Think about this. Bishop’s is located two hours east of Montreal, home of the “winningest” hockey team in the history of the sport. Our school brings together diehard hockey fans from across the country and is a hotbed for rivalries. Champlain Regional College, the CEGEP on campus pumps out incredible hockey talent every year. We are Canadians who love this sport more than anything. Yet, for some reason, Bishop’s doesn’t have a credible hockey program. A group of students sharing the same thought have put together a club team with the ultimate goal of reaching varsity status in the coming years.

Quinn Lanzon, Devin Maule and Kevin Gagnon shared a vision to finally bring a hockey team back to Bishop’s. If you’re asking yourself when we ever had a hockey team, look back about 100 years in the McGreer archives. For a Quebec University that has been in existence as long as Bishop’s, not having a hockey team is inexcusable. The three students took it upon themselves to start a club team, which is now in its second year of existence.

In its first year the club did not actually play any official games, but they held tryouts, made cuts and formed a team. They practiced weekly and played charity games, but were unable to find real opponents to face off against because the creation of the team came after registration for tournaments was closed.

“We expected a slow start last year,” head coach Kevin Gagnon explains. “This year, however, we want to make it more official. We do have limited capital because we are a club team, but we have fundraisers lined up to allow us to play in some tournaments and potentially join a league.”

Before the end of the semester, the club will team up with Philly Moves, We Were Sharks and DU Apparel for their first fundraiser at the Gait. Gagnon is also in sponsorship talks with Hockey Experts, a sporting goods store located in Sherbrooke.

Things are looking up for the men’s club hockey team, as money should be coming in, allowing the boys to lace ‘em up and put on a show at W.B. Scott Arena. “I think people would come and watch. We have some serious talent and with the addition of the new arena in the coming years, we think we could be a varsity team in the next five to six years,” says Gagnon.

The women’s club hockey team is also moving up the ranks, as they have just officially joined a league. The Polar Bears will be part of the Maritime Intercollegiate Women’s Hockey Challenge this season, which consists of six tournaments featuring teams from the University of New Brunswick, Holland College, Acadia University, Cape Breton University and Université Ste-Anne. Bishop’s will host the first of these tournaments, which is scheduled for Nov. 12-13.

BUFFALO, NY -Cities all across America are folding in Detroit fashion and my trip to Buffalo this weekend showed that they are no strangers to foreclosure, eviction and bankruptcy. The city is falling apart and the only thing keeping them together is the rejuvenated Bills; the NFL’s perpetual underdogs.

The outskirts of the ragtag city are motionless. Factories have been shut down and the buildings are unkempt. Upon arriving in the city, everything is tranquil; no hustle and bustle of a busy city. We decided to go looking for Buffalo nightlife but it was inexistent. It seemed that the entire city decided to stay in, even on a beautiful Saturday night.

We would soon understand what the people from Buffalo live for. Ralph Wilson Stadium and the tailgate party was a spectacular sight located in Orchard Park, a suburb in Erie County only a ten minute drive from the center of the city. The mile long walk from a fifteen dollar parking spot in a local’s backyard was accompanied by a confident group of Bills fans; not afraid to chirp anyone wearing green. Finally, a tailgate as far as the eye could see appeared, with street meat and merchandise booths. A sea of red, white and blue covered a quarter-mile radius around the stadium as the people of Buffalo came out of hiding to support the one ray of sunshine for this dying city.

The game itself was a great one as Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills were facing ex-convict Michael Vick and the self-proclaimed ‘Dream Team’ Philadelphia Eagles. Three early interceptions by Vick were the cause of the Eagles’ first half breakdown, going into the dressing room down 28-7. The story with Buffalo’s offense this season is a strong running game by Fred ‘Action’ Jackson who also hauls in a few passes that have proved to be dangerous. The story was no different on this day, as the veteran running back ran for 111 yards and a touchdown as well as racking up 85 receiving yards. The attempted comeback by the Eagles in the second half produced fruit but their labour proved not enough; a seven point deficit could not be overcome as Vick threw the game with a costly interception.

A contending Buffalo squad hasn’t been seen since 1999, the notorious season that Wade Phillips and Thurman Thomas lost to the Tennessee Titans in the ‘Music City Miracle’. A questionable lateral on a kickoff return with sixteen seconds left on the clock gave the Titans the win and the Bills haven’t returned to the playoffs since. Buffalo has only made four Superbowl appearances with all four pushing up daisies.

To add to the misery, the Bills have been playing in Toronto and by the end of 2012 will have played eight games. The owner of the team, Ralph Wilson, refuses to comment on the future of his team and its relocation to Canada, so you can imagine what is at stake if the Bills don’t start winning.

Football fans are stunned at the impressive Bills’ 4-1 start and their lead of the AFC East for the first time in what seems like forever because of the New England Patriots’ dominance of the division for the past decade. Buffalo’s lack of productivity in the past has its’ fans excited and optimistic for the tides to turn.

Could their win against the Patriots at Foxboro in week three, in which they broke a fifteen game losing streak to their division rivals, be a turning point for a new Bills dynasty? This is what the fans are hoping after this strong of a start and they truly ‘Billieve’ in not only their team but their city. This team means everything to the residents of Buffalo; they need and deserve an exciting season.

Runningback Rotrand Sene too much to handle for Bishop’s defense

Universite de Montreal vs. Bishops

After their first win of the season against the Mount Allison Mounties last week, the Gaiters looked to bring their record to .500 with a win against the Carabins at Homecoming. Montreal’s running game was much too strong, however, as runningback Rotrand Sene ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns, carrying his team to a 36-22 win in front of 2,165 Bishop’s students and alumni.

Fresh from their win against the Mounties, the Gaiters came out strong as Shane McDonald scored the first touchdown of the day on a 4-yard run. The turning point happened at the end of the first half after a few field goals with the score in favour of the Gaiters, 10-6. Coach Addona opted to punt on his own 4-yard line instead of taking a safety, which turned into a return to the 10, followed by Sene’s first touchdown run. On the ensuing kickoff, the return was fumbled and Carabin quarterback Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze took advantage of the situation by finding Alexandre Fortier-Labonté in the end zone, setting the score at 20-10.

The third quarter was a stalemate except for the final minute, when Montreal mounted a drive to the end zone, capped off with Sene’s second touchdown. This seemed to put wind in the Gaiters’ sails as they attempted a fourth quarter comeback, but Jordan Heather could only muster two touchdowns;  one to David Haddrall and one to Alexander Fox.

Honourable mention goes out to Lennoxville talent Maxime Fournier-Rioux, who led the Carabins with 88 receiving yards. Fournier-Rioux started his football career at Champlain and has developed into a star receiver in the QUFL.

The Gaiters are now 1-3 and face the Redmen at Percival Stadium in Montreal this coming Friday at 7 p.m.

Jordan Heather Picks Up Player of the Week Award

After last week’s performance against the Mounties, Gaiter quarterback Jordan Heather was awarded Offensive Player of the Week. The Oromocto, New Brunswick native threw for 459 yards, only one yard short of the Bishop’s University record, held by Silvio Martel in 1991. He went 26 for 41 with three touchdowns and one interception. The last Gaiter to win the award was Jamall Lee, who was awarded the honour after picking up 176 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Photo Credit: John Maysenhoelder

It was quite the demoralizing week for our Gaiters this week as they lost back-to-back home games against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or and the Concordia Stingers. More importantly, they lost teammate Kevin Kwasny due to a violent hit to the head which caused a brain hemorrhage.

Kwasny, the 6-foot-1, 230 pound defensive end from Winnipeg was rushed to the CHUS Sherbrooke hospital at halftime of this past Saturday’s game against Concordia in an ambulance where he underwent an operation for a subdural hematoma. He is now in an induced coma but remains in stable condition.

“We just don’t know what happened, how or when it happened,” Coach Tony Addona said. “He walked off the field on his own to the locker room with the rest of the team at halftime. He wasn’t disoriented in any way.” Only once inside did things start turning sour as Kwasny started vomiting.

Kwasny, 21, is in his fourth year at Bishop’s and it is uncertain as to whether or not he will have permanent brain damage.

“The next 24 hours will be critical to his health,” Bishop’s spokesman John Edwards told the press. “All we can do for him now is pray.”

The deflated Gaiters went on to finish the game but could not complete the comeback against a solid Concordia defense. They would go on to lose 25-18 despite a strong effort by quarterback Jordan Heather, taking over for a graduated Jesse Andrews at the helm. He threw for 327 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the loss. He was helped by Montrealer Alexander Fox, who hauled in six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, and the notorious Steven Turner who has returned from a stint in the CFL with six catches for 73 yards.

The game against Sherbrooke last weekend was very similar to this game, as the Gaiters were unable to make a comeback following a rain delay. Sherbrooke defense allowed Steven Turner to streak down field for an 84-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Alex Rivet, who came in to relieve Jordan Heather. Sadly, the Gaiters could only muster a field goal in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and dropped the game 25-23.

Next weekend, the Gaiters make the trip to Mount Allison to face the Mounties in Sackville, New Brunswick.

Photo Credit: John Maysenhoelder

In their attempt to complete the ‘three-peat’, the Montreal Alouettes will mimic last year’s training regiment by holding their pre-season camp at Bishop’s facilities for the second straight year.

The defending champs and winners of the last two Grey Cups will be residing in Paterson Hall and eating at the Dewhurst Dining Hall. They will use Coulter Field for practice and classrooms for team meetings and video sessions.

“The facilities at Bishop’s are first class and the management and staff were extremely accommodating and cooperative with us at every level. We truly enjoyed our experience last year from a logistical standpoint and it’s a perfect setting for training camp. Our stay there last year set the tone for our Grey Cup championship season and we look forward to going back,” said the team’s Assistant General Manager, Marcel Desjardins.

The Alouettes will return to Montreal to prepare for their home opener on June 30^th against the BC Lions, which will involve five ex-Gaiters; Alouette Justin Conn and Lions Dan McCullough, James Yurichuk, Jamall Lee and Shawn Gore.

No team has won three straight Grey Cups since 1980, when the Edmonton Eskimos won their third of five straight CFL championships. After this past seasons Grey Cup victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, talks immediately began about three straight.  For the Alouette hopefuls, maybe it will be a “Three-peat, baby!” – Avon Cobourne, Montreal runningback.

Turner, Exume and Boulay gave me a few minutes of their time after practice as to shed some light on their first CFL experience.

“It was a great time and a great experience,” said Turner enthusiastically, “I got to interact with the best athletes in our draft class as well as the best coaches in the country. Everything I worked on in the past few months was showcased, which was at first nerve racking, but when we started going I was eased into it.”  The 6-foot-3, 230 lb. defensive tackle and Brampton, Ont. native has 67.5 career tackles, including 13.5 tackles for loss, 4 knockdowns and an interception return for a touchdown in his four year stint at Bishop’s. Junior hopes that he is the second Turner to reach the CFL, as older brother Steven has followed the same path and now plays for the Toronto Argonauts.

Exume, a 5-foot-10, 198 lb. running back and native of Brooklin, Ont. has shown his greatest strengths on special teams with 29.5 special teams tackles and 3 blocked kicks since 2008. “It was always a dream of mine to play pro ball, but I thought it was only just that in high school,” explained Exume. “When I joined the Gaiters, we had Lee, Godding, McCullough and Yurichuk joining the CFL ranks. I just thought to myself that if I put the work in, that could be me one day.” That dream has slowly inched its way to reality as Exume plans to keep his eye on the prize.

Boulay, a 6-foot-3 250-lb. defensive end and Magog, Que. native has 56 career tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, in 21 career regular-season games. Last season, Boulay impressed by leading the Gaiters with 39.5 tackles. He was fourth in the Quebec University Football League with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. “E-Camp was an opportunity to set a bar for myself. After working for two months, it was really an experience to see what events I was more successful in.” Boulay’s speed came to the forefront, recording the best 40-yard dash time and second best three-cone drill time in the defensive line category.

The CFL hopefuls pledge that the next step in their careers is to return to the gym and keep working at the game they love so they can one day play football for a living. Turner attests his success and future accomplishments to the wise Leroy Blugh. “We are some of the few people who have been coached by a man who played in the CFL for so long. It has assisted us in our journey as football players and beyond the field. Coming in as a young teenager, he has helped me blossom into a young man.” Exume and Boulay followed suit, raving about the coach and what they have learned from him. Described as a great technician, everything taught must be absorbed, including Blugh’s go-to motivational catch phrase: “Your will to prepare has to be greater than your will to win.”

Laurie Lacourse set up Alexane Heroux on two pretty passing plays in a 2-0 Polar Bear victory against the Huntingdon Huskies on Friday night of Homecoming weekend. The Bears came out strong, potting both of their goals early and dominating Huntingdon throughout the entire game.

Frustrated by a hot goalie who kept her team in the game, Bishop’s was unable to put the game away in the third period but played well defensively to secure the win.

Lacourse was skating circles around the opposition and placing the puck beautifully to her teammates. She was rewarded with an assist on Heroux’s first goal of the game, as she snuck behind the Husky net and put it right on her teammates’ stick on the doorstep to take a 1-0 lead.

The second goal came on a similar play, as Lacourse hooked up with a net-crashing Heroux for the second time.

Vanessa Belanger also had a good night offensively, although not putting any points on the score sheet. Her quick hands allowed her to get some good scoring chances but she was unable to put the puck in the net. Her hand-eye coordination came in handy during the second period when the puck fluttered into the air and she batted it under the goalie’s arm but went wide by mere inches.

Bianca Letarte had a good performance in net, recording a shutout against a weak Huntingdon offense which could not muster any good chances due to solid defensive play by the Polar Bears.

Three Stars of the Game:

1.   Laurie Lacourse

2.   Alexane Heroux

3.   Vanessa Belanger

British Columbia is now home to four former Gaiters: Dan McCullough, James Yurichuk, Jamall Lee, and its newest addition in Shawn Gore. Given a shot at the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in the preseason, Gore was unable to make the Super Bowl winning squad. While still being part of the CFL draft, the Lions selected him 10^th overall and reunited him with the Gaiters. “It’s a lot of fun playing with D-Mac, JLee, and Yuri,” says Gore of the hub that BC provides for Bishop’s players, “it’s nice to come to work and have friends that you’ve had good history and experiences with. They made the transition from the college level to the professional level really easy for me with their knowledge, guidance and more importantly comic relief, always finding ways to make it fun.”

During the 2010 season, the Lions just barely made it into the playoffs with an 8-10 record. A resurgent team in the final stretch of the season, they were able to win their last three regular season games under quarterback Travis Lulay. Despite their strong efforts in a crazy, back-and-forth game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final, the Lions were ousted by a Jason Claremont touchdown in overtime. “We battled a couple rounds in overtime and fell short, unfortunately,” said Yurichuk of heartbreaking loss, “It was a great experience that will make me more prepared for next time.” Participating in his first professional playoff game, Gore was stunned but understood that it would only push him to succeed in 2011, “The good thing about a game like that is that it keeps a fire burning in you to do better the next time an opportunity like that arises.”

The 2011 season is promising for the former Gaiters, as they have developed and honed their skills for professional ball. With a couple of years under his belt, Yurichuk has gained responsibilities on the team that has made him an asset. His role on special teams secured his spot on the team, as he has been given more freedom to roam on returns and has stepped into his native linebacker position to rush and spy the quarterback when injuries occur. Gore, on the other hand, has been developing on the offense at the wide receiver position. “It was better than I could have ever imagined,” explained Gore regarding his first season in the CFL, “I love playing football and there is nothing I would rather be doing, so I plan on doing this for a while.” Both of them are looking forward the start of the season as Coach Wally Buono has been getting the pieces in place for the Lions to win their first Grey Cup since 2006.

Gore and Yurichuk both attest their successes to the coaching and mentoring of Coach Leroy Blugh, who played in the CFL for fifteen years and has a lot of valuable knowledge and wisdom about life as an athlete. “He gave me good insight into all aspects of life as a professional athlete and because of this I was never surprised or caught off guard by anything that the game or business side of it threw at me,” enlightened Gore, speaking highly of his former coach.

McCullough, Yurichuk, Lee and Gore have all circled September 2, 2011 on their calendars, looking forward to the Gaiter reunion when they face Keith Godding and Steven Turner of the Toronto Argonauts. “I’m expecting big performances from all the Gaiters boys this season,” said Yurichuk in confidence, “especially when we go down to Toronto to whip on Turner and Godding.”

As of February 9^th, a series of ten online tournaments will be played on Sundays and Wednesdays. Points will be attributed depending on your ranking in the tournaments, and the top point-getters from each school will compete in a live final in Montreal from March 26^th-27^th. Six representatives from each University will be accommodated and will play in individual and group tournaments.

The individual tournament winner will take home a trip for two to the Caribbean which includes a $10,000 seat in a World Series of Poker event for a grand prize total of $20,000.

Can the defending champions of the 2010 group tournament, the University of Sherbrooke Green Machine, hold their title or can Bishop’s swoop in and take it as the underdogs? If poker is your game, then sign up for this completely free tournament in which you have nothing to lose and everything to win.

Vancouver Canucks (1st in the Northwest, 1st in the West)

Grade: A

It has been quite a respectable first half of the season for the Canucks, who currently lead the NHL in points and show no signs of slowing down. They have been the best team in the NHL thus far due to the continued production of the Sedin twins; Henrik setting them and up Daniel tapping them in seems to be the usual routine. Backed by Ryan Kesler who is on pace to having a career year in goals, this team is in no offensive rut.

On the back end, the addition of Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard to the already strong defensive unit led by Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler has contributed greatly in containing the league’s best offensive players. Roberto Luongo is by no means in the top tier of goaltenders this season, but has not lost the Canucks any games that they should have won. Their depth is going to be tested in the latter part of the schedule, which holds in store two four-game road trips and one five-game road trip.

Calgary Flames (4th in the Northwest, 14th in the West)

Grade: D

Besides the Heritage Classic against the Canadiens coming up in February, there isn’t much that Flames fans are looking forward to until the end of the season. While they are only 8 points out of a playoff spot, look for the Flames to stay at the bottom of the pack.

With problems within the management and rumors about trading Jarome Iginla, the Flames are desperately in need of some changes to rebuild the team. The Flames have always been a predominantly defensive team that has been able to shut down opposition, but they have had no killer instinct this year, ranking last in points when leading after the first period.

Olli Jokinen, Brendan Morrison and Matt Stajan have all been busts this year and Mikka Kiprusoff has been shaky. With a strong draft year, it’s time for the Flames organization to finish at the bottom and rebuild around a good draft pick, much like the Pittsburgh Penguins did in 2004-2005 and the Edmonton Oilers have done recently.

Edmonton Oilers (5th in the Northwest, 15th in the West)

Grade: C+

While the Oilers are last place in the West, and are likely there to stay by the end of the season, the average age of this team hovers around 23 years old. This team is expected to finish at the bottom for a couple of years until players like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi and Linus Omark can develop into the superstars.

If these guys can live up to expectations and management can surround them with experienced veterans, this team will be a contender in the near future. There is no need to be bummed out because your hometown’s Oilers aren’t in the playoff hunt this year; they should be for many years to come.

Ottawa Senators (5th in the Northeast, 14th in the East)

Grade: D-

Just like the Calgary Flames, the Sens are having an identity crisis of their own. With the signings of Alex Kovalev and Sergei Gonchar in the past two years, it’s easy to see that GM Brian Murray is trying to build his team on past glory.

Daniel Alfredsson is aging and he is leading his team into the ground, as he is on pace to the worst offensive season that any Senator leading scorer has ever had in the franchise’s 19 year history. Murray should be rebuilding this team from the ground, trading away all that he can, besides the small ray of hope which comes in the form of 20 year old Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Toronto Maple Leafs (4th in the Northeast, 12th in the East)

Grade: C-

Five games into the regular season, Leafs fans created a Facebook event for the Stanley Cup parade in Toronto. Since that time, though, Brian Burke’s scrappy group has had trouble stringing two wins together, let alone five. Clarke Macarthur has been the only positive note so far, racking up a team-leading 40 points after being acquired during the offseason.

Burke has always been a fan of the bold move and he’s made his fair share since he’s been in Toronto. However, with a young core and dynamic leaders, this will be a playoff team in a couple of years. This just isn’t their season and Burke knows that, so we can expect to see some more moves before the Leafs can contend.

Montreal Canadiens (2nd in the Northeast, 7th in the East)

Grade: B

After their run to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, The Canadiens were a hopeful bunch come September. With the loss of defensive leaders Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges for the rest of the season, PK Subban, Alexandre Picard and newly acquired James Wisniewski have stepped up to the plate and picked up the slack.

With Carey Price keeping up stellar play in net, the Habs should continue to be neck-and-neck with the Bruins for first place in the Northeast. However, with only Tomas Plekanec breaking the NHL’s top 50 in points, the Canadiens will have to put more pucks in the net to avoid the notorious post-All Star weekend breakdown that is usually suffered in Montreal.