A look back at the opening round of the 2007 Champion's Cup Playoffs

April 23, 2007 Courtesy NLL.com

NEW YORK-Seven of eight teams featuring Sportexe synthetic turf systems advanced to the opening round of the National Lacrosse League 2007 Champion's Cup series last week. Sportexe, the exclusive turf provider for the NLL, was showcased in three of the four divisional semifinal games with Sportexe clients Rochester, Colorado and Calgary playing host.

The Rochester Knighthawks improved their league best record to 15-2 this season, adding a playoff victory on Friday, and improved their second longest winning streak in NLL history to 13 games with a hard fought 10-6 win over the Toronto Rock on Friday. Rochester scored two late empty-net goals to give the Knighthawks an extra cushion at the end of the game and making the game seem more lopsided than it really was.

"We knew we were in for a dogfight," Rochester's Mike Accursi told Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Accursi scored three goals to lead the Knighthawks to a hard fought victory. Despite being heavily favored, Rochester wasn't looking past the Rock.

"They have a lot of veterans who have played in a lot of big games. They were talking in the papers in Toronto that we should win by 10.

"We knew they were just playing it up for the press because they're a good team. They were trying to make us overconfident, but we knew they'd bring their best," Accursi told the Democrat & Chronicle.

Rochester defender Pat Cougevan agreed with Accursi. "They were definitely sandbagging us because we know they're a great team. They played well tonight and we were kind of lucky to get by."

"Credit to them, they had an opportunity to be in the playoffs and they played a great game," Knighthawks coach Ed Comeau told Maiorana.

Toronto finished the season 6-11, including the playoff loss.

The San Jose Stealth will be making their first ever appearance in the Western Divisional Final after a 15-14 come from behind overtime victory over the Colorado Mammoth this weekend. In their first playoff appearance since 2004, the Stealth fed off of strong performances by goaltender Anthony Cosmo and forward Jeff Zywicki to defeat the Mammoth in overtime. It was the first playoff win for the Stealth since moving to San Jose.

Cosmo struggled in the first half being pulled three times from the goal, but he held the Mammoth scoreless in the third quarter and limited the team to three fourth-quarter goals.

"It was quite a crazy game," Cosmo told Dylan Hernandez of the San Jose Mercury News. "It started a little rough with me in the first quarter, but the boys really believed and trusted in me and we came back."

He was especially adept at preventing rebounds, reports Theresa Smith of the Denver Post.

"That's what Cosmo does well," Mammoth coach Gary Gait told Smith. "The ball hits him and it doesn't bounce out."

Stealth forward Jeff Zywicki was elated after his seven goal game, especially after scoring the game winning goal in overtime.

"We called a play that basically was a one-on-one play for me," Zywicki told the Mercury News. "I got a good matchup. I kind of posted up like I was going top side and got away from (the defender)."

Zywicki then put a few moves on goaltender Chris Levis and fired a close-range shot that Levis initially saved. But the ball fell to the ground and trickled past him.

"It was the slowest rolling ball I've ever seen in my life," Zywicki told Hernandez.

Zywicki, however also gave props to his buddy in goal.

"Cosmo was absolutely amazing in second half and our man-down is the best in the league. We have absolute faith in them," said Zywicki.

Theresa Smith of the Denver Post reports that, in Mammoth Coach Gary Gait's postgame team meeting, he said: "We gave a great effort. We played a great regular season. We left it on the floor, and that's all we can do. Don't forget the feeling."

Mammoth captain Gavin Prout vented his frustrations. "We get a big lead, we let them crawl back into the game and panic sets in," Prout told the Denver Post. "We let them back in when we should have stepped on their throats. Their goalie changed the momentum.

"I will blame the offense for this loss. It's pretty obvious when you have a power play at the end of the game and a power play in overtime.

"We should have won. We didn't get the job done."

Mammoth defender Dave Stilley struggled to express his disappointment.

"It is an indescribable feeling, just a terrible feeling," he told Theresa Smith. "It was a weird goal to end our season on, but we had opportunities and we didn't step up.

"I'm proud of our guys, and I know this team will stick together."

The Arizona Sting completed the Western Division lower-seed sweep of the weekend with a 13-9 road win over the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday night.

The Sting jumped out to an early lead and held on, largely on the strong performance from goaltender Rob Blasdell and the Arizona defense.

"Rob was simply awesome tonight," Dan Dawson told the East Valley Tribune. "Every time we needed a big save, he delivered. This was a huge win for us after a disappointing end to the regular season, and I can't wait for another shot at the West Division title next weekend in the desert."

Sting coach Bob Hamley was pleased with his club's performance.

"We did all the things you want to do in a road game," Hamley told Michael Petrie of the Calgary Herald. "We got a lead and took the crowd out of the game.

"Defense wins championships and our defense, the whole crew, was awesome. They kept everybody in check and didn't let anyone get off on five or six goals."

After the loss, Roughnecks captain Tracey Kelusky told Darren Friesen of the Calgary Sun, "We never really peaked this season. It's frustrating because this is a championship team, absolutely.

"I can't explain it, though. Whether it's complacency because we had the same group of core guys here for a while, I don't know why we weren't able to find that groove all season."

Roughnecks Head Coach Jeff Dowling, who doesn't know yet if he'll return next season, had this to say about his team's performance.

"We played well in spurts," Dowling told the Calgary Sun. "But every facet of our game was a major letdown at different points of the game.

"I thought our defense struggled at times, our goalies let in some weak goals and our offense couldn't find the net."

Lewis Ratcliff, who finished third in league scoring with 104 points and second in goals with 50, only scored once in the game.

"It just wasn't going in the net," Ratcliff told the Calgary Herald. "I do the same things every game. Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn't.

"Sometimes I look like a great shooter and sometimes I look like a piece of garbage, like tonight.

"It was one of those nights where I was a centimeter off, I was hitting his shoulder instead of hitting the corner."

On Sunday the Buffalo Bandits stumped the Minnesota Swarm offense in the second half of a 14-8 victory to advance to the Eastern Divisional Finals for the second straight season. The will again face Rochester in finals.

After allowing the Swarm to jump out to an early 4-0 lead and only stopping one of the first five shots he faced, Bandits' goaltender Mike Thompson settled in and stopped 37 of the next 41 shots against him, including blanking Minnesota in the second half.

"There wasn't any problem with my confidence. A couple of [the first four scores] were squeakers that I got a piece of," Thompson told Tom Borrelli of the Buffalo News. "I just tried to calm myself down a little bit, it being my first playoff game. In the second half, everybody settled down."

Thompson got the start in place of an injured Steve Dietrich, who didn't dress after suffering a knee injury last week.

"I know Mikey has streaks where sometimes he doesn't see the ball real well," Bandits coach Darris Kilgour told Borrelli. "But once he gets hot, he gets very hot. If I'd had the option I probably would have made a move [to Dietrich] at that point. But I didn't have that option."

Courtesy MISL.net

Saturday Apr 21, 2007 PLYMOUTH, Mich.--Player coach Don D'Ambra scored two goals to lead the Philadelphia KiXX to their second Major indoor Soccer League Championship with a 13-8 win over the Detroit Ignition at Compuware Arena Saturday.

D'Ambra opened the scoring with a two pointer at 9:09 of the first quarter, then added a three pointer to close out the scoring at 1:12 of the fourth.

D'Ambra's opening tally led to an 8-0 lead, as John Barry Nusum, Shawn Boni and Genoni Martinez all scored in the second quarter. Martinez scored on a penalty kick after defender Josh Rife was called for a handball.

Detroit, playing in front of their tenth straight sellout crowd, finally got on the scoreboard at 14:46 of the second quarter, as Bill Sedgewick tallied on an assist from Hewerton.

Ptah Myers increased the KiXX lead to 10-2 with a goal at 2:30 of the third quarter.

The Ignition got a spark from Jonathan Greenfield, with a goal at 3:58 of the third, and then the MISL's leading scorer during the regular season, Jamar Beasley added goals at 9:13 and 10:56 of the third to cut the margin to 10-8.

Peter Pappas, who has been with the KiXX since their inception, made 14 saves on 18 shots he faced. Sanaldo faced 17 shots and stopped 11.

Six members of the KiXX, D'Ambra, Pappas, Boney, Pat Morris, Edgar Bartolomeu and Drew Kopp, along with assistant coach Adam Bruckner, were members of the KiXX first championship team in 2001-02.

ROUND ROCK, Texas. April, 19, 2007-The Detroit Ignition will host the Philadelphia KiXX at Compuware Sports Arena in Major Indoor Soccer League's championship game to be held Saturday, April 21. Compuware Sports Arena, featuring Sportexe synthetic turf systems and regular-season home to the Ignition, is located in Plymouth, Mich.

The expansion Ignition earned its championship slot in the one-game final with a come-from-behind win at home over the Milwaukee Wave 10-8 in game two of their semifinal series, then taking the tiebreaker 2-0.

"We are very proud of what Detroit has accomplished in such a short period of time," said Sportexe spokesperson Aaron S. Lee. "To earn a berth in a league championship game in its inaugural season and vie for a world title is something to be extremely proud of, and Sportexe is thrilled to be underfoot of these fine athletes."

The MISL Championship Series Final will be the sixth since the KiXX defeated the Wave 2-1 in the league's debut season and will be nationally televised on VERSUS to a potential audience of over 72 million homes. This marks the first-ever nationally televised soccer match originating from Compuware Sports Arena.

"We are honored and excited to be selected to host the 2007 MISL Championship Series Final," stated Greg Bibb, president of the Detroit Ignition. "We look forward to bringing the League's marquee event to Compuware Sports Arena as a finale to our inaugural season in the MISL. We're eager to present a first-class sports entertainment experience to not only the fans in the arena, but to our fans around the country on VERSUS."

The series is tied at 3-3 for the regular season with the Ignition winning the final two games.

In 2001, the National Professional Soccer League disbanded with the six surviving teams forming the MISL. In 2002, the MISL absorbed both the Dallas Sidekicks and San Diego Sockers, two teams from the World Indoor Soccer League. The St. Louis Steamers, another former WISL team, joined the following year.

The current MISL recognizes NPSL history which dates back to 1984 when the NPSL was started as the American Indoor Soccer Association.

Officials from D.C. United and Major League Soccer given tours of Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium

BY PAUL MCMULLENSUN REPORTERORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 18, 2007, 9:21 PM EDT

Could top-flight soccer make a stop in Baltimore?

That's one of the visions of Paul A. Tiburzi, the chairman of the Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission, which last week led officials from D.C. United and Major League Soccer on tours of M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park.

M&T Bank Stadium Features Sportexe Synthetic Turf Systems

"From day one, we've always been interested in bringing a top-notch soccer event here, but only if the Ravens or Orioles are interested in having it," Tiburzi said. "D.C. United has expressed an interest in playing in Camden Yards. The commission is also interested in playing host to an international friendly [exhibition]. D.C. United almost came here for one last year."

Oriole Park was considered for an Aug. 2006 exhibition between D.C. United and Real Madrid, a Spanish powerhouse which at the time included David Beckham. That match was played in Seattle.

D.C. United plays its home games at RFK Stadium. According to the Washington Post, conflicts with the Washington Nationals have the pro soccer team exploring other options for some possible international dates in August.

The Daily Record first reported Baltimore's most recent pitch. Tiburzi, whose commission was created by the Maryland Stadium Authority, said that both Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium could accommodate a FIFA-approved field, which, at 68 meters wide, is some 20 yards wider than an NFL field.

For These Teams, Weather Was Fine

BY ROGER CLEAVELANDCopyright © 2007 Republican-AmericanWednesday, April 18, 2007

Conditions weren't perfect, but from the perspective of three local high school sports teams they were good enough to get the games in.

The deluge of rain that has forced the postponement of most high school athletic events in the state the last two days wasn't enough to keep the Pomperaug High girls lacrosse team or the Woodland and Wilby golf teams from playing Tuesday.

It was an easy call at Pomperaug thanks to the Panthers' all-purpose artificial field. Although their game was scheduled to be played at Lauralton Hall in Milford, the site was switched to Southbury because the field could be easily prepared for play.

"We had to move it because Lauralton Hall's grass field was under standing water," Pomperaug coach Mike Fleming said. "It was cold and rainy at Pomperaug, but the surface was workable. It rained on and off, but there was no thunder or lightning so we kept going."

Pomperaug won thanks to constant offensive pressure applied by Taylor Fleming and Kelsey Goode with four goals each and Jaimie Orrico with three goals.

The Woodland and Wilby golf teams didn't have the luxury of artificial turf, but they also didn't feel they had the luxury of postponing the match.

"The high school golf season is so short that we have very little time to make up missed matches," Woodland coach Ross Cooper said. "A big part of high school golf is playing when the course is available.

"The conditions certainly weren't at their best. It was a cold, rainy, windy day. We were fighting the wind all day, but the kids handled it well despite the adverse conditions."

Woodland's Jon Bock was the medalist with a 49.

State park to open near L.A. River

By Steve Hymon, Times Staff WriterLos Angeles TimesApril 16, 2007

Just a few decades ago, the Taylor Yards was a two-mile-long expanse of railroad tracks where trains were coupled together to connect Los Angeles industry to the rest of the nation.

Today, most of those tracks and grimy rail yards are gone, and something else has risen in their place: a 40-acre state park that is intended to revive the working-class neighborhood of Cypress Park in northeast Los Angeles and be part of the "emerald necklace" of parks the city envisions one day lining a rejuvenated Los Angeles River.

The Rio de Los Angeles State Park opens Friday, complete with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, a playground and a new community center - not to mention vast expanses of grass and a field strewn with wildflowers.

"This park is a symbol; it's almost like a fresh start," said Gus Lizarde, president of the Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council and a longtime business owner in the community. "It brought us together because it was such a long fight to get it."

A little more than a decade ago, Cypress Park was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In 1995, 3-year-old Stephanie Kuhen was killed after her family's car was struck by a hail of bullets fired by gang members. The shooting also became a symbol for the long decline of Cypress Park.

Union Pacific phased out most of the rail yards in the 1970s and '80s and began moving those operations to the Inland Empire. Soon the city began pushing a plan to create new jobs and amenities by allowing nearly all of the area to be developed as warehouses, commercial sites and a multiplex theater. The proposal spurred a lawsuit by a coalition of community groups who argued that the city should have required a proper environmental review of the project.

In July 2001, a judge agreed with the groups.

"There would not be a park here if not for the community," said Melanie Winter, a Los Angeles River activist who helped bring the suit against the city. "The residents are the reason that there is something to celebrate."

The court ruling opened the door for the state to purchase the land from funds generated by a $2.1-billion parks and water bond measure approved in 2000. The money enabled the state to purchase 40 acres for the new park, a 17-acre parcel along the river that hasn't been developed and to acquire the Cornfield - another abandoned rail yard next to Chinatown - for the Los Angeles State Historic Park, which is being designed. But there was a problem: Nearly all of the state parks in California are intended to protect landscapes and ecosystems. The community wanted something different: playing fields. Over the years Cypress Park business owner Raul Macias, a Mexican immigrant, had organized a nonprofit youth soccer league with hundreds of players who desperately needed a place to play.

The matter was resolved when legislators devised a way for the city to lease the land and build much-needed playing fields. In addition to the five soccer fields - including one with a synthetic surface - and two baseball diamonds, the new park features an expansive children's playground and walking paths through an area of natural-appearing grasslands.

City parks General Manager Jon Mukri called it "the greenest park from an environmental standpoint we've designed," from the waterless urinals in the community center now under construction, to the park's permeable parking lots, intended to absorb storm runoff.

Ruth Coleman, chief of the state parks system, said that she views the local park as a return to an earlier time.

"Really, this is a new vision for state parks to create large-scale places of beauty and nature in the city because the cities are so park poor," Coleman said. "It's kind of going back to the vision Frederick Law Olmsted had for Central Park" in New York. "These parks can become community centers if they're done right."

One question that remains is whether the city or state will be able to acquire a key parcel, owned by Union Pacific, that separates the new park from the Los Angeles River.

"We are still assessing any impacts to the environment that may have taken place over the years in the areas where rail cars and locomotives were serviced and repaired," wrote Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman, in an e-mail. "This property may be retained for railroad uses."

River activists covet the property because it is a site where the river channel could potentially be widened to create more riparian habitat. The feasibility of reworking that stretch of the river is under study by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Even if the land were acquired, there would be challenges. Union Pacific and Metrolink commuters use tracks that form a barrier between the new state park and the parcel along the river. That corridor also is being considered for a proposed high-speed rail system tying Los Angeles to Northern California.

City Councilman Ed Reyes, whose district includes Taylor Yards, is still hopeful that something can be done to make the tracks less of an obstacle. Reyes grew up three blocks from the new park and came to be a supporter of it after initially working on building proposals for the site as a deputy to former Councilman Mike Hernandez.

Reyes said he appreciates Cypress Park's railroad legacy and the jobs it provided, but he has come to believe there's a greater need now for open space for today's youth. Like many others, he also grew up hearing the clang of railroad cars being coupled together day and night and was a little shocked to see the yards gone.

"I went down there after they had finished the cleanup of the site and had taken the tracks out," Reyes recalled, "and it just blew me away because we're actually living in a beautiful valley here. I never appreciated it before."

University of Vermont Athletics NewsletterApril 13, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced today that the University of Vermont has been certified without qualification, as part of the Association's second cycle of athletics certification. A designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program "in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership." Vermont sponsors 20 varsity sports (11 for men, 9 for women) in its intercollegiate program.

The certification process, which involves a self-study, was led by Ian DeGroot, Special Assistant to President Daniel Mark Fogel and included a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being.

"We are very pleased to learn of the certification of our athletics programs by the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletic Certification," said Ian deGroot, Special Assistant to the President, who chaired the steering committee charged with preparing a self-study of UVM athletics programs for submission to the NCAA. "The work that was done by the three subcommittees to put the self-study together was just outstanding."

The self-study committee included members of the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff as well as current students and student-athletes, and alumni. The committee gathered and analyzed a wide array of data and solicited input from across the campus. The self-study report was submitted in May of 2006.

"We couldn't be more pleased with these results. The certification process was comprehensive and included broad participation among our many stakeholders and constituents. The data and opinion gathered provides us with a clear understanding of program strengths and areas for improvement and a very large measure of confidence that the program is fully aligned with the operating principles of the NCAA and the values and mission of the university," said Vermont Athletic Director Dr. Robert Corran.

The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993. UVM's first certification review occurred in 1996-97. The second round of athletics certifications is being completed on a 10-year cycle rather than the five-year cycle used during the initial certification process. All 326 active Division I members participate in the certification process.

by Nathan MuellerSouth Lyon HeraldMarch 15, 2007

SOUTH LYON MI -- The hallways of South Lyon East High School are already filled, seven months before students are to set foot in the building. About 100 workers and equipment fill the corridors as they frantically work to get the school ready for its grand opening in September.

Project Manager Sid Dotinga of Granger Construction said the project is about 85 to 87 percent complete.

"It has gone pretty smooth," he said. "You always run into a few problems here and there, but we have had no major issues."

South Lyon Community Schools district Superintendent Bill Pearson has been a regular on the construction site since groundbreaking. He walked through the building March 5 and couldn't help but admire the progress.

"We are on time with every piece of construction and slightly under budget," he said.

Some of the leftover money from the bond is being used to put concrete in the playground at Sayre Elementary and also new flooring and ceiling repairs at South Lyon High School.

South Lyon East High School is completely enclosed, with heat running throughout the building. Lockers were being built last week and many classrooms were just awaiting clean up.

Principal Larry Jackson's office and the main office corridor were nearly finished as well. Furniture and appliances were absent, but will be in place in the coming months.

The main office is located at the entrance where parents drop off their students. It also is connected to the student service center, which provides the students a more centralized hub. All the doors of counselors and administrators are sound sealed to provide privacy.

One of the gems of the school is the theater. It has two balcony levels, plus a technical gallery. Lower level seats surround the stage.

Dirt still covered the floor of the 802-seat complex as workers set up all the electrical wires.

"The farthest seat from the center of the stage is only 91 feet," Dotinga said. "This type of setup gives you a more intimate feel."

Another impressive part of the high school is the gymnasium. The floor has already been laid and will be painted in the coming weeks. It has three full-size courts, and curtains to divide them. A running track, that hasn't been surfaced, forms the upper bowl of the gym. Fans will enter the gym through a lone set of doors, walk through a lobby that has a soft rubber floor for cheerleading practice and cross the track to walk down gated areas to their seats in the bleachers.

The 2,100-square-foot gym has seating for 2,142 people. The bleachers have yet to be installed.

Outside the building, workers were installing the bleachers for the football field. It has seating for 1,396 home fans and 548 away fans. The bathrooms and concession buildings are completed and a fieldhouse also is in its final stages.

The fieldhouse has three locker rooms and a large storage area for equipment.

Sportexe is being used to surface the football field, while the other three practice fields were seeded in the fall of 2005. The softball and baseball diamonds were seeded in 2005 as well.

Dotinga said he hopes to have most of the athletic fields ready by summer for use.

Estimated enrollment for South Lyon East when it opens is 434 ninth and 10th grade students.

It will have junior varsity sports teams until the following year when it will have varsity and junior varsity sports.

Athletic Director Larry Janes said he still has about nine coaching positions still to fill before school begins.

Teaching positions are still being solidified. About 16 staff members have already been chosen to fill roughly 26 positions, said Melissa Meister, assistant superintendent for administrative services.

Some positions will be shared between the two high schools.