Bocats Open Season With Split

BOBCATS OPEN SEASON WITH SPLIT
By: Michael Radomski
WQAQ Quinnipiac Baseball Beat Writer
March 10, 2007

TAMPA- The Quinnipiac Bobcats split the season opening doubleheader yesterday with South Florida and Michigan State

Quinnipiac lost to Michigan State in the first game 8-5. Then, the Bobcats narrowly defeated South Florida 5-4 in the nightcap.

In Game 1, Craig Brookes led the Spartans with his pitching. Brookes pitched 6 2/3 allowing two runs in the quality start. RF Eli Boike led Michigan State in the leadoff spot hitting 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs.

The Bobcats starter Andy Mayer had a shaky start allowed five runs, all unearned, over the course of four innings. Mayer hit three batters, allowed six hits, and walked two. The sophomore starter also committed a throwing error in the 3^rd that sparked a three run Spartan rally.

Senior Tim Binkoski led Quinnipiac with a 4-for-5 performance with a triple, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base. 2B Randy Gress backed up Rizzo’s performance with a 3 for 5 RBI performance in the cleanup spot.

More good news for the Bobcats was the return Pat Egan. The senior was drafted in the 36^th round of the MLB Draft, but had season ending Tommy John surgery last year. Egan’s return was a successfully strong inning pitched in relief.

With the victory, the Spartans improved to 4-5 on the season, while the Bobcats fell to 0-1. But the team didn’t have time to sulk. Soon there after, the Bobcats were back in action playing South Florida.

The Bulls from South Florida jumped out to the early 3-0 lead after two innings. However, the Bobcats wouldn’t let the Bulls run away with this victory.

Randy Gress went 2-for-5 and hit a solo home run in the third to put the Bobcats on the board. Later on in the inning, the Bobcats closed the gap to 1 with a Pete Kummerfeldt single, bringing home Wilson Matos.

On the mound, Quinnipiac starter Chris Gloor allowed three runs over four innings before being lifted for reliever Eric Bretscher. The junior righthander masterfully pitched five innings, allowing just one run.

The Bobcats clawed back to take the lead in the fourth, and behind Bretscher’s pitching, took a 4-3 lead into the 9^th.

In the top half, Quinnipiac received a much-needed insurance run from pinch hitter Michael Marmo. In the bottom half, the Bobcats barely held on for the victory. Ty Taborelli slammed a pinch hit home run for the Bulls. Then, with runners on 1^st and 2^nd and two outs, Eric Bretscher came up clutch striking out cleanup hitter Brandin Daniel to end the game.

Despite three more errors, the Bobcats held on to the 5-4 victory to split the two team doubleheader. South Florida’s record drops to 10-5 as the Bobcats improve to 1-1.

The Bobcats will play Harvard later today at 4 PM in their 3^rd game of the season. This game will be played in Clearwater, Florida at the Jack Russell Stadium beginning at 2:45 PM.

Bobcat Baseball Invades Florida

BOBCAT BASEBALL INVADES FLORIDA

By: Michael Radomski

Baseball Beat

Friday, March 9, 2007

HAMDEN- Baseball is back in season for Quinnipiac University.The team bus left the cold confines of Connecticut at 11:30 AM on Thursday for the Sunshine State of Florida.

The Bobcats will play Michigan State (3-2) in the season opener today at noon. Then, as part of a doubleheader, the Bobcats will play South Florida (10-4) in the 6 pm nightcap. Both games will be played at South Florida’s Red McEwen Field.

Quinnipiac is ranked 2^nd in the Northeast Conference Preseason Poll behind CCSU. This is the third straight season where the Bobcats have been ranked 2^nd in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The Bobcats only lost one starter from last year’s team. The team brings back eight starters and Pat Egan. The 6’8’’ senior from Rocky Hill, CT is returning from season ending Tommy John surgery last year. He ranks 9^th place all time on the QU wins list with 16, and was drafted in the 36^th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Andy Mayer is another big QU pitcher. He led the team in wins (6) and games started (12).  The Trumbull, CT native also led the team in innings pitched (72.1).

At the plate, QU is sporting some tough hitters. Ryan Rizzo led QU in batting average, on base percentage, runs, and hits last season.  His 74 hits in ’06 fell four shy of setting the QU single season record. The senior outfielder is 32 hits shy of setting the all time QU hits record, set by Steve Kulpa in 1993 with 201. With 170 hits thus far, Rizzo will have to compete with fellow teammates Tim Binkoski (164) and Wilson Matos (159) for the shot at the record.

The Bobcats had five teammates named to NEC honors last season. Seniors Ryan Rizzo, Tim Binkoski, and junior John Delaney all made 1^st team while Senior Randy Gress and Ricky Coppola made NEC 2^nd team.

Quinnipiac is coached by Dan Gooley. The ’69 graduate of QU coached the Bobcats baseball team from 1977-1987. Gooley has been coaching the Bobcats since 2001 as well.  

The team’s last game is Florida is on March 15^th verse the Dodger’s Class A team in Dodgertown at Vero Beach. The team returns to the Northeast for a Saint Patrick’s Day matchup verse St. John’s.

‘Advantage’ Quinnipiac?

‘Advantage’ Quinnipiac?

By: Chris Lopresti

WQAQ Men’s Ice Hockey Beat Writer

March 9, 2007

HAMDEN, Conn. – The first round of the ECACHL playoffs assured the Quinnipiac Men’s Hockey team of at least one thing: their power play is back! Coming off the final weekend of regular season play in which they went 0-19 with the man advantage, the Bobcats used five power play goals in 12 opportunities to sweep the Union Dutchmen right out of the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

The QU offense has been a well-oiled machine throughout the course of the season, leading the conference with 3.61 goals per game. However, the power outage against St. Lawrence and Clarkson on that final weekend left the team frustrated and searching for answers. They found an answer last Friday night when Ben Nelson one-timed a pass from Reid Cashman past Union goalie Justin Mrazek. The goal came with 24 seconds left in the opening period and sparked a 3-1 victory for the Bobcats in game one of the best-of-three series.

The following night, it was more of the same. Quinnipiac erased a 1-0 deficit with a pair of second period power play tallies from Cashman and fellow defenseman Matt Sorteberg. After blowing a two goal third period lead, the game went to overtime where, fittingly enough, Jamie Bates ended things with another power play goal just 1:20 into the extra frame. In the end, it was a two game sweep for QU but more importantly, it got the power play back on track.

Heading into this weekend’s quarterfinal match-up with Cornell, the Bobcats certainly have their work cut out for them. A few things to keep in mind:

– Cornell had the entire week off.

– They play at Lynah Rink in one of the most electric college hockey atmospheres in the country.

– Since the opening of the rink in 1957, Cornell has won two NCAA Championships and an ECACHL record 11 tournament championships. The Bobcats have zero (of either).

– Cornell’s all-time record at Lynah is 452-164-47, a winning percentage of .682.

These are all factors that could have an impact on the series. However, the most important stat that must concern the Bobcats is the 2.5 goals against average that Cornell has accumulated this year in conference games, ranking them just behind top-seeded Clarkson for the best in the league.

Quinnipiac is a scoring team, not a defensive team. They got a taste of Cornell hockey when the two squads last met on February 16^th, a 2-0 shutout for the Big Red. Troy Davenport turned in a sparkling performance in net and Cornell allowed the Bobcats just three power play opportunities and four shots with the man advantage.

For Quinnipiac to reach Albany and the ECACHL Championship Weekend, they’ll have to capitalize on any power play chances they get. Cornell may not take many penalties, but the Big Red penalty kill is suspect, ranking 10^th out of 12 in the conference. Combine that with a last place power play and the Bobcats have a huge special team’s advantage. Freshman Brandon Wong must be drooling at those numbers. Nine of his league-leading 25 goals have come on special teams this season and he’s sure to see plenty of ice time on both the power play and the penalty kill.

It’s a tough match-up for the Bobcats and certainly a big challenge in just their second season in the league. Last year they swept a road playoff series at RPI but going on the road at Cornell is a completely different ballgame. They’ll have to play smart by staying out of the penalty box, clean up the defensive zone mistakes and outwork the Big Red in their own building. It’s a daunting task to say the least but if they want to make a statement, the time is now.

WQAQ Sports Names Van Crafton Athlete of the Week

Van Crafton named WQAQ Athlete of the Week

HAMDEN — Van Crafton has been named the WQAQ Athlete of the Week for the week ending on March 7, 2007, the department announced on Wednesday.

Crafton exhibited splendid leadership in scoring 23 points on March 1 to lead the Bobcats to a 78-77 win over FDU in the NEC Quarterfinals at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. The point total ties Crafton’s season high, and included a stretch when he led the Bobcats on a 12-0 run by hitting 3 three-pointers and 3 free throws in a span of less than three minutes.

With Adam Gonzalez in a hospital bed, Crafton became the team’s de-facto leader for the game, and helped them get a spot in the semi-finals.

Quinnipiac was later bounced in that semi-final matchup vs. Sacred Heart, ending their season. The Bobcats finish their season at 14-15 overall, (11-7 NEC).

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WQAQ SPORTS EXCLUSIVE BOBCATS NOTEBOOK: Former Coach Joe DeSantis discusses dismissal

BOBCAT NOTEBOOK

Former Coach Joe DeSantis discusses dismissal

By: Michael T. Lyle, Jr.

WQAQ.com Sports

March 7, 2007

            Joe DeSantis spoke about his dismissal from the university earlier today.  Athletic Director Jack McDonald had released a statement through Vice President of Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell regarding the university’s decision to sever ties with DeSantis.  Here are some quotes from my brief interview with the now former Bobcats’ head coach:  

Q&A with Joe DeSantis on today’s release from the Quinnipiac basketball program: 

Q:  What happened that the school decided not to bring you back next season?

 

JD:  It was their decision.  I was a little surprised because I thought we had finished the season strong.  But if they want to go in another direction, then that’s their call.

Q:  How did the situation unfold today?               

JD:  I had originally requested a meeting at the end of the year because I wanted to know where I stood…I wanted to be out recruiting and getting this team ready for next season. The thing that bothers me about all of this is that that I had to find out at 10:00 this morning and then I had a meeting scheduled with my team at 3:30.

Q:  Why is the school making this decision now?

JD:  I didn’t ask why and at this point, it’s all over with.  I respect their decision if that’s what they chose to do.  You know maybe if we had beaten Sacred Heart the last game of the season we would have had home court for the first two games of the NEC tourney.

Q:  So what does the future hold for you?

JD:  It was a good 11 years and I’m happy about what I’ve done…A lot of coaches don’t get to that type of level.  I just have to man-up and find something else to do.

Q:  Any final thoughts for the future of the Quinnipiac Men’s basketball program?

JD:  I wish them luck and that they take care of business.  My only hope is that the kids that are there now will be well-taken cared of.   

BOBCATS NOTEBOOK: Coach DeSantis tenure shockingly ends; Lynn Bushnell responds to University’s decision

BOBCAT NOTEBOOK

Coach DeSantis tenure shockingly ends

Lynn Bushnell responds to University’s decision

By: Michael T. Lyle, Jr.
WQAQ.com Sports
March 7, 2007

 

            It was announced today that head men’s basketball coach Joe DeSantis would not return to the sidelines for the 2007-08 season.

            University athletics director, Jack McDonald, released a statement through Lynn Bushnell, Vice President of Public Affairs.  A portion of the statement read, “I want to thank Joe for his 11 years of service to the university.  He oversaw our men’s basketball team as we moved from a Division II to a Division I program. We appreciate what he has done for Quinnipiac during his tenure as head coach, and we wish him all the best going forward.”

            An email sent to DeSantis was not immediately returned, and calls and emails to the university’s athletic office were referred to Bushnell’s office.

            When reached by phone, Bushnell said the university was standing by their decision to cut ties with DeSantis.

            “It was a university decision,” said Bushnell.  “How we make them is an internal process.  The decision has been reached.  We certainly thank Joe for everything he’s done for us the past 11 years here.”

 

            Bushnell reiterated McDonald’s comments that the school would retain a national search firm to aid in an aggressive search for DeSantis’ replacement. Please stay with WQAQ.com Sports for more on this breaking story as it develops

DeSantis out as Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball coach

DeSantis out as Men’s Basketball coach
by Seth Rothman
March 7, 2007

HAMDEN — Joe DeSantis will not be returning to the sidelines next season as the head coach of Quinnipiac University’s Men’s Basketball team, QU Athletic Director Jack McDonald announced Wednesday.

After a season marred by an ugly allegation of sexual assault against two players (James Feldeine and Trevon Charles), and another player academically ineligible for the fall semester (Job Casimir), McDonald made the decision not to renew DeSantis’ contract.

It was a wildly inconsistent year for the program. They started 2-1, then went on a 9 game losing streak before righting the ship in time to go 11-7 in the NEC. They finished the regular season 14-15, and bowed out of the NEC Tournament in the semi-finals after losing to Sacred Heart 83-69 on Sunday.

McDonald released the following statement: “I want to thank Joe for his 11 years of service to the university. He oversaw our men’s basketball team as we moved from a Division II to a Division I program. We appreciate what he has done for Quinnipiac during his tenure as head coach, and we wish him all the best going forward.”

DeSantis was the second longest tenured coach in QU history, behind only legendary Burt Kahn. 

DeSantis’ tenure  at Quinnipiac, spanning 11 years, ended up with a losing record of 118-188, and a disappointing 70-98 in the Northeast Conference. He signed with the team in July, 1996, back when the team was in the Northeast-10 Conference of Division-II, oversaw the team’s rise to D-1 before the 1998-1999 season, and is now fired today, on March 7, 2007. 

McDonald said Quinnipiac will retain a national search firm to help the aggressive search for a new coach.

BOBCAT NOTEBOOK: Men’s Hoops Exceedes Expectations

BOBCAT NOTEBOOK
Men’s Hoops exceeds expectations
By: Michael T. Lyle, Jr.
WQAQ.com Sports
March 7, 2007

HAMDEN — So it wasn’t the ending the Bobcats had in mind on Sunday afternoon in Fairfield.  Playing in the semi-final round of the Northeast Conference tournament against second-ranked Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac was just one win away from another showdown with top-ranked Central Connecticut for the right to go to the NCAA’s. 

            With a courageous return by senior swingman Adam Gonzalez, who had spent the last four days in a local hospital due to skin abscess, the script seemed well-written.  He, along with junior DeMario Anderson, kept the Bobcats within striking distance, as they trailed the Pioneers by just two at the break, 35-33.

            In the second half, however, the tables turned on Quinnipiac, as the Pioneers (18-13 overall, 13-6 NEC) started a 9-2 run that put the home-team in cruise control the rest of the way.  After the Pioneers’ Joey Henley scored on a layup with 3:20 remaining, Quinnipiac (14-15, 11- was soon packing their bags for a seven-month vacation while Sacred Heart moved on to the conference final for the first time in their eight years as a Division I program, winning 83-69.  Gonzalez led all scorers with 20 points in his final appearance in a Bobcat uniform.

            Even though the season may have come to a disappointing end, it was anything but for Quinnipiac men’s hoops.  After a hard-fought, yet six-point season-opening loss at then 18^th-ranked UConn, a nine game skid that lasted from late-November until the early part of January, and allegations of two freshman players involved in a sexual-assault incident on a QU freshman back in early November, Quinnipiac persevered, and soon found themselves right back in the thick of the NEC race in mid-January. 

During that stretch, they ran off an impressive six-game winning streak, their longest in 27 years.  In addition, they closed out half of their home schedule with a win against St. Francis of NY in their final appearance at Burt Kahn Court.  Ten days later, they christened the new TD Banknorth Sports Center with a thrilling two-point, overtime win against Long Island University. 

The wins kept coming for the Bobcats in their new gym, and it resulted in picking up the third seed in the conference tourney and homecourt advantage.  In the last game of the season at “The Bank”, Quinnipiac knocked off sixth-seeded Farleigh Dickinson in a thrilling opening-round contest by a mere one point, setting up their matchup with Sacred Heart last Sunday.   

In addition, Quinnipiac had a great supporting cast with efforts from seniors Victor Akinyanju, Van Crafton, Dale Meinbresse and Chris Weyhe.  All four will be missed as Coach Joe DeSantis will be on the recruiting “warpath” to fill their spots for the 2007-08 campaign. 

And although he relished in the role of coming off the bench and providing an offensive spark for the Bobcats, DeMario may move up to the starting position as he, along with Karl Anderson and Andrew Cashin will serve as “leaders” for this squad. 

Plus, the Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in the conference this season, but grabbed the third spot in their best finish in the NEC in quite some time.

Critics may pick Quinnipiac to slip a couple of spots next season as they enter the rebuilding process, but with DeMario, Karl and Andrew leading the way, the Bobcats should still boast one of the better offenses in the conference.

Men’s Lax Back on Track

Men’s Lax Back on Track 

By TJ Buzzeo

March 6, 2007

            Quinnipiac University men’s lacrosse team won its first game of the season on Friday March 2, over Providence 6-5. 

            The Bobcats traveled to Providence to take on the Friars after a tough loss to Vermont less than a week earlier.  Determined to earn a victory the Bobcats shot early and often out shooting Providence every quarter and 34-25 for the game.    

            Providence jumped out to an early lead scoring their first goal of the game within the first minute of action.  The Friars held onto the lead for almost the entire first quarter, but with just 49 seconds remaining in the quarter Quinnipiac even the score at one apiece.

            Freshman Matt Loveland put gave the Bobcats their first lead of the year early in the second quarter.  The lead did not last too long, when Providence answered back with a goal of their own with later in the quarter.  Quinnipiac answered right back scoring less than one minute later giving them a 3-2 lead going into the half. 

            The Bobcats stretched their lead to three when Senior Tucker Prudden scored his second goal of the game with 6:43 left in the third quarter and when Senior Mike Stottler scored 75 seconds later.  The Bobcats would not be able to keep the commanding lead with Providence scoring two goals before the end of the third quarter keeping the game in reach for a late Friar run.

            The eventual game winning goal was scored early in the fourth quarter by Mike Gast to give the Bobcats a two goal lead.  The Friars were able to put one more in the net, but were never able to score another to tie the game.

            Bobcat goaltender Roger Fish had an impressive six saves in the victory. 

            Prudden and Stottler were impressive again for the Bobcats.  Prudden had three points, two goals and an assist, which now bring his season totals to four goals and three assists in the two games.  Stottler scored his fifth goal of the season and had three assists for his second straight game earning four points. 

            Other standouts for Quinnipiac were Jon D’Ascoli who scored his first goal of the season, Matt Loveland and Mike Gast netted their first goals and points of their Quinnipiac careers, senior Drew Maceranka assisted on one goal and received his first point of the 2007 season.

            The Bobcats resume play with three games over spring break.  They host St. Joseph’s on Saturday (3/10), then they will travel to New York, New York to play St. Johns next Tuesday (3/13), and then they remain on the road going to Staten Island, New York to play Wagner on Saturday March 17.

One Shining Moment

One Shining Moment
by Seth Rothman
March 3, 2007

HAMDEN — No matter the game, overtime is the most thrilling moment in sports.

Hockey’s overtime, however, is completely different. Sudden death overtime is special. It is where heroes are created, and goats are decided. Tonight at the TD Banknorth Sports Center, Quinnipiac crowned its newest hero.

One minute and twenty seconds into the overtime session, Jamie Bates converted on the power play to give the Bobcats a 5-4 win, and a two-game series sweep of the Union College Dutchmen.

“I think it was Reid [Cashman] who one-timed the puck from the point; it just missed the net. Bryan [Leitch] was waiting behind the net, threw it out quick, and I put it home,” said an elated Jamie Bates after the contest.

It was a game that saw the Dutchmen take an early lead, only for Quinnipiac to take the lead in the second period when Cashman and Matt Sorteberg each scored goals on slap-shots from the blue line.

“It’s always nice when you can have your defensemen chip in; obviously Cashman gets more assists. Sorteberg, he’s scored goals throughout his career. His numbers are down a little bit this year, but he’s always scored for us; he’s got a great shot,” Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold said. “We felt they were going to give us point shots, and we needed to take advantage of that with traffic.” 

However, Union had its back to the wall, and wasn’t going to go down without a fight on this night. Chris Potts tied the game at two goals apiece 65 seconds into the third frame. But Quinnipiac would fight back. 1:38 after Potts’ goal, Cashman took another shot from the blue line. This one went off the stick of sophomore forward Chris Myers and into the back of the net, giving Quinnipiac the 3-2 lead with 17:17 still to play.

“I think if you look at the goals we scored tonight, it was just ‘get the puck to the net’ and kind of a scramble,” Quinnipiac captain Reid Cashman said. “I think we just had to let the puck do the work and get it to the net. We had to get a couple bodies in front, get a few screens.”

After a Brandon Wong insurance goal at the 7:26 mark, grieving Josh Coyle took over the last ten minutes of the third period. Coyle’s grandfather died earlier this week, and the star junior from Brooklyn, Ohio was forced to miss last night’s game. Tonight, however, Coyle was a man on a mission. The top line winger scored 2 goals within a 6:07 span to tie the game at 4.

“That’s just out of my control. There’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to mentally battle through it,” Coyle said. “I’m sorry I missed the game yesterday. I don’t really have any words to describe my emotions right now.”

“I thought [Coyle] was a little up and down, Union coach Nate Leaman said. “He was a little over-emotional with the three penalties, but he also scored two big goals for us. I thought we missed him last night.”

However, after a questionable high sticking call against Union’s Brendan Milnamow 60 seconds into the extra session, Quinnipiac’s Jamie Bates sent the student section into popcorn-throwing delirium.

There were 46 minutes of penalties called in the game, 24 of them against Union. One of the most penalized team in the ECACHL let their over-zealousness catch up to them once again this evening.

“It’s frustrating. It was easy to pinpoint our weaknesses this year,” Leaman said. “They were pretty evident from about five games in, and it was frustrating for us that we spent alot of time on those weaknesses, and we probably didn’t come along like we should. It’s a learning process at this level. “

“We, as a team, just have to learn to be disciplined. Not just about penalties, but turnovers and every part of the game. We can’t blame our season on the penalties,” Coyle said. “Don’t get me wrong, it was bad that we had so many penalties, but there’s alot we can improve on. At least we know what our problems are so we can get better over the summer.”  

For Quinnipiac, captain Reid Cashman had a career day, tying a career record by scoring four points on the day.

“He’s a big time player. He’s an All American, and I think he showed it tonight with a four point game,” Pecknold said. “With everything on the line, he just finds a way to make things happen.”

“My game today was just some really simple plays. I thought we were going to be successful if we were able to get some bodies out in front, and get in those scraps,” Cashman said. “I was fortunate that my name was on the point sheet, but I don’t think I did anything different than any other night. That was a pretty good team win tonight.”

For Brandon Wong, today was a day he was finally able to contribute. Union did a fantastic job keeping the potent goal scorer off the scoresheet on Friday, but despite their best efforts, could not keep Wong from netting his 25th goal of the season on this night.

“Brandon was fighting it a little bit this weekend. He’s got alot of weight on his shoulders. The first game last night, Union came out and was hacking and whacking and hitting him every time he touched the puck,” Pecknold said. “He played a great third period. He’s a big time player. He’s still a freshman, though, and he still had a decent weekend.”

Tonight, however, belonged to Jamie Bates. Tonight was his One Shining Moment.

“You always dream to score the overtime winner in the playoffs,” Bates said. “I couldn’t believe it. You’re so tense for the whole game, you just let it all out. It was awesome. I can’t explain anything more than that, it was just awesome.”