14
SPORTS
The Crusader
March 1, 2013
Men’s Hockey Update Ariana Tuccelli Staff Writer As the regular season is quickly coming to a close, the men’s hockey team has achieved a respectable record above .500. The Crusaders’ overall current record of 17-12-3 lands them at the number three spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AIC) following no. 1 Niagara and no. 2 Air Force. After a solid weekend of competition versus AIC, Holy Cross conquered the worthy opponent with a tie on Friday night and a victory on Saturday night. In addition, the Crusaders have defeated Sacred Heart this Monday evening which was a pivotal victory. This critical win allowed Holy Cross to surpass UConn who held the no. 3 position prior to Monday’s game. These strong performances should presumably provide the impetus needed for success this upcoming weekend to finish out the regular season. In respect to the Sacred Heart match, Holy Cross seems to have all the momentum. They have reached the point where they must continue to progress in preparation for the post-season. But before considering the tournament, the focus is on their pair of games versus Army. Though Army is no. 10 in the conference, this team cannot be taken lightly. The last matchup between the two teams resulted in a major loss for Holy Cross, being outscored 7-2. Hopefully the Crusaders find what they need to overcome
this Army team. Lately, I have been truly impressed with Holy Cross’ freshmen players. They seem to be a driving force on the squad and have shown progression over the course of the season. More often than not, only a few freshmen, if any at all, have an immediate impact on a collegiate team. Usually upperclassmen are primarily relied upon to propel the team forward while the freshmen need more than a season to become acclimated to the quicker pace and higher skill levels of college play in comparison to high-school play. However, these freshmen have changed my perspective. In the first 9 games of the season, there were not any freshmen included in the starting line-ups and their collective playing time seemed to be limited. Through the middle of the season, the freshmen involvement increased. Three first-years intermittently entered the starting line-ups including Sommer, J. McNamara, and Beckman and have been major presences on the ice during this final stretch of the regular season. These freshmen, along with several other first-years, have been able to greatly contribute to offensive success for the Crusaders.
Top 5 of Spring Training Tyler Scionti Co-Sports Editor In case you haven’t noticed (and I don’t blame you if you haven’t) the Boston Red Sox Spring Training camp is underway, and they have been playing games since this past Saturday. Not much has happened as of yet because, well, it’s Spring Training; that said I do have a top five list of highlights from the past few weeks, and key players to keep an eye on as the spring continues. The Sox have a lot to prove this year, and so far they are off to a great start. Number 1: To top off our list is the fact that John Farrell is not Bobby Valentine. Many may remember Valentine’s antics during last spring: his preparing for the tour de France, his insistence on always bunting, his yelling at Mike Aviles… The list could go on for hours. Farrell has taken a very different approach though; he has a no-nonsense attitude that commands respect while making the players feel about ease. He’s not on the field pitching so why make it about him? Farrell is dedicated to getting the Sox in shape and ready to play in the 2013 season, it sure is
good to have him back. Number 2: You know who else is good to have back? Pedro Martinez. No Pedro is not making a comeback, but he is working with the Sox as a special coach and pitching instructor. Martinez has been very active so far in camp watching bullpen sessions and having some one-onone conversations with the pitching staff. Pedro has been assigned to work with Doubront, the promising young lefty, to help him further his career and mature as a pitcher. Pedro may not be back on the mound firing fastballs and tossing that magical changeup of his, but it sure is good to have him back.
good work on the effort. It will be tough to convince the fans in Boston that he is worthy of cheers rather than boos, but given time I think he’ll prove himself to be a valuable addition to the rotation.
who want to take it up a notch, Jose Iglesias wants to prove that he has earned the starting job over Stephen Drew. “Iggy” showed up to camp about 10 lbs. heavier haVing worked out hard over the winter to gain some muscle mass to add some more pop in his bat. He certainly seemed to have made the proper adjustments, he has looked great so far in BP and managed to launch a rocket over the faux Green Monster in his first at bat of Spring Training.
Number 5: Last on our list: the new kids are all right. Newcomers David Ross, Jonny Gomes, Stephen Drew, and Shane Victorino all have made a big impression on the media thus far. Number 3: John Lackey lost Gomes and Ross suited up 20 pounds over the winter getlike a pair of regular hicks ting in shape for the season. and went “gator hunting” the Lackey showed up looking other week, while Victorino more like Buchholz than the seems to have a permanent Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.org chicken and beer ringleader we smile wherever he goes. Drew last saw in 2011. Lackey is a Jose Iglesias hopes to prove that he has continues to remind us how what it takes to be the starting shortfierce competitor and you can different he is than his brother stop in 2013. bet that he set out this offseaJ.D. which shows he’ll fit in son to get ready for a season just fine. Nothing of news and prove something to the Fenconcerning funny-man Ryan way faithful. I say good luck and Number 4: Speaking of players Dempster, but that could just be
because he’s working on a Joe Castiglione impression for the fans. Dishonorable mentions: Ortiz who injured his Achilles tendon last August has had a slow recovery and will take a while to get better after his injury. The official report has him taking BP with the team but he is not yet cleared to run the bases just yet. Relief pitcher Craig Breslow was experiencing shoulder pain early in Spring Training and has yet to be fully relieved of his symptoms. A recent MRI showed that the inflammation went down but he has not gotten back to a throwing program. Lastly, as good as this team is in terms of depth (they have three backup first basemen) they still need a backup third basemen. Middlebrooks is a solid player, but chances are he won’t play every 162 games this season, the problem is that the only backup the Sox have is Pedro Ciriaco who also plays short, second, and outfield. That’s it for Spring Training updates, we’ll keep you posted throughout the remainder of the winter!