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.

If Jerry Slocum would go to Sam’s Club, he might buy as much consistency as he can find.  Slocum’s multi-talented Penguin team played one of their worst games of the season against Butler Thursday, and to their credit, played one of their best games of the season against league-leading Valparaiso.  DuShawn Brooks and Kendrick Perry spearheaded a very balanced offensive effort as the Penguins knocked off the Crusaders, 71-53.

“We played with great energy tonight”, said Coach Slocum.  “We were embarrassed after Butler but we were able to regroup.  These were two of the top teams in the league here this week and I am really proud of our character in bounce-back games.  We lose a game and then bounce back to beat Milwaukee.  We lose to Butler Thursday and bounce back to beat Valpo tonight.  I am really proud of their character.”

In the first half, YSU was coasting on offense, but the story behind a 32-20 halftime lead was the defense the Penguins played.  It doesn’t show up well on the stat sheets, but the Penguins derailed the Crusaders perimeter shooting, daring Valpo center, Richie Edwards, to shoot open threes.  Offensively, the Penguins got 14 from Brooks and 11 from Perry in the opening stanza.

In the second half, the Penguins gave up a couple of early buckets as Valpo cut the lead to seven, but YSU stabilized the defense and took a commanding 51-34 lead when Perry was fouled shooting a three for the second time in the second half.  Valpo plyed the game without their best player, Kevin Van Wijk, who probably would have made the score closer, but surely would not have been able to compensate the entire difference.

With 7:20 left in the game, the only thing left to figure out was when Jerry Slocum would unload the bench as YSU had a 55-41 lead.  The Penguins continued to dominate the action as well as dictate the pace of the game.  Perry stayed red-hot as he hit a three that pushed the lead to 59-44 with 6:11 to go.  That happened with about 2:30 left in the game.  Bench players like Chris Morgan were able to score and get a nice game-playing experience.

YSU (14-11, 9-6) got 23 points from Kendrick Perry.  The reigning Horizon League Player of The Week was 3-5 from three, 8-10 from the free throw line, had 4 rebounds and 3 assists.  DuShawn Brooks had his shooting stroke going as he deposited 20 points.

“Coach said we needed to rebound and play defense to win the game”, said Brooks.

Valpo (18-9, 11-4) got 19 from Edwards and 12 from Broekhoff, who also gathered 11 rebounds for the visiting Crusaders.  Valpo heads back to work with a home game against UIC on Tuesday.  With Butler beating Cleveland State earlier in the day and YSU knocking off the Crusaders, the Horizon League race seems to really be tightening up.

The Penguins go on the road for games against Green Bay on the 14th and the ESPN BracketBuster game against Austin Peay at a site to still be determined.

The Youngstown State Penguin Club will honor Dennis and Janet Haines as Penguins of the Year during the 22nd Annual Scholarship Ring Banquet on Feb. 19 at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman.

Tickets for the event are still available by returning the order form or contacting Tom Morella at (330) 941-2351 or Jim Morrison at (330) 941-3270. Full tables of eight are $800, a scholarship dinner package of four tickets, a student-athlete sponsored dinner and an autograph ball is $500, an individual ticket is $100 and a student-athlete sponosored dinner is $25. Program advertising is also available by calling (330) 941-7227.

Student-athletes will be signing footballs and basketballs for those groups who have purchased them in advance.

All funds generated from the event go directory towards the Youngstown State Athletics

Dennis and Janet Haines have worked diligently to make an impact in many aspects of their lives. They are fine and upstanding people. They have raised two great daughters and have three beloved grandchildren. They have worked to make lives better for many hard-working individuals. They have spent countless hours making sure that less-fortunate people have the same opportunities as everyone else. And they are some of the most die-hard Youngstown State Penguins fans the university has.

For all of those reasons, and many more, Dennis and Janet Haines are the 2012 Penguins of the Year.

Dennis saw his first Youngstown State football contest in the early 1950’s at Rayen Stadium. He climbed through a hole in the fence to watch the game. He has been a YSU sports fan for nearly 60 years.

Together, the two have seen many milestones in Youngstown State Athletics history. They were in Statesboro, Ga., in 1991 when the Penguins defeated Marshall to win their first-ever FCS National Championship. Since that first trip, they have been to every title game since. They made the trip to Penn State to see the women’s basketball team play their first NCAA Tournament game in 1996. Also, they were on hand to celebrate at Eastwood Field when the Baseball program won the Horizon League Championship in 2004.

Among the first sporting events their grandchildren attended were YSU football, basketball and baseball games. For YSU, they sponsor the Haines Family Player of the Game as selected by the YSU Radio Broadcasters, have an endowed Athletic Scholarship – Attorney Dennis and Janet Haines Scholarship – and contribute to the department in many other ways.

Doors for the event opens at 6 p.m., the buffet will start at 6:15 p.m. and the program is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

After a tough loss in Detroit, Butler needed to make a statement to turn their season around.  The Bulldogs came out barking, owning the paint, denying the perimeter, and dominating every phase of their matchup against YSU on Thursday.  The Penguins trailed by double digits most of the game, cut the Bulldog lead to four in the second half, but couldn’t get any closer, falling 68-59, to fall into a third place tie with the Bulldogs in the Horizon League standings.

In the first half, the Penguins went over thirteen minutes without scoring a field goal.  You cannot win a basketball game when you are unable to score.  Butler held a 35-25 lead at the half thanks in part to balance.  Nine Bulldogs scored at least a point in the opening session.  Leading the way was Ronald Nored with five.  Youngstown State got six points from both Kendrick Perry and Blake Allen.  However, the Penguins went only 2-9 from deep range, which they rely heavily upon.

“I thought that our defensive effort was really solid in the first half”, remarked Brad Stevens.  “We wanted to jump out there and take their three-point shooters out of the game and we did a really good job with that tonight.”

YSU Coach Jerry Slocum agreed.  “It was as bad of a first half as we have played all year.  This is the second time at home that we could not focus or play with the proper intensity.”

In the second half, YSU went down 14 early but roared back on a pair of buckets from Ashen Ward and Perry to cut the Butler lead to 40-34 with 13:28 left in the game.  Perry then ran the floor on a break and used a nice hesitation move to put in a two-pointer that saw the Penguins down only four, at 40-36 with 12:18 left.

“It was the exact same sore with the exact same amount of time last as last year’s game when we had the eight point lead”, said Butler Coach Brad Stevens.  “I coached as hard as I could to avoid any letdown like last year, and the guys responded and held the lead.”

Roosevelt Jones and Nored hit buckets to stretch the lead back to eight at around the ten minute mark.  Butler was setting up a half court offense and then going into a three-man weave ,a la the Harlem Globetrotters.  Trailing 47-40, Perry swished a three with 8:24 left in the game.  Butler just kept attacking the hoop or shooting the three with no comfortable medium.

Butler pushed the lead back to eight on a charity toss by Jones, but Perry connected quick from the other end to make it a 51-45 game. Chrishawn Hawkins nabbed a three-point play the old-fashioned way with 4:54 remaining and tacked in a two from close range and Butler looked poise to hold their lead, now ahead 59-47.  Damian Eargle (above) tried to get YSU back in the game as he was fouled while scoring, but typical of the night, he missed the free throw to leave it at 59-49 in favor of the visiting Bulldogs.

Butler got good offensive production out of Hopkins, who finished the game with 19 points.  Nored had a very good game for the Bulldogs as he finished with 8 markers, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Jackson Aldridge chipped in 14 more points.

Youngstown State got 21 from Perry, 11 from Eargle, and 10 from Ward.  The loss puts YSU at 13-11, and 8-6 in Horizon League play.  Nothing gets easier for the Penguins as Valparaiso comes to town Saturday night.

“I think Valpo is the best team in the league”, said Slocum.  “I knew we were in for a challenging week.  We played well on the road and were really focused, and that was definitely not the case tonight.”

Rewind your brain a year. Playground bully Butler came to Youngstown State to continue their dominance over a school that had a reputation for football prominence, and little basketball hardware to show off.  The Penguins trailed the Bulldogs by eight points before eventually clawing their way back to claim a dramatic and emotional 62-60 win in front of a good crowd last season.  The win was significant in many ways.

First off, it is a well-known fact that Butler did not lose another game until the NCAA Championship Game loss.   But seeded in deeper meaning, that historic win allowed Coach Jerry Slocum to be a better recruiter.  To knock on a door while recruiting with a Butler win in your briefcase usually gets you invited in.  The ramifications of that win will be louder in a couple of years when Fletcher Larson, DJ Cole, and Cale Zuiker hit stride.

Cleveland State rolled into town last Saturday and embarrassed the Penguins in front of a huge audience.  Don’t think the players and coaches have not been chomping at the bit waiting for the chance for redemption in front of a big assembly of fan support this time.  Coach Slocum said after the 20-point setback that his team was not able to handle the moment.  The moment will be just as important, and this team should bounce back.

The puzzle has been coming together since that significant Butler win.  The Penguins had zero players given any preseason accolades, the team was finished to pick in the bottom third, again, and with schools, like Butler, losing so much, it was easy to predict that these Penguins would be in the thick of things heading into the home stretch of the season.

Five Horizon League Players of The Week later, Slocum could be considered for Coach of The Year with the dramatic turnaround.  He will need a strong run to close out the season and says that every game left on the schedule will be a dogfight.

“We have a stretch of three weeks where everyone we play is really good”, said Slocum.  “we have to keep preparing and getting better.”

“Butler will come in hungry after a tough one in Detroit.  This is where the turnaround started for them last year and they will come in here fired up.”

Ironic that virtually nobody would have said at the beginning of the season that Butler needed to win this game to catch YSU with a handful of games left in the regular season.  However, that is the reality.  Five starters have been recognized for their fantastic efforts, a fete never before accomplished in Horizon League history.  It may be the confidence bump this team of Penguins need for a strong stretch run and into March.

Youngstown State sophomore Kendrick Perry (Ocoee, Fla.) has been Horizon League Player of the Week for Feb. 6, the Horizon League announced on Monday. Perry led the Penguins (13-10, 8-5 Horizon) to a 2-1 road record last week, averaging 25.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 steals per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.

This is the first player-of-the week award of Perry’s career and it marks the first time in Horizon League history and YSU history five different players from one school have earned the accolade. Earlier this season, senior DuShawn Brooks (Dec. 5), junior Damian Eargle (Jan. 2), senior Ashen Ward (Jan. 9) and junior Blake Allen (Jan. 23) all garnered the award.

Coach Jerry Slocum talked about the accomplishment of having five players from his team given the award.  “I am very happy for those guys.  It speaks well of how much they have improved and have worked very hard to get better.  They have committed to all of the hard work and they deserve what they are getting.”

Perry scored a career-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also dished out four assists and had two steals.  His 30-point effort was the first since DeAndre Mays scored 30 points against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010. He is also the first sophomore to score at least 30 points since Mike Alcorn scored 35 against Pitt-Bradford on Feb. 24, 1992.

In the 72-68 loss at UIC, which was the Penguins third game in six days, Perry scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. He almost rallied YSU to a frantic comeback scoring eight points in 35 seconds to cut a nine-point deficit down to two.

Perry connected on 11-of-14 from the field with two 3-pointers for a game-high 28 points in an 80-63 win over Loyola. He also dished out six assists and collected a career-high seven steals against the Ramblers.  He is the first player to record at least six steals in a game since Marlon Williamson tallied six against UMKC on Dec. 21, 2002.

With 11 steals on the week, Perry set a new Youngstown State sophomore record with 56 on the year. The total is the second-best single-season mark in school history, trailing only the 64 of Marlon Williamson in 2002-03. Perry’s 2.4 spg ranks second in the Horizon League, while the point guard ranks second in scoring (15.7 ppg), third in assists (4.1 apg) and first in assist-turnover ratio (2.2).

This is quite an accomplishment for the team picked to finish seventh by the Horizon League voters.  YSU hosts Butler this Thursday with the tipoff set for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be carried on the ESPN3 internetwork.

Youngstown Phantoms center Austin Cangelosi has been named the USHL’s co-CCM Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.  Cangelosi, 17, scored three goals and added two assists last week as the Phantoms (23-13-3, T-third East) went 2-1-0, including a pair of road wins over the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

This is the first time that Cangelosi, who is committed to Boston College, has captured the USHL’s weekly award. He is the seventh different Phantoms player to do so this season.

“I was actually a bit surprised it hadn’t happened yet,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said of the announcement. “It’s something that’s definitely been a long time coming and something that is well-deserved. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Cangelosi, an Estero, Fla., native, netted the lone goal for the Phantoms in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Steel Wednesday morning. On Friday, he scored the game-winning goal and added a pair of assists as the Phantoms downed the defending Clark Cup champion Fighting Saints 5-3. Then on Saturday, he got the scoring started off as the Phantoms captured the franchise’s first victory at the Stable in Cedar Rapids with a 4-3 win.

“His motor never stops. His speed, quickness and ability to create separation allow him to create chances just about every time he’s on the ice. He’s also very mature for his age and has probably handled the jump to junior hockey as well as anyone has, especially considering he’s the youngest guy on our team.”

Having recently interviewed Cangelosi, I will be putting up an extensive piece on him this weekend.

Popo Salinas is his own harshest critic.  Following Salinas’ victory over Canada’s Namah Daghir, Salinas claimed that he needs to work harder and that if he were to have a realistic shot at making the US Olympic Team, he would need to devote more time in the gym and turn it up.  Salinas looked pretty good in front of a very partial crowd at St. Lucy’s in Campbell.  The Youngstown amateur threw some big blows against a very worthy opponent in Daghir in picking up the decision in the main event of an Ohio vs Canada card.

Salinas was bleeding from the nose in the third round and the ref stopped the fight to have the ringside doctor look at it.  Once he determined Salinas could fight on with about thirty seconds remaining in the fight, the decision was secured.  The standing room only crowd of the Lights Out / Jack Loew co-promotion erupted when the decision was read.

“I was bleeding from the nose”, said Salinas.  “He was a very tough opponent and God bless him.  Now, I will have to start facing older competition in the open division.  In the trials, I would like to finish second or third to qualify and then I will come back home and keep training.  I feel pretty good, but when I get back in the gym, I know I will have to work harder.”

In the first round, Salinas landed several big shots but Daghir never went down.  In my estimation, Salinas did plenty to win the round.  The second round was a little harder to score.  Daghir landed more punches through two thirds of the round, but Salinas seemed to land the harder shots.  I scored the round even as Salinas landed his best punch of the round right before the bell.

In the third and final round, Salinas hit Daghir three times solid.   Despite catching the trio of solid shots, Daghir kept firing back.  The ref stopped the fight to check a cut on the face of Salinas, once he determined the fight could continue, the final bell sounded.

When the decision was announced, Salinas got his hand raised in victory and it was announced to the crowd that he would now travel and try his hand at the Olympic Trials.

The first five matches of the night were not ‘Ohio vs Canada’, but rather fillers to lead up to the international portion of the card.

In the opening bout,  Shianne Gist won a three-round decision over Christy Lacy.  The next bout, Lavelle Hadley (Southside Boxing Club) hurt Joaquin Labron in the first and second rounds and coasted to a convincing decision.  Fight number three saw Dorian Wilder of Cleveland outpoint Youngstown’s John Gregory.  Wilder used a strong third round to get the decision.

The next fight featured a couple of locals.  Rashon Cook represented the Southside Boxing Club, and his opponent, Rocky Lucre, represented the Downtown AC.  Cook recorded two standing eight counts in the first round and coasted the ret of the way as the fight was stopped late in the third round.  Good start by Cook, but he was gassed pretty good at the end of three two-minute rounds.

The last fight before the intermission saw Vic Toney of Youngstown’s Southside Boxing Club defeat Doyle Freeman of Columbus.  Toney hurt Freeman with a body shot in the second round.  When the action resumed, Toney landed a few more shots before his corner threw in the towel.

The Team Canada vs Team Ohio portion of the card was next.  Canada got the first win as Lucas Rowe defeated Lucian Clinkscale, representing the Downtown AC.  Rowe hurt Clinkscale in the third and forced a standing eight count to secure the victory.

The next bout saw Canada’s Shawn “The Flurry” Murrey take on Josh Fisher of Columbus.  The Flurry offered a little more than Fisher could handle and Murrey, representing Canada, emerged victorious putting the Canucks up 2-0, via decision.

The third contest pitted Jack Loew’s Southside understudy, Cody Lucky, facing Canada’s David Murray.  The Canadian fighter definitely dictated the pace of the fight and Lucky caught too many shots relying almost solely on counterpunches.  Canada was undefeated through three fights.

The next international contest saw Chris Minor of Cleveland take on Canada’s Roman Sziek.  Minor used an arsenal of shots in the second round that first, forced a standing eight count, and seconds later,  had another knockdown and was woozy enough for the ref to halt the bout in the second.  Minor was the first American to win against a Canadian on the card.

The next to last bout pitted Danny Rozenburg, fighting out of Keith Burnside’s stable against Canada’s Alan Yescas.  The bout was a little stale and featured too much clenching and not enough action over its three round span.  When the judges turned their cards in, Rozenburg was awarded the win via decision.

Team Davis got by Team Boney 52-49 in 2012 Annual Game of Hope.  Matt Morrone (above) was named the game MVP.  Morrone hit a three and a layup early and also had a couple of breakaway baskets in the second half.

Not to be outdone by his Lowellville counterpart, Frank Lellio (below), Morrone’s team pulled out the win.  Lellio was sensational in defeat for Team Boney.

Congratulations to Tony Spano as all of his hard work merited a nice turnout for a very worthwhile cause.  “If it wasn’t for the volunteers, the board, the community, our partners and sponsors, this event would never be successful.”

At the half, Ed DiGregorio and Dom Roselli were inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Former players were there to present DiGregorio and Mrs. Roselli, representing her late husband, with kind words and keepsakes.

All-in-all, the Game of Hope was a lot of fun and look for broadcast times on MYTV later this week with Chad Krispinsky and Bob Hannon providing the call and the beautiful Lauren Lidvig doing the field reporting.