Sports & Leisure Magazine - Buffalo Winter 2015

SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINEPage 2 Jan/Feb 2015

By Charles Roberts

On Jan. 12 the Buffalo

Bills on Jan. 12 announced

Rex Ryan as head coach, the

18th in franchise history.

Ryan’s deal is reportedly

worth $27.5 million over

the course of five years.

The 52-year-old Ryan –

the son of longtime NFL

head coach Buddy Ryan – is

well known for his highly

confident, larger-than-life

personality. And more

importantly for Bills fans,

he’s the same guy who once

said: “I never came here to

kiss [New England Patriots

head coach] Bill Belichick’s

rings. I came here to win;

let’s put it that way. I’m cer-

tainly not intimidated by

New England or anybody

else.”

“Following an extensive

search, we are pleased today

to announce that Rex Ryan

is our new head coach,”

Bills owner Terry Pegula

said in a statement. “Rex

brings a wealth of experi-

ence and enthusiasm to the

position that we feel will be

a tremendous benefit to our

players and the entire Bills

organization. He was very

impressive during the inter-

view process, as were many

of the candidates to which

we spoke, and we feel Rex is

the best fit for our team. We

look forward to his leader-

ship and expertise in direct-

ing our team to

the playoffs

and bringing a

championship

to Buffalo for

our fans.”

Ryan joins

the Bills after

spending the

last six seasons

as the head

coach for the

New York Jets.

The 2015 sea-

son will be

Ryan’s 19th in

the NFL.

Ryan ranked

third in Jets

history with 50

wins (regular

season and

pos t season) .

His 4-2 record

in the postseason was the best in

franchise history. Ryan led the

Jets to the AFC Championship

game in each of his first two

years in New York.

From 2009-2014, the Jets

ranked first in the NFL in pass-

ing yards allowed (204.3), oppo-

nent completion percentage

(55.7), opponent first downs

(1,667) and yards allowed per

defensive play (4.9). The Jets

ranked second in total yards

allowed per game (306.9).

Prior to his time with the Jets,

Ryan coached on the Baltimore

Ravens’ defensive staff. In 2000,

he served as the defensive line

coach for the Super Bowl XXXV

champion Ravens. He spent his

Ryan brings the bravado for the Bills

final four seasons in Baltimore

as the defensive coordinator,

guiding the Ravens to finish

second (2008), sixth (2007),

first (2006) and fifth (2005) in

total defense. In 2006,

Baltimore allowed only 201

points and 264 yards per game

as Ryan was named NFL

Assistant Coach of the Year by

Pro Football Weekly and the

Pro Football Writers

Association.

Ryan was born in Ardmore,

Okla. He and his wife,

Michelle, have two sons,

Payton – named in honor of

NFL Hall of Famer Walter

Payton – and Seth.

By Charles Roberts

Before we totally jump to

conclusions, let’s set the record

straight: If the season kicked

off today, EJ Manuel is the

starting quarterback for the

Buffalo Bills.

The 2015 season, however,

is more than seven months

away and the writing is on just

about every possible wall at

Ralph Wilson Stadium. The

Bills will most likely add one

or possibly two quarterbacks

to the roster by training camp,

according to general manager

Doug Whaley.

“By sheer numbers, we’re

going to have to add one,

maybe two more,” Whaley

said of the Bills’ quarterback

situation. “But that’s some-

thing that we’re going to go

through with a finetooth comb

and see if we can figure it out.”

The burning question

remains: Who are the candi-

dates?

After yet another missed

season due to injury, the St.

Louis Rams’ Sam Bradford is a

name that continues to pop up

as a potential starter for a

handful of quarterback-needy

teams. There is just one prob-

lem: Unless he’s traded or

released – which is definitely a

possibility – Bradford, once

considered the Rams’ future as

the top pick in the 2010 draft,

is still under contract in St.

Louis. He is scheduled to earn

about $16.6 in the final year of

his mega rookie deal.

Other names that have been

tossed around freely are the

Chicago Bears’ Jay Cutler and

Washington’s Robert Griffin

III. But much like Bradford,

both Cutler and Griffin III

remain under contract at pres-

ent.

So, let’s take a look at a

handful of quarterbacks who

are set to become unrestricted

free agents:

Mark Sanchez, 28, did a

decent job this season as a

member of the Philadelphia

Eagles – going 4-4 as a starter

– to help erase ghosts of the

infamous “Butt Fumble” past

from the tail end (no pun

intended) of his time with the

New York Jets. Sanchez, the

No. 5 selection in the 2009

NFL Draft, played in a similar

situation in New York to that

of the current Bills team – a

stout defense with offensive

woes – and managed to guide

the Jets to a pair of AFC

Championship games. With

his former coach, Rex Ryan,

taking over in Buffalo, it’s hard

not to put Sanchez at or near

the top of this list.

Matt Moore, the 30-year-old

who most recently served as

Ryan Tannehill’s backup in

Miami, has shown flashes at

points in his career – most

notably in Carolina, where he

went 4-1 in 2009 in relief of

injured starter Jake Delhomme.

Moore also saw significant

playing time in 2011 with the

Dolphins, completing nearly

61 percent of his passes for

2,497 yards, 16 touchdowns

and nine interceptions.

Jakes Locker, who was

drafted eighth overall in 2011

by the Tennessee Titans, could

be tempting for the Bills, but

it’s certainly a risky move. The

26-year-old Locker was con-

sidered a highly talented – but

raw – prospect coming out of

Washington. And, to date, the

book on Locker remains very

much uncertain as he’s yet to

finish a season due to injury.

In 23 games started (he has

appeared in 30), Locker has

completed 57.5 percent of his

passes for 4,967 yards, 27

touchdowns and 22 intercep-

tions. He has also rushed the

ball 95 times for 644 yards and

five touchdowns.

Brian Hoyer, 29, has six

years of NFL experience,

including three with the New

England Patriots and two as an

on-again, off-again starter for

the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland’s once-favorite son

(he’s a native of nearby

Lakewood, Ohio) could be on

the Bills’ radar, but given his

numbers in 2014 – 12 touch-

downs and 13 interceptions,

including two of the ugly vari-

ety in Orchard Park – his days

as a potential starter in the

NFL may be dwindling, if not

over.

Other notable free-agent

quarterbacks are Michael Vick

(34), Christian Ponder (26),

Blaine Gabbert (25), Shawn

Hill (34), Jason Campbell

(33), Colt McCoy (28), Austin

Davis (25), Case Keenum

(26), Kellen Moore (25), T.J.

Yates (27) and Ryan Mallet

(26).

And for the sake of it, for-

mer Bills Tarvaris Jackson,

Tyler Thigpen, Matt Flynn and

Jordan Palmer, who stopped

by for a cup of coffee during

the 2014 preseason, are also

unrestricted free agents.

If not Manuel at QB, then who?

Aaron Rodgers hardly looked like an MVP candi-date.

Peyton Manning, a

sure-fire Hall of Famer, was pedestrian at best.

And Geno Smith – while seldom mentioned in the same breath as Rodgers and Manning – he was downright dreadful.

A top-flight defense has a way of making the NFL’s best quarterbacks – or those in the development stage – look out of their league. And that was exactly the case for the 2014 Buffalo Bills, who sent three players from their defensive line to the Pro Bowl following a season in which it was the defense – and not the offense – that received all the glory.

And while many of the piec-es were in place from the year prior, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz – in his first year with the team – managed to

take what was an excellent defense in 2013 and elevate it to arguably the league’s best in 2014. The team hopes they will be able to maintain that same level of excellence as Dennis Thurman, former defensive coordinator of the NY Jets, steps in for Schwartz. It was a move precipitated by new head coach Rex Ryan, a defensive specialist, who took over for Doug Marrone after the later opted out of his contract.

The Bills’ defense was anchored by defensive end Mario Williams, who led the team with a career-high 14.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl, along with defen-sive tackles Marcell Dareus (10 sacks) and Kyle Williams

Sack-craving defense leads the way for the 2014 Bills

(5.5 sacks).“Well I think anytime

you’re recognized by your peers, the coaches that you play against, your fans...all the Bills fans that vote for you and you have an oppor-tunity to represent this orga-nization and our city – it’s always an honor to be able to do that,” Kyle Williams,

whose Pro Bowl nod is his third in a row and fourth overall, explained.

And not to be outdone, Jerry Hughes, who started all 16 games at right defensive end, scored the units’ only defensive touchdown and racked up 10 sacks of his own – a heavy contribution to the Bills’ league-leading

54 (Baltimore and Philadelphia were tied in second with 49).

The Bills were also fourth overall in total yards allowed, third in pass defense, 11th in run defense and fourth in points allowed. As if that’s not enough, the defense also

Photo by Joe ValentiAfter spending six years with the Jets, Rex Ryan knows a thing or two about the AFC East.

Photo by Joe ValentiFormer first-round pick EJ Manuel is likely to have new competition in 2015.

Photo by Mike M

ajewski

Mario Williams had a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2014 for the Bills.

continued on page 15

By Charles Roberts

SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 3Jan/Feb 2015

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By George Kuhn

Zemgus Girgensons has

been embraced by Sabres fans

for his considerable work ethic

but his hockey skillset is also

something to behold as it

evolves. With the Sabres strug-

gling early this season, coach

Ted Nolan held the then

19-year-old Girgensons out as

an example of how every

member on the team should

play calling him a “perfect

hockey player.”

At the age of 15 Girgensons

left his home in Latvia to learn

to play North American style

physical hockey. He hoped to

earn a college scholarship to

play hockey and didn’t expect

to be playing in the NHL.

Projected as a mid first round

pick in 2012, he’s developed

into the steal of that draft year.

But his success is not surpris-

ing to those who considered

him to be underrated prior to

the 2012 draft.

His story is amazing,” Nolan

said of the player he has

coached on the Latvian nation-

al team since he was a young

18-year-old. “He came here at

age 15 not knowing the lan-

guage. He has succeeded

because good things happen to

Zemgus Girgensons: Face of the Sabres

good people. His success is a

testament to his work ethic

and skill.”

Former NHL player Jim

Montgomery coached Zemgus

as a junior with Dubuque of

the USHL from 2010 to 2012

and compared his work ethic

in practice and the weight

room to his former teammate

Rod Brind’Amour, whose

legenadry workouts earned

him the nickname “Rod the

Bod.” “You would think he

was from Flin Flon (Manitoba)

or Moose Jaw (Saskastchewan)

by the way he plays,”

Montgomery said citing fabled

small western Canada prairie

towns noted for producing

tough hockey players with

strong character. “He’s a young

man who will represent his

organization the right way in

every day in every facet of his

life.”

With their second pick in

the first round of the 2012

Photo by Mike Majewski

Zemgus’ Latvian fan base has secured him a starting spot in NHL all star game and created a rep video in his honor.

Ode to Girgensonsby Latvian rap artist Olas

Eggs are in the house... Are you

ready?

1.5 million votes

Zemgus Girgensooons

Raises Latvia a little higher

Zemgus Girgensooons

Who’s the one with a lot of

money?

Zemgus Girgensooon

Who’s the one which word are

we shouting?

Zemgus Girgensooons

I am so clean,

I am so white,

I am so free,

I am so young

I enter a club and drop some

cash

Just like Zemgus Girgensooons

Sit on a sofa, my foot on the

table,

I don’t care if anyone is in front

me

Go through the club and have a

shot


You saw me, I am in front of you

baby

You like my songs, you want to

draft, the Sabres select-

ed Girgensons 14th

overall, just two spots

after picking enigmatic

Russian scoring star

Mikhael Grigorenko.

Girgensons was flying

a little under the radar

because of questions

about whether he

could score enough

goals to be a top six

forward in the NHL.

Montgomery dismissed

those concerns, opin-

ing “He will do what-

ever it takes to win,

and he does that at

such a high level that

his skill level gets

underrated. People

think he is just a hard worker

but his skill level is that of a

top prospect.”

Former Calgary GM Craig

Button noted that Girgensons

should have been picked as

early as fifth overall stating

that Zemgus played with equal

parts “teststerone, truculence,

and belligerence.” Button

compared Girgenson’s game to

that of St. Louis Blues star

David Backes, saying that he

could become a 30 goal scorer

who can win you a game by

scoring a goal, winning a

faceoff, making a defensive

play or making a hit.

If the players from the 2012

draft were reseeded now,

Girgensons would probably be

the second player taken,

behind only Filip Forsberg

who is having an outstanding

year with Nashville. Zemgus

has scored 11 goals and nine

assists for 20 points in 43

games this season, already sur-

passing last season’s total of

eight goals in 73 games. He

projects at 20 goals and 40

points for the season, which is

respectable for a player on the

leagues most anemic scoring

team.

Girgensons’ Latvian fan

base helped to generate more

all star votes than any other

player (1,574,896) guarantee-

ing him a spot in the starting

lineup for the 2015 NHL All

Star game on Jan. 25 in

Columbus. Fans are allowed

to vote as many as ten times

per day from one device. The

NHL reported that 79 percent

of the Girgensons votes came

from Latvia, where the capital

city Riga has anointed iteself

the “Wi-Fi capital of Europe.”

In Latvia we’ve only got two

million people, that’s the crazy

part,” Girgensons explained.

Girgensons says his team-

mates don’t talk about his All

Star selection much in the

locker room, although they do

congratulate him and kid him

about it in the typical locker

room fashion that all late night

men’s league players are famil-

iar with. He seems genuinely

humble and almost embar-

rassed about the attention and

insists he is not distracted

from perfecting his craft as a

hockey player and helping the

Sabres win some games.

“He’s a young man who will

represent his organization the

right way in every day in every

facet of his life,” said

Montgomery, his former

coach.

And there is the Latvia rap

video…

If you haven’t seen it yet,

check out Facebook (Sports

and Leisure Magazine’s page)

and enjoy! As a public service

to our readers, here is what we

believe to be an authentic

translation into English of the

lyrics:

be near me

You come at me but I deke right

by you


I see the coolest chick in the club

and say

I’m your destiny, Yo

I see the coolest chick in the club

and say

I’m your destiny, Yo

But she says I’m not as famous

Just as Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooons

Am I calm?

Am I precise?

(Yeah, yeah)

Shooting right in the aim,

Money in the pocket

Chicks, BMW, money and

everything

Always I’m ready just like it was

a derby

Nation is crazy and that is my

background

I am like Girgensoons

Don’t judge me cause I don’t

care

Believe me, bro

Nobody believes you

There is no faith in you

I am still a son,

I am the style

I am free,

Eggs are in the house and

your legs are quivering

Girls are dreaming while

cooking eggs in the oven

You’re making me laugh

when you say that your fierce

opponent

You can’t beat me while I’m

alive

Girls dance, million in the

bank,

Soon they will play my music

everywhere

I’m not a copy but I have one

clone

Girls dance, million in the

bank,

Soon they will play my music

everywhere

I’m not a copy but I have one

clone

No other than...

Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooons

Zemgus Girgensooon


FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sports & Leisure Magazine192 Louvaine Drive, Buffalo, New York 14223

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Publisher & Editor Marian GiallombardoAssociate Editor Jeffrey LevineFeature Writers Paul Adamo, Robert Caico, Rick Davenport, Mike Dyer, Mike Fox, Paul Gotham, Ivan the Impaler, Joe Kirchmyer, George Kuhn, Jeffrey Levine, Christopher Fee, Adam McGill, Brian Michalek, Ron Montesano, Len Mytko, Dave Ricci, Charles Roberts, Dave Sully, John Williams, Mark Zarbo, Rick Zurak (golf editor)Chief Photographer Jeff BarnesStaff Photographers Nick LoVerde, Joe Valenti, Mike Majewski, Holly MalinowskiCover photos Zemgus Girgensons & Rex Ryan by Mike Majewski, Val James by Graig AbelAdvisory Board Phil Haberstro, Adam Lingner, Denny LynchContributing Writers Jared Buyer, CPFT, Ryan Esguerra, Todd Etshman, Jack Godzuk, Mark Harzynski Sr., Holly Malinowski, Joel Marrs Jr, Bob Plezia, Eric VenatorLayout & Cover Alex Getz, Meg Kinsley, NYGMSonline.comGraphic artist Liz Seivert, Shannon O’HaraCopy Editors and Office Assistants Len Mytko, Justin Vernold, John WilliamsPlease send your letters, questions, and comments to: Sports & Leisure Magazine, 192 Louvaine Dr, Buffalo, NY 14223 or e-mail [email protected]. Please include your name, address and phone number or your letter can’t be published. All letters and responses become the property of Sports & Leisure Magazine, they may be printed, and are subject to editing. Sports & Leisure Magazine is circulated throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario. All rights and trademarks reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. ©1997 - 2015 Sports & Leisure Inc.Facebook: Sports and Leisure Magazine and Hugesportz.com

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After Buffalo beat Green Bay

at home in Week 15, there was a

growing belief the then 8-6 Bills

could finally break their playoff

drought. Despite beating the

Patriots in Week 17, the Bills fell

just short with a 9-7 record and

were once again left out in the

cold.

Head coaches get dismissed

for a lot of reasons, but almost

no one predicted that Doug

Marrone would opt out of his

contract. Not wasting any time,

the Bills announced two weeks

later that Rex Ryan, the ever

brash and always entertaining

former head coach of the New

York Jets, was taking over as the

18th head coach in franchise

history. Carpooling down I-90

W, Ryan brought his former

defensive coordinator Dennis

Thurman for the ride after Jim

Schwartz was dismissed. To

complete the new staff, Greg

Roman was brought in to serve

as offensive coordinator, the

same role he previously had

with the San Francisco 49ers.

Ryan is inheriting one of the

league’s best defenses, but also a

giant question mark at QB.

Second year pro EJ Manuel

ended the season on the bench

and his replacement, Kyle

Orton, officially retired the day

after the season ended. Having a

strong defense without a trigger-

man isn’t new territory for Ryan

and he’ll have an important deci-

sion to make as to who goes

under center next season.

The Sabres, like the Bills also

find themselves in need of a lit-

tle offensive punch. After going

a season best 10-3 behind timely

scoring and out of this world

goaltending, the production has

dropped as of late and losses

ensued.

One of the brightest spots for

the season, however, has been

Zemgus Girgensons. The center

currently leads the team with 11

goals and is fourth in assists.

Even more impressive, his home

nation of Latvia helped push

him into the All-Star game with

over 1.5 million votes cast.

Whenever you have a rap in

your honor you know that

you’re doing something right.

In addition to Girgensons, the

Sabres could see even more

strength down the middle when

Sam Reinhart is eventually

called up for action. Selected

second overall in last year’s

draft, Reinhart recently helped

lead Team Canada to gold in the

World Juniors and was tied for

the tournament lead in points

(11) with five goals and six

assists.

Be sure to check out our

Winter Pullout Guide for

regional winter fun activities.

Photo by Mike M

ajewski

After a Hall of Fame career - including two Stanley Cups, a Gold Medal and an entire room’s worth of individual awards - it was only a matter of time before the fans of Buffalo were able to honor Dominik Hasek by offi cially retiring his jersey. On Jan. 13, the Dominator offi cially joined the ranks of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Tim Horton Danny Gare and Pat LaFontaine as his #39 was raised to the rafters of the First Niagara Center.


Last article I

wrote was about

skating training for

hockey players and

how change of

direction and lateral

movement skills are

the most important.

After players are

able to perform these skills the

next step is to teach them how

to use these skills. One key to

reading this article is it refers

to when a player is skating the

puck up the ice on an even

man rush (one-on-one, two-

on-two situations etc).

Watching many young play-

ers, I’ve noticed that the

majority skate in a straight

line (and usually to the out-

side) when they are carrying

the puck. Then about five feet

from the defender they will

attempt to make a fake hoping

the defender will fall for it.

The problem is when a player

skates in a straight line they

allow the defender to gain an

angle and body position

decreasing their chances of

success. That is why using a

lateral movement and under-

standing how to approach

defenders becomes an import-

ant skill.

The approach refers to the

10 to 15 feet before a player

gets to a defender. It is in this

range that the puck carrier

should start to set up their

fake and read the defender.

Lateral movement refers to a

player’s ability to use cross-

overs to gain speed in a linear

direction as well as a deceptive

skill. Learning how to use lat-

eral movement during the

approach is a more important

skill than the actual fake itself.

Lateral movement helps play-

ers stay agile on their skates

and forces defenders to make

decisions.

When I first teach lateral

movement I have players prac-

tice one quick crossover each

way while skating up the rink.

Once players are competent

with that skill I have them

practice skating at stationary

targets making a fake while

trying to keep their feet mov-

ing. Most players will stop

moving their feet and go into a

wide base of support to make

their fake versus keeping their

feet moving and accelerating

around the defender. For

many players this is the hard-

est skill to master as it requires

them to be able to perform

The importance of the approach and using lateral movement

multiple skills at the

same time quickly.

Once players

understand these

skills, the next step

is to teach them

how to use different

patterns of lateral

movement for

deception. The bad habit many

players fall into is they will

only attack the outside with-

out ever making attempts to

attack the middle of the ice. By

attacking the middle of the

rink, the offensive player forc-

es the defensive player to

defend. The idea is to get the

defender to lunge and over-

commit to the middle allowing

the offensive player to gain a

step back to the outside.

One simple way to do this is

the offensive player should

take three to four crossovers

from the outside to the middle

of the ice. The key is the offen-

sive player has to get inside

the defensive player. This forc-

es the defender to have to

attempt to cut off the offensive

player. As soon as the defen-

sive player makes their play to

cut off the offensive player

that is when the offensive

player should make a quick

change of direction back to the

outside and accelerate around

the defender. If the defensive

player does not attempt to cut

the offensive player off then

they should accelerate around

the defensive player to the

middle. Instead of reacting to

the defender’s mistake, many

players will still make their cut

back outside out of habit.

These are the basics of what

the approach is and how to use

lateral movement. To write out

all the steps makes these skills

sound complicated when in

fact they are simple. The key is

using the skills consistently,

making them a habit. Just like

shooting with your head up

will help give players a greater

percentage to score, using

these skills with their fakes

will give players a greater

chance at beating defenders. If

anyone would like video exam-

ples of approach/lateral move-

ment skills in use please do not

hesitate to contact me and ask:

(716) 208-3724 | MarkZarbo@

yahoo.com | www.

MarkZarboHockey.com

The correct timing of quali-

ty nutrients will make or break

your hockey performance.

Proper nutrition is one of the

most confusing topics espe-

cially with so many diets and

self-proclaimed experts push-

ing their programs and supple-

ments. The truth is that with-

out proper fuel your body can-

not perform at optimal levels.

This goes for daily meals,

snacks, before-during-after

games/practices and especially

around tournaments. Getting

the right combination of nutri-

ents at the right time is crucial;

here we will discuss the

Macro-nutrients (Protein,

Carbs, Fats and Water).

Protein is essential for prop-

er maintenance and growth,

especially in regard to youth

hockey players. Due to the

Performance hockey nutritionnature of the game and daily

activity young players need to

take up to half their body

weight in protein per day

spread out over the day.

Protein is especially important

after a game or practice to start

rebuilding; whey protein pow-

der is the best option. Those

deficient in protein will not

rebuild and grow leading to

overtraining and poor recov-

ery over time.

Carbohydrates are essential

for energy production and are

required to sustain mental

clarity and muscle contrac-

tion. I usually recommend a

carb drink mix in water during

games and a post-event drink

with protein plus carbs (3:1

carbs to protein is best -

Endurox R4 and Accelerade

are great products). If you do

not reload your glycogen

stores within 30-minutes of

completion, lower levels of

performance are expected.

Fats are an essential compo-

nent to a healthy diet but

should be avoided around

event times as they slow diges-

tion and can make you feel

sluggish. Proper water intake

is a must as many players are

dehydrated based on the salty

processed foods they eat,

excessive sweat during events

will create even more perfor-

mance issues. Sipping water

throughout the day is best, if

you feel thirsty you are already

dehydrated. Adding flavor to

water is best to increase the

amount you drink, watered

down juice or lemon with a

pinch of sea salt will increase

electrolytes similar to

HOCKEYTRAINING WITHMARKZARBO

Gatorade. I never recommend

any artificial sweeteners or

zero calorie drinks as they are

unhealthy and provide zero

benefits (Propel, Mio, G2…).

For a personalized nutrition

evaluation and guidance con-

tact us to setup a private pro-

gram from proper food to

effective supplements.

For questions or feedback,

please feel free to contact us via

email: SayHi@skateaheadwny.

com. Get weekly training tips @

facebook.com/skateaheadwny.

OFF-ICEHOCKEYFITNESS WITHJAREDBYER,CPFT

He only played seven games

in the blue and gold but any

Sabres fan is sure to remember

the 1981-82 season as the one

where Val James had a three-

punch TKO of the Boston

Bruins Terry O’Reilly at War

Memorial Auditorium. He had

been brought up from

Rochester to help Scotty

Bowman’s Sabres contend with

the playground gang of Bruins

bullies and with his one-sided

victory over O’Reilly, James

became an instant legend in

Sabres folklore.

If you mention the name Val

James to any Sabres fan old

enough to have seen that fight

more than 30 years ago, they

will smile and share their

memories of O’Reilly’s come-

uppance. They may even tell

you that his first name is actu-

ally Valmore, so strong are the

memories that he created.

Now James can also add

author to his list of accom-

plishments with his autobiog-

raphy, “Black Ice: The Val

James Story” schedule to come

out from ECW Press later this

month.

What James accomplished

in his first game for Buffalo in

the 1981-82 season was histor-

ical. There was no brass band

playing or any public address

announcement but James very

quietly became the first

African American to play in

the NHL when he suited up

for Buffalo at the Aud against

the Philadelphia Flyers.

The remarkable tale of Val

James is the story of a skinny

six-foot kid who didn’t start

skating until age 13 but by age

20 was drafted by the Detroit

Red Wings. Growing up in

Long Island, James would

eventually find his way to the

fabled Quebec Remparts (Guy

Lafleur’s junior team) and the

Quebec junior A hockey

championship.

James’ father was the opera-

tions manager at the Long

Island Arena, the home rink of

the Eastern League Ducks and

young Val wanted to be a

hockey player like the

Canadians he watched every

day. With unlimited access to

the ice rink because of his dad

James taught himself to skate

and his fists propelled his rise

to the top as he took on the

role of an enforcer. He played

Junior B hockey for the OHA

Midland Flyers, home of for-

mer Sabres GM and coach

John Muckler who had helped

establish the Long Island

Ducks as a player, coach and

manager. James then graduat-

ed to the Remparts of the

Quebec Jr. A league.

Along the way James dealt

with prejudice as an American

player in Canada and racial

prejudice as a black man in a

white mans game. But his

hard-working physical style

always won over his team-

Val James: An unlikely Sabres legendBy George Kuhn

mates and hometown fans.

And his fists established his

reputation as a player to be

feared by his opponents. Any

player who used racial slurs

against him in a game had a

death wish and they never did

it twice.

James worked his way up

the ladder of minor profes-

sional hockey the hard way,

one fight at a time, against all

the established tough guys

while playing for the Erie

Blades of the resurrected

Eastern Hockey League. But

he was the toughest and he

ended up in Rochester playing

with current Sabres coach Ted

Nolan who remembers Val

well. “He was a modern day

assassin. Nobody wanted to

get him upset. He was so pow-

erful and so strong that he

didn’t have to fight most of the

time. Knowing he was there

was enough.”

“We had a lot of skilled

player in Buffalo but we need-

ed to get tougher. Val filled

that role to a T” Scotty

Bowman explained, to which

Val responded, “Who am I to

argue with the greatest coach

of all time?”

By Joel Marrs, Jr.

All is good in Canadian

Junior Hockey again. After a

seven-year drought, Canada is

back on top of the International

Junior Hockey Mountain.

With games being played in

Toronto and Montreal, home-

town fans were treated to some

of the best junior hockey that

has been played in a long time.

Boasting a roster that is

stocked with NHL level talent,

2015 IIHF U20 ChampionshipsTeam Canada began the tour-

nament with an 8-0 drubbing

of Team Denmark. Next, the

Canadians faced Slovakia and

their world-class goalie Denis

Godla who was every bit as

strong between the pipes as

advertised. Despite his best

efforts the Canadians netted

five and advanced to the gold

medal game. Their opponent,

Russia, was coming off wins

against the United States and

Sweden.

Canada was dominant

building a 5 – 1 lead. Not to be

outdone, the Russians roared

back with three unanswered

goals to get within striking

distance of the Canadians

down just 5-4.

The third period was wild as

both teams played their hearts

out but neither could get into

the scoring column. In front of

19,014 fans, the hometown

team held on to win a well-de-

served gold medal and the

atmosphere of the overwhelm-

ingly Canadian crowd at the

Air Canada Center in Toronto

was ecstatic.

In addition to scoring what

would ultimately be the

game-winning gold medal

goal, Reinhart was one of the

standout performers for a

loaded Canadian team.

Samson, the second overall

pick by the Sabres in the 2014

draft, lead team Canada with



By Leonard J. Mytko

We’re in the middle of the

NFL playoffs, yet here we are

already thinking ahead to fan-

tasy football for next season.

So here’s a look at players who

saw their 2015 fantasy football

value rise or fall over the final

course of the season.

AscendersMarquise Lee, WR, Jaguars –

He finished his rookie season

with 37 catches for 422 yards

and just one touchdown but as

long as quarterback Blake

Bortles shows potential, the

former USC standout could be

a top-flight wideout for the

Jags in his sophomore season.

Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers

-Whether or not Frank Gore

leaves in free agency remains

to be seen but Hyde is next in

line to start on one of the best

run-blocking units around.

And if that’s the case, he’s easi-

ly one of the top-10 running

backs on the board.

Latavius Murray, RB, Raiders

– He came up huge late in the

year, even going over 100 total

yards against the Bills in Week

16, and could be given a great-

er opportunity at being a via-

ble starter in Oakland’s back-

field next year.

Jace Amaro, TE, Jets – It’ll be

interesting to see how the Jets

QB situation shakes out

because they have a real dia-

mond in the rough with this

guy. And it wouldn’t be at all

surprising to still see his name

under the radar when it comes

time for the preseason rank-

ings next summer either.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB,

Vikings – It’s not time to

announce he’s an every-week

fantasy starter yet, but after

settling in some, he became a

lot more consistent, averag-

ing 240 passing yards a con-

test and throwing 10 touch-

downs in the final six games.

So as long as he builds on

doing that in his second year,

he just might earn some fan-

tasy trust as a starting option

in deeper leagues.

Devonta Freeman, RB,

Falcons - With Steven Jackson

past his prime and Jacquizz

Rodgers’ contract up,

Atlanta’s fourth-round pick

from a year ago is the team’s

future. He didn’t play much

in ‘14, but when he did, he

displayed big-play ability.

Paul Richardson, WR,

Seahawks – He had only 29

catches for 271 yards and one

touchdown in 15 games this

year, but 15 of those balls he

caught came in the last month

alone adding speculation he’ll

be a lot more involved in

Seattle’s aerial attack when

next season rolls around.

Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles – He

didn’t have the breakout sea-

son many expected him to

have this year, but he did open

Fantasy football: Early offseason guide

By Mike Fox

Selecting goaltenders is

arguably the most difficult

aspect of playing fantasy hock-

ey. Once you get past the few

sure things like Henrik

Lundqvist and Tuukka Rask,

the situation becomes reminis-

cent of Forrest Gump’s box of

chocolates; You never know

what you’re going to get. A

full-time job is not necessarily

a guarantee of fantasy star-

dom, as any Jhonas Enroth

owner will attest, and Semyon

Varlamov has left a bitter taste

in his owners’ mouths this

year, with last year’s 41-win

breakout nothing more than a

fond distant memory. Luckily,

like the aforementioned box of

sweets, there are always a few

tasty morsels remaining, even

after the supply has been

picked over.

The Anaheim Ducks sev-

ered ties with Jonas Hiller after

Fantasy hockeyyet another tepid playoff per-

formance. Frederick Andersen

was expected to be challenged

for playing time by phenom

John Gibson despite

Andersen’s strong 2013-14

effort that included a sparkling

20-5 record, 2.29 GAA and

.923 save percentage, but an

early injury to Gibson forced

the Ducks to lean almost

entirely on Andersen. So far,

he has not disappointed with

his stats through the first half

of this season are almost iden-

tical to last year’s numbers

despite the heavy workload.

It’s unlikely Andersen will

continue to lead the league in

starts, but his performance

thus far should guarantee him

the lion’s share of playing time

going forward. If he can main-

tain his edge, the powerful

Ducks should provide him

with enough support to main-

tain his lofty position on the

fantasy leader board.

Jaroslav Halak seemingly

gets no respect, despite carry-

ing a respectable career 2.37

GAA and .917 SV%. The

10-year veteran is now with

his fourth NHL team (not

counting his long weekend

stay in Buffalo last year), but

he may have finally found a

home after signing as a free

agent with the New York

Islanders. Many fantasy own-

ers shied away from Halak,

some because of the Isles’

recent tradition of hapless-

up some eyes again with a 15

catch, 115-yard performance

in Week 16 and should still be

a bargain in drafts next year.

C.J. Anderson, RB, Broncos/

Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals – Both

are expected to lead the rush-

ing attacks for their respective

teams heading into training

camp next year and both could

be considered candidates for a

major breakout in 2015.

DescendersJosh Gordon, WR, Browns –

Off-field issues, uncertainty at

quarterback and just way too

unstable to know what to

expect going forward with him

anymore. He’ll also be looking

for his first score since Week

15 of the 2013 season.

Marshawn Lynch, RB,

Seahawks – Seattle has both

Christine Michael and Robert

Turbin waiting in the wings

now more than ever. Plus

he’ll be 29 years old by the

time next season rolls around

too.

Brandon Marshall, WR,

Bears – Failed to go over

1,000 yards receiving for the

first time since his rookie

year and now Alshon Jeffrey

looks more than ready to be

the new No. 1 in Chicago.

Peyton Manning, QB,

Broncos – Regression is inevi-

table heading into 2015 so be

extra careful about overvalu-

ing him at this stage of the

game. In the last month of

December, he threw twice as

many interceptions as touch-

downs (six-to-three) and even

failed to throw for a score

against the Bills in Week 14.

Drew Brees, QB, Saints – It

wasn’t a bad season by any

means; just a little erratic. He

finished below 5,000 yards for

the first time since 2010 and

his 33 touchdowns tied for his

fewest since 2007. Not to

mention his 17 picks were his

second most since 2010.

ness, some because the memo-

ries of Rick DiPietro have not

yet subsided. And, in the case

of owners who hail from WNY,

perhaps because they were

hoping for Halak to flop, as

the Sabres hold New York’s

first-round pick in the next

entry draft. Those who took a

chance on him, however, have

been rewarded in spades, as

Halak currently has the

Islanders – and many of his

fantasy owners – squarely in

the playoff hunt. While histo-

ry suggests there’s no guaran-

tee the upward trend will con-

tinue, Halak is the closest

thing the Isles have had to a

stud goalie in……forever, so

don’t be scared to jump on the

bandwagon.

Braden Holtby was on

everyone’s dark horse list last

year after he finished fourth in

wins during the strike-short-

ened 2012-13 NHL season,

but his ensuing bloated 2.85

GAA made him nothing more

than a late-round bargain pick

in fantasy drafts this year.

Oops. Holtby has quietly

ascended back to the upper

echelon of the goalie world,

ranking among the leaders in

most significant fantasy scor-

ing categories, and barring

injury, he’s well on his way to

the best season of his short

career. The Capitals still boast

a couple of guys named

Ovechkin and Backstrom, so

the wins should continue to

come, even if Holtby falters a

bit in the second half.

It was just a few years ago

that Pekka Rinne was routine-

ly among the first goalies off

the board in fantasy drafts. He

had established himself as one

of the best in the business after

being named a Vezina Trophy

finalist for the second time

following his 43-win season in

2011-12, but two consecutive

subpar seasons caused his fan-

tasy stock to drop appreciably

this year. Those who passed

on him this year have nothing

but regret, because the 32-year

old Finn has reverted to his

previous form, pacing the

league in wins, GAA and SV%

through the first half of the

2014-15 season while playing

virtually every game for the

Predators. If you’re still

focused on those two down

years, don’t be, because Rinne

is the real deal. If you already

own him, stay the course. If

you don’t own him, do some-

thing about it, because his

name will appear on many a

fantasy championship roster at

year’s end.

By Mark Patrick Harzynski

Sr.

Buffalo Raceway opens its

doors January 14 for live har-

ness racing. The raceway driv-

ers roster looks like, an ALL-

STAR fantasy drivers line up.

Jon Cramer, Operations

Manager at Buffalo Raceway

offered up some of the high-

lights for the 2015 season.

•The start of the season

should be very competitive.

Buffalo Raceway all-stars 2015Along with our regular driv-

ers; Kevin Cummings, Shawn

McDonough and veterans Jack

Flanigan and Jim McNeight

look to have their hands full

with an invasion of drivers.

•Two-time National Dash

Champion, Ronnie Wrenn Jr.,

Rosecrofts leading driver

Frank Milby, Billy Dobson one

of Saratoga Raceways finest

and Shawn Gray who in the

2012 Buffalo Raceway meet

(his first season at Buffalo)

lead all drivers with 206 victo-

ries and earnings of over $1

million dollars.

•The driving competition

should be at a very high level

every night, and it shouldn’t

matter if these guys are driving

4K claimers or in the open

event, it looks like every race

will be outstanding.

Fan FavoritesThe popular guaranteed

pick 4 formats, pick 3 and 10

cent superfeta in select races

are back.

Also, new in January and

Photo by Mike Majewski

Oakland’s Latavius Murray could be one of fantasy football’s rising stars in 2015.

Photo by Joe ValentiHenrik Lundqvist had a slow start by his standards, but there’s a reason his nickname is King Henrik.

February on Saturday

night, make a reserva-

tion at the Winners

Circle Café, get a free

racing program, a $5

Hamburg Gaming free

play, and your table

will get $5 off your

Winners Circle Café

purchase. To make

Winners Circle Café

reservation, call 716-

649-1280, ext. 300.

Also returning to the race-

way, our popular Father’s Day

Photo Courtesy Buffalo Raceway

The horses are off and racing at Buffalo Raceway on The Fairgrounds in Hamburg, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.

events and the return of The

New York Sire Stakes — the

top equine trotters and pacers

in New York — where two and

three year old fillies, mares,

colts and geldings race for

huge purse monies.

Racing fans get track prices

on live harness racing action

and also on simulcast wager-

ing on both harness and thor-

oughbred racing.

By Joel Marrs, Jr.

Do you have a case of the

“Buffalo Winter Blues?” Are

you looking to cure that cabin

fever? Canalside MD has the

cure for what’s ailing you with

zero co-pays and all major

cards accepted. With lots of

on- and off-ice attractions for

people of all ages, this winter

wonderland has something for

everyone.

“This is where the past

meets the present, with an eye

on the future,” Chris

Catanzaro, Project Manager of

the Erie Canal Harbor

Development Corporation

explained.

While the project is far from

complete, you can take a free

horse-drawn carriage ride

around Canalside and make a

lifelong memory or take a nice

quiet walk and relax with

someone special.

Not just for the winter,

Canalside has grown into a

place where you want to be

year-round and the center-

piece of the Buffalo waterfront

revitalization project. At the

corner of Pearl and Marine

Drive, you are a stone’s throw

from the Buffalo River Works,

Naval & Military Park, The

Harbor Center, 716 Restaurant

and, of course, the First

Niagara Center. These venues

offer so much to do that you

will need at least a week or

more to experience every-

thing. If the landscaping

already looks this good, just

imagine how breathtaking it’ll

be once it’s completed.

Walking trails and open

areas with awesome views

make this place like no other.

Footbridges around the park

allow views from every angle

and vantage point. For those

unaccustomed to Western

New York winters, tables,

chairs and heaters are avail-

able to rest and warm up if

needed. But why rest when

there’s a perfect sheet of ice

perfect for beginner, novice

and expert skaters. The expe-

rienced rink guards keep a

close view of the open skate

and the “ice bikes” are a won-

derful new element to the

open skate. These are in high

demand, so be sure to get

there early. These one-wheeled

marvels are a great relaxing

way to get around the ice

while getting much needed

exercise. If you don’t have

your own skates, high quality

rentals are available.

After skating, be sure to

check out the merchandise,

food and beverage vendors

who are available day and

night. Bison Hockey Stick

Company sells adult and

youth sticks, and they have a

buy one, get one free special at

their booth. Beautiful hand-

made jewelry is also on display

and if you’re hungry, food

trucks are on the upper levels.

A yummy grilled cheese sand-

wich and a cup of hot choco-

late will warm you up nicely.

Canalside also offers curling

just a short walk from the

skating rink. Curling may be

more familiar to Buffalo’s

northern neighbors but more

locals are beginning to warm

up to the sport (no pun

intended). If you want to try

your hand at “throwing a few

rocks,” Canalside is the place

to learn. Instruction is free and

the experts can answer all

your questions and show you

the best techniques. Stop by

Buffalo’s newest jewels: Canalside and Buffalo RiverWorksfor some basic training from

expert curler Lea who will

show you how it’s done. Once

you get hooked on the game,

and you will, join a curling

club. Both Buffalo and

Rochester have curling clubs.

The Buffalo Curling Club

was revived a year ago. Their

home base is Buffalo

RiverWorks with leagues

offered three nights a week

and they have a five-week trial

session. “The nice thing is that

curling is a sport that anyone

can do it,” Danielle

Buchbinder, president and

club founder, said. “It may

take a while to master it, but

anyone can do it.” In addition

to leagues, the curling club is

offering learn to curl sessions

and their annual bospiel (aka

tournament) is being held on

March 7 from 9 a.m. until 9

p.m. at RiverWorks.

For more information, visit

buffalocurlingclub.org or leave a

message at 716- 464-CURL.

Buffalo RiverWorks is locat-

ed just across the Michigan

Bridge and a quick left turn off

onto 333 Ganson Street.

Like Canalside, RiverWorks

is a work in progress. They are

currently looking forward to

the season opener of the

Queen City Roller Girls,

Buffalo’s own Roller Derby

league. They will also once

again host the Labatt Blue

Pond Hockey Tournament the

weekend of Feb. 20. This year

the tournament will be bigger

and better than ever.

“RiverWorks will be hosting

a variety of events and attrac-

tions this spring and summer,

including concerts, amateur

sporting events and a full-

time, waterfront restaurant

and bar with great views of

downtown,” Doug Swift, a

partner at RiverWorks, said of

what the future holds. “We

will be installing docks for

recreational boaters and kay-

akers who have been explor-

ing the Buffalo River recently.

Our ‘Stonehenge Beer Garden’

located in the ruins of a former

grain silo will be open as well.

Many more exciting happen-

ings will be announced soon.”

“A year from now Phase

One of RiverWorks will be

essentially complete,” Swift

added. “Our 60,000 square

foot indoor event center,

restaurant, brewery, distillery

and concert hall will be the

most unique venue Buffalo has

ever seen. We expect to be

drawing audiences and cus-

tomers from a very wide region

bringing out-of-town tourists

to enjoy Buffalo’s many year-

round attractions. We will be

in the planning stages of Phase

Two, which will include a

hotel in premises along with

other exciting amenities.”

To keep up with the

ever-growing schedule of events

check out the RiverWorks

Facebook page or go to buffalo-

riverworks.com. For more infor-

mation on Canalside go to

canalsidebuffalo.com.

WINTER PULLOUT 2015

Photo courtesy of Buffalo Curling Club

Adult Beginner ClinicsLearn to Skate & Learn to Play Clinics



40th Anniversary Dippin’ DotsSpring Hockey League



Call 716-685-3660 or register online at holidayrinks.com

WNY’s Hockey Headquarters Since 1972

Photo by Joel Marrs, Jr.

SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE | WINTER 2015

By Adam McGill

The 2015 winter season is

just getting underway. As

usual, there is a ton of new

gear on the shelves, so here is

a look at some of the hot new

products for this season to

help you spot the true deals.

Men’s GearBurton TWC Pro Snowboard

- In a world that loves zombies

and the macabre, Burton’s

TWC Pro Snowboard is the

perfect fit for today’s male

rider. It is a personal favorite

of Shaun White and is

extremely responsive on the

mountain. It is the ultimate

Burton board to purchase this

winter.

K2 Hit Machine Snowboard

– This year’s hit machine is a

freestyle dream. It moves easy

on the powder and will allow

you to get monster air on any

jump. The Hit Machine is

another home run from K2.

Atomic Punx Skis – The

Atomic Punx are built for the

high flyers. They have an edge

that is much stronger than

normal skis to allow the rider

a smooth landing, time after

time. These are the skis that

freestyle Punx must have.

Oakley Flight Deck Prizm

Goggles – The most recent

offering from Oakley is the

next generation of eyewear.

They allow you full line of

sight and the spherical lens fits

perfectly around a rider’s face.

They are a must-own for any

serious snowboarder this win-

ter.

Burton Clutch Gloves –

They are some of the warmest

gloves on the market and are

the perfect fit with any Burton

winter jacket. They come in

red, green and black from XS

to XL.

DC Lynx Snowboard Boots

- The boots come in both

black and charcoal grey. They

have Wolverine Waterproof

leather and a very accessible

tongue. The Lynx are one of

the best finds this winter to

keep your feet toasty warm.

Women’s Gear

Burton Feelgood Snowboard

– It may seem a little more

underrated than the company’s

previous models, but it still

comes with four colors. It is

one of the lightest boards ever

made and will give female rid-

ers the ultimate control down

the mountain.

K2 First Lite Snowboard –

The most recent board from

K2 moves well on any type of

snow. The board is riddled

with varying horizontal lines,

but the complimentary color

scheme glimmers off the snow.

Elan Delight QT Skis – The

Elan Delight QT Skis have

earned attention for being the

lightest skis in the world. They

allow the rider to gain tons of

speed and air, but their strong

composite makes them sur-

prisingly durable. The Elan

Delight skis will be one of the

top finds in 2015.

Anon Tempest Goggles –

The Anon Tempest have the

classic polycarbonate spheri-

cal lens that blocks out the sun

and give you a wider peripher-

al view down the mountain.

They come with a one-year

warranty and come in several

colors, but purple is by far the

pair that pops the most.

Burton Gore-Tex Under

Gloves Sorcerer Pretty Oops –

The name may leave some-

thing to be desired, but the

Sorcerer Pretty Oops gloves

are the perfect gloves for any

type of rider. The Gore-Tex

lining is guaranteed to keep

you dry this winter and the

durable underside will allow

you to master your grabs.

2015 snow season product guide

Winter HoursMon...11am–1pmTues ..4:30pm–6pmWed ...4:30pm–6pmThur..11am–1pmFri......7pm–9pm Sat ....5:30pm–6:30pmSun....7pm–9pm

Public Skating Everyday!

Kids 4 & under - FREE5-17 $118 & over $2

Skate Rentals $2

EASY PARKING – EXPANDED PARKING LOT!

Birth

day Parties

hday Pa

Birth

day Parties

& Private Rentals

Nike SB Vapen Snowboard

Boots – The Nike Vapen boots

shimmer with gold from top to

bottom. These waterproof

beauties also come in black for

the less flashy riders, but the

gold ones are fit for a queen.

Youth Gear

K2 Vandal Snowboard – The

K2 Vandal is a modern day

Moby Dick with a true mosaic

mural on the backside. It has

the vintage W1 core, so it will

remain strong throughout

years of wear and tear. The K2

Vandal is one of the hottest

boards out there and will get

plenty of fist-bumps this win-

ter.

K2 Kandi Snowboard –

What kid doesn’t like candy?

The K2 Kandi is extremely

lightweight and easy to main-

tain on the powder. This is the

perfect beginner board for any

young girl ready to take on the

mountain.

Atomic Vantage Junior Skis

– The Atomic Vantage Junior

are the ultimate freestyle skis

for boys. They have tight edges

and strong tips for a fast trip

down the mountain. They can

be found in 130, 140 and 150

millimeters.

K2 Missy Skis – With pinks

and purples, the K2 Missy Skis

are the ideal set of skis for any

teenage girl. They are well bal-

anced and allow you to turn

seamlessly through the snow.

These skis will be on the top of

many female riders’

post-Christmas wish list.

Burton Grom Snowboard

Boots – There is no question

that the most popular youth

boots this season is the Burton

Grom. They are completely

waterproof and come with

Velcro straps to allow the rider

easy exit.

K2 Lil Kat Snowboard Boots

– Footwear is probably the

most important piece of gear

to buy. The K2 Lil Kat boots

are the latest version of this

fan favorite and have every-

thing you want in a pair of

snowboard boots. They have

an eye-catching white and

pink color scheme, which any

little girl will fall in love with.

These boots will help keep any

beginner rider on their feet.

Burton Hickory Pop Camo

Gloves – The Burton Hickory

Pop Camo gloves are a fan

favorite this winter. They have

a classic camouflage print and

the waterproof DRYRIDE

Ultrashell. These gloves will fit

in well with any youth rider.

Burton Jadiete Gloves – The

Burton Jadiete Gloves are a hot

commodity at the moment.

They are fully waterproof and

come with a one-year warran-

ty. The pleasant light mint

color will be a welcomed sight

for the girl that isn’t crazy

about the current pink snow-

board craze.

DOWNHIILL/SNOWBOARDINGAND MOREBristol Mountain, 585-374-6000www.bristolmountain.comHoliday Valley, 716-699-2345www.holidayvalley.comHoliMont, 716-699-2320www.holimont.comKissing Bridge/Colden Tubing, 716-592-4963www.kbski.comPeek ’n Peak, 716-355-4141www.pknpk.comSwain, 607-545-6511www.swain.com

CROSS COUNTRY/SNOWMOBILING/SNOWSHOEAllegheny State Parkwww.nysparks.comArt Roscoe, Allegany State Parkwww.buffaloaudubon.orgByrncliff Resort & Conference Center, 585-535-7300www.byrncliff.comCummings Nature Center, 585-374-6160www.rmsc.orgHoliday Valley, 716-699-2345www.holidayvalley.comHoliMont, 716-699-2320www.holimont.comwww.monroecounty.gov/parkswww.nysparks.comPaths Peaks & Paddles, Inc.www.pathspeakspaddles.comPeek ‘n Peak, 716-355-4141www.pknpk.com

SKI CLUBSAdirondack Mountain Clubwww.adk.orgNiagara Frontier Chapter, 716-564-2106,Genesee Valley Chapter, www.gvc-adk.orgBell Ski Club, 716-773-3901Buffalo Nordic Ski Clubwww.buffalonordic.orgBuffalo Ski Clubwww.bscskiarea.com Huggers Ski Clubwww.huggersskiclub.orgLederhosen Ski Clubwww.lederhosenskiclub.comMeetup.comwww.meetup.com/WNYSkiClubMonroe Y Ski Clubwww.monroeyskiclub.orgNAR (Niagara Adult Racing)www.narracing.comRochester Nordic Ski Clubwww.rochesternordic.orgRochester Ski Clubwww.rochesterskiclub.comSchussmeisters Ski & Snowboard Clubwww.schussmeisters.comSCOL (Ski Club of Lockport)http://skicluboflockport.com

SNOWMOBILENew York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA)Go to www.nyssnowassoc.org for a listing by county of NYS snowmobile clubs and other valuable information.888-624-3849http://nysnowmobilewebmap.com

Winter DirectorySNOWMOBILE REGISTRATION http://www.dmv.ny.gov/recreation.htm#snowmobilesYou must register your snowmobile if you operate the snowmobile in New York State. A registration is not required if the snowmobile is operated on the private property of the owner or private property the owner has a contractual right to use. A snowmobile that is registered in another state and owned by a resident of that state, but is operated in NYS, must get a NYS registration. A non-resident of NYS with a snowmobile registered in another state can apply online for a NYS snowmobile registration. A temporary NYS registration is issued at the end of the transaction for immediate operation of the snowmobile in NYS.Cattaraugus County Snowmobile Federationwww.enchantedmountains.info/what_to_do/snowmobiling.aspwww.snowmobilingWNY.comChautauqua Countyhttp://www.tourchautauqua.com/where_to_play.aspxWyoming Countywww.gowyomingcountyny.comAllegany Countywww.DiscoverAlleganyCounty.comNew York State Office of Parks Snowmobile Unit518-474-0446

OTHER CLUBS & INFOwww.weather.comGenesee Region Trails Coalitionwww.grtcinc.org Monroe County Sports Commissionwww.monroecountysports.orgwww.visitbuffaloniagara.com/sports-commissionwww.monroecounty.gov/parkswww.nysparks.comwww.IloveNY.comwww.buffalocurlingclub.orgwww.rochestercurling.orghttp://buffaloriverworks.comhttp://www.canalsidebuffalo.comhttp://www.buffalospeedskating.orghttp://www.rochesterspeedskating.orgwww.snowcrystals.com

If we missed your club,please contactus and we will be sure to include younext year.

Community Sports Report

Chautauqua County sits

directly in the path of lake

effect snowstorms that gather

strength over Lake Erie and

drop more than 200 inches of

snow annually. More often

than not, the holidays are wel-

comed with a carpet of white

and the winter season becomes

a frozen crystal wonderland.

This pocket of precipitation is

precisely why winter is a per-

fect time to plan a visit.

With annual snowfall that

rivals Colorado ski towns,

southwestern NY offers plenty

of opportunity for downhill

snow sports. Near Findley

Lake, the Peek’n Peak Resort

and Spa provides an excellent

backdrop for true beginners all

the way to expert level skiers

and snowboarders with 27

slopes, eight chairlifts, three

progression terrain parks and

a half pipe. There’s even a tub-

ing area and trails for cross

country skiing. The instruc-

tors at Peek’n Peak’s Snow

Sports School are professional-

ly trained and the lodges, din-

ing rooms, pool and spa are

welcome amenities after a day

on the slopes.

Go cross country skiing or

snowshoeing along many of

the trails throughout the

county. Long Point State Park,

Lake Erie State Park,

Chautauqua Institution and

the Jamestown Audubon

Center offer both trails and

open spaces. Join Evergreen

Outfitters for guided snow-

shoe hikes that are planned

around weather conditions.

Hundreds of miles of trails

groomed by five local snow-

mobile clubs provide an ideal

setting for riding over old rail-

road beds, former trolley lines,

open farm fields, heavily

wooded areas and seasonal

roads. Trails officially open a

week or so before Christmas,

weather permitting. New York

requires that all sleds be regis-

tered. Information can be

found at www.tourchautau-

qua.com/snowmobiling.aspx.

While on the trails, look for

blue diamond-shaped signs

that indicate ten tour stops on

an interactive, self-guided

Winter Trails Cell Phone Tour

developed by the Roger Tory

Peterson Institute. Dial the

number on the sign or scan

the QR code to access infor-

mation, audio files, pictures

and video related to the natu-

ral history or significant his-

torical events on the area.

Winter is a great time to

visit the wineries in Lake Erie

Wine Country. Tasting rooms

are less crowded, the experi-

ence is more educational and

intimate, and many new vin-

tages are released. Also winter

and ice wine, a specialty wine

unique to the northern cli-

mate, just naturally go togeth-

er. Visit during the annual

Wine and Chocolate Weekend,

Enjoy Chautauqua County this winter

Feb. 13-15, for a special

Valentine’s treat. Each of the

participating wineries will pair

a luscious chocolate creation

with a wine accompaniment.

On Jan. 17, the Grape

Discovery Center in Westfield

will host “Frozen,” an ice wine

festival featuring ice carvings,

a bonfire as well as ice and

specialty wines.

Try seasonal brews during a

tour at Southern Tier Brewing

Company. Stop by the Empty

Pint Brewery Pub for a selec-

tion of 14 draught beers,

including some guest taps,

Thursday through Saturday,

evenings, as well as Saturday

and Sunday afternoons.

Hickory-smoked pulled pork,

meatloaf, and cheese sand-

wiches, snacks and non-alco-

holic beverages are also on the

menu. Arrive early on Saturday

and take a 45-minute guided

tour of the brewery at 12:15,

1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15 or 4 p.m.

Tours are $15, available on a

By Rich Davenport

Another year is in the books and now that winter has offi cially arrived anglers across WNY eagerly await safe ice to form across lakes and ponds. Safe ice has started showing in smaller lakes and ponds, and the colder than normal November temperatures have most every signifi cant water body ready to harden up. Trout streams show strong fi sh presence, offering trout trekkers a post holiday treat.

Trout and SalmonThe heavy snows of winter

storm Knife delivered a most signifi cant uptick in stream water levels, creating conditions for winter-feeding trout to freely move into just about all stretches of Lake Erie streams from Smoke’s Creek in Blasdell to Chautauqua Creek in Barcelona. When weather permits and ice cover on the streams is low, a trout trek this time of year delivers hot fi shing action. Early morning hours presenting egg-patterns and minnow presentations work very well this time of year, with most active fi sh holding in the deeper pools and near riffl es. Fish can be very wary, so your approach to these fi sh-holding areas requires some stealth. Steelhead and brown trout both are available, with more brown trout activity showing the further west you go. Lake Ontario streams, although not as fortunate with the snow pack and water fl ow as a result, still shows good fl ow and subsequently good runs of brown and steelhead trout in most of the major streams. Lower Niagara River casters and drifters report kwikfi sh presentations are triggering all trout, including lake trout, into strikes. Some Coho salmon are also mixing in.

Ice AdventuresAs hard water enthusiasts

await safe ice, most area lakes and ponds show water temperatures on the verge of freezing – thanks in large part to a colder than normal mid-November driving lake temps down in dramatic fashion. Even Lake Erie, which was

first come basis and often sell

out. They also take place in a

working production facility

that may be hot, cold, wet

and noisy, so be prepared.

See the splendid sights and

old-fashioned picturesque

fun during the Currier & Ives

Sleigh Rally at Chautauqua

Institution, Sun. Jan. 18.

While the rally participants

are horsemen and their

sleighs, at approximately

noon, spectators can watch the

Victorian style sleighs and cos-

tumed drivers as they parade

through the historic grounds

with sleigh bells jingling.

Sleigh rides are on Saturdays

and Sundays throughout

January and February through

running a few degrees above normal just before the NYS Southern Zone Opener of Regular Big Game hunting season, dropped nearly eight degrees over a couple day span that encompassed winter storm Knife.

While we wait, the outlook couldn’t be better for another solid season of ice fi shing across WNY.

Chautauqua LakeThis lake has shown up and

down quality for yellow perch in recent years, with numbers high, but sizes seemingly decreasing, as several good reproductive years have boosted ringback numbers to levels that may indicate over-abundance. Expect the fi shing to be very good for perch on “Bag Tied in the Middle,” but expect to weed through many smaller fi sh before fi nding “keeper” sized perch. Walleye numbers seem to be on the rise and anglers could see a banner season this year. Crappie and bluegill action should start fi rst in Burtis Bay at the far end of the south basin, with the deeper basin and its denizens of perch and walleye not far behind.

Small Boat Harbor Typically one of the fi rst

waters to freeze up solid, the Small Boat harbor this year will see operations shift from the NFTA to NYS Parks and Recreation. We have heard that the parking area near Doug’s Dive will remain open and accessible throughout the season – good news for anglers worried about the transition from one operator to the other.

Wilson HarborHigher water levels across

Lake Ontario has boosted harbor water levels higher than they have been in recent years. Northern pike, perch and rainbow and brown trout are favorite targets in this harbor.

Lake ErieCould we have another

solid ice season on Lake Erie this year? If the Farmer’s Almanac is correct (again), we should be getting onto the Big E at some point in February off Sturgeon Point and areas eastward. Last year’s ice cover provided perfect conditions for spawning walleye and yellow perch, and this year could really be impressive in numbers and sizes of fi sh caught.

Ice Safety Early ice delivers exciting

fi shing action, but also poses dangers anglers must be aware of. Snow piling onto newly forming ice will slow the freeze up, leaving uneven ice thickness and unseen danger under the snow. Fish with a friend, and invest in an ice chisel, commonly call a spud bar, to check thickness while slowly venturing out. Do not rely upon other anglers’ tracks in the snow, as what was safe earlier may have deteriorated later in the day. Four inches of clear, blue ice is considered “safe” for walkers, but two inches of clear, blue ice can hold 2,000 pounds. Steer clear of creek mouths or anywhere a current may set up, as these are not good places as early season options.

Remember, take a kid fi shing, and give the gift that lasts a lifetime.

Rich Davenport is co-founder of WeLoveOutdoors.com, an avid Outdoorsman and member of the NYSOWA. His works are also published in NY Outdoor News, Walleye.com and the Buffalo News. Rich is also the Recording Secretary for the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Secretary of the Western NY Environmental Federation, member of the Erie County Fisheries Advisory Board and is the Co-Chairman and Region 9 Rep NYSCC Big Game Committee. Email [email protected].

Anglers anxiously await hard water action

the historic grounds of

Chautauqua Institution. Rides

run every half hour from 1

p.m. to 3 p.m. and tickets are

available at the Chautauqua

Bookstore on Bestor Plaza.

President’s Day Weekend

brings with it the annual

Winter Festival in Mayville,

Feb. 13-15, featuring events,

activities and contests for all

ages including fireworks, a

flare parade, and more!

Weather permitting, you

might see a castle made from

blocks of ice harvested in the

traditional way from

Chautauqua Lake.

Memories, nostalgic and

newly made, are waiting at the

Fenton History Center. Held

from Nov. 28 to Jan. 19, the

Center’s annual holiday exhib-

it, “Tis the Season,” fills four

floors of the elegant 1863

Fenton Mansion and includes

a dozen decorated Christmas

trees. Listen to Christmas car-

ols, learn about Jamestown’s

holiday traditions and visit the

gift shop.

Enjoy a weekend at a B&B,

vacation home, resort or inn.

Chautauqua isn’t your every-

day winter weekend getaway!

For more ideas on visiting

Chautauqua County any time of

year, visit www.tourchautauqua.

com or call 1-866-908-4569. Be

sure to reserve a 2015

Chautauqua County Visitors

Guide.

SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE | WINTER 2015

Photo courtesy of Rich Davenport

Collins Center angler Dane Stocker shows off a couple Lake Erie perchcaught last ice season offSturgeon Point, NY.

Volunteer workers use blocks of ice harvested from Chautauqua Lake to build a castle for the annual President’s Day Weekend Winter Festival in Mayville.

Photo by Cindy Abersold Ferraro

WINTER PULLOUT 2015Community Sports Report

This season embrace the

winter in the Enchanted

Mountains of Western New

York where you can glide over

hills and valleys of pristine

snow on your snowmobile,

find the thrill of skiing down

the slopes or keep warm in

one of the many cozy cabins,

museums and galleries, all

while watching a stage pro-

duction. Cattaraugus County

celebrates all season, no mat-

ter the temperature!

Unwind in the tranquil set-

ting of Allegany State Park by

renting a winterized cabin.

There are plenty of opportuni-

ties for sparkling photographs.

Cross Country skier? Then

you’re in luck! Allegany State

Park is the home of the Art

Roscoe Trail System where

over 20 miles of trail are

groomed as needed. Well-

designed, you can discover

snowy fun whether you are a

novice or an expert, with great

views of vistas and snow-cov-

ered trees. Rentals are avail-

able in the Summit Mountain

Shop.

Hike, snowshoe or cross

country ski on the trails out-

side of the Park, such as the

Pat McGee Trail, a 12-mile

multi-use trail that connects

Salamanca and Cattaraugus or

the Allegheny River Valley

Trail that travels around

Allegany and Olean. Visit

Pfeiffer Nature Center where

you can take a nature walk,

learn to snowshoe, make recy-

clable bird feeders and learn

about the environment in the

area.

Ellicottville is a winterized

wonderland. Home to Holiday

Valley and HoliMont, and bet-

ter known as the Aspen of the

East, you can play in the snow

while skiing, boarding and

tubing. For a chillingly fun

ride, check out the Mountain

Coaster at Holiday Valley

which is open year round and

zigzags 4,805 feet down the

mountain while maneuvering

15 curves, 12 waves, a jump

and corkscrew spiral. Sledding

fans can take a quick shuttle

ride to Holiday Valley Tubing

Co. with 12 groomed lanes,

two tows to carry you to the

top of the hill, a snack bar and

game room.

Perhaps one of the most

exhilarating activities of win-

ter is snowmobiling. Dash

through the snow on any of

the 329 miles and 68 addition-

al in Allegany State Park.

Come across some of the most

beautiful trails as you explore

the open fields and wooded

forests. The small towns of

Randolph, Delevan, Gowanda

and Cattaraugus all welcome

snowmobiles so you are never

too far away from gas, food or

just a break to warm up a lit-

tle! Allegany State Park has

newly renovated Group

Camps, perfect for the whole

gang. Enough room to provide

privacy to each person, but

leaves opportunities for group

fun with an outfitted mess hall

complete with full kitchen.

You can reserve your winter

weekend now at www.

ReserveAmerica.com. Call the

number below to learn of the

current snowmobile trail con-

ditions or to request a trail

map.

Still haven’t got you con-

vinced to explore the great

outdoors when they are snow

covered? For your indoor

pleasure, make it a point to

visit the museums, galleries

and stage productions. Or root

for the Atlantic 10 Conference’s

men or women’s teams during

a “Bonnies” game. Theater

performances are available

through Olean Community

Theater and Olean Theater

Workshop or follow the Ray

Evans Seneca Theatre, newly

renovated, for their upcoming

movies, plays and musicals.

You can visit Regina A. Quick

Center for the Arts, a world

class museum, located on the

campus of St. Bonaventure

University. The museum is

free, open to the public and in

addition to its vast and chang-

ing exhibits, hosts perfor-

mances throughout the year.

Try your luck at the Seneca

Allegany Resort & Casino

where you can choose your

favorite slot or table game.

Continually updating, they

offer the most current slot

machines surrounded by art-

work from the Seneca Nation

Artists. Spend the night for

one of their exciting perfor-

mances at the Events Center

such as “America” on Jan 23.

Dining options abound with

signature dining restaurants to

The ArT roscoe

TrAil sysTem

is The lArgesT

in WesTern

ny, WiTh 20+ miles of snoWy

sATisfAcTion!

Naturally Yours To Enjoy!

1-800-331-0543VisiT enchAnTedmounTAins.com

AllegAny sTATe PArk is A WinTer WonderlAnd of fun!find cAmPing, snoWmobiling, And cross counTry skiing!

Community Sports Report

The 25th annual WNY Sport & Travel Expo, pre-sented by Erie Promotions and Expos, Inc., will be held at the Event Center on the Fairgrounds in Hamburg on March 5-8. The four-day event boasts over 220 exhib-itors throughout four build-ings, including outfitters from all over the world, spe-cial show pricing on hunting and fishing gear, and much more. This year’s featured entertainers are Pat and Nicole Reeve from The Outdoor Channel’s hit show “Driven.” Pat & Nicole will be meeting and greeting fans, taking pictures, and signing autographs during all four days of the event.

The WNY Sport & Travel Expo features something for all ages of outdoor enthusi-asts. Kids can enjoy Bwana Jim’s Wildlife Show or fish-ing in the Southtowns Walleye Association’s live trout pond. Hunting and fishing seminars from local

Sports and Travel expocomes to WNY

and national experts will take place all weekend, including a special appear-ance from the Outdoor Channel’s “Forever Wild Outdoors.” Expert retriever trainer Jim Beverly will be conducting seminars and hosting the annual Companion Retriever Hunting Challenge Sunday March 8.

Tickets to the WNY Sport & Travel Expo are $9 at the door. Kids 10 and under are free. On-site parking is free at the Fairgrounds. The event will be open to the public during the following times: Thur. March 5, 12 - 9 pm; Fri. March 6, 12 - 9pm; Sat. March 7, 10 am – 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 8, 11am - 5pm.

For more information on the WNY Sport & Travel Expo, please visit www.wnysportshow.com or contact Mark Concilla at 814-790-5079 or [email protected].

Don’t get left outin the cold

an award winning Steakhouse

to huge buffets!

If the view of the Enchanted

Mountains doesn’t draw you in,

the exciting festivals, fair, and

other events will! For more

information call 1-800-331-

0543, or visit www.

EnchantedMountains.com.

Holiday Valley ranked as the No. 5 Ski resort in the East and offer some of the best night-time skiing around

SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 11

NCCC THUNDERWOLVESwww.niagaracc.suny.edu

FORMER BASEBALL STAR BEER HONORED

KIRCHBERGER TO LEAD WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Graduated Niagara County Community College shortstop Chris Beer was recently named to Canadian Baseball Network’s All-Canuck Team for 2014. The Burlington, Ont. native and current junior at Div. I Arkansas Pine Bluff finished third in the Western New York Athletic Conference batting race with a .417 mark, was second with 22 steals - one back of the leader - was seventh in RBIs with 34 and was tied for eighth with three home runs. His average was the third highest amongst Canucks with 100 at-bats or more behind only Connor Bowie (.455) and Tom Muelenthaler (.420).

In 45 games, Beer had 58 hits (scoring 50 runs) with 14 doubles, three triples and three homers. He slugged .626 as part of a 1.163 OPS. Beer had 15 multi-hit games. His best outings were three hits, including a triple, a homer and an RBI in a 7-5 loss against Montgomery, three hits including a pair of doubles and two RBIs in a 12-0 win over Jamestown and three RBIs in an 8-3 win against Broome.

Sarah Kirchberger was appointed head women’s lacrosse coach by athletics director Bob McKeown this past fall. Kirchberger spent the 2014 season as an assistant to former coach Nate Beutel, who is now leading the NCCC softball program.

Kirchberger, a West Seneca West graduate, played two years of lacrosse at both Buffalo State College and Erie Community College. While at ECC, Kirch-berger was named first team All-Western New York Athletic Conference and team MVP. She received team MVP honors with the Bengals as well.

Kirchberger has spent time coaching both U10 and JV-aged travel teams with the Buffalo Lacrosse Acad-emy. As an assistant at NCCC, Kirchberger helped the team to a school-record four wins and played a part in former standout April Maziarz becoming the first All-Region selection in school history.

Beer who played for the Hamilton Cardinals and coach Gord Thompson before heading across the border to play for NCCC coach Matt Clingersmith, earned first team All-Region III honors, was an NJCAA All-American and a Rawlings Gold Glove winner.

“We’re incredibly proud of all that Chris accomplished at NCCC,” Clingersmith said. “He was a top-notch player and more importantly a top-notch student and top-notch kid. I’m excited to see him excel at the Division I level this spring.”

Beer’s current teammate and countryman Russell McGibbon, also a former NCCC baseball standout, was an honorable mention selection.

“My coaching experience is very diverse and I think that will help me,” Kirchberger said. “Even though I’m at the college level now, you still need to be able to teach the basic skills really well.”

And even though it’s one of NCCC’s newest sports, Kirchberger believes the Thunderwolves’ women’s lacrosse program is close to turning the corner as it competes in the toughest region in the country.

“We were real close last year and I think we could’ve done even better, but we just need a little more dedication,” she said. “We need to be ready to work and not give up. We can’t be intimidated by the other team’s name…but instead have faith in each other.”

NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPS

Boys Basketball Camp

Monday, July 27 - Thursday, July 30 9am-4pm / Ages 7-14 $130 per camper

Co-ed Soccer Camp

Monday, July 20 - July 239am-4pm / Ages 7-12 $130 per camper

Co-ed General Sports Camp Monday, July 6 – Thursday, July 9 Monday, July 13 – Thursday, July 16 9am-4pm / Ages 7-12 $130 per camper

For More Information Contact Amanda [email protected] . (716)614-6259

Jan/Feb 2015


By Dave Ricci

On Dec.8, the Tonawanda

Lady Warriors basketball team

stood on their home court

inside the George H. Miller

Gym in Tonawanda High

School and gazed up at the

two raised championship ban-

ners. One honored their 2011-

12/2012-13 back-to-back

ECIC IV title winning teams.

The other was for the 2013-14

squad that made school histo-

ry by winning the Section VI

Class B1 and overall Class B

title en route to the Far West

Regionals.

“I think it’s still sinking in a

little bit,” junior Dahnea

Harrison said with a smile. “It

was just a very cool experience

to be a part of and that I

helped the team out to get

there. It definitely helped me

out a lot to know what I’m

capable of. It’s definitely an

achievement. It’s cool.”

Pretty heady stuff for a pro-

gram that, nine or 10 years

ago, was trying to keep its

head above water. Victories

were few and far between for

Tonawanda who was the

smallest school in Class A in

those days. They often found

themselves overmatched

against bigger schools while in

ECIC III. But times have defi-

nitely changed.

“It was amazing to see how

a winning team plays. The

Tonawanda basketball: Rise of the Lady Warriorsteamwork that goes on,”

returning sophomore Haley

Schoelerman said. “And I was

glad I could see it so I knew

how to lead the team in years

to come. So I’m just hoping I

can do that.”

Current head coach Jay

Hall, who had previously

coached the Lady Warriors JV

team with his friend Tom

Burdo took over the varsity

team as interim coach in 2007

when former coach Glenn

Gast was unable to continue

due to a serious medical issue.

Inheriting a team that was

led by very skilled players

Jillian Feldmeyer and Victoria

Burtch, Hall said that he felt

that Gast had laid a solid foun-

dation with some quality girls.

His plan going forward was to

find the pieces to add to the

existing talent and create what

he hoped would be a more

balanced lineup.

“Those girls were the begin-

ning of turning it around,”

Hall said. “Getting everybody

mentally ready saying ‘hey we

can actually win.’”

Perhaps the biggest turning

point was prior to the 2011-12

season during a scrimage in

which Class AA Kenmore

West absolutely schooled

Tonawanda in now uncertain

terms.

The result? The Lady

Warriors returned to Miller

gym the next day an angry and

focused group. Mad at them-

selves for not taking Ken West

more seriously and mad at

themselves for allowing anoth-

er team to beat them on their

own court when they know

they could have done better.

At a players only meeting the

senior leaders spoke up and

said that the effort against

Kenmore West simply was not

acceptable.

“We were seen as the under-

dogs and we were kind of

playing like that. But us as

captains realized the potential

that we had as a team. So we

wanted them to see it as well,”

former Lady Warrior Heather

Heim explained. “We had a lot

of chemistry as a team. If we

could just be more serious and

see the potential that we really

had. Working well together as

friends that we could really go

forth and do something.”

“The leaders really took

charge,” Hall said. “It wasn’t

just me saying let’s go we gotta

work. The players really

bought into it. That’s when

everybody started working

hard and it’s carried on right

through to this team. They’re

working their tails off every

single day.”

Tonawanda then went forth

and accomplished something

special, winning the first

league title in the history of

the girls’ basketball program

and the first step in a new cul-

ture of winning. While Heim

and fellow seniors like Tina

Partridge and Kila Gilcart were

the core leaders, this success-

ful season featured strong con-

tributions from younger play-

ers like junior JoAnna

McCarthy and sophomore

studs Alanna Herne and Kalyn

Compeau who gave the team a

one-two punch at guard.

An injury to Herne played a

huge factor in the Warriors

being eliminated in the quar-

terfinals of sectionals, but the

dye was cast. Tonawanda had

arrived and they returned the

following season to repeat as

ECIC IV champions. After sev-

eral players endured a lengthy

delay when returning from a

school trip abroad, their lack

of rest for the 2pm game the

next day didn’t bode well and

they once again exited in the

quarterfinals.

Although they missed the

three-peat as division champs

the leadership of Herne,

Compeau, fellow senior cap-

tain Savanna Baughman and

strong contributions from girls

like Paige Hill and Dahnea

Harrison, propelled the

Warriors past Newfane in the

quarterfinals and Buffalo Arts

in the semis. Earning a trip to

Buffalo State College,

Tonawanda first beat Bennett

for the B1 title and then upset

powerhouse B2 champ Wilson

for the overall Class B title.

Herne forever cemented her

name in Tonawanda sports

lore during this playoff run

when down by six against

Buffalo Arts at halftime she

asked the coaches for a players

only meeting and snapped the

rest of the team out of their

funk.

Although Tonawanda’s run

came to an end in the Far West

Regionals a few days after

beating Wilson it isn’t the end

of the most exciting season in

Lady Warriors basketball so

much as another chapter in a

continued story of success.

Proud of how far the girls

have come, coach Hall stressed

that it has always been a total

team effort with every player

bringing something important

to the overall dynamic;

Rremove just one girl from the

equation and history is

changed.

“It’s definitely a team effort

and they’ve bought into that,”

Hall said. “It took a while to

get them to buy into it to get to

the team aspect instead of the

individual aspect. But the last

few years you can see they’ve

really bought into that and it’s

paid off for us, big time.”

Heim said that she and

other former Warriors still

keep tabs on how the team is

doing and that she couldn’t be

more proud of how far they’ve

gone. Now when you put on

Tonawanda maroon and white

winning is expected, not a nice

surprise.

“You have to work as hard

as you can to do what we did

last year,” Schoelerman said.

“So we definitely have to push

it even harder.”

By Paul Gotham

Region 3 conference play

takes center stage throughout

Western New York where a

pair of nationally-ranked

squads fend off the competi-

tion in the quest to advance in

March. The Erie CC Kats host

Genesee CC’s Cougars on Jan.

22. Finger Lakes CC hosts

Onondaga, Jan. 21. Niagara

County CC visits Monroe CC

on Jan. 22 as MCC’s Tribunes

continue their defense of the

regional title.

Erie Community College KatsCurrent record: 7-3

2013-14 record: 16-10 / 7-4

– lost in the Region III D2

conference tournament

Coach: Alex Nwora – 16th

season.

Top Players: Dashawn King

(14.9 points per game), Yusuf

Yakubu (11.6 points per

game/12.4 rebounds per

game).

Yusuf Yakubu paces an ECC

squad that won five straight in

Local junior college men’s basketballkicks into full gear

November and eventually took

seven of eight. The Kats look

forward to getting back to the

friendly confines of Flickinger

Athletic Center where they

have played just one game this

season. Michael Vigilance led

three in double figures with 15

points as Erie outlasted

nationally-ranked Cuyahoga

CC in overtime, 74-72. It was

Erie’s second OT victory of the

season having knocked off

Oakland CC, 106-105 in the

opening round of the TJ

Memorial Classic.

Finger Lakes Community College Lakers

Current record: 13-2 / 2-0

2013-14 record: 18-12 / 7-5

– lost Region III D3 quarter-fi-

nal

Coach: Richard Jones –

13th season.

Top Players: Kievonn Banks

(18.6 points per game),

Brandon Bullock (13.7 points

per game/ 7 rebounds per

game/ six assists per game),

Dylan Verkey (12.1 points per

game)

Scoring nearly 92 points a

game, FLCC’s Lakers carry a

seven-game winning streak

into the second half of the

season. This after FLCC

opened the campaign 7-0.

Kievonn Banks (Rochester/

Charlotte) and Dylan Verkey

(Seneca Falls/Mynderse) com-

bined for 26 points as the

Lakers erased an 11-point

halftime deficit and took their

home opener from Monroe

CC, 87-82. FLCC’s 12.7 steals

per game ranks seventh in the

country.

Genesee Community College Cougars

Current record: 12-1

2013-14 record: 23-8 / 7-4

Coach: Terry George -

fourth season.

Top Players: Naquil Jones

(18.8 points per game), Ervin

Mitchell (23 points per game),

Jason Perry Murray (11.6

points per game/11 rebounds

per game)

Ranked 16th in the nation,

GCC has won 12 straight. The

Cougars’ defense ranks second

in the country holding oppo-

nents to a 38.4 field goal per-

centage. Jason Perry Murray

leads the efforts on the boards

where GCC’s 49.4 rebounds a

game ranks second nationally.

The Cougars convincingly

beat perennial national con-

tender, Community College of

Rhode Island, 93-55 en route

to taking the Cougar Holiday

Classic.

Jamestown Community College Jayhawks


2013-14 record: 7-18 / 0-11

Coach: Michael Cordovano

- 20th season.

Top Players: Ohndo Smith

(27.4 points per game/15.1

rebounds per game), Chris

Van Buren (24.4 points per

game).

Undefeated at home (5-0)

and netting 86 points a game,

Jamestown CC looks to get a

spot in this year’s regional.

Ohndo Smith turned in a rare

20-20 game tallying 28 and

grabbing 23 rebounds as the

visiting Jayhawks topped

Lorain County CC, 89-79.

Chris Buren added a game-

high 31 going 3-of-8 from

behind the arc.

Jamestown Community College (Cattaraugus County) Jaguars


2013-14 record: 2-12 / 0-4

Coach: J.R. Kemp - sixth

season.

Top Players: Deonn Moore-

Colomb (17.5 points per

game), Rob Sanders (15.4

points per game/nine rebounds

per game).

J ames town CC

(Cattaraugus) won three

straight to open December,

part of a run which saw the

Jaguars take five of six. A. J.

Marion led five in double fig-

ures as Jamestown CC downed

Pitt-Titusville, 98-81. The

freshman guard hit 8-of-14

from the floor and 6-of-7 from

the free throw line as the

Jaguars took an 18-point

advantage at halftime and

never looked back.

Photo by Dave RicciL-R coach Jay Hall, captains Savanna Baughman, Alanna Hearne and Kalyn Compeau w/Section VI B1 title.

Photo Courtesy of Monroe Community College Athletics

Anthony Hemingway (23) averages 19.5 points a game and hands out 2.9 assists for the nationally ranked MCC Tribunes.



Local college basketball

teams have an array of talent,

including some players earn-

ing national attention. To help

you spot the faces on campus,

here are several of the local

standouts to keep tabs on

throughout the 2014-15 sea-

son.

F Adam Fezza, Alfred State

College – Fezza is tops on

Alfred State with 11.5 points

per game. He also has an

impressive 43 percent shoot-

ing percentage and he rarely

takes a poor shot. The junior

forward is one of the most

natural shooters in the

Rochester area.

G A.J. Horde, RIT – The

freshman sensation is one of

only two players on the team

that has started every game

this season. Horde is incredi-

bly leading the team in points

2014-15 Collegiate Basketball Shining Starsper game (14.2), assists (42),

steals (22) and triples (24).

The guard will be a star to

watch for years to come.

G Zach Lewis, Canisius

College - Lewis is the only

Griffin averaging double-digit

points (14.3) per game. The

sophomore is also leading the

team with 31.4 minutes per

game to go along with 2.8 tri-

ples. Lewis is one of the best

scorers in the WNY area and is

worth keeping an eye on this

winter.

F Justin Moss, University at

Buffalo - Moss is the backbone

of this Bulls squad. The junior

standout is leading the team

with 16.4 points per game to

go along with an impressive

9.4 rebounds. He will continue

to fill the boxscore on a night-

ly basis for the Bulls.

C Youssou Ndoye, St.

Bonaventure University – The

Senegal native has dominated

the glass this season for the

Bonnies. He is even earning

national attention as he is cur-

rently third in the NCAA with

11.5 boards per contest. He is

adding 10.9 points per game

as well, which makes him one

of five players on the team

averaging double-digit points.

It is hard to miss this sev-

en-footer on the court.

G Marcus Posley, St.

Bonaventure University - Posley

is averaging a staggering 17.6

points per contest. He is also a

strong shooter from behind

the arc, as he has knocked in

34 triples through the first 12

games of the season. Posley

will be worth watching any-

time he has the ball in his

hands.

F Ramone Snowden, Niagara

University - Snowden is second

on the team with 10.4 points

per game, but he is leading the

team with a healthy 6.8

rebounds. He is a dominant

presence on the glass and has

mastered the art of boxing out

By Eric Venator

After a slight hiccup to start

the year, it appears that all the

Bandits needed to get the 2015

season on track was a little

home cooking.

Coming off a 12-8 loss on

the road to the New England

Black Wolves, the Bandits

returned to the First Niagara

Center and treated fans to an

exciting home opening week-

end with a 9-8 victory over the

Edmonton Rush. Seven unan-

swered goals, including four

by Ryan Benesch, put the

black and orange far ahead

and sealed the first victory of

the year.

If you didn’t know who

Benesch was before last game,

you know who he is now after

seeing him on the Jumbo Tron

over and over and over again

with highlight reel goals.

Although the Bandits paid a

steep price in the form of two

first round picks to acquire

Benesch from the Minnesota

Swarm last season, the invest-

ment has already paid great

dividends. Benesch’s numbers

may be down slightly from

2011 when he paced the

league in points (95) but he’s

remained a consistent scorer.

Last season he netted 78 points

(25 goals, 53 assists) and at his

current clip he’s on pace to

score 54 goals this season. His

left-handed craftiness and

scoring touch have so far out-

weighed the development of

the potential prospects given

up for him and he looks poised

to succeed now and for a long

time to come.

Another success story has

been the return to form of fan

favorite and hometown hero

Mark Steenhuis. The legend-

ary forward appears to have

rebounded from his previous

injuries and is currently tied

for second on the team with

eight points. Two of his three

goals have had assists from

Benesch and if Steenhuis can

stay healthy that one-two

punch could prove very dan-

gerous to anyone squaring off

against the Bandits this season.

Beyond the numbers, however,

Steenhuis has long shown that

character and off-the-field

So far, so good for the Bandits

characteristics go a long way

towards becoming a leader.

Steenhuis, with his play and

leading by example, also helps

set the tone for players new to

the organization, which is a

hard thing to quantify in a box

score.

Moving from forwards to

the net, the Bandits have got-

ten solid goaltending from vet-

eran Anthony Cosmo. Now

suiting up for his fourth NLL

team, “Cozzy,” as he’s affec-

tionately known, has more

than lived up to expectations

in his third season with the

Bandits. At press time, he is

currently second in the league

in both GAA (9.5) and save

percentage (.817 percent).

In addition to the excite-

ment of the on field action, the

Bandits have stepped up their

game for the fans in the stands.

For the remainder of the sea-

son every game has a theme,

such as Super Hero Night, and

includes various promotions

geared for the whole family to

enjoy. The atmosphere in the

stands of the First Niagara

Center encourage fans to dress

up as intense as they wish to

show their support.

With the defending

Champion’s Cup Rochester

Knighthawks stumbling out of

the gates, the Bandits have a

real chance to rise to the top of

the east and finish the season

as champions. Instead of a

“four-peat” for Rochester, let’s

hope that the trophy comes

back to the Queen City.

By Ryan Esguerra

Olivia Luciani sits alongside

the court before her practice at

Buffalo State College. The

senior, who is the school’s

career leader in three pointers,

sits amongst her teammates

and laces up her newest pair of

custom-made Nikes. These

Nikes are part of a collection

that Luciani has gathered

throughout her years as a bas-

ketball player.

As a “sneakerhead,” a term

coined by those with a passion

for shoes; Olivia decided to

take her love of sneakers to the

next level by starting Pro

Soles, a shoe restoration and

customization company.

Partnered with her friends

Zach Skeen and Tiffany Aybar,

Luciani is attempting to build

the brand of their three-

month-old company one step

at a time.

“My friends and I were sit-

ting in the student union one

day and were thinking of ways

we could make money.”

Luciani explained. “We all

love sneakers so we had the

idea to start restoring them, it

developed into customization

and it kind of just took off

from there.”

Through Instagram shout-

outs and reposting of work

that has been done in three

short months, Pro Soles has

gathered over 1,000 Instagram

followers with intent to grow.

Pro Soles has done work for

rappers/singers such as Rae

Sremmurd, Fetty Wap and

Olivia Luciani: Shoes andthree-point shooting

Dylan Hyde as well as Division

1 Syracuse guard BJ Johnson.

D1 athletes from various

schools such as Rutgers, St.

Bonaventure, South Carolina

and Sienna are also in contact

with Pro Soles for shoe cus-

tomization.

On the court Luciani is a

fierce competitor with a deco-

rated four year athletic career

at Buffalo State. In the 2013-

2014 season, Lucani broke the

record for most three point

field goals made and three

games into the 2014-2015 sea-

son she broke the record for

three pointers in a career.

Luciani is a leader among

her teammates. In her senior

season, she was elected as a

captain by her teammates, the

ultimate signifier of hard work

and dedication to her craft.

Sue Roarke, who has

coached Luciani all four years

of her playing career at Buffalo

State spoke glowing-

ly about her senior

captain.

“Olivia is the

most consistent

shooter that I have

ever coached, she

works so hard at

what she does.”

Roarke said. “After

her second year

teams started to key

in on her shooting,

so she made the

adjustment and

began working on

putting extra things

on her game.”

Luciani brings the

same intensity and motivation

that she displays on the court

to her business, making it dif-

ficult to bet against the young

entrepreneur.

“I remember Olivia bringing

her business cards the first day

of practice, she explained to

me her business and I think it’s

a great idea” Roarke added.

“You go to college to do what

you love, and Olivia is doing

just that, so I think if anyone

can make it, it’s her.”

What once started as an

idea for three friends to make

money in college evolved into

a business that could poten-

tially pave the way for the path

of Luciani’s career. Currently,

the Pro Soles name is in the

process of being trademarked.

Starting a company from the

ground up can be an expensive

process so all of the money

that Pro Soles receives from

shoe sales goes directly to

on the defensive side of the

ball. Snowden is easily the

most recognizable player on

Lewiston Road.

F Chris Thompson, Buffalo

State College – Thompson is the

Glass Man for Buffalo State.

The forward is grabbing an

impressive 7.4 rebounds per

game, which is tops on the

team. The senior forward is

also scoring a healthy 12.9

points per contest. He is a

obtaining and promoting new

product.

Pro Soles gives out free cus-

tomizations for celebrities in

exchange for notoriety, but

charges clients $120 for kids

and $180 for adults per pair.

College athletes are given dis-

counts for work done on their

shoes so that they do not vio-

late the NCAA rules and regu-

lations.

“This company took off way

more than we originally

expected,” Luciani comment-

ed. “We thought that we

would just be doing shoes for

people around campus but it

turned into something more

than that.”

Through the use of social

media and word of mouth, Pro

Soles has grown without any

other forms of promotion. A

website and a Twitter page are

currently under construction

to accompany the Instagram

page that is already active.

As a public communica-

tions major at Buffalo State,

Luciani is drawing from her

experience in the classroom to

promote her work in hopes

that the Pro Soles name con-

tinues to gain the attention she

and her fellow founders are

looking for. It is the hope that

one day this company grows

large enough to have a store

opened in its name.

“Right now we want to get

to around 5,000 followers on

social media, then we will go

to radio and hopefully televi-

sion.” Luciani said. “I’d love to

be able to one day open a store

and hire workers, if that hap-

pens and we take off more,

maybe we can go even bigger.”

strong presence in the low

post and is one of the most

overlooked scorers in the area.

G Michael Vigilance, Erie

Community College – Vigilance

has been a steady contributor

for the Kats this season. One

of his most impressive perfor-

mances was a game against

Cuyahoga Community College

in which he posted 15 points,

seven rebounds and two assists

in the 74-72 victory.

Photo Courtesy of Olivia Luciani

Olivia Luciani hard at work on another pair of custom kicks.

Photo by Jake French

Ryan Benesch will be a key component in the success of the Buffalo Bandits. He is projected to have another phenomenal season.

By Adam McGill

Photo Courtesy of Paul Hokanson/ U

B Athletics

After coming off the bench last season, forward Justin Moss is showing that he can dominate in several aspects of the game.


By Ivan the Impaler

“I wasn’t playing a scared kid on TV – I WAS a scared kid on TV”

-Colin Delaney

We all had a dream when we

were young. Colin Delaney was

no different from us.

“...Some people wanted to be

football players or pilots;

I always wanted to be a pro-

fessional wrestler,” says Colin. “I

guess after the Attitude Era, a lot

of people grew out of it, but I

never did.”

What set Delaney apart from

most of us? While he began

working towards his goal, he hit

the big time (WWE, then WWF)

at age 21 - with no advance

notice. It was reminiscent of an

old movie where a producer

chomping on a cigar spots some-

one on the street and says “Kid,

I’m gonna make you a STAR!”

Well, sort of like that...

The Rochester native debuted

for WWE’s ECW brand in

December of 2007. But while his

big chance seemingly came like

a lightning bolt out of the blue,

it wasn’t as if he was unprepared

for his shot.

Colin immersed himself in

the ways of wrestling since a

young age. In his early teens, he

worked ring crew for New

Millennium Wrestling (later

RPW, NWA NY, NWA Upstate

and now UPW), eventually

moving up to being an announc-

er/commentator for both feds, as

well as Roc City Wrestling. It

was in that role when he won his

first match and title at the same

time. While interviewing RCW

Hardcore Champion Superstar

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE: THE SAGA OF COLIN DELANEY

Rob Schulz, Colin attacked

Schulz with a microphone and

pinned him for the belt, The title

reign lasted about one minute,

as Colin was then beaten by

Gardner “Big Daddy” Watts for

the hardcore crown.

That fleeting moment of glory

aside, Colin continued to train.

He was eventually recruited to

form one of the legendary tag

teams in Western New York his-

tory - The Olsen Twins.

“Jimmy Olsen was already in

a tag team, but his partner was

wavering on whether or not to

keep wrestling,” recalls Colin.

“So I was basically bred to be

Jimmy’s partner. They called me

Colin Olsen and we were the

Olsen Twins... We look nothing

alike, but we did a lot more with

it than (many) would’ve

thought... We were eighteen

years old and getting good work

in wrestling… We worked for

CHIKARA, CZW and UWA

Hardcore in Canada; we had

eyes on us.”

He accumulated titles along

the way (NWA NY tag belts with

Jimmy, “Lord of the 3-Way

Dance” in NWA Empire) and

made himself known through-

out the Northeast. But nothing

prepared him for the surprise

message he received on Dec. 18,

2007.

“I was at my factory job in

Rochester, working from 9 to 5,”

says Delaney. “(Some guy named

Luke) called me from backstage

at WWE and told me they need-

ed someone to wrestle Shelton

Benjamin on TV that night, ...I

was just up the road from the

Blue Cross Arena (in Rochester,

NY)... l ran to the front of the

factory and probably screamed

‘Hey l gotta leave, l think l can be

on TV tonight.’ They were just

like, ‘pffffft’, so I bolted...”

“When I got there, Jamie

Noble (WWE agent) met me at

the door. He brought me in and

asked, ‘Do you swear to God you

can wrestle’?. I said, ‘yes, of

course.’ He kept asking me if I

could wrestle like a hundred

times...”

The television world beheld

him in the middle of the ring

being interviewed by Taz, as

Colin announced that he’d never

wrestled before. It’s almost

unheard of for an unknown

“enhancement talent” to even

have an opportunity to speak on

TV before a match. Delaney the-

orized that when he showed up

at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, “the

writers thought, ‘Oh, let’s do

something with this,’ “ which

led to a hastily scripted promo.

He then had the honor to

wrestle (and lose to) Shelton

Benjamin, but it was his selling/

reactions that stole the show. It

was realistic without seeming

theatrical; in other words, he

showed FEAR- but kept compet-

ing until being pinned. To an

extent, Delaney knew art was

imitating life, admitting “I wasn’t

just playing a scared kid on TV

- I WAS a scared kid on TV.”

After exiting through the cur-

tain after the match, he was met

by John Laurinaitis, WWE Head

of Talent Relations. “He asked if

I was available to come back

next week (to a taping in

Norfolk, Va.). And then it just

kind of snowballed from there”

he recalls. Delaney also learned

from referee Scott Armstrong

that The Chairman of the Board,

Vincent K. McMahon himself,

was impressed with the perfor-

mance as well, yelling out

during the match “Who is this

kid? We gotta sign this kid!”

He’d show up at events when

asked, wrestled, lost, and then

get asked back in a week or two.

It was two months before he

actually signed a WWE contract.

The losses started to mount,

as well as the bandages/wraps he

wore due to the accumulated

beatings. But his persistence

impressed fans and ECW legend

Tommy Dreamer as well. He

took Colin under his wing; they

scored a tag team victory over

The Miz and John Morrison.

Delaney eventually secured his

first singles victory over

Armando Ajejandro

Esssssssstrada. And later?

Delaney turned heel on Dreamer

By Bob Caico

The New York State Boxing

Hall of Fame announced their

2015 class. The fourth annual

NYSBHOF induction dinner will

be held on April 26 in Howard

Beach, N.Y. Last year boxing

writer and historian Angelo

Prospero of Batavia and Buffalo

received the honor. This year

Buffalo’s “uncrowned middle-

weight champion” Joey Giambra

will be one of the living induct-

ees. Giambra had a 65-10-2, 31

KOs record from 1949-1963 and

while rated in the top-10 for

many of those years he never

received a middleweight title

shot.

Jimmy Slattery of Buffalo,

who had a 114-13, 51 KOs

record from 1921-1934, will be

Local boxing happeningsinducted posthumously. Slattery

twice won the world light heavy-

weight title in the 1920s and is

also a member of the

International Boxing Hall of

Fame. Prospero, Giambra and

Slattery are Ring 44 Buffalo

Boxing Hall of Fame members

and much deserving of this

honor.

••••

Ring 8, out of New York City,

had their annual Holiday Event

and Awards Ceremony on Dec.

21. Winning their Uncrowned

Champion award this year was

“Baby” Joe Mesi of Buffalo. Mesi

was 36-0 with 29 KOs in a career

that spanned 1997-2007.

Although rated the WBC No.1

heavyweight contender he didn’t

UPWColin Delaney has the advantage over Cheech Hernandez in a 2010 NWA Upstate match.

at the Great American Bash PPV

in July, costing Tommy a shot at

the ECW Title.

On Aug. 18, 2008, WWE

released Delaney from his con-

tract. An official reason is rarely

given, but to paraphrase Colt

Cabana,”creative (probably) had

nothing” for him. Colin took the

release in stride; in fact, that

very night, he made a surprise

return to UWA Hardcore, resur-

recting the Olsen Twins with

Jimmy.

Colin acknowledges, in retro-

spect, that he took things for

granted in the first few years

after his WWE run. “I got to age

25, 26, and I realized the only

thing holding me back in wres-

tling was me. I was done screw-

ing around....I knew I had to

turn myself around” He started

going to the gym, something he

didn’t need to do when younger

and realized more work was nec-

essary to get to a higher level.

He’s back on the road almost

every weekend, working in

Pittsburgh (IWC), Cleveland

(AIW), Ontario as well as WNY

(UPW, ESW, 2CW). He’s also

wrestled for Ring of Honor.

He’s now training the next

generation of wrasslin’ stars;

Colin and Marc Hauss are the

lead trainers at Kayfabe Dojo,

the UPW wrestling school in

Rochester, NY. Ironically, that’s

where Delaney received most of

his training when he started.

What about the future? “My

goal is to do the best I can in

wrestling” he states. He’d love to

get another opportunity nation-

ally, or with WWE if invited to

their NXT developmental. “NXT

is one of the best things in the

world; the stuff they’re doing is

crazy.”

“Crazy.” Perhaps that’s the

best word to describe the life-

style Colin Delaney lived for

about nine months. And also to

describe that, at age 27, he’s

achieved more than 99 percent

of the people lacing up a pair of

boots. ..Not to mention that he’s

young enough to do it again.

It’s crazy!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, Jan. 17 - ESW - St.

Johnsburg Fire Hall, 7165 Ward

Road -N. Tonawanda, N.Y.- 6

p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 7 - PWR - Saga

Club, 3828 Washington Ave. -

Erie, Pa - 7 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 8 - Destiny

Wrestling - Don Kolov Arena -

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - 6

p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14 - Kayfabe

Dojo - Pineapple Jack’s,

Spencerport Road - Rochester,

N.Y. - 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 28 - WWE

(non-TV) - Ricoh Coliseum -

Toronto, Ont., Canada- 7:30

p.m.

Sunday, March 1 - WWE

(non-TV) - First Niagara Center

- Buffalo, N.Y. - Time TBA

Friday, March 6 - WWE (non-

TV) - Blue Cross Arena -

Rochester, N.Y. - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 - UPW -

Eagles Club, Buffalo Road -

Gates (Rochester), N.Y. - 6 p.m.

Friday, May 15 and Saturday,

May 16 - ROH - Ted Reeve Arena

- Toronto, Ontario, Canada -

7:30 p.m.

MEDIA STUFF

There’s a new podcast/web-

cast we’d like you to sample.

View “Wrestlevision Presents:

The Big Schmozz” on either

ROCSportsnetwork.com or you-

tube.com

Follow @Wrestlevision on

The Twitter... See encore

Wrestlevision episodes on Time-

Warner Cable in Suburban Erie

County on Channel 20; watch

Saturdays at 4 p.m. and

Mondays at 11:30 p.m.

Confused by all this? Just

check www.wrestlevision.com

for help.

get a chance because of a medi-

cal condition that basically

ended his career.

••••

The 2015 Buffalo (New York

State) Golden Gloves

Tournament will be gearing up

in January at The Tralf Music

Hall on Main Street in down-

town Buffalo. Opening night

will be Saturday Jan. 24 with

amateur boxers from all over the

state competing. The tourna-

ment continues at the same

venue on Feb. 28, March 28 and

May 2. The tournament champi-

ons will be NYS Champions

with the open class winners

advancing to the National

Golden Glove tournament in Las

Vegas on May 11-16.

••••

Speaking of the Buffalo

Golden Gloves, this was the pre-

mier tournament for over 45

years from 1932-1976 and also

recently with the return of the

event to Buffalo. The “Gloves”

was a family event in the past as

grandfathers, fathers and chil-

dren not only attended the fights

but was a tradition and an honor

to have fought in the Golden

Gloves down the generation

line. There are many stories of

families participating in the

action and one in particular

comes to mind.

In 1953 Memorial Auditorium

held the finals of the Gloves

with 13,559 fans witnessing the

event. The Hall family of Buffalo

had three brothers participate in

the annual tournament; Lee,

Calvin and Dick. On finals night

of Dec. 7 Lee Hall won the 147-

pound open title over Al Piccoli

of Niagara Falls. Calvin Hall

dropped the 160-pound open

title to Mario Calandra of Buffalo

and Dick Hall lost the 126-

pound novice title to Richie

Todaro of Buffalo. These results

were impressive and sure made

the family proud. The three Hall

brothers though were not satis-

fied.

The 1954 Golden Gloves

finals were held Dec. 6 in front

of 10,007 fans at the Aud. This

time the Hall brothers made the

event their own. Lee Hall moved

up the 160-pound division and

won that open title over

Armando Marchieone of Buffalo.

Calvin Hall dropped down to the

147-pound division and defeat-

ed Ed Wallace of Niagara Falls

while Dick Hall captured the

135-pound open title by defeat-

ing rival Richie Todaro. Three

brothers, three open division

Golden Gloves champions in

one year; now that is a Golden

Glove memory for a lifetime.

Additionally, older brother

Jimmy Hall won the 1952 160-

pound open class with a win

over Billy McGhee of Buffalo.

Prentiss Hall was runner-up in

the 1941 147-pound open class

to Parson Ohonesian of Niagara

Falls and Charles Hall won the

1940 118-pound novice title

over Gene Covert.

Dick Hall joined his brothers as champion in Buffalo Golden Glove history.


COLLECTINGMEMORIES

I hear the same question at

all sports card

shows. Newcomers

to the hobby won-

der aloud, “What

should I collect?”

they ask me.

This isn’t doing

homework or walk-

ing the dog. There is

no clear-cut answer

to this question.

Collect what you

like. There are hob-

byists who hold onto auto-

graphed baseballs, while oth-

ers collect team yearbooks or

media guides. How about the

people who can’t wait to add

another ticket to their collec-

tion.

Of course, I prefer sports

cards: baseball; football; hock-

ey; and basketball. I even

throw in some golf and boxing

cards. BUT NEVER SOCCER

CARDS!!!! I hate that game.

Back in the 1980s, you

could literally collect ALL

sports cards. By 1985, I really

Unitas, Gretzky, Aaroncards among No. 1 choices

had 80 percent of all sports

cards from

1948 to the

present. It

was easy then

with low

prices and

only three

c o m p a n i e s

for baseball

and one each

for football,

hockey and

ba ske tba l l .

Now only Donald Trump

could afford that.

Blame it on my age, but I

don’t enjoy any of the cards

from the 21st century. They

are boring. But if you are look-

ing for a goal, I say collect at

least one card from every year.

Go back to the 1940s. Imagine

having a 1948 Bowman Ferris

Fain, a 1949 Eddie Joost, a

1950 Jack Banta, a 1951 Chico

Carrasquel and a 1952 Topps

Mickey Vernon. You’ll under-

stand the beauty of the vintage

cards.

Of course, to make it tricki-

er I suggest you collect the

same number in each set. The

best number to collect is No.

1. In many cases that will be a

really nice card. The great Ted

Williams (Topps 1954, ‘57 and

‘58) and Hank Aaron (Topps

1974, ‘75 and ‘76) had three

No. 1 cards each. Joe DiMaggio

was No. 1 in 1940 for Playball

and in 1948 for Leaf. The

Whitey Ford rookie card is

No. 1 in 1951 Bowman and

Yogi Berra was the same num-

ber in 1952 Bowman.

Nolan Ryan had cards from

1968 to 1994 but his only No.

1 was 1990 Topps. Jackie

Robinson was No. 1 in 1953

Topps. Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie

card was No. 1 in 1989 Upper

Deck. Roger Maris was No. 1

in 1962 Topps, coming after

his 61 home run season of

1961. The only time Willie

Mays was No. 1 came in 1966.

You might say Johnny Unitas

was popular with Topps. The

great quarterback was No. 1 in

Topps from 1959 to 1963.

Aaron Rodgers has been the

lead car in football cards four

times and Doak Walker was

No. 1 in 1950 Bowman and

1955 Bowman. Buffalo’s O.J.

Simpson was the lead card in

1974 Topps. Peyton Manning,

Bart Starr, Drew Brees, Norm

The NFL playoffs have

begun (yes, Bills fans, the

league still has playoffs), and

football fans will be tuning in.

Use these questions to stump

your friends while you wait for

the pizza to arrive at halftime.

1. Tom Brady and Peyton

Manning rank one-two in

career playoff passes complet-

ed. Who ranks third?

a. Jim Kelly

b. Brett Favre

c. Kurt Warner

d. Dan Marino

2. Only three players have

rushed for 16 or more playoff

touchdowns: Emmitt Smith;

Franco Harris; and who?

a. Ray Rice

b. Frank Gore

c. Thurman Thomas

d. Terrell Davis

3. Who was the opposing

quarterback the last time the

Bills won a playoff game?

a. Joe Montana

b. Dan Marino

c. Neil O’Donnell

d. Steve McNair

4. Only three players have

had 28 or more receptions in a

playoff year: Larry Fitzgerald;

Hakeem Nicks; and who?

a. Demaryius Thomas

b. Victor Cruz

c. Marshall Faulk

d. Jordy Nelson

5. Bruce Smith ranks sec-

ond in career playoff sacks,

with 14.5. Who ranks first?

a. Willie McGinest

Trivia quiz

Answers1. b 2. c 3. b 4. a 5. a6. d 7. a 8. c 9. d 10. d

Van Brocklin, Joe Montana

and Troy Aikman had the No.

1 card one time each.

Hockey card collectors will

find Wayne Gretzky was the

No. 1 man many times. The

Great One had his first No. 1

in 1982 OPC. He later paced

the set in 1990 Score, 1990

Topps, 1992 Score, 1992 Topps

and 1994 Upper Deck, 1995

Bowman, 1997 Studio and

1997 Zenith.

Other favorites for No. 1

included Mario Lemieux (four

times), Mike Bossy (three

times), Ray Bourque (three

times), Tim Horton (twice)

and Gump Worsley (twice).

UPCOMING SHOWS:East Amherst’s Rob Schilling

will hold his major sports card

March 29 at the Grapevine

Banquet Hall (formerly

Hearthstone Manor) in Depew.

More than 100 dealers from

the northeast and Canada will

sell, buy and trade their items

at the all-day show. The

monthly free admission sports

card shows at the Leonard

VFW Post in Cheektowaga

will continue Feb. 11, March

11 and April 8.

Mike Dyer, former sports

writer and author, is always

looking for comments from the

readers. Send email to mikedy-

[email protected].

By Mike Fox

b. Reggie White

c. Richard Dent

d. Michael Strahan

6. Who is the career playoff

leader in all-purpose yards?

a. Cliff Branch

b. Darren Sproles

c. Brian Mitchell

d. Jerry Rice

7. Adam Vinatieri holds the

record for most points scored

in a playoff year, with 49. Who

ranks second with 48?

a. Terrell Davis

b. Steve Christie

c. Scotty Norwood

d. Steve Gostkowski

8. Warren Moon holds the

all-time record with 16 career

playoff fumbles. Who is the

active leader?

a. Drew Brees

b. Peyton Manning

c. Tom Brady

d. Tony Romo

9. Entering this year, there

have been 16 occasions in

which a player caught three

TD passes in a playoff game.

Who was the most recent?

a. Amani Toomer

b. Larry Fitzgerald

c. Sidney Rice

d. Rob Gronkowski

10. Six quarterbacks have

led the league in playoff pass-

ing attempts for two consecu-

tive years. The first was George

Blanda. Who was the most

recent?

a. Jim Kelly

b. Kurt Warner

c. Warren Moon

d. Terry Bradshaw

forced 30 turnovers, 19 via

interception and 11 from fum-

ble recoveries.

Whether it was intercepting

Manning twice and snapping

his 52-game streak with a

touchdown pass – albeit in a

losing effort – or forcing Smith

into three first-quarter incep-

tions amid a Week 8 trampling

of the New York Jets, the Bills

defense came to play in 2014.

But no game was bigger for

the Bills’ defense than its feat

in a Week 15 victory over

Rodgers and the high-flying

Green Bay Packers. When they

took the field at Ralph Wilson

Stadium the Packers boasted

the league’s highest-scoring

offense but they managed just

13 points against the Bills.

Even worse, Rodgers finished

with a career-low 34.3 passer

rating and completed just 40

percent of his passes (17 for

42).

“It was frustrating,” Rodgers

said following the loss to the

Bills. “They did a good job on

defense, kind of slowed us

down a little bit.”

And although the usual sus-

pects showed up for the Bills,

it was an unlikely hero who

stole the show against Green

Bay: third-string safety Bacarri

Rambo.

Rambo, who joined the Bills

less than a month earlier, had

two interceptions – including

the first of his career – to help

solidify the stunning 21-13

victory.

“I would like to thank the

Bills organization for giving

me a second chance – because

I got released from the

Washington Redskins and

they gave me a chance,”

Rambo, who spent much of

the season living in Denver

training with retired NFL safe-

ty Brian Dawkins, said. “And I

had to take advantage of my

opportunities.”

Knocking off the Packers

not only gave the Bills a season

sweep of the NFC North but

fans felt a feeling that has been

largely absent from Western

New York for the better part of

15 years: postseason hope

heading into the final two

weeks of the regular season.

And although those playoff

hopes came to a screeching

halt the next week in Oakland,

the Bills closed out the season

with a win in New England –

Buffalo’s first at Gillette

Stadium – to finish 9-7, the

first winning season since

2004.

The Bills can certainly hang

their collective hat on the win-

ning mark, but in a season

highlighted by defense, few at

One Bills Drive will defend the

9-7 record as the ultimate goal

– at least not a playoff-starved

veteran such as Kyle Williams.

“Yeah, I guess but I think it’s

definitely more on the bitter

side or the sour side,” he said,

asked if the season was bitter-

sweet, given the winning

record. “Because like I said, I

told guys yesterday I haven’t

had the opportunity to walk

out of here with a winning

record before, but more

important than that I haven’t

had an opportunity to play a

Sunday game in January in the

playoffs so more bitter than

sweet.”

WITHMIKEDYER

Monroe Community College Tribunes


2013-14 record: 23-7 / 10-1

– lost the District 2

Championship

Coach: Jerry Burns – 23rd

season.

Top Players: Anthony

Hemingway (19.5 points per

game), Jayquan Ashley (6.8

points per game/5.8 rebounds

per game), Elijah Tillman


rebounds per game).

Monroe opened the season

ranked sixth in the nation and

has hovered in the top 20. The

Tribunes handed Cincinnati

State, currently sixth in the

country, their only two set-

backs. Anthony Hemingway is

as dynamic a guard as there is

in Region 3. Capable of getting

to the basket off the dribble,

the sophomore has grown into

a solid decision maker who

sets up teammates with drive

and dish situations. Jayquan

Ashley is a rising star for

MCC.

Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves


2013-14 record: 22-7 / 6-5

– lost in Sub-Regional

Coach: Bill Beilein – sev-

enth season.

Top Players: Jordan Green


rebounds per game), Eli Jones


assists per game), Sheldon

Zablotny-Crosby (19.1 points

per game).

Eli Jones (Fairport, N.Y./

Fairport) has picked up where

he left off tallying double fig-

ures in 13 of 15 contests. The

sophomore forward scored a

season-high 30 on 12-of-18

shooting from the floor as

NCCC defeated Middlesex

County College, 112-88. Jones

is hitting 54.2 percent (97-for-

179) of his shots for the sea-

son. The Thunderwolves hit

almost 22 free throws per

game (second in the country).

JR Collegefrom page 12

Defensefrom page 2

five goals and six assists, not

to mention that he was a stag-

gering +13 over the course of

the tournament. It may not

turn up on the box score, but

Reinhart’s defensive proficien-

cy was also a huge asset to the

team. His father Paul, a former

NHL all-star defensemen with

the Atlanta/Calgary Flames,

watched as his son and his

teammates locked down on

defense to shut the door and

take home the gold. Reinhart’s

two older brothers are also top

prospects in the NHL with

Max having been drafted by

the Flames in the third round

and Griffin being drafted by

the Islanders fourth overall.

“Sam had a great junior

tournament and is having a

great season so far in juniors,”

Sabres head coach Ted Nolan

said when asked about the

prospect of Reinhart helping

the team in the not too distant

future. “He has great hockey

sense and the ability to see the

plays develop on he ice. This

season is a great opportunity

for him to grow and mature

physically. His size and

strength will improve as he

grows. It’s such a tough game

physically and mentally and

all his experience this year will

help him gain even more con-

fidence.”

“As we continue to develop

our team and roster for years

to come, it’s so important that

our young players are put in

the right situations for their

growth,” Nolan added. “They

need to be put in positions to

succeed. Just as we have seen

this year, if we feel the players

can take on larger roles and

more ice time they will have

the opportunity to earn it as

the season progresses.”

If coach Nolan and the rest

of the organization can contin-

ue to develop young players

like Reinhart to their maxi-

mum potential, there’s no tell-

ing how far the team can go in

the future.

2015 IIHFfrom page 5

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Sports & Leisure Magazine - Buffalo Winter 2015

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