If A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words....
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The Dexter Tigers won the regional title in dramatic fashion at the buzzer Saturday night. But after the game was over the battle raged on via social media as many people thought the Dexter player didn't get the shot off in time.
The above picture seems to show the ball still in the shooters hands as the clock hits zero and the lights on the backboard illuminate.
However, in the second image there's clearly .01 left on the clock on the wall of the Cross Center and the ball is in flight.
(Look in the upper left of the tall photo)
Is the scoreboard clock just a bit off? Is the first photo a bit of an illusion? Should there be replay in title games? The debate will continue long after this final buzzer sounded.
-SOLARI
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UMaine Men's Hockey Team
Enters "The Red Zone"
By Jeff Solari
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The college hockey season is a grind. It’s a half year test of physical and mental toughness for players and coaches alike.
The University of Maine men’s hockey team has two regular season games left before they enter the Hockey East playoffs.
The Black Bears have largely been playing good hockey this semester.
They are in third place in the conference standings and as I write this they are nationally ranked at #17.
Most fans are justifiably happy with the results to date.
But now the team is entering the Red Zone, to steal a football term. It's time to nut up or shut up.
Regular season wins don’t mean nearly as much as playoff victories.
There was a day this program played for Frozen Four appearances and in National Title games. Now most fans would be thrilled with even one post season series win, which they have never been able to celebrate under Red Gendron.
In fact the last five years the blades have come off the skates at this exact point of the season.
As I mentioned UMaine has two key games left. The past five years the Black Bears are just
2-8
to in their final games to wrap up those seasons
. That loss of momentum has helped bring on quick conference tourney exits and a
miserable post season record of
1-10 the last five years under Red.
Now I should note a couple of years ago they decided to let all the Hockey East teams make the playoffs. Maine and UNH were cellar dwellers that year and they played a series that UMaine did win thus giving the Black Bears the right to get swept away as an 8 seed once the actual post season started. I don’t put much stock in that charade.
Seven seasons and a million and a half dollars in head coach salary later, perhaps this will be the year the UMaine wins their final two regular season games and rolls into the playoffs with some confidence and maybe even home ice advantage.
It’s been nearly a decade since the Black Bears played at TD Garden in March. But maybe this will be the year the prodigal team returns to Beantown and perhaps even gets a berth in the NCAA tourney.
If not, the good news is the start of a new season is only about six months away.
(RYAN MCLAUGHLIN HAS THOUGHTS ON THE MAINE/VERMONT SERIES BELOW. KEEP READING)
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Epic Win For
UMaine Women's Team!
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Saturday Night's Fight
Makes Me Long For Boxing's Glory Days
By Sterling Pingree
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I wish boxing was more relevant. I miss the days of the dominant heavyweights like Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton.
I long for the days of arguing about who would beat who amongst Hagler, Hearns, Leonard or Duran.
Now, I wasn’t alive for any of this, but that doesn’t make me long for it any less. I was around for the highs and lows of Mike Tyson’s career, so I have a grasp of how monumental a big fight can be. How everything stops when on a Saturday night, the entire sports world turns out to see the best of the best fight for the championship of the world.
That hasn’t been the case for most of the 2000’s, since the Klitschko brothers essentially locked boxing in a basement and retired it to the dark ages like it is the fox hunt or something equally obscure.
Saturday night we saw how relevant boxing can still be, when Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury clashed for the second time. Much the same with a big UFC card, boxing can still dominate the sports landscape if only for a night. Look at Twitter on Saturday and Wilder vs Fury was everywhere. Every pundit, independent the sport they cover, was commenting on the fight and most were in attendance.
Alas, we won’t see anything like Saturday’s excitement from boxing for a while. Perhaps Canelo Alvarez and GGG will do battle again. Likely we will see Wilder-Fury III, there’s too much money on the table and not enough other quality opponents for either of them to walk away before they finish the trilogy.
In the mean time we will collectively forget about boxing for the next 16-months and go on with our sporting lives. But having these monumental fight nights, where we don’t have discuss the trouble with the NBA, baseball’s cheating scandal or the new NFL CBA, is a refreshing throwback to a time where Frank Sinatra was a credentialed photographer for Frazier-Ali at MSG and the heavyweight champion of the world was the king of all sports.
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NFC Team By Team Look
Who Might Steal TB 12
By Sterling Pingree
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Last week we reviewed the AFC. This week, the NFC.
NFC East
Dallas:
Nope, they’re going to sign Dak, no matter what Michael Irvin says.
New York Giants:
Nope they have Daniel…..I can’t even say it with a straight face……..Jones
Philadelphia:
Nope, too much invested in Carson Wentz.
Washington:
Nope, they have Cardale Jones. Wait, wrong league. Who the hell would go to Washington? I’m pretty sure if the Redskins played the DC Defenders, the Defenders would be -3 favorites.
NFC North
Green Bay
: Nope, they have Aaron Rodgers and all of his lame commercials. (Nobody on television as much as Rodgers is, has as little charisma Rodgers has.)
Minnesota:
Nope, they have pledged their undying love to Kirk Cousins. I wish them a lot of luck.
Detroit:
They’re maybe trading Stafford? Brady in Detroit with coach Matty P and old pal Danny Amendola? Seems like a stretch but as a Patriots fan, if the worst happened and TB12 left, this would be the most desirable location, you know, because we’d still get to spend Thanksgiving together.
Chicago:
Nope, they have Mitchell Trubisky. And they probably don’t even know Brady’s a free agent.
NFC South
New Orleans:
Nope they have Drew Brees. And maybe Taysom Hill.
Carolina:
Nobody is talking about Carolina. New owner David Tepper seems hell bent to move on from Cam Newton, but there is no clear direction on who their next QB is going to be. Feels like a wild card because of their first time NFL head coach Matt Rhule, but I could think of worse situations.
Atlanta:
Nope, they have Matt Ryan. (Though if they had Carolina’s QB situation where they were looking to move on from a former MVP, this would be the place I’d spend my 40’s if I was Tom Brady. In a dome throwing to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.)
Tampa Bay
: If this was a better franchise I could see a fit with Bruce Arians (quarterback whisperer, shhh) because of the weapons that would be at Tom’s disposal. However the Bucs are caught in their feelings on what to do with the option they have on Jameis Winston. I think they ultimately move on to someone like Teddy Bridgewater via free agency or stay with Winston.
NFC West
Arizona
: Nope, they have Kyler Murray.
Seattle:
Nope, they have Russell Wilson.
LA Rams:
Nope, they have Jared Goff. (I’ll wait for the laughter to die down before we finish.)
San Francisco:
Nope, they have Jimmy G. (These things always come full circle.)
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It's Not Just Snickers
That I Find Satisfying
By Steve McKay
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Fill-in the blank: This winter season has been ______________.
My word?
Unsatisfying
.
Your word may be different than mine, depending on your opinion of winter. To me, winter in Maine is all about snow. Ample snowfall for skiers, snowmobilers, snow-shoe types and the like. Yet so far, our winter of 2019-2020 has been quite wimpy when it comes to snowfall…..that is….depending on where you happen to be taking measurements.
In the greater Bangor region, we’ve only shoveled a
measly 40” of the white stuff,
which is well below normal. On the other hand, folks in the County have been reveling amidst their towering snowbanks. For example, Caribou has more than doubled Bangor’s total, with a
whopping 97” thus far.
So if you’re not a fan of snow, your “fill-in the blank” word likely differs from mine.
Let’s do this again. Fill-in the blank: the Celtic’s season has been _____________.
My word?
Satisfying
, particularly compared to last season.
Remember the beleaguered C’s of 2018-2019? Seems to me despite the exuberant fanfare surrounding the arrival of Kyrie months earlier, Mr. Irving produced a sour trickle-down effect upon his teammates which inevitably doomed their productivity.
Want some numbers? I’ve got your numbers.
With an absent Kyrie this year, numbers are way up. With new arrival Kemba Walker averaging 21 ppg, Gordon Hayward has rallied from last year’s disappointing season, raising his ppg from 11 to 18. Former Dukie Tatum has turned heads this year, transforming last season’s 15ppg to 22 ppg. Jaylon Brown’s ppg game has swelled from 13 to 20. And perhaps most pleasing, there’s very little of the “iso” ball too often witnessed last year, with Kyrie ignoring his teammates in favor of attempting another whirling-dervish drive to the hoop.
Yeah, I know, Kyrie’s exploits were amazing at times. But as for me, I’m glad he’s riding the pine in Brooklyn, dealing with yet another in a long line of injuries.
Will the end result of the Celtic’s season be
satisfying?
Who knows. Lots of strong teams out there this year. But for now, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy this year’s
satisfying Celtics.
And seriously, it’s only the end of February. Winter is long from being over. Perhaps our current winter season will transition to the satisfying category after all.
Snow, anyone?
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Travel Schedule
Presented by Bangor International Airport
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It's Spring Training Time!
No matter where your team gets ready for the season, in Florida or Arizona,
you can get there from Bangor!
Wherever your travels take you, fly BGR.
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Will a 0-0 Tie Cost UMaine Hockey
Home Ice in The Playoffs?
By Ryan McLaughlin
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It was a weekend with "must sweep" expectations for University of Maine hockey fans as the Black Bears headed into a home series against a Vermont team that is winless in Hockey East.
Maine set the tone emphatically with a 6-1 thumping on Friday night, but could only manage to take three points out of a possible four as the teams skated to a 0-0 tie on Saturday.
The Black Bears looked every bit like a championship contender Friday, scoring six unanswered goals with captain Mitch Fossier recording four points (1 goal, 3 assists).
Maine was also aggressive on the forecheck and attacking the net with consistency, and were primed to complete a much-needed sweep and stay in the all-important top four in the Hockey East standings.
But it was not to be. The Bears let a point slip away at the most inopportune time, and now face a season-ending home-and-home with a Providence College club that has had Maine's number the last seven years.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Saturday's scoreless affair was that Maine let the Catamounts muck up the game. Vermont clogged up the neutral zone and didn't let Maine have any time and space in the middle of the ice. It was essentially the hockey version of stallball basketball. Bob Cimbollek must've been phoning in strategies to UVM coach Kevin Sneddon.
And the Black Bears played right into Vermont's hands by not getting traffic to the netfront consistently. Maine isn't good enough offensively to not generate any dirty goals down low.
Some fans will even tell you a "tie is better than a loss." I hate to be that scribe, but a tie to a 3-win team in your building may as well be a loss. It could also be the difference between playing a Hockey East quarterfinal series in Orono or in Boston. And I have a hard time believing Maine is going to take two from Providence to end the regular season, which it appears it will have to do if it wants to be playing at home in March.
Now, it's looking more and more like Maine will have to get to TD Garden and get tons of help if it wants to squeak into the NCAA Tournament. Three points were left on the table against UConn and Vermont the last two weekends.
There's no doubt this team is a vast improvement than the one that barely squeaked into the league playoffs last winter, and Maine will probably finish the weekend hanging on to that last home-ice berth. But can the Black Bears overcome their nemesis and show their fans that this program is truly back on the rise?
Hopefully it's a reverse of the end of the 2013-14 season when the Bears had a chance to finish as high as second in the league, but were swept by - you guessed it - Providence, at home, and were subsequently knocked out of the playoffs by the Friars.
If the Black Bears are to remain in that all-important top four, the offense will again need to find its consistency.
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Pondering Patriotism and Tourney Time
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The Maine High School Basketball Tournament week just finished up and we now steer towards that early spring promised by ol' Pux Phil.
For the first time in years, I had no immediate personal connection with any of the teams other than my alma mater in Central / Corinth. By the way, kudos to those Red Devils as they gave everything against a great Dexter boys team who is now playing for that gold ball.
I could write about the usual spectator behavior, the price of food or even the new security setup, which honestly was not all that much of an intrusion.
However, with the angst in our country today due to the upcoming elections, I thought we would keep things simple and sweet.
Speaking of sweet, how about that
Washington Academy sophomore, Noah Carver, and his rendition of the national anthem.
Dude can sing! If you missed it, check out the action on Youtube. The description of the video states “He didn’t just sing, but SANG it”. Right on.
There were some really great games and strong teams throughout all of the sessions. As I spent many sessions watching, I can attest as to how comfy the CIC in Bangor is to just sit back, relax and watch these kids pour their hearts and souls out on the floor. The boys from
Easton
made a good run in Class D, but
Machias
was just a bit better at being Cinderella.
Caribou:
Not really much to say that hasn’t already been said. If you missed watching them, probably one of the better teams all around in any class this year.
As mentioned before, the
Dexter boys
made sure they kept the crowd in their games with each nail biting victory.
On the girls side, those
Lady Mariners
gave another shot at
Southern Aroostook
, but the cream rose to the top. I’m not sure how to describe
Waterville and Hermon
girls in their Class B final. It was downright scary close to a football game at times.
Finally, I want to give a special thanks to the men and women who served the front line of security. There are a few airports in the country that could learn from their best practices.
However, there was nothing more special than when I arrived a bit late for one session. After getting my ticket, I came back into the area where you enter to only find solitude and attentiveness. Every member of the security team stopped and put their hand over their hearts for the playing of our national anthem. Matter of fact, it was so powerful that many patrons, including children, stopped to do the same.
What a great scene and a great lesson.
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Everything a Celtics Fan Needs To Know
By Chase Whitney
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Lots of opinions from our bloggers again this week. As always they are just that, their opinions, and not necessarily shared by Jeff Solari and The Sports Chowdah, or our sponsors. We also from time to time share articles from other publications and websites. Obviously sharing links is very common today but we also like to share great content in its entirety. The authors' opinions and content belong to them, not the Sports Chowdah or Rock Lobster Media LLC.
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Who Is This Jeff Solari Guy Anyway?
Jeff Solari is the President and owner of Rock Lobster Media and The Sports Chowdah. Jeff is also a former co-host of the regions most listened to afternoon sports talk show, The Drive on 92.9FM The Ticket in Bangor.
He has been in sports media since he was 17. He is not shy with his opinions or unique perspective on the world of sports.
Jeff is a graduate of Mount Desert Island High School and the University of Southern Maine.
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THE SPORTS CHOWDAH IS A PROPERTY OF ROCK LOBSTER MEDIA LLC
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Jeff Solari | Sports Chowdah | (207) 735-7323 | jeff@sportschowdah.com
| www.jeffsolari.com
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