Archive for February, 2012

Emotional. That would be the best way to describe the effort put forth by Youngstown State University on Saturday afternoon as they faced the best team in the Horizon League, #11 Green Bay.  Last season the Penguins lost by 59 points to the same team,this game went to overtime – the program has improved, drastically.  Unfortunately, Green Bay fought back from a seven point deficit to tie the game and force extra time, and pulled out a dramatic 77-72 win.

For Kenya Middlebrooks, Macey Nortey, and Tierra Jones, it marked the end of ‘home games’ and they were honored before the start of the game.  A defeat two days earlier that the Penguins should have won, Senior Day, #11, last home game, etc. were all whipped together in a mixing bowl by Coach Bob Boldon and staff to create the perfect storm, and it almost worked.

“Our kids showed a lot of composure today”, said Boldon.  “There were breakdowns, we made poor decisions, they made some tough shots.  They made all of their free throws in overtime and we didn’t – they capitalized on every mistake that we made.”

In the first half, the Penguins came out blazing.  Middlebrooks shot 4-6 from three-point range, Brandi Brown had eight rebounds and six points, freshman Kelsea Fickiesen contributed eight points which added up to a 34-32 halftime lead for the home team.  More impressively on the stat sheet at the half was that YSU held Julie Wojta to just seven points.  The Phoenix’ Wojta rates at the top of just about every offensive category in the Horizon.

The Penguins kept the ball rolling for a bit in the second half before Green Bay locked in and went a run to claim a 47-44 lead with 11:12 left in the game.  Brown snared a rebound with just over ten minutes to play to notch a double-double, her ninth of the season.  Jones hit a 15-footer on the baseline to make it a one point game with Green Bay ahead 47-46.

The Penguins took a 49-47 led with 7:21 left in the game when Brown drilled a three with a hand in her face.  Adrian Ritchie returned the favor giving Green Bay a 50-49 lead with a three of her own.  Melissa Thompson nailed a three on YSU’s next possession and the Penguins were all-in.  The Penguins took a 54-52 lead on a pair of free throws by Fickiesen, but Green Bay reclaimed the lead at 55-54 when Megan Lukan was fouled while making a layup.

Brown hit a three from the corner by the YSU bench to give YSU a 57-55 lead with just over two minutes to play.  Middlebrooks then drilled a three with 1:33 left to give YSU a 60-55 lead.  After a stop, Middlebrooks was fouled and calmly hit a pair of charity tosses to expand the led to 62-55.  Another stop and Middlebrooks was fouled again.  Middlebrooks calmly nailed both again to increase the lead to 64-55.

Watching the lead go away quick, the Penguins were ahead 65-63 when Fickiesen was fouled.  She missed the first but made the second with 28 seconds left.  Ritchie was then fouled while shooting a three, so she got three shots.  She hit all three, tie game, 68-68.  No one else would score and the game was headed to overtime.

In the overtime, Tierra Jones picked up her fifth foul with 3:24 left.  Four of the fouls that Jones was whistled for were petty.  Fine me. Green Bay hit four free throws to hold a 70-66 lead and the ball with 2:33 to play.  Nortey connected on a free throw to make it 70-67.  The Penguins had a shot to tie it, but Middlebrooks could not connect from three.  The Phoenix held a 72-67 lead  when Lydia Bauer buried  three right when the shot clock expired.

Youngstown State (10-16, 4-11) got good effort out of Brown.  The junior finished the contest with 18 points and 17 rebounds, to record her 36th career double-double.  Middlebrooks had 22 points, Fickiesen played perhaps her best game as a collegiate in collecting 12 points, as did Thompson for the Penguins.  Despite losing, give this team a gold star for playing their butts off.

“The good thing was that we played hard the whole game”, commented Middlebrooks.  A year ago, two years ago, we would have folded and gotten blown out.  So it is a positive measure of progress, but we feel like we should have won the game.”

Green Bay got 18 points and 15 rebounds from Wojta and 26 more from Ritchie.  The Phoenix improved to 23-1 and 13-1 with the win, but more importantly, survived a scare from a hungry YSU team.

“Youngstown played their butts off”, said Wojta.  “There is a lot of progress here and the girls and coaches should be extremely proud of how far they have come.  We play with a will to win and we never give up, we needed to be that way to pull this out today.

Boldon talked about how a close loss to the best team in the conference can help YSU entering the tournament in a couple of weeks.  “I would like to think it will help us.  We played close with each of the top four teams in the conference and in a one game format, I feel like our kids will have the confidence to compete.”

Since 2009, the Phantoms have been playing hockey without having much postseason experience.  Finding themselves in an unfamiliar position, contending for a playoff spot, the Phantoms outshot, outhit, and looked sharper a majority of the game, but lost 4-2 to the Chicago Steel.  Unlucky would be a soft adjective.  Cursed would be closer to the truth.

The Steel put the first goal of the game up in less than a minute.  At the 26 second mark of the game, Phillip Marinaccio snuck the puck past Phantoms goaltender, Matt O’Connor.  The goal was the second of the season for Chicago’s best kept offensive secret. Andrew Miller was credited with an assist on the initial goal.  Before the smoke even cleared from the pregame fireworks, the Phantoms trailed.

After the early goal, O’Connor buckled down and made some good saves.  After two periods, the Phantoms still trailed 1-0.  In the second period, at least 70% of the action took place in the Chicago zone, but the Phantoms could not capitalize on the good looks they were getting.  The Steel had three less shots, 16,  than the Phantoms, who let it fly 19 times.  Steel goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos either must have felt like he hit the lottery, or he should go buy a few tickets after the game because the Phantoms had chances in the second period but were their own worst enemies with the puck.

In the third and final period, the Phantoms let a couple more chances get away.  Sam Anas was turned away right at the doorstep early in the period.  Chicago made the Phantoms pay when they scored a goal shortly after to take a 2-0 lead.  Canon Pieper recorded his goal of the season at even-strength.  Pieper was hanging out by the net when Jaccob Slavin rocketed a nice pass in front of O’Connor from the top of the right faceoff circle. Just outside of the goal crease on O’Connor’s glove side sat Pieper who tapped in the puck from short range for the goal with just over 16 minutes left in the game.

Chicago would strike again with 10:36 remaining in the game.  The Steel had just killed a penalty and the puck was still in their zone when Marinaccio and Ali Thomas broke out with the puck forming a timely two-on-one break.  Marinaccio carried the puck across the line and headed toward O’Connor before giving it up at the last second where Thomas was able to push it into the net for a 3-0 lead.

With 4:04 left in the game, the Phantoms ruined Sakellaropoulos’ perfect night.  Alex Gacek beat the Steel netminder glove side to make it a 4-1 game.  Austin Cangelosi and Dylan Margonari picked up assists on the even-strength chance.

With 59 seconds to go in the contest, the Phantoms again scored.  This time, Anas was able to light the lamp for the 12th time this season.  Cangelosi and Mike Ambrosia recorded assists.  However, too little too late was a proper adage on thos night for the Phantoms.

The Phantoms (24-14-3) took 31 shots and the Steel (14-27-1) got off 23 shots.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team will play its final regular season game at Beeghly Center on Saturday against No. 11/12 Green Bay. Tipoff against the Phoenix is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and the Horizon League Network. The Penguins will salute seniors Tieara Jones (above), Kenya Middlebrooks and Macey Nortey prior to the game. YSU is coming off a 76-71 home loss to Milwaukee, and Green Bay beat Cleveland State 90-59 on Thursday.

Four of YSU’s last five Horizon League losses have been by five points or fewer. One was in overtime, and another was by a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left.  YSU is averaging 10.8 3-pointers in Horizon League play and 9.4 per game overall. The Penguins rank fifth in the nation in 3-pointers per game and have already broken the school record for 3-pointers in a season.  Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Brandi Brown is averaging 18.0 points and 7.9 rebounds in league play. She ranks ninth in YSU history in points and sixth in rebounds.

Green Bay has won 14 straight games against Youngstown State and is 26-1 all time against the Penguins. The Phoenix won the first 12 meetings from 1993 to 2005, and YSU’s lone win came at Green Bay when the Phoenix was ranked 23rd in the country on Feb. 19, 2005 (60-56). YSU is 0-12 at Beeghly Center against Green Bay with an overtime loss in 2004 and a two-point setback in 2004.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

The Youngstown Phantoms have moved  their April 6^th game from the Covelli Centre to the Ice Zone on McClurg Rd. in Boardman at 7:15 p.m. to accommodate the recent announcement of international country duo Sugarland’s April 6^th performance at the Covelli Centre. All tickets previously purchased for April 6^th at the Covelli Centre will be honored at the Ice Zone and additional tickets can be purchased at the Ice Zone ticket booth which is open daily 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.

“We are very thankful that the Youngstown Phantoms were gracious enough to change the location of their game so that we could house the return appearance of Sugarland,” says Executive Director of Covelli Centre Eric Ryan. “Sugarland played the Covelli Centre to a sold out crowd in 2009, so it was important to us to bring them back to Youngstown. Often in the entertainment industry, artists have a very small window of availability because of the competing markets; if the Phantoms had not been willing to change their location, the show would have skipped Youngstown all together. I want to express my sincere appreciation to Bruce Zoldan and the entire Phantoms organization for their flexibility and understanding to make this event possible,” he finishes.

“The Covelli Centre has become a vital part of the entertainment aspect of the quality of life in our community, and the Phantoms Bruce J. Zoldan, Phantoms team owner, said “We recognize the importance of the Covelli Centre to Youngstown, and we are always willing to cooperate with the Centre management for whatever is in the best interests of the community.  We take our responsibility as a partner with the city very seriously.”

International super duo Sugarland will return to the road this spring in continued support of their highly-successful album, The Incredible Machine. Sugarland, with special guest Canaan Smith will play the Covelli Centre on Friday, April 6^th as a part of their “In the Hands of the Fans Tour 2012”.  Tickets go on-sale to the general public on Friday, February 24^th at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, all ticketmaster locations, the venue box office, or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

To hear Jennifer Nettles tell it, it’s a brand new day in Sugarland. Despite winning multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM awards-and selling more than 9 million records-the country-music duo of Nettles and Kristian Bush is embracing a creative rebirth.  Sugarland has achieved seven #1 singles since exploding onto the music scene in ’04 with Twice The Speed Of Life (“Baby Girl”/”Something More”). Enjoy the Ride (“Want To”/”Settlin'”/”Stay”) quickly followed in ’06 and their third studio album Love On The Inside (“It Happens”/”Love”/”All I Want To Do”/”Already Gone”) in July ’08, which skyrocketed them to superstardom, drawing fans from all genres and critics abroad.

As a thank you to their loyal fans, in August ’09, the duo released Live On The Inside, a CD/DVD set of live tracks, covers and footage from their “Love On The Inside” tour. The same month ABC aired an hour-long network special featuring the pair in their most beloved setting…on stage. The holiday season brought about Gold And Green, a 10-track holiday collection consisting of half standards and the other half originals, all of which Nettles and Bush co-wrote. They also co-produced.

They’ve received trophies from the Grammys, American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music, CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association. Nettles has performed at the Kennedy Center Honors with musical tributes to Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond and the duo has collaborated live with heavy-hitters like Adele, Rihanna and Lady Gaga among others. They have been seen all over the media spectrum with appearances on Oprah, Good Morning America, Ellen, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately, Today Show and CNN Heroes. Sugarland has performed in numerous European countries and have headlined multiple U.S. tours which continue to see out venues across the country.

This is another chance for Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley to welcome a huge musical act to our Covelli Centre.  Eric Ryan is on a roll!

Recently, the producer of RIVERDANCE, Moya Doherty, announced that the United States touring production ofthe internationally-acclaimed worldwide phenomenon will close in June, 2012. RIVERDANCE will play the Covelli Centre FOR THE VERY LAST TIME, May 15 for 1performance only! Tickets for RIVERDANCE go on sale March 2^nd at 10am and range from $38.00 to $58.00 and are available at the Covelli Centre box office, 1-800-745-3000, or on the Ticketmaster website.

“When we opened RIVERDANCE in New York in March 1996, we never thought for one minute that our show would still be running 15 years later,” said Moya Doherty. “Three years ago we embarked on our farewell tour, saying good-bye to every city in North America we have ever played in over the years, and next June 17^th in our 16^th year this current production of RIVERDANCE will end and  we will say our final good-bye.  It has been a source of immense pride for me as Producer that America took RIVERDANCE to its heart to such an amazing extent and I would like to pay tribute to every dancer, musician, singer and all the crew and staff who served RIVERDANCE so well over the years. ”

What began as a seven-minute dance segment on the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest (televised to over 300 million people throughout Europe) and then quickly turned into a full-scale production has become much more than an international theatrical success. “I believe RIVERDANCE has been basically a pathfinder,” said Niall O’Dowd, founder of Irish America Magazine and the Irish Voice newspaper. Along with the peace process in Northern Ireland and the economic miracle in Ireland proper, the show “has been a hugely important part of a transformation of the image of Ireland in the last 20 years.”

Check out the farewell tour as it makes a one show only stop in the Mahoning Valley!

The Youngstown State University Lady Penguins upheld a tradition that merits special mention.  Donned in pink socks, tape, neckties, laces, and headbands – they made a statement about breast cancer awareness.  Because I have had relatives who fought that form of cancer and won, makes a burly 6′, 250 pound guy a little sappy.  Having lost a couple of loved ones who did not get the cancer detected before the fatal stages makes me remind whoever reads this column to take the awareness portion seriously.  I do.

That being said, the Lady Penguins took to the court to do battle with the Milwaukee Panthers.  This game held significance toward the Penguins chances of possibly hosting a playoff game.  Behind 10 points from Brandi Brown, YSU stormed out to a big lead, blew the big lead in the second half, then regained control.  However, Milwaukee controlled things at the end and turned away the Penguins for a 76-71 win.  YSU had their biggest first half of the season scoring 45, but had their worst conference second half of the season scoring just 26 points.

“There were a lot of possessions where we miscommunicated”, said Coach Bob Boldon.  “When we watch the films we will se five or six possessions where if we could get a stop, the outcome of the game could have been different.  We couldn’t stop anything in the second half though.”

In the first half, Youngstown State darted out to a 45-34 halftime lead.  The Penguins had a lead as big as 13 as Brandi Brown paced the attack with 10.  Liz Hornberger added nine points and Monica Touvelle hit a couple of threes.  Courtney Lindfors had 11 for the Panthers and Sami Tucker had ten more.  YSU took exactly as many shots (11) more than Milwaukee as their margin at the half.  The keys to the big first half were plenty of offensive rebounding and good defense that caused some turnovers.

In the second half, the refs wanted to make sure the metal ball in their whistles didn’t rust, so they blew them frequently calling plenty of fouls.  It got so bad that YSU committed enough fouls with just over 15 minutes to go in the half, that Milwaukee was in a very early one-and-one situation.

Milwaukee used an 18-7 run to catch YSU with 13:05 left in the game and tie things up at 50.  Then it turned into a seesaw game the rest of the way and Milwaukee found themselves ahead 65-62 with 5:13 left.  Hornberger then hit a three to match her career-high in points and making it a tie game again.

Milwaukee again jumped out to a three-point, 72-69 lead, with just over a minute left Lindfors scored from close range.  Kelsea Fickiesen was fouled on the next possession but missed a pair of free throws that would have made it a one point game.  Milwaukee then hit a three to salt the game away, eventually posting a 76-71 win.

Brown finished the game with 18 points for YSU (10-15, 4-10).  Hornberger tied her career high with 12 points and Melissa Thompson had a good game with ten.  The Penguins play their season finale against Green Bay at 2:05 on Saturday.  It will mark the final game for Macey Nortey, Tierra Jones, and Kenya Middlebrooks, three good ones who are almost out of time on the court.

“We are not a tired team”, said Hornberger afterwards.  “We can’t go into a half with an 11 point lead and then come out and take minutes off.  We are not that good of a team to take time off.”

Milwaukee got 18 points each out of Tucker and Lindfors in improving to 6-18, and 3-10 in Horizon League play.

The Youngstown State football coaching staff will be hosting the 27th Annual YSU Bob Dove Coaching Clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 6 p.m. The clinic is open to high school and college coaches.

The cost of the clinic is $5 and coaches can sign up by emailing YSU Director of Football Operations Dan Kopp at dmkopp@ysu.edu or by contacting the football office at (330) 941-3478. Details are also available at penguinsfootballcamps.com.

Third-year Head Coach Eric Wolford and has staff will offer insight into the Penguins’ program and hold coaching chalktalk’s on offense, defense and special teams.

YSU offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will have a presentation at the clinic and all Penguins coaches will hold breakout sessions during the evening. The $5 will cover the cost of pizza, wings and refreshments for those participating in the event.

The clinic is in honor of former Penguin assistant coach and College Football Hall-of-Fame Inductee Bob Dove. Coach Dove was an assistant for YSU from 1969-91. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Last week, Youngstown State University‘s student-run newspaper, The Jambar, won a very prestigious award.  The Ohio Newspaper Association awarded the staff with the award of Best Sports Coverage.  This staff has done an outstanding job, shown up for anything and everything, and have been extremely creative and insightful in offering strong photography and writing.

The judges report made the following comment about the YSU paper’s sports coverage in their report:

“This is what a college sports section should look like.  Tremendous package on a rugby story with art, layout, and the best lead of any sports piece in the contest.  Penguin Spotlight is an excellent idea.  Breakout boxes of polls and schedules gives the reader lots of entry points into stories and enhances context.  Refer to online video was the only one of that type noted among the entries.  Many of the principles here should be emulated in other sports departments.”

These students work long and thankless hours to put out a publication that will hold the students interest, and they do a great job with the finished product.  Congratulations to everyone who puts in those tireless hours at The Jambar, and keep up the great work!

Left to right: Joe Catullo Jr. (sports editor), Kacy Standohar (features editor), Jordan D. Uhl (news editor; last year’s sports editor), Josh Stipanovich (editor-in-chief), Marissa McIntyre (assistant news editor), Chelsea Telega (arts and entertainment editor).

This kid is a player.  Having covered the Phantoms for every season they have played, I have not seen a burst, a nose for the puck, or a natural ability to make something happen in any situation like I have from Austin Cangelosi.  The youngster who wears #9 for the Phantoms has a bright future in the sport of hockey and will, without a doubt, be wearing an NHL uniform.  He is a huge Devils fan, but the average hockey fan would see more Sidney Crosby in him than any Devil.

Paneech: You are an elite goal scorer at this level, what do you attribute your success to?

Cangelosi: I would say that the success comes from my speed.  I carry the puck into the zone and keep my feet moving and also going hard to the net.  My linemates finding my stick which helps me find the back of the net.

Paneech: Speaking of the line you are on, how would it aid or hurt you to be switched to a less productive line to help boost the teams chances to win?

Cangelosi: I definitely feel as though I am blessed to be on a great line.  I’m very comfortable with the guys and without even looking, I just know where they are going to be and they can find me.  Mike Ambrosia and Ryan Belonger have been great to play with.

Paneech: When you first got into playing hockey, was it something that was forced on you by your father, or did you pester your parents to let you try to play?

Cangelosi: I moved to Florida when I was seven years old and thought maybe I was going to play golf or tennis.  It just so happened that there was a rink five minutes from my house.  I went and checked it out and one of the coaches asked me if I would like to play, so I said ‘sure, why not‘.  From there, it just kicked off.  After my eighth grade year, we moved to Massachusetts and played at a prep school called Northfield Mount Herman.  I went there my freshman and sophomore years, and now I am here.

Paneech: Florida and Youngstown are very different.  Besides the obvious things like climate, you had Disney and came to an economically pressed valley struggling to breathe at times, what is the biggest difference to you?

Cangelosi: The people here are really friendly, the people are very positive.  At school and around the town, everybody has been great and there is a positive energy. It’s hard to keep on top of the schoolwork moving around so much, but I am doing the best that I can to stay on top of it.  I’m struggling with Algebra II, I have terrible math skills and I’m struggling with history.  I’m doing ok in Spanish and I really like my English class at Ursuline.  I like reading and analyzing stories.

Paneech: If you do not make it in hockey, what will you do?

Cangelosi: I haven’t got a clue.  Maybe if I don’t make it in hockey as a professional, I can run camps or something.  I do not want to be behind a desk in the future, I want to be moving.

Paneech: What kind of upbringing did you have?

Cangelosi: My dad was in business and was in sales.  My mother never really worked a job at all.  I have one brother, he is 21, and is playing Division III hockey in Connecticut.  My parents have been to a game, and I keep in touch.  I call my brother too.  I went home over Christmas break and won’t get back until the end of the season.

Paneech: Your name, for some reason unknown to me, did not appear on the NHL’s Top Prospects sheet.  Does that omission bum you out or force you to work harder?

Cangelosi: That sheet is just people’s opinions.  I can’t look at that as something I should take personally.  People pick who they think are the best, and if my name did not appear on their list, so be it.  I will continue to play hard and have fun out there, regardless of what other people think of my play.

Paneech: During a game, what situation do you excel in?

Cangelosi: I think I do good shorthanded because of my speed.  I get a lot of my chances by pressuring the puck when the opponent is on the powerplay.  They want us to be aggressive on the penalty kill.  We don’t want to sit back and let them control the tempo of the game.

Paneech:  Coach Noreen takes great pride in saying that he wants to outhit everybody.  How much pressure is there on you and someone like Sam Anas, two smaller guys, to live up to that expectation?

Cangelosi: We want to contribute to the hits to keep the identity of this team as a blue collar team.  We try to get at least three good hits a game.

Paneech: Favorite NHL team and player, and why?

Cangelosi: My favorite team is the New Jersey Devils and my favorite players are Zach Parise and Nathan Gerbe.  Gerbe plays for the Sabres and is 5’5″ and is one of the smallest guys in the league.  He plays with a chip on his shoulder and goes into the corner, bangs bodies, and scores goals.  I don’t like the Rangers because they always beat the Devils.  I’ve always been a Devils fan.

Paneech: How has it been playing for Coach Noreen?

Cangelosi: We go out there and execute what he tells us to do.  We have a lot of respect for him and for all of our coaches.  Our whole staff is pretty down to earth and they are easy to relate to because they are younger, but also because they have good heads on their shoulders and are always looking out for our best interests.

Paneech: There are a lot of Italians on the team.  Did you guys form a brotherhood or anything?

Cangelosi: (laughs) Uh, no.  We eat pasta every day on the road.  Not because of the Italians on the team, but because it has the most carbs and they feel it is the best thing to eat.

Paneech: If God got a hold of you and said, “Austin, I have bad news, there will be no more hockey.  You can participate in boxing, MMA, or golf.”  Which would you choose?

Cangelosi: I would pick golf.  My mother helps out at a golf shop, so we get all of the free golf we want.  Usually, my brother and I go play golf.  I shoot about a 90 for eighteen holes.

One Word Answers With Austin Cangelosi

Favorite Breakfast: Frosted Flakes And Bananas.

Favorite Drink: Ginger Ale.

Favorite Movie: Mystery Alaska.

Video Games: Call of Duty on the XBox, but mostly NHL Live 2012.

Music Preference: Big Taylor Swift fan.

Favorite Color:  Red.

Favorite Fast Food Order: Wendy’s.  I get Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers, a Chicken Sandwich, Fries, and a Frosty.  I dip the fries and the burger into the Frosty.

Favorite Olympic Sport Other Than Hockey: Soccer.

Favorite Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and Rafael Nadal.

Cartoon: Tom And Jerry.

Pets: We have four cats.  Panda and Bear are twins, and Chloe and White Socks.  I am allergic to cats, so when I am home, I get all clogged up and my eyes get all red and itchy.