The No. 19 University of Maine men’s hockey team is still searching for their first road win of the season following a two-game trip to Massachusetts this past weekend.

The Black Bears earned a hard fought draw against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell before getting beat down by Boston College the following night. UMaine – 11-8-3 overall, 5-3-2 in conference – remains in fourth place in the Hockey East standings with two games in hand on the first-place Eagles.

They’ll look to put Saturday night’s loss behind them when they take on the University of New Brunswick in an exhibition bout Tuesday night in Alfond Arena before matching up with archrival University of New Hampshire in a home-and-home set next Friday and Saturday night.

Ouellette, Lomberg boost No. 19 men’s hockey to 1-1 draw with No. 10 UMass-Lowell

The 19th-ranked University of Maine men’s ice hockey team needed a career-high 39 stops from senior goaltender Martin Ouellette and a timely third period goal from sophomore forward Ryan Lomberg to escape the Tsongas Center with a 1-1 draw against the tenth-ranked University of Massachusetts-Lowell Riverhawks Friday night.

UMaine takes the season series against the Riverhawks following their 4-2 win in the Alfond back on Dec. 8. UMass-Lowell – 14-6-2, 4-3-1 in conference play – sits in fifth place in the Hockey East standings with three games in hand on first-place BC following their victory over the struggling Boston University Terriers the following night.

Lomberg’s seventh goal of the season came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation on a backhand shot that beat UMass-Lowell sophomore netminder Connor Hellebuyck high on the glove side to send the game to extra time. He was assisted by sophomore defenseman Ben Hutton, whose slap shot from the blue line created Lomberg’s chance in front with Ouellette pulled in favor of the extra skater.

Junior forward Stu Higgins had a golden chance to win it with 10 seconds left, but Hellebuyck’s desperation save denied him to extend the game.

Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves on 29 shots.

UMass-Lowell junior forward Scott Wilson had a chance to win it less than two minutes into extra time before Ouellette’s left pad denied him.

Riverhawk sophomore forward Adam Chapie opened the scoring with less than three minutes to play in the first period. Freshman forward Joe Gambardella won the puck in the neutral zone before relaying it to Chapie over the blue line. Chapie’s wrist shot from the right circle beat Ouellette high on the blocker side for his eighth tally of the season that put UML up 1-0.

UMaine freshman defenseman Eric Schurhamer’s potential game-tying shot was denied by the post midway through the second period for the Black Bears best chance at equalizing before Lomberg’s goal in the final moments of the third.

The Riverhawks outshot UMaine 40-29 overall, including a 6-1 advantage in the overtime period.

The two teams combined to go 0-5 on the power play.

UMaine sophomore forward Devin Shore failed to find the score sheet, snapping his 11-game point streak that dates back to the Black Bears’ 7-0 victory over BU on Nov. 15.

UML travels to Rhode Island for a two-game set against Providence College Jan. 24-25.

Hayes, Gaudreau help BC get revenge, top Black Bears 7-2

Eight different players found the score sheet for No. 3 Boston College Saturday night, including two five-point performances from senior forward Kevin Hayes and junior forward Johnny Gaudreau, to propel the Eagles to a 7-2 win over the No. 19 Black Bears at Kelley Rink.

BC – 16-4-3 overall, 10-1-1 in Hockey East – sits atop the conference standings with 21 points in 12 games, six points ahead of second place Northeastern University. They are now unbeaten in their last nine games.

Hayes netted his first career hat trick to go along with two assists in the contest, extending his point streak to an NCAA-best 18 games. Four other Eagles had multi-point performances Saturday night, including Gaudreau with five assists, senior forward Patrick Brown with two power play goals and one assist, senior forward Bill Arnold with one goal and two assists and freshman defenseman Scott Savage, who tallied two helpers of his own.

Higgins and senior forward Jon Swavely found the twine for the Black Bears.

BC struck just 70 seconds after puck drop following a UMaine chance at the other end. Hayes was set up on a nice two-line pass from Gaudreau at the right post before his initial shot attempt was denied by Ouellette. Hayes was able to put home the rebound, however, to give the Eagles the early lead.

The Black Bears would tie it up with just .9 seconds remaining until the first intermission following a video review by the referees. Swavely would eventually get credited with his second goal of the season after jamming the puck past BC freshman goaltender Thatcher Demko following a scrum in front of the net.

Arnold would put the Eagles back on top with Lomberg in the penalty box less than five minutes into the middle stanza after a nice passing display from Hayes and Savage.

Brown would add an insurance marker less than a minute later off a feed from Gaudreau from below the goal line, with the secondary assist going to Arnold. Brown would beat Ouellette five-hole following a scrum in front to put BC up 3-1.

Freshman defenseman Ian McCoshen would make it 4-1 52 seconds after that on a feed from Brown. McCoshen hammered home a one-timer from the slot, with the secondary assist going to freshman forward Ryan Fitzgerald.

Ouellette would be pulled in favor of fellow senior netminder Dan Sullivan following the McCoshen tally. He finished with 12 saves on 16 shots while Sullivan managed 13 saves on 16 shots in relief.

Higgins would cut it to two on the power play after capitalizing on a rebound in front following a Shore shot from the right circle.

Brown made it 5-2 off another assist from Gaudreau on the power play less than two minutes into the final stanza.

Demko, who finished with 23 saves in the win, picked up a secondary assist on BC’s sixth goal with less than five minutes to play. He left the puck for Gaudreau in the corner who sent a long pass up to Hayes, creating a two-on-one chance. He elected to shoot the puck himself, beating Sullivan top shelf for his second goal of the game to put the Eagles up by four.

He would complete his hat trick on the power play a little over two minutes later with the help of a deflection in front to cap the scoring at 7-2.

The Black Bears finished 1-7 on the power play, while BC managed a 3-7 showing on the man advantage. The Eagles held a 32-25 edge in shots Saturday night.

The Eagles have a quick turnaround as they take to the road to take on Merrimack College Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.

By Anthony Panciocco and Andrew Stefanilo

The University of Maine men’s basketball team fell to two conference foes in decidedly different fashions this past week, losing in a blowout to Vermont on Thursday before being bested by reigning conference champ Albany in a barn-burner Saturday afternoon.

The Black Bears slip to 3-14 overall and 1-4 in America East play. They’ll get another shot at getting back into the win column when they host the University of Massachusetts-Lowell at the Cross Insurance Center on Jan. 23.

Turnovers, rebounding trip Black Bears in blowout loss to Catamounts

ORONO, Maine – Not much went right for UMaine Thursday night when they were bested 83-46 by the visiting University of Vermont Catamounts.

The Catamounts would add another win against an America East foe in the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. Their sixth straight victory ups their record to 10-8 overall and a perfect 4-0 in conference play.

Vermont returned six seniors along with all five of their starters from last season and the chemistry they have built was on display at the Cross Insurance Center. Their 2-3 zone stymied the Black Bears’ attack and their superior offense was able to dice up the UMaine defense for 20 assists.

“They have great position defense, they are so well positioned defensively,” UMaine head coach Ted Woodward said. “They have been playing together for so long and it shows in their play.”

The Black Bears found themselves in a hole early when the Catamounts jumped out to a 21-5 lead through the first nine minutes of play, forcing three early UMaine timeouts. Senior forward Clancy Rugg sparked Vermont early, scoring their first four points and grabbing four boards in the opening half.

UMaine junior guard Xavier Pollard turned the ball over four times in the game but provided a bright spot for the struggling Black Bear offense, hitting a long three-pointer and driving between two defenders for a layup on back-to-back possessions as the half drew to a close.

UMaine trailed 37-20 after 20 minutes.

The Catamounts rested many of their starters in the second half but continued to score at will. Their bench players continued to stifle the Black Bears defensively, but UMaine freshman forward Garet Beal was able to be effective despite playing less than 10 minutes.

Beal’s 9 points led the Black Bears on a night that they struggled, shooting just 35.6 percent from the field without any players scoring in the double-digits. Vermont’s 57.9 percent shooting clip was led by an efficient 6-8 shooting performance by sophomore forward Ethan O’Day.

Rebounding and turnovers were the preeminent problems for the Black Bears on a night that they faced the third-ranked rebounding team in America East. The Catamounts outrebounded UMaine 38-20 and scored 15 second-chance points off of 12 offensive rebounds. Senior forward Brian Voelkel had a game-high seven boards.

“They capitalized on our turnovers in transition and certainly second-chance points,” Woodward said. “Voelkel had seven rebounds and that was huge for them, it kept a lot of plays alive.”

Pressure on defense led to 21 Black Bear turnovers, but Vermont had their fair share of giveaways as well, turning it over 19 times. The Catamounts were able to capitalize more than the Black Bears, however, scoring 23 of their points off of turnovers while the home team scored 16.

Vermont head coach John Becker was pleased with the result.

“It was a good team effort,” he said. “Coming up to Maine is always a tough place to play but to come away from here with a win is really important to us. Right now, this team is locked in more than any team I have coached here.”

The Catamounts host the University of New Hampshire on Monday.

Black Bear comeback comes up short against Albany

ORONO, Maine – UMaine fell 85-78 to the 2013 America East champion University at Albany Great Danes in what was a close, hard fought contest from start to finish at the Memorial Gym Saturday afternoon.

“It was an exciting game,” Woodward said. “We have to do a better job on the defensive end. They’ve got some awfully good players obviously and they’re the defending champs.”

The Great Danes were led by senior forward Gary Johnson, who netted a career-high 28 points against the Black Bears.

“Coach just said to be aggressive, so we attacked the rim and things opened up for us,” Johnson said.

Sophomore guard Peter Hooley also tallied 19 points for the Great Danes. He went 12-12 from the free throw line, including a slew of clutch free throws down the stretch that sealed the win.

“We wanted to be an opportunistic jump shooting team today,” Albany head coach Will Brown said. “We’re a solid jump shooting team, but we’re at our best when we’re attacking the rim, and we’re at our best when we can get stops because we can get out and run a bit.”

The Black Bears were led by sophomore forward Ethan Mackey whose 24-point performance destroyed his previous career-high of 10 set earlier this season.

“I kind of fed off the energy of the home floor,” Mackey said. “It was cool because there were a lot of students there.”

Sophomore guard Dimitry Akanda-Coronel had 19 for the Black Bears as well, followed by junior guard Xavier Pollard with 11 points and five assists.

The first half was very close with both teams playing strong. UMaine got on the board first when Mackey put in a left hook for two of his 10 first half points.

Albany answered with 12 straight points before UMaine junior forward Kilian Cato threw down a slam to cut it to 12-4. Johnson hit two free throws for Albany to increase it to 14-4 before Pollard cut it to 16-6 with a drive to the rim.

The two teams traded three’s when Albany sophomore forward Ede Egharevba hit a transition shot to make it 19-6 before Pollard’s brought the deficit back to 10 once more at 19-9.

After an Albany miss, Akanda-Coronel hit a huge three to make it 19-12 with 12:02 remaining in the first half. After Egharevba hit a deep two, the Black Bears went on a 7-0 run to bring them within two.

Mackey hit a deep two to make it 21-14, then sophomore forward Till Gloger made a layup on a fast break before Akanda-Coronel hit another three pointer to make 21-19.

The rest of the half went back and forth, with neither team really taking control. The Great Danes outscored UMaine 15-10 to close out the half and held onto a slim 42-39 lead at the break.

“Give them credit,” Woodward said of Albany. “They did a good job of executing, and I thought our guys did a good job of answering the bell.”

Both teams shot well in the first half with the Black Bears shooting 61 percent to the Great Danes 51 percent clip.

UMaine would score on their first possession of the second half when Pollard banked in a shot from the post.

Johnson answered for the Danes, getting fouled and connecting on his free throws to put Albany back up by three.

Albany poured it on from there with a 21-8 run, going up 65-51 with 11:41 remaining in regulation. The Great Danes were up double digits most of the second half with the Black Bears fighting to cut into the lead.

UMaine went on a late run to make things interesting in the final moments.

Akanda-Coronel hit a layup to put the Black Bears down just six but Johnson answered immediately, getting to the rim for a layup of his own to put Albany back up by eight with just over seven minutes to go.

Mackey put in a layup off of a post move but Johnson would answer once again for the Great Danes with a three-point play after converting at the charity stripe.

With UMaine down nine, junior guard Zarko Valjarevic hit a deep two to bring them within striking distance at 74-67. Valjarevic had just 5 points as he was shut down by an Albany defense that did a solid job limiting the sharpshooter’s touches.

“We were committed to not letting Zarko get shots off, period,” Brown said. “I think when he scores well, they’re good and hard to guard.”

After back-to-back scores from Albany increased the lead to 78-67, Mackey put in another layup to bring it back to single digits.

Sophomore guard Shaun Lawton went coast to coast for UMaine following an Albany miss and was fouled, making both free throws to make it 78-71. Mackey would put in another easy layup before Albany made one free throw to make it 79-73 with less than three minutes to play.

Gloger would convert on an and-one to bring the Black Bears within three with under a minute remaining. An ensuing turnover by Albany would give them a chance to tie it up with 27 seconds left, but Valjarevic’ deep three came up short.

Hooley would hit six straight free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 85-78 win.

Albany gets back into action on Monday when they host Binghamton University at 7 p.m.

ORONO, Maine — Three members of the University of Maine men’s hockey team have been added this week to a list of players vying for the greatest individual award in college hockey: the Hobey Baker.

Sophomore defenseman Ben Hutton, sophomore forward Devin Shore and senior goaltender Martin Ouellette all have the chance to take home the award, which is given to the best player in college hockey.

Although all three players said they were honored to be selected for the fan voting process, which makes up roughly two percent of the total ballot in selecting this year’s winner, the consensus among them and their coach is that team accolades come first, with individual accomplishments taking a backseat.

“It’s definitely not something we talk about,” Shore said. “There may be some friendly chirping going on, but it’s nothing we take too seriously. We’re all just focused on winning each game as a team, and if the individual awards come, that’s hopefully just a byproduct of our team successes.”

Hutton currently leads the first phase of voting that goes through March 9 with 4,234 votes, almost 500 votes more than second-place Johnny Gaudreau of Boston College.

“I try to avoid talking about it with the guys,” Hutton said. “They like to give me a hard time that I’m in the lead, but it’s all in good fun.”

Hutton is currently third on the team in points with 17. His nine goals are tied for the most by a defenseman, as are his five power play markers. He is currently four goals shy of tying the UMaine defenseman scoring record.

Shore, whose 1,531 votes have him in and out of the top ten vote-getters as of this writing, leads the team in points with 26 aided by his team-high 11 goals. The sophomore assistant captain, who had his 11-game point streak snapped this past weekend against the University of Massachussetts-Lowell, has scored in 14 of his last 17 games. He’s been named the Hockey East Player of the Week twice, and was recently named the Warrior Player of the Month for December. His three shorthanded goals are tied for the NCAA lead in that category.

Ouellette is 10-8-3 with a 2.03 goals against average and .933 save percentage, the sixth-best mark nationally. He is tied for third in shutouts with three, and has also helped out offensively with two assists this season. He was named the Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week back on Dec. 31.

The Hobey Baker Award is statistics-based, but that’s not the only thing that makes these three Black Bears stand out from the pack.

“I think the first thing when you evaluate players is the eyeball test,” UMaine head coach Dennis Gendron said. “The statistics generally support that. You watch Devin and Hutton and Marty play and you say, ‘Wow, those guys are good,’ and then you see the numbers to back it up and support that.

“All three of them are exceptional players at the college hockey level,” he added. “Marty is a very good athlete, and he’s also a very strong competitor. Yes, he skates well and he has good size, but I think what sets him apart is his compete level. Ben Hutton has a very good skill level, but exceptional instincts for the game both offensively and defensively as well. Shore is very similar from a forward’s perspective. He’s dynamic offensively, but he’s also a very good defensive hockey player.”

UMaine is one of only four teams to have more than two players up for selection.

The first phase of voting lasts through March 9, where the top ten vote-getters will be selected to move on to phase two on March 20. The 2014 winner will be announced from a field of three finalists on April 11 during the NCAA Frozen Four Championships in Philadelphia.

UMaine boasts two previous Hobey Baker winners in Scott Pellerin and Paul Kariya, who won the award in back-to-back seasons in 1992-93. The University of Minnesota-Duluth has the most winners of any school all-time with five, including 2012 winner Jack Connolly, who beat out UMaine forward Spencer Abbott.

St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc won the award last season.

By Anthony Panciocco

BANGOR – University of Maine sophomore forward Liz Wood scored the 500th point of her young career Tuesday night, leading the women’s basketball team to a 92-62 blowout of the University of Vermont Catamounts at the Cross Insurance Center.

The victory was the third straight conference win for UMaine, marking their first three-game winning streak since the 2004-2005 season. All three games were won by 12 or more points.

The Black Bears improve their record to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in America East, while the Catamounts fall to 4-12 and 1-2, respectively.

Wood led UMaine with 22 points on the night to go along with six rebounds. Senior guard Ashleigh Roberts added 16 points, five boards and four assists.

The Black Bears wasted no time early on, getting out to an early 9-0 lead led by four points from Roberts and three from Wood, who made the first six shots she took. They continued their pressure after a Vermont timeout, bringing their lead to 15-5 just 4:17 into the game.

“Our coach has been talking about coming out and being the aggressor,” Wood said. “We have had a bad habit of coming out and kind of feeling our way into the game, but today I think we did a good job of coming out early and establishing ourselves.”

The Catamounts rallied back to cut the lead to six, but the Black Bears were able to keep them at arm’s length until the end of the half. Freshman guard Kylie Butler led the Catamounts on a 9-3 run to bring the score to 35-28, but it would not last long. The Black Bears went on a 13-7 run of their own, amassing a commanding 48-35 lead going into halftime.

Vermont, the best offensive rebounding team in the America East Conference, led 25-17 in rebounding through the first half.

Vermont freshman guard Jordan Eisler scored four of the Catamounts’ first six points to get her team off to a fast start in the second, but was matched shot for shot by the Black Bears. Though they were able to get things going early in the half, the Catamounts could not gain any ground on the Black Bears and failed to cut the lead to less than 10.

UMaine sophomore sharpshooter Chantel Charles, freshman Sigi Koizar and sophomore center Anna Heise all pitched in to extend the second-half lead. Down the stretch, redshirt senior Cherrish Wallace dazzled with several backdoor passes on fast breaks that led to easy layups. She finished the night with a double-double consisting of 13 points and 10 assists.

“By now my style is running – I like to run a little bit so now that those guys have been playing with me they see me running and they’re doing the same thing. It’s a good feeling when I can see them cutting to the basket,” Wallace said.

The game marked just the fourth of Wallace’s career at UMaine. She graduated from Baylor University in 2012, where a serious leg injury limited her to just one season of play. She was cleared to play over winter break and has wasted no time making an impact, averaging 10 points per game.

“Basketball-wise it has been a different kind of mindset getting back into things, but these girls have been great helping me get used to everything here,” said the transfer. “I’ve been playing with them and I’ve been here since September so I’ve had to get adjusted fast, but they have done a good job of helping me and taking me in.”

The Black Bears had a huge second half on the glass led by Wood and Roberts, finishing the game with 36 boards to Vermont’s 37 after trailing 25-17 at the half.

“We did not feel like we were giving the rebounding effort we needed to, and we really challenged the post players at halftime and I felt they really did [respond],” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said. “Mikaela [Gustafsson] and Anna [Heise] did a much better job.”

Vermont struggled shooting the ball, hitting on just 39.1 percent of their shots from the field to the Black Bears’ efficient 53.6 percent clip.

UMaine will take to the road this weekend for a big game against the first-place University at Albany Great Danes Saturday afternoon, while the Catamounts return home to take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County the same day.

ORONO – Sophomore forward Will Merchant tallied two goals and third-string sophomore goaltender Matt Strickrott saw his first ice time of the season in the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team’s 4-1 exhibition win over St. Francis Xavier University Tuesday night in Alfond Arena, a contest that proved to be a good midweek warm up for the Black Bears’ two in-conference road tests this weekend.

“We would’ve practiced hard today, and instead we had a game,” UMaine head coach Dennis Gendron said. “I didn’t overplay anybody. It gave an opportunity for certain guys who don’t get a lot of ice time to play, to show the coaching staff what they could do.”

“We try to emulate the game as much as we can in practice, but nothing beats live game action,” sophomore forward Devin Shore said. “We do have a lot of depth on our team, so for everyone to play the minutes they played tonight and relish those minutes is awesome. The games we have coming up the rest of the season are to going to be tough where we’re going to need everyone going and skating and doing a job out there.”

The Black Bears struggled to capitalize on their territorial edge early on in the game before Merchant’s first tally just under six minutes in broke the scoreless drought.

Merchant gained the blue line through two X-Men defensemen and circled wide towards the right slot before beating St. FX sophomore goaltender Drew Owsley five-hole, with the assists going to sophomore defenseman Bill Norman and senior forward Jon Swavely.

UMaine added an insurance marker five minutes later. Freshman defenseman Dan Renouf’s initial attempt at a one-timer was deflected into the air towards the slot where Shore was waiting to glove it down. His ensuing snap shot squeaked by Owsley to put the Black Bears up 2-0, with freshman defenseman Eric Schurhamer also earning an assist.

UMaine senior Dan Sullivan got the start in net and would be called upon to make eight or nine quality saves throughout the contest to earn the win, including a huge effort to stuff St. FX senior forward Jason Bast less than two minutes into the second period after a scrum in front of the blue paint.

Sullivan would finish with 25 saves on 26 shots.

“Every game is important to us, exhibition or non-exhibition,” Sullivan said. “I thought I played alright. There’s definitely some things to improve on, but I played well enough to get the win, so that’s the most important thing.”

“The bottom line is Sully can play for us if we need him to – that’s clear,” Gendron said.

UMaine sophomore forward Ryan Lomberg had a chance to put the Black Bears up three while on the power play, but back pressure forced his backhand attempt to go wide halfway through the middle stanza.

The Black Bears would go up by three moments after the penalty expired on a Norman wrist shot from just inside the right dot, with junior forward Stu Higgins and senior defenseman Brice O’Connor earning assists on the play.

Junior goaltender Morgan Clark would replace Owsley following Norman’s tally and play well the rest of the way. Owsley mustered 11 stops in the loss while Clark stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced in relief.

The X-Men spoiled Sullivan’s shutout bid with just over nine minutes remaining in the period. Bast took a nice feed from senior forward Rob Slaney in the slot and snapped it by Sullivan’s glove to cut the deficit to two.

Merchant’s second goal of the game would put UMaine back up by three with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, but the highlight of the final period was Strickrott’s appearance, and the crowd’s reaction to his appearance, with 6:35 to go.

“It was a lot of fun,” Strickrott said. “The boys supported me, and my D-men played well in front of me and made it easy for me, so it was a great experience. I could die tomorrow and be happy.”

Strickrott, who usually shoots the game video for the Black Bears with Sullivan manning the backup duties behind senior starter Martin Ouellette, stopped all three shots he faced to preserve the 4-1 victory.

The Black Bears, who are 11-7-2 overall and 5-2-1 in Hockey East, are currently ranked No. 19 in the latest USCHO.com poll. They are tied for 16th in the Pairwise Rankings, which measures how likely a team is to make the national tournament based on records against common opponents.

Gendron says his team, which is 5-1-1 since being swept by the University of Vermont Nov. 29-30, will need to play better than they did Tuesday night in order to get points on the road against No. 10 University of Massachusetts-Lowell and No. 3/4 Boston College this weekend.

“I thought we were okay in the first, lethargic in the second and better in the third,” he said.

“We wanted to play real well for 60 minutes, and that didn’t happen.”

UMaine outshot St. FX – who is 9-9 in the Atlantic University Sport conference – 36-29 in the contest.

The teams combined to go 0-4 on the power play.

By Andrew Stefanilo

The Southwest Division in the Western Conference may be the most competitive division in the NBA this year.

So far, the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are dominating, as expected. But the last three teams in the division are also playing well and can’t be counted out this early in the season.

The fact that the Dallas Mavericks are in third place with a 13-8 record is just one example of how deep this division truly is. They’re followed by the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans at 9-10. The Pelicans may tail off a bit but right now, this division is very close, and don’t expect the Grizz to remain under .500 for much longer.

The Spurs will likely win the division. There’s too much chemistry with this team that the Rockets just don’t have yet. Kawhi Leonard is on the rise and with leaders like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan still doing their part, this team could make another run and will likely earn a top three seed in the West.

With Dwight Howard working with James Harden and a solid surrounding core, anything can happen with the Rockets. Because the west is so competitive and tight, Houston could end up getting as low as a No. 5 seed come playoff time with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors in the mix.

The Rockets are too talented not to earn a playoff spot, but we saw how the L.A. Lakers did with an “All-Star Team” in 2012.

Surprising everyone right now are the Mavericks. With an aging Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs got some help by signing Monta Ellis this offseason. Ellis isn’t known for his defense, but his skills with the ball make this team much more versatile offensively. They may not have the makeup of a finals contender, but they’ve surprised us thus far and will likely earn a later seed in the conference.

The last two teams are what really separate this division from the rest. The Grizzlies have been a solid team over the years but didn’t really make many changes to get better this offseason in terms of their roster. The Pelicans are young and talented, but with former No. 1-overall pick Anthony Davis sidelined by injury, they could fade a little bit over the next few weeks.

Memphis got swept last year by the Spurs in the conference finals after a strong run. It will be tougher for this team to get back in the playoffs let alone back to the conference finals with such a load of competitive teams out west, but once Marc Gasol returns to team up with Zach Randolph down low, this team could find their mojo once again.

Sharp-shooting power forward Ryan Anderson, the team’s leading scorer with just over 20 points per game, has been a nice complement to wing players Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans as well as the aforementioned Davis. If this young, talented team can make a push for the playoffs there’s no telling what could happen. This year might be the year they make a splash and put their name on the map for next year.

The Southwest Division will offer some of the most drama this year. With all five teams being talented and off to solid starts, anything can happen. As the season goes on, the Pelicans and Grizzlies may gradually move further away from success, but don’t forget Memphis has been a formidable opponent over the years and New Orleans is on the rise.

The Spurs and Rockets are considered legitimate title contenders. There’s no telling what Mark Cuban could have up his sleeve for the Mavericks when the trade deadline approaches, especially if they find themselves on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

In any case, this divisional race is one to watch the rest of the season.

By Cody Lachance

The New York Yankees have never been a team afraid to open up the checkbook for big-name players at astronomical salaries.

They seemed as though they might turn the page on their high-spending ways. During the season, it was rumored that they were going to change their philosophy and try to build talent within the organization while adding complementary pieces through free agency. This plan did not last for long.

The Yankees have committed a total of $234 million on two players: catcher Brian McCann and centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Both signings are long term deals for players who may have already played their best days of baseball.

McCann is considered one of the best offensive catchers in the game and his tendency to pull balls from the left side of the plate seems to be a great match for Yankee Stadium’s shallow porch in right field.

Jacoby is coming off a year where he helped lead the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title. The 30-year-old is considered one of the best base stealers in the game, but with his increasing age it is not so certain how effective he’ll be on the basepaths.

The biggest news broke this past Friday when ex-Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. Cano was not only a fan favorite in New York, but also one of their most productive players. What is almost comical in this whole situation is that self-proclaimed Yankee fan Jay-Z is Cano’s agent, and has just hurt his favorite team by facilitating Cano signing with the Mariners.

The Yankees now have fans scratching their heads as to why they would overpay for Ellsbury, and then not end up paying Cano.

Ellsbury has another two to three seasons at best before there will be a major drop off in his play. Speed-dominated players can only play so well into their 30s and beyond. The Yankees already had a decent centerfielder in Brett Gardner. Although he is not the same caliber player as Ellsbury, he could have been a solid everyday player for the Yankees at nearly 10 percent of the yearly cost.

The McCann signing does actually make sense for the Bronx Bombers as his swing fits Yankee Stadium perfectly. The ability to pull fly balls into Yankee Stadium’s shallow right porch should allow McCann to be a potential 30-plus home run hitter. Add into the fact he will be able to be a designated hitter some days which will allow him to take a break from behind the plate while still keeping his bat in the lineup, and you have a smart deal for the Yanks.

Cano’s loss is monumental. With Derek Jeter aging, Alex Rodriguez in the middle of a legal battle, and Mariano Rivera retiring, Cano looked as if this would become his team. Yankee fans should be very upset that management let Cano leave. Even if they had to overpay him in terms of his actual on-field production, the contract could be made worthwhile in keeping the fanbase happy in retaining a major asset of the team. The Yankees management should be praying this team finds a way to win in 2014. If August comes around with this team floating around a .500 record and out of the playoff race, management will have much to answer for to diehard Yankee fans.

By Jacob Posik

With Week 14 in the books, here are some changes you can make to your fantasy football roster to maximize your point total for Week 15 as playoff berths continue to be snatched up.

Start ‘em

Wide receiver A.J. Green deserves a start in Week 15, and if the Cincinatti Bengals want to open up their lead in the division, Green’s successes will be crucial for victory.

Green is coming off of a 14.9 point performance against San Diego, and has been consistent all year. He’s proved to us once again that he has a lot of talent and is ready to be around this league for a long time. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton loves targeting Green, which makes him a threat anywhere on the field. To beat division foe Pittsburgh, Green’s play will be imperative to the teams’ success. Look for him to stretch the Pittsburgh secondary, helping to free up other receivers, and when you least expect it, catch a play-action bomb for a touchdown.

Give Miami running back Lamar Miller a start in Week 15 as well. Miller has been solid in his rookie season, and has shown that he has good vision, as well as breakaway speed at the second level. He’s patient, and lets the play naturally progress before he capitalizes on an opponent miscue.

Playing New England, Miller will need to give Miami a solid balanced rushing attack to upend the Patriots. The Dolphins were leading 17-3 at halftime when the two teams faced off in Week 8, but Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady exposed weaknesses in the Dolphins secondary in the second half of that game, leading his team to a 27-17 victory. Watch for the Dolphins to get the run game established with Miller early in this one.

Sit ‘em

Carolina’s Cam Newton may not be your best option at quarterback in Week 15. Don’t get me wrong, the Panthers will still win this game, but the New York Jets do a great job defensively keying in on star players. If any defense is versatile enough scheme-wise to give Newton trouble, it’s the Jets. The Jets defense doesn’t have the all-star quality players like they did a few years ago, but head coach Rex Ryan is still a defensive mastermind.

He is capable of drawing up schemes that Newton hasn’t seen, and he’s capable of putting his players in the right position to effect his timing, getting him out of rhythm. Newton should be able to move the ball and accumulate some yardage and points, but watch for struggles in the red zone against the Jets.

If you have another option behind center, you may be better off not starting Newton this week.

Joe Flacco should be on the bench this week as well. Facing a stout all-around defense in the Detroit Lions, I don’t see the Baltimore Ravens standing much of a chance in this one. The Ravens have been on and off this season, and haven’t strung together consistent dominant performances thus far. Their offense isn’t as powerful as it was last season, and their defense isn’t nearly as potent.

On the other hand, the Lions’ offense has been obliterating solid defenses, including the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. In that game, the Lions had over 400 yards of total offense through three quarters, only relinquishing 56 yards through three quarters defensively. Expect much of the same in this matchup. Flacco will be pressured, sacked, knocked down and bruised by the end of this one, and with Matt Stafford and company hogging much of the possession, the Ravens’ offense might not get many chances to get off the ground.

By Chelsea Gillies

The University of Maine swimming and diving teams competed against Bates College at home on Saturday, with both teams recording 135-96 victories.

There were many strong performances throughout the meet from both the men’s side and the women’s side.

On the men’s side, seniors Robbie Bickford, Brent Williams and Cody Lachance all had strong finishes. Bickford won the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 5:00.15, and Williams placed second with a time of 5:03.19. David Vittori placed first in the 1000-meter freestyle with a time of 10:24.15. Williams followed right behind in second place with a time of 10:27.38.

Freshman diver Ethan Eckhoff won both the 1-meter dive as well as the 3-meter. Sergey Terrio placed first in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:58.17. John Carlucci followed behind in second with a time of 1:59.66.

During the 200-meter freestyle, Cameron Dwyer came in first place with a time of 1:48.15, and Carlucci placed second with a time of 1:48.61.

The men also had a strong finish, placing first in the 400-meter freestyle relay with a time of 3:17.16.

For the women’s side, Erica Smrcina, Naja Harvey and Lauren Dwyer all had strong performances. Dwyer had two first place finishes, while Harvey and Smrcina each had a first place finish.

Dwyer placed first in both the 100-meter freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle. She touched with a time of 53.85 during the 100, and 1:56.72 during the 200.

Harvey finished second in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 24.64. She placed first in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:25.26. Smrcina placed first in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:12.69. Taylor Sharp of Burlington, Ontario placed second in the butterfly following Smrcina with a time of 2:13.59.

Hayli Weitz, a freshman diver, placed second in the 1-meter dive with a score of 220.88. She finished third during the 3-meter dive with a score of 197.33.

Diver Kara Capossela of Greenwich, Conn. placed first in the 3-meter dive with an impressive score of 273.68.

Katerina Mosquera-Cardi of Montreal finished second in the 100-meter individual medley with a time of 1:00.89, and placed third during the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 54.78. Kailey Dowd placed second in the 1000-meter freestyle with a time of 10:47.29.

During the women’s 400-meter medley, UMaine placed first with a time of 4:02.22. The women grabbed another first place during the 400-meter freestyle relay with a time of 3:40.97.

Overall, there were incredibly strong performances from both the men’s side and the women’s side at the meet on Saturday. UMaine will host another home meet on Jan. 18 when they take on Bowdoin College.

By Anthony Panciocco

 The University of Maine men’s basketball team was bested twice over the week, falling to the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday before losing to the University of Connecticut Friday night.

Junior guard Xavier Pollard and junior sharp-shooter Zarko Valjarevic were bright spots for the Black Bears. Pollard followed up his double-double against the Highlanders with a 20-point outing against the Huskies, while Valjarevic poured in 32 total points in the two games, with 21 of those coming via the 3-ball.

UMaine, now 1-7 on the season, will host the Army Black Knights at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Dec. 13.

NJIT completes season sweep with 81-72 win

A late fourth quarter surge was not enough for UMaine Wednesday night as they dropped their fifth straight game to the New Jersey Institute of Technology 81-72.

The Highlanders move back to .500 at 4-4 with the win.

Wednesday night was the second and last meeting between these two teams, with the first game ending similarly to the first. Both games saw a back-and-forth affair mainly dominated by NJIT in which they staved off late Black Bear rallies to get the win.

The return of junior guard Xavier Pollard from an injury was a bright spot for the Black Bears. Pollard brought with him some much-needed experience and finished the night with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Highlanders opened up the contest with a 9-4 spurt led by sophomore forward Terrence Smith and freshman Tim Coleman. Smith scored 6 of his 22 points in the opening minutes and 14 total in the first half.

Though the Black Bears struggled shooting early on, just 33 percent in the first 6 minutes, they refused to let the game get away from them.

Down 19-8, sophomore guard Dimitry Akanda-Coronel and junior forward Zarko Valjarevic sparked an 11-3 run that was capped off with a Valjarevic 3-pointer, bringing the Black Bears within two. Valjarevic would go on to score a team-high 19 points on the night, including a 5-10 effort from 3-point range.

New Jersey responded with a 16-9 run that saw Smith taking control late with a layup and dunk on consecutive possessions to give the Highlanders a 37-28 lead going into the half.

UMaine continued struggling on the glass, getting outrebounded 22-11 in the first half including a 15-6 defensive rebound disadvantage. They also struggled shooting, with a 35.5 shooting percentage compared to NJIT’s 51.6 showing.

The Black Bears started out the second half similar to the first. The Highlanders scored the first seven points of the half and forced the Black Bears to take an early timeout.

Pollard pulled the Black Bears out of their freefall, missing a layup but fighting for the rebound and putting it back for UMaine’s first points of the half. New Jersey freshman guard Damon Lynn hit a 3, but Valjarevic wasted no time responding with a 3 of his own to keep the Black Bears in contention.

The Highlanders still held a commanding 44-28 lead. The Black Bears were able to keep pace but were unable to get close and were down 58-41 10 minutes into the half.

Valjarevic helped his team climb back, hitting three 3-pointers as part of a 28-13 run. Pollard added 9 points in the run and the Black Bears cut the lead to just five points with five minutes remaining.

New Jersey’s steadfast free throw shooting once again made the difference down the stretch, with Lynn draining five of his six free throw attempts to give NJIT the 82-72 victory. Lynn finished with 19 points, five boards and four assists.

The Black Bears struggled shooting the ball with just a 36.4 field goal percentage, a far cry from their 44.7 mark that had been good enough for fourth in the conference prior to Wednesday’s game. The Highlanders shot the ball well, finishing at a 47.4 percent clip.

Pollard’s 11 rebounds helped the Black Bears on the boards, though they continued to struggle and were outrebounded 46-33 on the night.

Losing streak hits six with loss to No. 12 UConn

The Black Bears dropped the second game of their two-game road swing to the No. 12 UConn Huskies 95-68 Friday night. UConn remains undefeated on the season at 9-0 with their 12th straight win over UMaine.

Pollard looked healthy in his third game back from injury, starting and playing 34 minutes. He scored a team-high 20 points to go along with four steals and five rebounds. Valjarevic was the only other Black Bear in double figures, finishing with 13 points on three 3-pointers.

The Black Bears kept thing close for the first portion of the game, with Pollard leading the way to a 13-10 deficit eight minutes into the first half. Akanda-Coronel slammed home an alley-oop to bring it to 13-12, the closest the Black Bears would be from that point on.

A pair of UConn 3-pointers gave the Huskies a 19-12 lead that incited a 13-5 run to put them up 32-17.

The Black Bears fought hard at the end of the half but still went into halftime down 54-31. Pollard led all scorers with 15 points and Akanda-Coronel was just shy of double-digits with 9 points at the break.

UConn just barely led in rebounds with a slim 18-17 advantage.

The Huskies came out strong in the second half, with sophomore guard Omar Calhoun capping off an 11-7 run with a long 3-pointer. They did not let up, extending their lead to 80-45 at the halfway point of the second 20 minutes.

Valjarevic led the Black Bears in the second half with 13 points. The Black Bears played better in the second half, keeping pace with the Huskies but were outscored 41-37.

The Black Bears did not give in, but their deficit was far too much to overcome. UMaine finished out the game on a 23-15 run but fell at a final score of 95-68.

UConn’s highly-touted senior Shabazz Napier was held in check for most of the night, scoring just 7 points but added eight assists in 22 minutes of playing time. The Huskies were led in scoring by junior guard Ryan Boatright with 17 points and five assists. Calhoun added 16 points aided by four 3-pointers.

The Black Bears came into the contest struggling in rebounding but only trailed 38-30. They had no answer for the hot shooting of the Huskies, as UConn shot 53 percent from the field and an exceptional 56 percent from three. UMaine shot 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

UConn will host Stanford University in their next contest Dec. 18.