| Is this the season the Lake's late show doesn't lack?
Games are under way across the state in boys' hockey. Before we know it, we'll be talking about that annual winter storm that seems to strike the area each year during tournament time. But with the season still young, here are a few story lines and notes to get you going. By Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune Last update: November 27, 2007 – 4:56 PM .
Charges pondered in children's brawl on ice
TORONTO -- A shocking on-ice brawl involving eight-year-old hockey players over the weekend had officials denouncing their coaches yesterday and a passionate defender of children's sport comparing the intense spirit of competition that apparently fuelled the fight as borderline "child abuse." NHL hockey dad Emile Therien said he can hardly believe that young children would even be involved in an out-of-town tournament such as the one in Guelph on the weekend, where the unsavoury scrap took place. "It's unbelievable that you let eight-year-old kids play at such a high competitive pressure level," said Therien, former president of the Canada Safety Council, who called for an end to competitive leagues for children under the age of 12. "It smacks of everything that's wrong with hockey in this country, minor hockey." The fight erupted Friday between members of the Duffield Devils and Niagara Falls Thunder during a novice AAA tournament.
Knights in national spotlight
With the Rutgers women's basketball team playing nationally or regionally televised games at least twice a month all regular season, I started thinking about what these big games can do not only for the Scarlet Knights program, but also the sport of women's basketball as a whole.
RU plays on the big stage 12 times this year, including three of the five games that the Knights have played so far this season.
The increased exposure is due to a few factors: the team's heightened profile following last season's finals appearance and the fact that 12 of the Knights games are against preseason Top 25 opponents. In fact, the Dec. 30 game versus Temple on ESPNU is the only televised matchup that does not involve one of the aforementioned ranked opponents.
Playing in to both the toughness of RU's schedule, as well as the increase of TV time for the Knights, is the strength of a Big East Conference that sent eight teams to last year's NCAA Tournament.
California partners with Brownsville for soccer team
California is now partnered with Brownsville in a co-op varsity soccer team. However, the California School Board voted Nov. 15 to allow California to form its own soccer team next year. The co-op was originally formed because California didn't have enough players to form a complete team, which requires about 22 players. Terri Doman, a California School Board member for four years, said when the co-op began, it was with the understanding that when California had enough players to form a team, it would move back to California and play for its own school. The next step California needs to take in order to form its own team is to secure the approval of the WPIAL. Since WPIAL already approved the co-op team for another two years, California needed to send a letter stating that it has formed its own team.
The losing begins for local teen
Flanked by her parents, Alexis Khan arrived Oct. 17 at Medical University Hospital for gastric bypass surgery. "I woke up with nerves," she said from her hospital bed before the four-hour procedure. Her father, James Debrum, pinched her polished toes through the crisp sheet. .
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