldwin Wallace is a
The Behrend Beacon I 9
tough team but Tiffin is divi
sion two and that shows a lot
that we beat them."
The blue and white only
gave up two points against
Tiffin. Espin and Meyer pro
vided a win at second doubles,
8-1. Following them was Myer
and Dougherty bringing in a
win at third doubles, 8-5.
Espin also tallied up a win at
second singles in three sets, 5-
7, 6-4, 7-6. Guarnieri con
tributed a win at third singles
also in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
Meyer followed him with a
win, 6-2, 6-1. Myer logged his
first singles win at 6-2, 6-4
along with Dougherty at six
singles winning, 6-4, 6-4.
The Lions will next take on
Waynesburg on Saturday.
During last year's meeting with
the Yellow Jackets the blue and
white fathered a 6-3 win.
"It was a good match last
year but not an easy one," said
Barger. "It will be a good
measuring stick to see where
we are in the conference. They
have been where the other
teams in our conference have
been."
To prepare for the upcoming
match the team has gone back
to basics, working on funda
mental skills. They've also
been working on improving
doubles play.
"The singles line-up is
stronger than doubles," said
Meyer. "We're getting better
as we get used to playing with
each other."
On Monday, the team will
take on Westminster, then they
will head to Hilton Head, SC
for its annual spring break trip.
While there they will be play
ing six matches against teams
such as Mt. Union, Eastern
Nazarene, Elizabethtown and
Seton Hill.
"It's good to go down there
and get some practice in," said
Meyer. "It brings the team
together."
Isiah Meek
Men's Track and Field
High Hurdler