Just Take A Minute: Sept. 21-25, 2009

Boomer bytes

   Friday, Sept. 25

Its the start of another big weekend of action at UMass. The women's soccer team kicks of action against St. Joe's today at Rudd Field. On Saturday its Band Day, Family Day and Kids Club Day at McGuirk Stadium as the football team challenges Stony Brook at 6 p.m. Also on Friday, hockey's Martin Nolet will be by to chat at 10 a.m.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a nice look at UMass' senior offensive lineman Jared Chivers, who has started all three games this season after not being with the team in spring camp.

The MetroWest Daily News has a story on the Miami Hurricanes' improved offense under the guidance of former UMass head coach Mark Whipple.

The Boston Globe has its notebook called "Downs and Distance" its cites former UMass head football coach Mark Whipple and his success at Miami.

From Canada, the New Brunswick Varsity Reds are preparing for their tour of the U.S. including a game at UMass on Oct. 3, in a preseason exhibition game.

Holy Cross announced its 2009-10 men's basketball schedule and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has a look including the game against UMass at the DCU Center on Dec. 5, slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.

The Daily Collegian looks at Stuart Amick's role in providing some offense for the men's soccer team which is on the road this weekend at Siena.

The women's soccer A-10 opener vs. Saint Joseph's is previewed in the Daily Collegian.

The Daily Collegian has a story on the start of the fall tennis season with the Minutewomen competing at the Eastern Regionals.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The hockey archives page has been updated with a great new format. It has the all-time results with links to recent stats, rosters and scores. Check it out.

Don't Miss This: Saturday at 6 p.m., you know where to be! McGuirk Stadium as UMass takes on Stony Brook in football action. Its also Band Day where more than 4,000 band members are expected, its also Family Day and Kids Club Day. Buy Tickets To Saturday's Football Game Vs. Stony Brook.

   Thursday, Sept. 24

Thursday is a day where UMass head coaches will be front an center. At the Big E down in Springfield a trio of coaches will be on hand to meet and greet fans. Rowing coach Jim Dietz (10 a.m.-12 p.m.), basketball coach Derek Kellogg (2-3 p.m.) and hockey coach Toot Cahoon (6-7 p.m.) will be at the UMass Alumni Tent on Massachusetts Day at the Big E. At 7 p.m. football coach Kevin Morris will take part in the Bud Light UMass Football Show at the Hangar Pub & Grille. Player guests will be senior linebacker and senior tailback Tony Nelson. Also the women's basketball team is holding its First Annual Golf Outing in Northampton.

The Daily Collegian has a preview of the UMass-Stony Brook game this weekend. "Like every game, it is a must win for us, and we better be prepared because they are a quality team," head coach Kevin Morris said.

The Daily Collegian also has a sidebar story on the transition of Ke'Mon Bailey from wide receiver to cornerback.

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour has a lengthy feature on Tony Gaffney and his high hopes of making the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

On Masslive.com, Ron Chimelis has a story about UMass gaining heavy attention from the preseason annual Lindy's Magazine.

A few more times have been added for the 2009-10 men's basketball schedule. The Dec. 5 game at Holy Cross will be at 3:30 p.m., the games at Richmond (Jan. 13) and at Saint Joseph's (Jan. 27) will tip at 7 p.m.

The Daily Collegian has a preview of the men's soccer team, which is seeking its second win in a row.

The field hockey team is heading to Vermont for action on Saturday and Quinnipiac on Sunday, the Daily Collegian has a look at all the freshman contributors on Justine Sowry's squad.

The Springfield Republican has its college notebook by Dick Baker. He leads off with new WNEC ice hockey coach Greg Heffernan. The new coach considers UMass assistant coach Red Gendron as another mentor. Heffernan and Gendron used to room on the road during recruiting trips. UMass has welcomed Heffernan to visit Amherst to view its operation.

Baker also has a bit on field hockey junior defender Makaela Potts from Sydney, Australia, has been a factor in the Minutewomen (5-2) reaching the national coaches poll top 10 in field hockey for the first time since 2000. An All-American last year, Potts scored two goals and assisted on another in a 4-0 win over Northeastern Saturday at Garber Field en route to gaining Atlantic 10 player of the week honors. Making the day even more special was that her mother (Trudy) and sister (Kirsten) were visiting from Australia. It was the first time they've seen her play here.

New York Islanders hopeful Greg Mauldin had an assist on Wednesday night as the Isles lost to the New Jersey Devils, 4-2. It was his first point in the preseason.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Three football experience auctions end on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Bid Now For Your Chances.

Don't Miss This: Come on over to the Hangar Pub & Grille to listen to the Bud Light UMass Football Show with Kevin Morris at 7 p.m.

   Wednesday, Sept. 23

Join us Wednesday afternoon at the UMass Campus Center Room 1009 for the weekly UMass Sports Luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Athletic Director John McCutcheon and head football coach Kevin Morris will be the guest speakers. Quarterback Kyle Havens will be honored as the UMass Athlete of the Week. ESPN.com Page 2 has a story on former UMass punter and Real World star Christian Koegel. Just Take A Minute has stories on football, basketball, hockey and other sports.

The Daily Collegian has story on the success of quarterback Kyle Havens and how the junior college transfer gives a lot of the credit to his teammates.

Christian Koegel is hopeful of earning an NFL tryout.

Page 2 of ESPN.com has a feature story on former UMass All-American punter Christian Koegel, who is trying to make the jump from MTV's Real World to the NFL. "It would be amazing to kick for the Pats," Koegel gushed about his favorite pro team. "But at [the NFL] level, I'd play for anybody. I don't care, I'd play for free right now," he said. Koegel has a video on his own website.

The >Hartford Courant has a story on the start of the New England Patriots franchise as the Boston Patriots. 350 want-to-be pro players convened at UMass in Amherst, on July 4, 1960.

UMass men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg and former coach John Calipari will be taking part in a coaching clinic at Marist .

On ESPN.com, Andy Katz has a feature story on Davidson basketball and life after Stephen Curry. The Wildcats hosts UMass in late December and are mentioned in the story as part of Davidson's challenging schedule.

The Los Angeles Kings website has a video feature on former UMass All-American goalie Jon Quick, who is vying for the starting job with the Kings this fall.

Quick made 15 saves last night as the Kings beat the New York Islanders in a preseason games in Kansas City, 4-2. The Isles feature another UMass alum in Greg Mauldin, but her did not play in the game.

Former UMass hockey captain Mike Kostka was assigned to Portland of the AHL on Tuesday.

Also, former two-way hockey star Mark Matheson has been assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL by the Nashville Predators.

The field hockey team is in the national Top 10 for the first time since 2000. ABC40 has a story.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: All the best photos from UMass are featured on the Photo Gallery page.

Don't Miss This: The Sports Luncheon is the place to be on Wednesday to here what our Athletic Director and football coach have to say about the state of the department and the program. Join us for just $11 featuring a full lunch with friends and fans.

   Tuesday, Sept. 22

Welcome back and welcome to Autumn. The Springfield Republican has a great feature profile on senior receiver Victor Cruz. Lots of football news in today's Just Take A Minute. Also JTAM has some snipets from basketball, ice hockey, field hockey and lacrosse.

Ron Chimelis has a tremendous feature story on senior wide receiver Victor Cruz in the Springfield Republican. "I think I am one of the guys the others can ask about the life here, how it is and how to handle it," says Cruz.

The Examiner has a story on UMass' CAA-opening win over Rhode Island.

On MassLive.com, there is a brief on Kyle Havens being named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week.

On Long Island, Newsday columnist Steve Marcus has a piece on the Island's college football teams and UMass opponents Stony Brook and Hofstra.

Let's take our weekly look at UMass alums in the CFL. With the Calgary Stampeders, Shannon James had four tackles in a 24-17 loss to Hamilton over the weekend. James has 36 tackles on the season. With the BC Lions, Anton McKenzie had a stop in a 23-17 win over Toronto. Keron Williams has 19 tackles on the season with the Montreal Alouettes.

Another note from the CFL touching on an old foe. The Montreal Alouettes have traded former UNH star quarterback Ricky Santos to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

On MassLive.com, Ron Chimelis has a story on the men's basketball team taking on Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 2 as the second game of the Legends Classic in Amherst.

On ESPN.com, hockey writer Pierre LeBrun has a list of "Top 10 Things I Want To See In 2009-10" mentioning former UMass All-American Jon Quick. The Los Angeles Kings bring the hockey buzz back to Hollywood and make the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Suddenly, the who's who of Hollywood start showing up to games just like the old days. "This is so great," actress Goldie Hawn will say on the eve of the playoffs. "But Jonathan Quick is not nearly as cute as the guy we had in the early '90s, the guy who wore a bandana under his helmet [Kelly Hrudey]."

Greg Mauldin is still in camp with the New York Islanders and has played in three of five games and has no points with a minus-1.

UMass hockey alum Alex Berry has been assigned by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. He did not play in any preseason games.

Lacrosse Magazine has a Question Answer with Harvard men's coach John Tillman, who cites the Crimson's game with UMass as a top game on his team's schedule that makes sense with the current economic state of the country.

The Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame will induct its 10th anniversary class Oct. 4 including Lisa Griswold Lindley, who played at UMass and Northwestern.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Our latest "Plays Of The Week" is featured in the front page video player as well as on the YouTube page for UMass.

Don't Miss This: The new field hockey Top 20 poll will be released on Tuesday. Look to see where the No. 11 Minutewomen stand after a weekend split.

   Monday, Sept. 21

Great weekend for UMass teams. In head-to-head competition, UMass teams went 5-1 and the men's cross country team won its home meet. On Monday, tickets for the UMass-Memphis game at the TD Garden in Boston on Dec. 19 go on sale at 11 a.m. JTAM has plenty of stories on the football team's big win over Rhode Island. Also, Derek Kellogg will go into the Springfield Cathedral High School Hall of Fame.

Here are various recaps of UMass' football win over Rhode Island, which was the Minutemen's ninth home win against URI in a row. Coverage from the: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, hird-downs-into-victory/">Daily Collegian, Associated Press, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal.

The Springfield Republican has a sidebar focusing on senior linebacker Kurt Filler's big game.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette's, Matt Vautour handed out his three stars for the Rhode Island game to: No. 1 Kyle Havens, No. 2 Tony Nelson and No. 3 Kurt Filler.

The Boston Herald's Monday round-up has some info on Kyle Havens, Tony Nelson and Armando Cuko setting some personal bests.

The Salem News has a snipet on local heros Armando Cuko and Chris Zardas, who played key roles in UMass' football win on Saturday.

The Stamford Advocate has a quick blurb on two local grads in action for UMass Vladimir Ducasse and Brian Ostaszewski.

Looking ahead to next week's football opponent, Stony Brook, the Seawolves knocked off Brown, 21-20. Here's a story from the Stony Brook Independent.

Three UMass alums were in action in the NFL on Sunday. In the New York Jets' 16-9 upset win over the New England Patriots, James Ihedigbo was in on special teams coverage, but did not make a tackle. The Baltimore Ravens moved to 2-0, beating the San Diego Chargers, 31-26, Matt Lawrence played on special teams and was penalized for an unnecessary roughness penalty in the first quarter. In the Jacksonville Jaguars' 31-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, long snapper Jeremy Cain, snapped eight times on kicks and punts for the Jags.

The Springfield Republican has a story on Derek Kellogg, head coach of men's basketball at the UMass, heads a stellar Class of 2009 for the Cathedral High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The electees - 12 players and one coach - will be enshrined in ceremonies at the school prior to the annual Thanksgiving morning football game with Westfield.

Tony Gaffney has hit Los Angeles and is working in preparation of his preseason camp with the Lakers.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a brief on the field hockey team's weekend split of games, losing to No. 9 BC on Sunday in overtime, 2-1 after beating Northeastern, 4-0, on Saturday. The Daily Collegian has complete coverage with comments from players and coaches.

The Gazette and Daily Collegian also cover the women's soccer team's first win of the year, beating St. Peter's, 2-1, on Sunday. Head coach and 2000 alum Angela Napoli earned her first win as UMass head coach.

The men's soccer team's 1-0 win over Northeastern on Saturday is covered in the Daily Collegian, Springfield Republican and Northeastern's site.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Three UMass auctions end on Monday night at 7 p.m. Bid now on the Stephane Lasme 100 Seasons Of Basketball Banner as well as game-worn football jerseys from the early 2000s of No. 51 and 77.

Don't Miss This: Look for the announcement of weekly players of the week as well as new polls for football, where UMass is sure to move up.

Look Back To The Week Of: Sept. 14-18 | Sept. 7-11 | Aug. 31-Sept. 4 | Aug. 24-28 | Aug. 17-21 | Aug. 10-14 | Aug. 3-8 | July 27-31 | July 20-24 | July 13-17 | July 6-10 | June 29-July 3 | June 22-26 | June 15-19 | June 8-12 | June 1-5 | May 25-29 | May 18-22 | May 11-15 | May 4-8 | April 27-May 1 | April 20-24 | April 13-17 | April 6-10 | March 30 -Apr. 3 | March 23-27 | March 16-20 | March 9-13 | Mar. 2-6 | Feb. 23-27 | Feb. 16-20 | Feb. 9-13 | Feb. 2-6 | Jan. 26-30 | Jan. 19-23 | Jan. 12-16 | Jan. 5-9 | Dec. 29, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009 | Dec. 22-26 | Dec. 15- 19 | Dec. 8-12 | Dec. 1-5 | Nov. 24-28 | Nov. 17-21 | Nov. 10-14 | Nov. 3-7 | Oct. 27-31 | Oct. 20-24, 2008 | Oct. 13-17, 2008 | Oct. 6-10, 2008 | Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2008 | Sept. 22-26, 2008 | Sept. 15-19, 2008 | Sept. 8-12, 2008 | Sept. 1-5, 2008 | Aug. 25-29, 2008 | Aug. 18-22, 2008

University of Massachusets Athletics

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