Recent Posts

  • Ice Hockey Below the Radar

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:43 pm Comments are Disabled

    Josh Apple, Connect2Mason Reporter The word “ice” around George Mason University garners thoughts of the blizzard conditions, the slippery roads and sidewalks around campus and a four-day miniature winter break. However, for 20 Mason students, the word “ice” means only one thing: hockey. Unbeknownst to most students, the Mason club ice hockey team exists and is on the rise. Unlike the roller hockey team, which was founded just two years ago, the ice hockey squad has been around for about a decade. The club had a slow start but has quickly gained momentum this year in terms of interest and talent level. Erik Gibbons, a 23-year-old graduate student from Fairfax, said, “Historically, [Mason] has been one of the worst teams in whichever league we play in, that is until this season.” The team competes in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference, which is comprised of the Atlantic, Carolina and Colonial Divisions. Mason is in the Atlantic, along with Catholic, JMU, Northern Virginia Community College, Radford, Virginia Military Institute and William & Mary. The squad is currently fourth out of the eight teams with a conference record of 8-5, including sweeps of NVCC and VMI. Overall, they have a solid record of […]

     
  • Mason Looks to End Its Sea of Losses

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:41 pm Comments are Disabled

    Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: Entering last week, the women’s basketball team lost its eighth consecutive and the 13th of its past 14 games after falling to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Sunday at the Patriot Center, 66-52. The George Mason University Patriots continued to struggle in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning just one of 13 conference games, and holding a conference-worst 8-16 overall record. The team will take on the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center. The Seahawks entered the week with a 9-15 overall record and 4-9 conference record. Mason: The Patriots came up short in Wilmington two weeks ago, coming back from a nine-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to one point several times. But in the end, the Seahawks spoiled Mason’s rally with a 3-pointer which beat the shot clock buzzer. Junior guard Brittany Poindexter had a solid performance, tallying 15 points and grabbing five rebounds, including four offensive boards. Poindexter is the team leader with 12.4 points per game, and she ranks third on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Mason won all seven home games in non-conference play, but since then, the team’s performance on its […]

     
  • A Favre Shot to Retire: Top Five NFL Offseason Storylines

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:40 pm Comments are Disabled

    Chris Demarco, Staff Writer 5. The Uncapped Year The National Football League and the NFL Player Association’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in March, and with that comes an uncapped year. What this means is that there will be absolutely no salary cap, much like what Major League Baseball has. What could come of this problem is many top-tier free agents will demand more money than they probably deserve because they know they can get it with no salary cap. What we could see is a team that is not afraid to spend a lot of money (a la the Washington Redskins) on these free agents. Some teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, have already stated that they will use a self-imposed salary cap so they can keep a level playing field. Hopefully, some sort of agreement will be made to prevent an uncapped year from happening. 4. What Will Mike Shanahan and the Redskins Do? The Redskins are coming off another horrible season in which they went a pathetic 4-12. They fired Head Coach Jim Zorn and hired Mike Shanahan, assuming that he will be their savior. With a possible uncapped year, will owner Daniel Snyder open up the checkbook and […]

     
  • Mason Hosts Home Opener

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

    Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: The baseball team started its 2010 campaign in Rock Hill, S.C., taking on the Northwestern Wildcats and host Winthrop Eagles. Coming off a successful 42-win season, Mason earned a trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Mason will host the Monmouth Hawks, the defending Northeast Conference baseball champions, this weekend. Mason kicks off the home opener at Spuhler Field on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and wraps up the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Mason: The Patriots enter the 2010 season with a new outlook, having lost six of its players to the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft last June. Senior second baseman Ryan Soares, a preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, returns at the keystone position as one of the team leaders this year. In his two years at Mason, Soares has posted identical numbers across the board, but last year, he hit 11 home runs — four more than his total from 2008. In turn, he improved his slugging percentage from .473 to .559. Mason ended its season on a sour note, losing its final four games. Nonetheless, the team won 24 of 26 games at one point and compiled a […]

     
  • Powell's Playbook: Performance Under Pressure

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:37 pm Comments are Disabled

    John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor As I was sitting in my hotel room in Baltimore, Md., I watched the Old Dominion Monarchs get dismantled by the Northern Iowa Panthers in the opening game of the ESPN BracketBusters event. I watched the William & Mary Tribe fall to the Iona Gaels. I watched the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs beat the Northeastern Huskies at Northeastern University. I finally watched the George Mason Patriots lose to the College of Charleston Cougars on homecoming night. Needless to say, it has not been a good few days for the conference. VCU was the only team in the Colonial Athletic Association to win its BracketBuster, and was one of only three conference teams to win over the weekend. The CAA has touted how well it performs in televised games. This event however proved something quite contrary. I have said that the only way for the CAA to get an at-large bid in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament was for the losing team in the conference’s tournament to do well against quality non-conference teams. The CAA performed well at the beginning of the season, but the top conference teams have been performing terribly as of late. Some […]

     
  • World Cup: Dealing with Injuries: Americans with Injuries Need Backup Plan

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:35 pm Comments are Disabled

    Donald O’Mahony, Staff Writer With the World Cup fast approaching, the United States continues to have injury problems. Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu are all currently injured and questionable for this summer. There is still hope that they will be on the field to face England on June 12, but a backup plan needs to be in place. Although Head Coach Bob Bradley is not required to announce his team anytime soon, here are a few players who might be called on to make a difference. Jay DeMerit – The Wisconsin native has built a good reputation in the national team over the last year and might be in consideration for a starting spot even if Onyewu is healthy. He debuted for the national team in 2007 and started all five matches in the run to the Confederations Cup Final in 2009. If Onyewu is fit, DeMerit will battle with team captain Carlos Bocanegra for the other spot at center defense. However, if Onyewu cannot go, he could be lining up against Wayne Rooney in a few months. It is a difficult task for any defender, but he will need to be ready. Stuart Holden – The fate […]

     
  • The Final Showdown

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:34 pm Comments are Disabled

    Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: Saturday’s matchup between the George Mason University Patriots and the Northeastern Huskies may provide a preview of a potential late-round matchup in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Tournament as both teams look to stay in the top four of the conference. Mason has been just 1-4 in the month of February, relinquishing its lead atop the conference while the Huskies remain in a neck-to-neck battle with the Old Dominion Monarchs for first place. After losing to the William & Mary Tribe on Tuesday, Mason dropped to 16-11 overall and 11-5 in the CAA; the Huskies entered Saturday’s ESPN BracketBuster game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs with an 18-9 overall record and 13-3 conference record. The game will tip off at noon. Mason: The Patriots are coming off a tough home loss to the Tribe, bringing its 18-game home conference winning streak to a halt and also ending its nine-game home winning streak. Mason has generally dominated at the Patriot Center, winning 25 of the past 26 home games prior to last Tuesday, but the team will have to deal with a tough customer in the Huskies on Saturday in its home finale for the […]

     
  • Costly Questionable Calls: Williams’ Emphatic Dunks and 18 Points Not Enough to Rally Patriots

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:32 pm Comments are Disabled

    John Kleeb, Staff Writer The George Mason Patriots (16-12, 11-5) came up short against the College of Charleston Cougars (19-9, 13-3) on Saturday night in a heartbreaking 85-83 loss on Homecoming night at the Patriot Center. “I think [the BracketBuster] is a tremendous concept; I think it gives a lot of juice to the weekend where a lot of teams are fired up to showcase their talents,” said Larranaga. “I thought the game itself was extremely entertaining and well-played. I was thrilled to see the crowd cheering for us wildly during the game.” The enthusiastic crowd pleased Cougars Head Coach Bobby Cremins, who said after the game that he was impressed with the atmosphere at the Patriot Center as well as young Mason players such as forwards Luke Hancock, Johnny Williams and guard Sherrod Wright, all who had a major impact on the game and all who scored over 10 points. The freshmen accounted for 53 of Mason’s 83 points in the game. The team was still without sophomore forward Mike Morrison, who had been suspended for a double technical foul in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The game started out promising enough for the Patriots, who led […]

     
  • Tribe Breach Patriot Center: William & Mary Ends Mason’s Conference Home Win Streak at 18

    Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:31 pm Comments are Disabled

    Cody Norman, Staff Writer Over the last two seasons, the men’s basketball team has posted an incredible 25-1 record while playing at the Patriot Center. They have notched 18 consecutive victories against Colonial Athletic Association opponents dating all the way back to Feb. 16, 2008. As fate would have it, the Patriots took the court on Tuesday night against the William & Mary Tribe, exactly two years since their last home conference loss. The Patriots were without sophomore forward Mike Morrison, who was suspended for two games after receiving a pair of technical fouls in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs last Saturday. Morrison is averaging eight points and better than five rebounds per game this season, so Head Coach Jim Larranaga and his squad had a sizeable hole to fill on Tuesday night. After an extremely slow start on the offensive end, redshirt freshman forward Kevin Foster came off the bench to spark the home team. Foster brought energy to both sides of the floor and finished the half with 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal in just 12 minutes of work. Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius found his stroke from long range and canned 3-of-4 […]

     
  • American Media Today: Where Did The News Go?

    Editorials February 22, 2010 at 2:28 pm Comments are Disabled

    Justin Lalputan, Staff Writer The American media has changed from what it used to be. The American media used to play a watchdog role, being there for the people and giving the people access to information that they wouldn’t otherwise have. From what I see in today’s media, there is almost nothing that resembles that. First, I have to address the fact that media is changing. Newspapers used to be the main source of news — people would pick them up and actually subscribe to them — but now, newspapers are dying. Sure, newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times will always stay in business, but they are cultural icons. Most other smaller newspapers are shutting down. However, this doesn’t mean that the role of the media has to change. With the advent of the Internet, the popularity of TV media and their integration in our society, the media should be even closer to the people and people should be well-informed about current issues. Sadly, this is not the case. I turn on the TV and, the majority of the time, I am greeted with biased news, not even in an editorial section, but in the actual […]