Friday, February 19, 2021 eNewspaper

The

TANGERINE

FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

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UC students react to student loan forgiveness plan updates

Something Rotten! coming to UC

Fontaine announces athletic competition to resume this semester

NEWS | PG. 4

FEATURES | PG. 6

SPORTS | PG. 9

Hockey is back at Utica College

Photo: syracuse.com

Photo: Observer Dispatch ABIN BORIS SPORTS EDITOR It had been almost a full year since Utica College last played hockey within the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Over the past weekend, however, that wait finally ended.

Both the men’s and women’s teams hit the ice over the weekend as the men’s team opened with two exhibition games against the United States U-17 National Team while the women’s team opened their regular season with a back-to-back set against Castleton University.

The two teams found similar outcomes as they each split their series against their respective opponents.

In their first bout against Castleton, the women’s team put up a strong effort but fell in regulation to the Spartans in a 2-1 battle.

In the loss, Freshman Carly Stefanini was able to net the first goal of her collegiate career and ultimately the only goal of the game for the Pioneers.

The Spartans were able to squeak by the Pioneers after a power-play goal in the 2nd period ended up becoming the gamewinning goal.

Utica came back the next day with a lot more energy and offense as they put up a five-spot against the Spartans to win by a score of 5-1 to give the Pioneers their first win of the season.

Four Utica skaters were able to pot goals with Stefanini scoring two of the five goals in the game.

After this weekend set of games for the team, there looks to be an incredible amount of promise and potential for the team who is coming off of a down year where they posted a record of 9-16-1. This

Claudia Tenney wins NY-22 race

potential with the infusion of new young players is something Head Coach Dave Clausen finds optimistic at the start of the season.

“We have great depth and a good mix of players,” he said. “We also have a good group of young talented freshmen and sophomores.”

As for the men’s team, they were able to come away with a victory in their first game back by a score of 6-5 after Brett Everson tallied his third point of the game late in the 3rd period on the power play to help lift the pioneers past the US U-17 team.

The Pioneers were not able to carry over any of the momenta from the night before as they were silenced in the second game by a score of 3-0.

Although it was an SEE HOCKEY PG. 9

BAILEY HRYB MANAGING EDITOR

deep divisions that exist in our country.”

More than three months after polling centers closed on Election Day last year, New York’s 22nd congressional district finally has a winner. According to data certified by the New York State Board of Elections, Republican challenger Claudia Tenney has officially won the NY-22 race, defeating Democratic incumbent Anthony Brindisi.

Tenney remained victorious by a small margin of 109 votes over Brindisi.

The margin between the two contenders was so slim that it took multiple recounts over a span of months to finalize a winner.

“Today I congratulated Claudia Tenney and offered to make the transition process as smooth as possible on behalf of our community,” Brindisi said in a concession statement released on Feb. 8.

“I hope that she will be a Representative for all the people of this district, not just those that agree with her point of view, and work with members of both parties to heal the

The NY-22 district is comprised of Chenango, Courtland, Madison and Oneida counties and contains parts of Broome, Herkimer, Oswego and Tioga counties. It encapsulates towns and cities as north as Boonville and as south as Binghamton.

Tenney, who was the elected congresswoman of the NY-22 district between 2016 and 2018, started out with a large lead over Brindisi as election night came to a close.

SEE TENNEY PG. 3

STAFF PAGE 2

FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

SPRING 2021 STAFF

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Editor-In-Chief - Nick McAdam Layout Editor - Stephen Clark Managing Editor - Bailey Hryb Assistant News Editor - Hannah Steyn Features Editor - Rebekah Hedeen Assistant Features Editor - Hope Russo Sports Editor - Abin Boris Assistant Sports Editor - Matt Breault Special Assignments Reporter - Isabella Hudziak General Assignments Reporter - Robert Stevens Photographer - Alexandria Leland Social Media Manager - Alyssa McKenna Cartoonist - Alyssa McKenna YouTube - Brooke Riscica Copy Editor - Gianna Cognetti Tangerine Clerk - Jama Joseph Advisor - Mary Christopher

About The Tangerine is published weekly during the academic year by and for Utica College students. To reach a member of the staff, email tangerine@utica.edu or call 315-792-3065. All material printed in The Tangerine is copyrighted. The Tangerine was first published as the Utica College News on Nov. 6, 1946.

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NEWS

PAGE 3 FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

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Many glad to be back at UC

Photo: Alyssa McKenna TENNEY FROM PG. 1 As the votes started to roll in, the winning seat began to teeter back and forth between the two, with it eventually landing in Tenney’s favor over three months later.

“I am honored to have won this race,” Tenney said in a recent statement.

“It was a hard-fought campaign and I thank Anthony Brindisi for his service.”

The NY-22 race, which was the last in the nation to be certified, was “riddled with errors,” according to Brindisi. From improper markings of candidate challenges to mishandled sticky notes that identified certain votes, the counting process did not go as smoothly as planned.

Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte denied Brindisi’s request for a hand recount prior to Tenney’s certification.

“My one disappointment is that the court did not see fit to grant us a recount,” Brindisi said. “Sadly, we may never know how many legal voters were turned away at the polls or ballots not counted due to the ineptitude of the boards of election,

especially in Oneida County. My hope is some authority steps in and investigates the massive disenfranchisement of voters that took place during this election.”

Tenney will be sworn in during the middle of a pandemic that is sure to challenge her abilities as an elected official. Oneida County specifically has seen both a tremendous uptick in COVID-19 cases as well as a slight downturn in the past few months. Nonetheless, the region is far from being in the clear when it comes to public health concerns.

“I think it is important that she work towards getting meaningful COVID relief for the district,” said Dr. Daniel Tagliarina, associate professor of political science. “Many have been hit hard in the area, and in the country more generally, and she could do a lot by working with the Democrats who control Congress to make sure relief packages are passed.”

A date for Tenney’s swear in has not been set yet. Brindisi has said prior to the results that he was planning on running again in 2022.

Photo: Utica College Instagram HANNAH STEYN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Following last semester’s largely online/ hybrid class setup, an overwhelming number of Utica College students expressed a desire to be back on campus, learning in person. As such, UC is offering as many courses as possible onground, while still trying to maintain COVID-19 guidelines.

However, even with many classes returning to on-ground, professors are still having to change their way of teaching to accommodate students who are taking their classes online.

“It’s not as easy as an online/on-ground distinction,” Professor Leonore Fleming said.

“Everything has very much meshed together, and so it gets complicated because you’re teaching online and on-ground, even with on-ground classes, because we’re trying to accommodate

students who can’t come to class.”

Fleming said that making everything versatile enough to accommodate students, like trying to make sure that students have multiple ways to get the information like video lectures, other videos, live Zoom, things to read, has been very time-consuming.

She said it requires a lot more attention to detail and willingness to change plans at moment’s notice.

Despite all these additional obstacles, Fleming is thrilled to be back to teaching some classes on-ground.

“I prefer being onground 1000% - I feel like I’m a much better teacher in person,” Fleming said.

“There’s something about standing up in front of a classroom that really helps. Even if we’re distanced, wearing a mask and I have faulty technology, I just feel like more of a teacher. It helps me get excited – even if my students are tired in

front of me – just having them there and having their energy really helps.”

Fleming said that by doing classes over Zoom, she doesn’t get the same feeling and the same feedback as she does in person.

Sofia Westling, a Finnish exchange student from Åbo Akademi University, said that she too was excited to be returning to on-ground classes.

“It’s been great,” Westling said. “It’s a lot more exciting to go to class in an actual classroom than to sit at your desk in front of your laptop. You get to see people in person, and it motivates me a lot more than sitting here in my sweats and listening to the professor.”

Senior Elma Selimovic said that often technical difficulties make participating online difficult.

“In person, I’m fine with answering questions SEE UC PG. 5

NEWS PAGE 4

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Utica College students react to updates regarding the student loan forgiveness plan NICK MCADAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The latest student loan debt statistics indicated a number of $1.56 trillion in collective student loan debt which is second in consumer debt totals only behind mortgage debt, yet higher than auto and credit card loans. The average debt collection for students in 2018 was $29,200 for the Class of 2018, according to Forbes writer Zack Friedman, which was a 2% increase from the previous year.

Now, Democrats are devising a plan to forgive up to $50,000 in loans per student. This would make a reported 14.4 million borrowers completely debt-free. This number has increased since President Joseph Biden’s previous statement saying that he wanted $10,000 in loans per student canceled.

Both Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have called for executive action, according to CNBC writer Annie Nova, with Warren specifically stating student debt forgiveness as “the single most effective economic stimulus that is available through executive action.”

Schumer has recently pushed to cancel $50,000 per student. If the amount were $10,000 per student, the outstanding education debt in the United States would fall to $1.3 trillion, while $50,000 would decrease that amount to around $700 million. To add on, the plan would completely erase federal debt for 80% of borrowers.

“I think there is a decent

chance he issues some loan forgiveness through executive action, perhaps starting with the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program,” Political Science Professor Luke Perry said. “This wellintentioned program, which I’m in, has been a total mess, yet the pandemic has sparked significant changes and reforms that might provoke long-term policy consequences, like debt elimination.”

On Feb. 4, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “Our team is reviewing whether there are any steps he can take through executive action and he would welcome the opportunity to sign a bill sent to him by Congress.”

Some publications have indicated the possibility of a tax bomb for borrowers, who may have to pay a sort of income tax as if the amount forgiven would be earned. However, writer Adam Minsky still indicates that this could be a plus for borrowers, who would pay less overall through tax rather than the full payment of their respective loan.

This initiative has recently come after the Biden administration indicated a third wave of the COVID-19 stimulus package, which, this time around, would include college students still labeled as dependent on their parent’s recent tax filings.

Opponents argue reduced cash flow, particularly over the course of the next five years. In a study from the Committee for a Responsible Federal

NEWS

PAGE 5 FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

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Insurrection Series: Political impacts of the Capitol riots

the promise of landing good-paying jobs at the end of it,” she said. “That promise has been broken.”

The plan also affects Hawley, whose father is deep into the stock market.

Photo: Time/Illustrated by Alyssa McKenna Budget, eliminating $1.5 trillion in student loan debt would translate to $90 billion less to spend in 2021 and $450 billion less over the next five years.

This is in proportion to capping loan forgiveness amounts by either $10,000 or $50,000.

“All public money comes from the same place: tax revenues,” Perry said.

“Federal spending decisions are all always difficult. There are countless needs with various perspectives on what should be prioritized and only so much money different parties and members of Congress are comfortable spending.”

Opponents also argue about setting an example.

Perry also noted, among the older generation, as an example, that they paid for their own college and/ or paid for their children’s education and that current borrowers should be able to do the same. However, he indicated that the rise in college costs could be a direct challenge to this argument.

For those at Utica College, tuition costs around $10,000, which does not include fees.

Most students living on-

campus also have to pay charges of $3,000 for food and their room. Those choosing to live offcampus substitute their charge of room and board with rent, coming with various expenses and monthly payments.

However, Perry is also surprised about how perspectives on student loan forgiveness have changed or widened over the past few years.

“We are now in a situation under unified Democratic government where there is a real possibility of serious debt elimination,” he said. “I did not anticipate this as little as a month ago, prior to the Georgia run-off elections, which secured Democratic control of the Senate.”

Those in favor of the initiative, such as Animal Science major Katherine Hawley have indicated a societal emphasis on pursuing higher education. Hawley was raised in central Iowa, where, according to her, it is looked down upon to not attend college.

“So a lot of students who couldn’t afford to go to school did anyways, with

“Although I do come from a place of privilege, my family is upper middle class and white, my college fund was in the market,” she said. “With the stock fluctuations over the summer, my plan for paying for school has pretty much disappeared, forcing me to take out loans I was not planning on when I decided to travel across the country and attend a private liberal arts school.”

Former student Shane Walpole indicates government spending in other sectors, such as oil.

The timing of this initiative is what stands out to him the most.

“It’s coming at a time where the government is passing Covid relief to boost the economy, all while cutting various money-making initiatives such as the Keystone pipeline forcing the oil industry down to go to other sources of energy and forcing the US to rely more on other countries for oil,” Walpole said. “I’m no expert but it’s evident the administration is spending large sums of money on this by inserting a trillion dollars into various parts of the economy.”

Since Psaki’s Tweet on Feb. 4, President Biden’s administration seems to have not provided updated comments regarding the new plan.

UC FROM PG.3 and giving an opinion,” Selimovic said.

“Especially because in business classes, we’re encouraged to engage in conversation rather than just listen and take notes, which is so much easier in person.”

Westling said that she’s noticed she is able to focus better now that her classes are on-ground, because when she’s in class, there isn’t the easy distraction of picking up a phone.

Photo: Charles Buckley CHARLES BUCKLEY STAFF WRITER The seventh talk on protest and democracy in the United States titled “The Impact of the Capitol Insurrection on the Modern Presidency and U.S. Elections,” took place on Feb. 11 and was presented by Luke Perry, professor of political science at Utica College.

About 35 people attended this talk via Zoom with more watching through Facebook Live.

Throughout January and February, UC’s Center for Historical Research and History and Political Science departments hosted eight speaker events that focused on historical, political and legal themes to help contextualize what transpired to cause the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

In order to understand how significant the riot was, Perry pointed back as far as 1608 to explain what slowly led to a twoparty system and how that political system slowly divided.

Significant demographic change happened over the last several decades and there have been different normative views on immigration.

“Some view changing demographics of America as a source of improvement and strength for the country while others look at it as a liability and a sign of deterioration,” Perry said. “The status of America’s white majority is unraveling like never before and I think this is contributing to a social climate that is ripe for extremism and unrest and is one lens through which to help understand the Capital insurrection.”

Americans can better understand the paradox that happened between U.S. political ideals and historical experiences by examining three factors: the country’s framers and founders were a product of their environment and the times, compromising by keeping slavery was necessary to keep the union intact and people are motivated by power and money.

As the United States continued to grow and modernize, it adopted a somewhat conservative political culture, which includes examples such as individual freedom, constitutionalism and even limited government.

Moving forward to the present day, he said everything together shaped how the parties evolved and how their views came to be different.

Addressing the presentday situation, former President Donald Trump became forefront in the conversation due to the insurrection at the Capitol and the extremism that rose during his presidency.

Hyper partisanship increases the propensity of demonization, dehumanization, unrest and violence.

Many who stormed the Capitol last month believed the election was stolen from Trump.

According to Perry, most partisans view the other side as “closed-minded.”

A majority of Republicans also view Democrats as

“unpatriotic.”

Perry considers Trump “an infamously consequential president, which is kind of remarkable because usually, oneterm presidencies are not that significant. Yet, Donald Trump will be remembered in U.S. presidential history, most notably for being impeached twice.”

After the presentation, History Professor Sherri Cash asked Perry how he would advise both parties, but Republicans in particular, on how to move forward since Republicans have a problem with extremism in the party.

“The best thing the Republicans could do is remove the extremist party protestors,” Perry said “However the Democrats are harder to revise since they have more of a unified front.”

Anyone interested in listening to the talk can view the recording on the Center for Historical Research’s Facebook page.

“Being in person forces you to put your phone away for 75 minutes and just listen, which works so much better for me when I want to learn more,” Westling said. “It’s amazing to be in person, and to meet all these people with different opinions, the interaction in class is more natural when you’re actually sitting in a classroom, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of that.”

Despite the general preference for on-ground classes, there are still some positives that have arisen from pandemic teaching methods.

“I do like that we have the option to log in online if we can’t make it in person,” Selimovic said.

“Like if a student has car troubles or isn’t feeling great, but they still don’t want to miss that class, it’s great to be able to still attend virtually.”

Fleming said that the past few semesters have made her teaching style more easy-going.

“Whatever happens, happens,” she said. “In the fall, I tried to plan and schedule everything and I watched that all change and fall apart, so this semester I’m more like ‘let’s try this and if it doesn’t work, we’ll get through it all together.’”

FEATURES PAGE 6

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FEATURES PAGE 7 FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021 ROTTEN FROM PG. 7

Something Rotten! coming to Utica College

Kristin Palazolli will be crafting custom masks for the characters that will contain clear sections for visible mouth movements and the set will be reminiscent of a town square during the Renaissance.

Jason Francey, the assistant director of college engagement, will be adding Something Rotten! to his repertoire of directing. As the director, he has a hand in casting and the creative process

of breathing life into the script.

“I focus on two things: character development and spatial relationship,” Francey said.

“The cast will spend about three rehearsals sitting at a table and getting the personality of the character and voice down.

When we transition to the stage, it’s like a game of chess: making sure the actors are in positions that if someone took a picture at any moment, you can get the gist of what’s happening.”

The show will be promoted with posters across campus with an extra emphasis on the digital aspect. Hearkening back to pre-COVID theatre roots, Something Rotten! will have stickers and t-shirts for the cast and crew. For the audience, promotional material will be scattered across the next few weeks before the show airs from April 22 to April 24.

“I have a few promo videos that are going to be a lot of fun coming

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out over the next couple of weeks,” teased Public Relations Intern Hannah DeStefano. “We’re going to do fun bloopers and introductions, too.”

Salvaggio has used fragments of Something Rotten! in her theatre classes for a movement exercise. The amateur licensing rights, which apply to Utica College’s theatre program, were released last February.

After hosting several productions that spotlighted death, the theatre department

wanted to put on something more lighthearted.

“This show has a few themes, but the two that feel incredibly appropriate are 1. ‘Do what is true to you and do it with love.’ and 2. ‘When life gives you eggs, make an omelet,’” said Salvaggio. “That first one especially seems to address a certain void in loving those other than ourselves that has led to some troubling situations in our country during this time.”

CARTOONS Illustration:Alyssa Mckenna Photo: Isabella Hudziak ISABELLA HUDZIAK SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS REPORTER “Announcing auditions for Something Rotten! the musical at Utica College!

We have been given permission to do a COVID safe in-person musical that will be recorded and streamed online for viewing!” proclaimed a post on Utica College Theatre’s Facebook page on Jan. 28. The post introduced Director Jason Francey, Music Director Lynne Ferrara and Choreographer Sophia Hartnett. The auditions, which were completely digital, were accepted between posting and Feb. 10.

The audition materials, which contained two separate audition tracks for speaking roles and

dance ensemble, were included in a link on the Facebook post. The audition period, which ran the span of two weeks, was to ensure that students could have enough time to practice the material before submission. Auditioners were required to sign in with their Utica College credentials to gain access due to COVID restrictions on community involvement.

Last semester, Utica College sponsored the War of the Worlds radio play in lieu of a regular in-person play. Practices were held via Zoom and actors, separated into different rooms, were recorded with microphones on air.

“The biggest hurdle to pass in getting approval was feeling confident

enough that we’d come up with a reasonably ‘COVID-proof’ way to make it happen,” said Faculty Theater Director Laura Salvaggio. “There were also some hurdles of making sure we had all the people we might need to do this show without the involvement of people outside of UC, because of the way we have had to secure campus for COVID safety.”

“There will also be a scheduled show where the audience can participate in a chat box conversation with actors and crew,” Salvaggio said. “While we are going to miss having a live audience in the room with us, there are advantages in how this platform will allow us to perform for our family and old friends across the country.”

While the Fall 2020 play was funded by the Allin4UC donation campaign, the musical will be selling tickets.

The rights to Something Rotten! are licensed by MTI, which has a sister company that uses the “ShowTix4U” platform.

Discounted student tickets will be available for $10, while general admission prices are staged at $25 and $40.

The musical will have a traditional crew to expose students to the real-life stage shows in the theatre career field. However, with the digital platform being utilized, Gabriella Hudziak, a senior studying communications and creativity, is assisting as video production manager. Those who work on the Something Rotten! project will be eligible to take the one-

credit theatre practicum class.

“We will minimize the numbers we need and are likely to have some crew that would usually be in the tiny tech booth located in a bigger space, but the crew will exist and they will play their part,” said Salvaggio.

Despite auditions being submitted digitally, practices will be inperson. The cast and crew will be tested weekly as a collective rather than separately throughout the week. In order to maintain safety, the practices will be spread across a classroom and the theatre. Social distancing will be employed during production, which allows for some creativity.

Costume Designer SEE ROTTEN PG. 8

SPORTS PAGE 8

FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

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A student’s guide: Everything that happened in the NHL over break MATT ROBINSON STAFF WRITER

interesting in expanding its reach to west coast markets, especially with the success of the Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks in the past decade.

It was only a few months removed from when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in September, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games. In a different playoff format than usual, due to the pandemic, the playoffs were set in hub cities including both Toronto and Edmonton.

After the success of the playoffs, primarily due to the absence of COVID-19 cases, the NHL and the players association opted to spread the league to its usual locations across North America but kept teams in strict playing divisions.

In these divisions, the same seven-to-nine teams will play each other throughout the season, with cross-divisional play being restricted until the playoffs.

The divisions consist of the North Division; occupying teams from Canada only, the Central Division; including a mixture of teams from the midwest and the southern portions of the United States, the West Division; with teams from the west of the United States and vice versa with the East Division.

With no preseason games this season, the NHL and the NHLPA agreed on a 56-game regular season.

No comments have been made about the format of the postseason, though it is clear that the top four teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs with the first seed and the fourth seed matched up in the playoffs, while the remaining second and third seed will play each

Photo: CBS Sports other.

At this moment in time, it is still unclear whether the NHL and league commissioner Gary Bettman will elect for the hub city format for this year’s postseason, but the chances of it happening still remain high.

Other organizational changes include the addition of team sponsorship logos being added to players’ helmets.

Also, as was the case with the playoffs, no spectators will be allowed aside from limited attendance for teams such as the Florida Panthers, Lighting, Arizona Coyotes and the Stars. Other teams looking to profit on fan revenues are currently turning to public health officials and the NHL for approval.

In case of emergency, which is influenced by COVID-19 protocol, the league will set up arenas for neutral sight venues.

Each team is allowed a taxi squad of four-to-six players who will be able to practice and travel with the team if necessary.

NHL Draft

The stage was also set for the current season with a slew of offseason moves, starting with the NHL Draft in early October.

The draft was held in New Jersey this season with no in-person attendance.

As with recent trends in the past decade with the league, the NHL inducted another lottery for this year’s draft with the New York Rangers selecting first overall.

With that pick, the Rangers selected QMJHL forward and highlytouted prospect Alexis Lafreniere. The selection was followed by the selection of Canadian center Quinton Byfield to the Los Angeles Kings and then German forward Tim Stutzle to the Ottawa Senators, who had an impressive World Junior Championship display in December.

At the moment, Stutzle leads the top three picks in scoring with four goals and two assists in 12 games.

Trades and Free Agency In the market, only nine trades have happened since Oct. 12, headlined by a blockbuster deal

between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets.

The Jackets sent young center Pierre Luc-Dubois, who made it clear to the team and media that he wanted out of Columbus, for a return of Patrik Laine and Columbus-native, Jack Roslovic.

A wealth of free-agent signings have occurred within the offseason period, however, with veteran goalies Braden Holtby, Henrik Lundqvist and Matt Murray moving to different teams. Though Lundqvist did sign with the Washington Capitals, heart surgery kept him off the ice and eventually forced him into retirement.

Players such as 43-yearold Zdeno Chara, Corey Perry, Mike Hoffman and Alex Galchenyuk all found new teams.

The Lightning, the defending Stanley Cup champions, opted to resign a few players critical to their success last season, including Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak and Anthony Cirelli.

Expansion The league has expressed

Specifically, the NHL has targeted Seattle as its destination, and in 2018, the decision to put a team in that market was made official, with an investment from majority owners with the Seattle Expansion Group, David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tod Leiweke.

Fast forward to this past year, Seattle announced the team name Kraken, revealed the team jerseys, colors. Next season, the league will host another expansion draft, forcing teams to expose players from their current roster for the Kraken to select.

The team will also play at Climate Pledge Arena, a $980 million investment with naming rights being bought by Amazon in June of last year. As the name suggests, the arena will be the first zero-carbon stadium in the world that will be powered by renewable energy.

Current Standings The race for the playoffs began when the shortened season started. Currently, playoff rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins lead the league standings. Although the Buffalo Sabres invested in former MVP Taylor Hall in the offseason, the team only has 10 points in the standings, only better than the Senators and the Detroit Red Wings, who are placed last right now.

SPORTS

PAGE 9 FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021 HOCKEY FROM PG. 1 exhibition game and none of the stats will be counted for anything, it is worth noting that this was the first loss the Pioneers have been dealt since Dec. 6, 2019. The 3-0 loss is the first time Utica has been shut out in a loss since March 5, 2016, when they fell 5-0 against Hobart College.

This season will operate under different circumstances due to COVID-19 protocol. This includes the fact that no fans are allowed inside the rink this season. This is a big loss for both teams, especially the men’s team who have averaged the highest home attendance for any DIII program for 15 straight seasons.

Anybody who is looking to watch throughout the season will have to go to the live stream broadcasted by Utica College and the sports department. You can access this feature by going to ucpioneers.com and clicking on either men’s or women’s hockey schedule, scrolling to the game you are looking for and clicking on “watch” and that will bring you directly to the live stream of the game.

Star forward and last year’s UCHC CoPlayer of the Year, Connor Landrigan, who is entering his fourth season with the Pioneers knows just how impactful the fans can be during a home game and since they will not be around this year he understands that things will feel a little different.

“I think a lack of fans definitely affects the energy playing in the Aud,” he said. “ We no longer have that extra push that can help sway

momentum game.”

during

a

With the memories of last year’s historic run and eventual disappointing end due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pioneers are going to have to put aside the heartbreak and get prepared for a hockey season like no other.

Brandon Osmundson, who in his first season racked up 42 points (13G 29A) on his way to earning UCHC Freshman of the Year is confident the team can find themselves in the same position come the end of the season.

“I am confident that our team has another great opportunity to not just win the UCHC regular-season title but also the playoff title as well,” he said. “After playing Team USA U17 this past weekend in two exhibition games, there were many positives we can take out of those games moving forward that will help us prepare for the start of conference games.”

It has been a long time since Utica fans and athletes have been able to enjoy hockey here at Utica College but the time has finally come and everyone involved should be excited and honored that we have finally arrived at this point.

“We’ve waited so long to play and so many teams aren’t playing that I feel lucky to have the ability to play,” Landrigan said. “I think everyone is very excited to play and make another run at the league championship.”

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Fontaine announces athletic competition to resume this semester EMILY JOSS STAFF WRITER On Jan. 9 the UC studentathlete community received an email from Director of Athletics Dave Fontaine describing much of what the athletes can expect in their one-of-akind upcoming season.

Fontaine announced the Empire 8’s intentions to begin conference play during the spring semester for teams from all three seasons.

The tentative start and end dates were provided as follows: • Fall sports- including men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and volleyball will compete from March 6 through April 25 • Winter sports teams that consist of men’s and women’s basketball, indoor track and field and swimming and diving will begin their season on March 1 and will conclude on April 11 • Spring sports including baseball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, outdoor track and field, softball and men’s tennis will begin their respective seasons as originally scheduled.

The start date for the water polo team is still yet to be determined by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

Additionally, Fontaine’s letter marked the start of UC’s men’s and women’s hockey as Feb. 19.

Photo: ucpioneers.com However, as per the Utica Pioneers website, this date has since changed to Feb 11 and 13 respectively, where the men’s team will host the US Under-17 National Team and the women’s team will open their season at Elmira College.

As this is the first time in Utica College history that the conference will be providing competition for all 26 teams in one season, Dave Fontaine said it took an “all hands on deck” approach.

“The credit for the game schedules goes to the Empire 8 Conference, United Collegiate Hockey Conference, Collegiate Water Polo Association and Northeast Women’s Golf Conference,” said Fontaine, giving credit to respective conferences for determining the schedules.

Even yet, games and preseason practice would not be possible without much help from all the teams’ coaches and the entire athletic department assisting in “a cross sport effort” to make this season possible.

“Game day management is handled by Jim Murnane (associate AD with responsibility for game management), Laurel Simer (sports information director) and Chris Warner (head athletic trainer),” Fontaine said. “They provide game worker staff, sports information coverage and medical coverage.”

Prior to returning to campus, all studentathletes were required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result that would be uploaded to a Student Health Portal and COVID-19 Test Data Survey.

The PDF description of student-athlete testing during the spring semester is vague, stating only that, “studentathletes will be required to participate in regular surveillance pooled saliva PCR testing,” and detailed information is to follow.

It is now understood that COVID testing both here at UC and across the Empire 8 conference is “in compliance with all NCAA recommendations,” as stated by Fontaine.

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SPORTS

PAGE 10 FRIDAY, FEB. 19 2021

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Daytona 500: Underdog Michael McDowell earns first career win The 63rd annual Daytona 500 had a little bit of everything on Sunday, Feb. 14. For NASCAR fans around the world, they got to witness all sorts of crashes, weather delays and arguably one of the biggest Cinderella stories in the history of the sport.

Then, following this melee came the weather delay.

NASCAR fans in Daytona had to wait a near 5 hours and 40 minutes for the heavy rain, lightning storms and golfball-sized hail to go away before the race resumed around 9:00 p.m. ET. After the race resumed, it seemingly was the Denny Hamlin show as the No. 11 FedEx Camry dominated the first two stages while leading a race-high 98 of 200 laps until a pit road strategy derailed his attempt at becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win three-straight Daytona 500’s. Hamlin would go on to finish 5th, continuing his streak of six consecutive top5 finishes on NASCAR’s two superspeedways.

Just like the majority of Daytona 500 finishes, it all came down to a last-lap pass. Down the backstretch, Penske

UC requires studentathletes to test three times every week.

Although many athletes initially feel that three tests appear to be excessive, they are also aware that testing like this is exactly what has to be done to play the games they love.

MATT BREAULT ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On lap 14, “The Great American Race” saw its first “big one” as Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota made offcentered contact with Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford, triggering a massive 16-car pileup.

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“I’m really happy with the way that UC is testing everyone, especially athletes multiple times a week, allowing us to do the things we love,” junior softball player Kaitlyn Paul said. “Yes, it can be annoying but they are putting all efforts into helping us play the sports we love while also keeping us safe.”

Photo: Jared C. Tilton at Getty Images teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski were in first and second, followed by Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott.

After a big run for Keselowski, he connected with his teammate Logano causing them both to spin out, creating a fiery multi-car wreck heading into turn three on the final lap. NASCAR immediately turned on the caution lights to end the race and ensure the safety of the drivers.

When the caution lights came on and the caution flag flew, McDowell was ahead of Elliott by a carlength, giving McDowell not only the race lead but the race win early Monday morning.

With this win, McDowell earned his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory in his 14th season and 358th career start.

McDowell’s 358 career starts were the second-

most in series history by a driver before their first win; behind Michael Waltrip, who had 463 career starts before winning the unforgettable 2001 Daytona 500.

After the 36-year-old Daytona 500 champion climbed out of his damaged No. 34 Love’s Mustang for FRM, he was overcome with emotion.

“I just can’t believe it,” McDowell said to Fox Sports NASCAR reporter Jamie Little. “I’ve got to thank God. So many years of just grinding it out, hoping for an opportunity like this. I’ve got to thank (team owner) Bob Jenkins for giving me this opportunity. I’m so thankful.”

With this historic victory at 100-1 odds, McDowell became the eighth driver in NASCAR history to earn their first career win during the Daytona 500, despite only leading the final lap.

2021 Daytona 500 Results Pos. Driver 1. Michael McDowell

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Chase Elliott Austin Dillon Kevin Harvick Denny Hamlin Ryan Preece Ross Chastain Jamie McMurray Corey LaJoie Kyle Larson Cole Custer Joey Logano Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch Austin Cindric Christopher Bell Darrell Wallace Jr. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chase Briscoe Joey Gase Cody Ware Kurt Busch BJ McLeod Josh Bilicki Martin Truex Jr. William Byron Tyler Reddick Kaz Grala Quin Houff Ryan Blaney Chris Buescher Anthony Alfredo Matt DiBenedetto Aric Almirola Alex Bowman Daniel Suarez David Ragan Ryan Newman Erik Jones Derrike Cope

For many athletes it has been well over a year since they’ve been able to compete, so most of them are willing to do whatever it takes to get back in the pool, or step back out onto the field, the court or the ice.

“It feels really good to be back on the field and in the classroom with my friends and teammates,” junior lacrosse player Josh Bennett said. “UC is doing their best to keep us all safe and it’s showing considering many schools are online and not playing sports at all.”

Fontaine expressed a special thank you to many individuals across the campus, including coaches, who have volunteered their time at the COVID testing site in Streble Student Center.

“Their efforts have been successfully guided

by VP for Emergency Management Shad Crowe through the support and direction of President Casamento,” he said.