Lately, in addition to football, the Redmen have been playing a new game: quarterback roulette. But even in front of a raucous Fill the Stadium crowd of 1,942, red (and white) can’t catch a break.

The Redmen used quarterbacks Dallon Kuprowski and Jonathan Collin on Friday, less than a week removed from a tandem quarterbacking effort at Laval from Ryne Bondy and Collin. This week’s game, like the one at Laval, was a close-fought affair. This game too ended in defeat, as the Bishop’s Gaiters erased a 15-3 halftime deficit on their way to a 23-18 win.

According to Head Coach Sonny Wolfe, however, this wasn’t a case of playing well in the first half and letting it slip in the second. “I thought a major reason for losing the game was the first half and not scoring,” Wolfe said. “We had two extended drives and to come away with threes rather than sevens … you’ve got to score when you have the opportunity. The second half they played a little bit better and we didn’t get quite as much.”

Scoring touchdowns, especially in the red zone, has been a huge problem for the team all season. McGill slotback Bobby Mikelberg’s 28-yard first half touchdown reception, which made the score 15-3 McGill, was only the offence’s third touchdown of the year.

“[Austin Anderson] kicked three field goals basically inside the 20, which will tell you we’re not finishing,” punter Tomas Silva said. “All it takes is if you finish any one of those drives then we have this game.”

The Redmen were moving the ball well early, as both the pass and run were effective in the first half; however, with 14 minutes and 37 seconds to go before halftime, starting running back Sean Murphy suffered an apparent hip pointer injury and walked off the field accompanied by two trainers. Up to that point Murphy had gained 71 yards on 13 carries. Fourth-year running back Taylor Kuprowski came in and picked up where Murphy left off, finishing with 96 yards also on 13 carries.

The Gaiters took a big bite out of McGill’s lead only 34 seconds into the second half, as Bishop’s quarterback Jordan Heather connected with brother Nathan Heather for a 75-yard touchdown completion, cutting the McGill lead to 15-10. From there, the McGill offence faltered and, after trading field goals, Bishop’s was able to connect on a short touchdown pass to take the lead. A final field goal by Bishop’s sealed the game and provided the 23-18 margin.

Quarterback Dallon Kuprowski played for all but the final seven minutes of the contest, finishing with 171 passing yards on 14 completions and 29 throws, one passing touchdown, and one interception. He also ran for 22 yards on six carries.

Kuprowski was replaced by Collin for the last few series of the game. “[Collin]’s got a stronger arm and we felt like there was a need to change things up,” Wolfe said. “We only got one field goal in the third quarter and felt like [the quarterback switch] would give us a chance to change it up.”

A big part of the Redmen’s early game success was predicated on field position, in large part provided by Silva’s kicks. “He was booming kicks and he’s a pro,” said Collin. “He’s definitely a weapon that helps us out a lot.” Silva was added to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ active roster on June 20 before being released five days later.

Silva was disappointed with the result regardless. “It just sucks because our fans come out and it’s Fill the Stadium,” he said. “We come here and we want to play well for [them], or at the very least not disappoint them to the point where you have a game in hand like that and then kind of lose your grip on it.”

The Redmen are quickly losing their grip on this season, as their record stands at 0-5 with only four league games remaining; however, they will have another shot at Bishop’s on Oct. 22. 

 

The world’s best marathoners will toe the line in the next month for two of the world’s most elite marathons: the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9, and the ING New York Marathon on Nov. 6. Spectators can expect stacked fields, but no women’s world or national records will be broken in either race. 

The International Association of Athletics Federations recently ruled that records set in women’s road racing are only valid if the field is entirely female, which eliminates most road races except for the World Championships and the Olympics. The IAAF’s reasoning is that women who have the opportunity to race men, or use men as pacers in mixed-gender events, have a distinct advantage over women who race only against women, and therefore the latter group of women are genuinely faster. World records set in mixed races will only be awarded the title of “world best.”

The new women’s marathon world record is Paula Radcliffe’s 2:17:42, set in the 2007 London Marathon, not her 2:15:25 from the 2003 edition (then a mixed race). Radcliffe’s 2003 time would have garnered a 12th place finish in the men’s marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics.  

Retroactive rulings such as this one are not only unfair to the athletes who have had their accomplishments and titles taken away, but pose larger problems for the sport. Under these new rules, the American record—previously held by Deena Kastor with a 2:19:36 time in the 2006 London Marathon—is now held by Joan Benoit Samuelson for her run in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, a whopping five minutes slower. According to the updated record books, American women haven’t progressed in the marathon in the past 27 years. 

Road racing is a mind-numbing sport, which is precisely the reason it receives so little media coverage. The IAAF ruling will only turn off what few fans and what little media coverage it has. For practical reasons, most road races are mixed. Women won’t be eligible for world record incentive prize money and races will become purely strategic, where athletes run at an “honest” but not tortuous pace, and then see who can out-sprint who in the final 800 metres. There will be no incentive—monetary or titular—for women who try to break records. 

This rule has not been applied to similar men’s records. Most men’s track and road races are rabbitted, meaning another elite runner controls the pace for most of the run, stepping off the track for the final few laps. Nearly every world record attempt in a variety of distances has employed at least one—and often multiple—rabbits. Two weeks ago, Patrick Makau broke the world record in the men’s marathon, but it was not a solitary effort; he was surrounded by a dozen pacers, and only ran the final few miles by himself. Men don’t break world records on their own very often, and demanding that of women—in a sport that has little female depth—is unfair. 

Amid all of the recent doping concerns in the sport, taking away women’s accomplishments, and in the process confusing fans, shouldn’t be the IAAF’s first priority. When New Zealander Kim Smith crosses the line in New York aiming for a “world best” pace, I’m going to count it as a world record.

 

It was a rainy, cold Saturday evening at Molson Stadium when the Redmen registered their most resounding victory of the season, a 15-6 trampling of second- ranked University of Toronto. Fifteen goals is the second highest number of goals McGill (7-0) has scored in a game this season, after netting 16 against Toronto (3-2) earlier in the year.

McGill opened up the scoring with a goal by Alex Rohrbach 55 seconds into the game. Toronto came back quickly with three unanswered goals in the next nine minutes to jump out to a 3-1 lead. McGill’s Nolan Prinzen brought the team within one by scoring with three minutes and 10 seconds left in the first quarter. The first quarter was a sloppy one for McGill, as the team had trouble setting up plays around the opposing net and had numerous passes intercepted by Toronto defenders. Coming out of the first quarter, it seemed Toronto was the team who wanted the win more.

All of that changed in the second quarter, when McGill came out stronger and scored four unanswered goals, including two more from Rohrbach. The score could have been tied at the end of the quarter had it not been for McGill goalie Waesche Ward, who made two unbelievable saves near the 12-minute mark. Toronto finally found a hole in McGill’s defence and they would have capitalized on a point blank shot had Ward not reached out with his stick and blocked it. The rebound bounced out of his net and found another Toronto player who immediately shot again, but Ward had tracked the ball perfectly and was ready for the second save, which he held onto. 

“It was a sloppy game for us in the first half, we weren’t very disciplined,” Head Coach Timothy Murdoch said. “But we have a lot of veteran players who stepped up and performed [in the second half].”

McGill entered the third quarter leading 6-3 and finished the quarter leading 10-4. Toronto was able to capitalize first with a goal at the 10-minute mark, but McGill scored soon after and didn’t let up for the next 10 minutes. The third quarter was all about Jishan Sharples and Leland de Langley, who both scored two goals. De Langley scored his pair in a span of 41 seconds. The third quarter also featured three McGill penalties that were easily killed off.

The Redmen finished off Toronto with a five-goal fourth quarter, with Ryan Besse and Alex Rohrbach each scoring a pair of goals. One of Besse’s came on the powerplay, McGill’s sole powerplay tally of the game. Toronto’s frustration was palpable as the team drew five penalties (for a total of 4.5 minutes) in the final frame.

With freshman Rohrbach’s fifth and final goal of the game, the McGill University male athlete of the week extended his five-goal-game streak to three games. When asked about his numbers, Rohrbach had praise only for his teammates. “J.J. [Miller] wins … like 80 per cent of faceoffs, and it gives the offence a chance to score a lot, we have a great defence, our goalies are playing out of their minds right now, and that’s what really sets up these high scoring games,” Rohrbach said. Miller, another key cog in McGill’s offence, won a startling 21 out of 25 faceoffs, giving him an 84 per cent success rate for the game, while setting up three McGill goals in the process. 

McGill faces a significant test on Thursday with a rematch against conference rivals Bishop’s. Murdoch believes this will be the team’s biggest challenge of the season. The last matchup between the Redmen and Gaiters was a spirited affair that included a fight and ended in a 12-11 McGill victory. A win for McGill will secure the Eastern Conference regular season title. 

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

 

Pittsburgh Penguins: With Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh can beat anyone. Without him? Who knows. While Sidney Crosby’s health is vital, a good sign is that even without Crosby and Malkin for large chunks of last season and the playoffs, the Penguins finished fourth and pushed Tampa Bay to a tough seven game series. The captain’s absence allowed for the emergence of Chris Kunitz, defenseman Kris Letang and a stellar finish from Marc-Andre Fleury. If Crosby is healthy, the Penguins will give the Flyers a run for their money for the division, and challenge for the cup.

 

Philadelphia Flyers: After a disappointing end to last season, Holmgren shook up the team by trading away captain Mike Richards and leading goal scorer Jeff Carter. Despite losing a lot of firepower up front, the Flyers may have filled the position they needed most by finally acquiring a proven goaltender in Ilya Bryzgalov. Philadelphia has some upcoming talent in newly acquired Brayden Schenn along with fourth-year forward Claude Giroux. Much of the Flyers’ success this year hinges on the play of Jaromir Jagr. If he can play up to his old form, look for Philly to be a powerhouse in the east.

 

New York Rangers: The Rangers won the free agent battle for Brad Richards, who had 77 points in 72 games last season with the Stars. The question is if Richards is enough to allow the Rangers to move up in the standings and make a legitimate playoff run. Success also rests on the health of superstar Marion Gaborik. If he can stay healthy, he and Richards, a natural playmaker, will be a dynamic duo up front. With Henrik Lundqvist in net the Rangers will have a chance to win every night. 

 

New Jersey Devils: Despite a ton of hype last year, the Devils’ season was disappointing. Star Forward Zach Parise got hurt early in the season, Ilya Kovalchuck didn’t seem to fit in the Devils offense, and 39-year-old Martin Brodeur started to show signs of age. However, the Devils did go 23-5 between mid-January and mid-March, which bodes well for this year. Look for New Jersey to bounce back and look almost as good on ice as they do on paper.

 

New York Islanders: Despite finishing 14th in the east last year, Islanders fans should be excited that their team is on the way up as they rebuild through the draft. Highly touted John Tavares is beginning to live up to the hype, and Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson look like legitimate NHL scorers, with each potting over 30 goals last season. Don’t expect the Islanders to be good this year but watch for them in coming years as they develop.

 

­—Adam Taras

 

Northeast Division

 

Boston Bruins: With the tandem of Tim Thomas and backup Tuukka Rask in net, and Zdeno Chara protecting them, this team’s always going to be tough to score on. The B’s have a great system under Head Coach Claude Julien, and play gritty, physical hockey from the first to the fourth line. As usual, the only question is whether they can get sufficient scoring to win—the addition of offensive defenceman Joe Corvo should help out here. There’s a chance this team could be even better than it was last year, depending on the development of youngsters like Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand. 

 

Buffalo Sabres: For once, star goaltender Ryan Miller isn’t the biggest story in Buffalo at this time of the year. That honour goes to 6’8″ third-year defenceman Tyler Myers, and the enormous contract extension he just signed with the club. Armed with new owner Terry Pegula’s endless pipeline of money, this year’s Sabres reversed the trend of departing free agent talent by bringing in blueliners Christian Ehroff and Robyn Regehr, along with forward Ville Leino. Still, the team as it stands is in serious cap trouble so GM Darcy Regier will have to make some moves before the puck drops.  

 

Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price’s performance last year proved that he can withstand the heat that comes with playing in hockey-mad Montreal. The only question is, will anyone else on this team step up and help him? With an overpriced core (Gomez and Gionta particularly) that’s had the team locked on a steady course for good-but-not-greatness over the past couple of years, we can expect more of the same this time around. Erik Cole’s a nice addition but he won’t make the difference. 

 

Toronto Maple Leafs: Reimer fever is sweeping Leafs nation. For a team that hasn’t had much stability between the pipes since the heyday of Eddie Belfour, Reimer may be the answer, or he might just be the next in a string of disappointing flash-in-the-pan keepers. An improved defensive corps, along with another year of development from Luke Schenn, Nazem Kadri, and the rest of the team’s young guns should see yet more improvement in the win column. Still, likely not enough to make the playoffs. 

 

Ottawa Senators: The best thing about this year’s Sens team is the design of their new heritage-style jerseys. Craig Anderson is the best goaltender the franchise has had in a long time, but the team in front of him is too young to compete. Although this year will be painful, Ottawa has a bright future ahead. First-round pick Mika Zibanejad joins an impressive young core that includes David Rundblad, Jared Cowen, and college standout Stephane Da Costa.

 

—Sam Hunter

 

Southeast Division

 

Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin is coming off of a “disappointing” year after registering 85 points, which is still more than a point per game. The entire Capitals team is looking to bounce back after a shocking four-game sweep at the hands of the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning. GM George McPhee decided to solve his goaltending problem and signed veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to a paltry $1.5 million contract to stabilize the team and add the missing piece to an already formidable Capitals roster. 

 

Tampa Bay Lightning:  The Tampa Bay Lightning are known for having one of the most potent offences in the NHL. Dwayne Roloson surprised many last year, but his 42-year-old body will probably be unable to bear the full brunt of the goaltending responsibilities and Dan Ellis is no longer around to be his backup. The defence is good and Victor Hedman is a burgeoning star, but in order for this team to make it deep into the playoffs, it will once again have to lean on its offence.

 

Carolina Hurricanes: Hurricanes fans will be disappointed this year, after seeing their team come off of a surprise 91-point season that had them finishing nine games over .500 last year. Last year’s rookie of the year Jeff Skinner will have to match his unbelievable 31 goal season and a number of things will have to go right for them to even sniff the playoffs in 2012. Eric Staal will provide much needed leadership for this young team and Tomas Kaberle should instantly help bolster their powerplay. 

 

Florida Panthers:  The Florida Panthers spent a lot of money this off-season to get up to the cap floor and incidentally improved their team in the process. The Panthers shelled out expensive, risky contracts and traded for the grossly overpaid Brian Campbell this past summer, but in doing so have turned themselves into a dark horse team in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers will be able to put out four solid lines this year, and will surprise a lot of fans.   

 

Winnipeg Jets:  All the Winnipeg Jets have to do is show up to have a successful year for the born-again franchise, which is a good thing considering how poorly the team did last year. Thirteen of their players are born between 1985 and 1991, so youth will be a big part of the 2012 season in Winnipeg. The Jets’ slogan is “Fuelled by Passion,” which is a good thing because they certainly won’t be fueled by victories.  

 

—Joshua Prizant

 

 

Central Division

 

Detroit Red Wings: Despite the many changes to their division rivals’ rosters, Detroit isn’t about to step down as division leader this season. Even after losing fan favourites like Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, and Chris Osgood, the Wings have solid goaltending in Jimmy Howard and retain their core of outstanding players in Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Nick Lidstrom. Detroit’s clock is ticking, but it’s not midnight yet.

 

Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks were very active during the off-season, trading away yet more members of the 2010 Stanley Cup team, such as Brian Campbell and Troy Brouwer, while toughening up with the likes of Steve Montador and the infamous Dan Carcillo. The ‘Hawks’ biggest addition of the off-season though, was Andrew Brunette who, at 38 years old, has played over 1,000 games and has over 700 points. Chicago should challenge Nashville for the second spot in the division and should make the playoffs as long as rookie goaltender Cory Crawford can keep up his numbers from last season.

 

Nashville Predators: Nashville’s off-season moves were not brilliant, as they lost excellent young players in Joel Ward and Cody Franson, but were able to retain defensive superstar Shea Weber after going to arbitration. Nashville still features the league’s top defensive pairing in Weber and Ryan Suter; they also have one of the league’s top three goaltenders in Pekka Rinne. With many other young players wanting to make a lasting impression, the Predators should have a strong year ahead of them.

 

St. Louis Blues: This year, the Blues enter the season with a core of very young, talented, but raw players, such as Chris Stewart, T.J. Oshie, Patrick Berglund, and David Perron. To aid in their development, GM Doug Armstrong signed a couple of strong veterans, Jason Ar
nott and Jamie Langenbrunner, to mentor the younger players while helping to fill out the bottom six. Although the Blues’ young talent will excite, the playoffs are still a couple of years away.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Jackets made a huge splash this summer by acquiring superstar centre Jeff Carter from Philadelphia, and signing defenceman James Wisniewski to a long-term deal. Carter should serve as the elite centre that captain Rick Nash has never had, while Wisniewski was brought in to help ignite Columbus’ failing power play. If Steve Mason can rediscover his rookie form, Columbus should have a good season but a playoff berth might be a stretch.

 

—Christopher Nardi

 

Northwest Division

 

Vancouver Canucks: The defending western champs are set to be one of the dominant powers in the conference once again. Some may question the heart of the Sedins after their performance in the Stanley Cup Final, but this team was only one win away. Losing Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres might worry other franchises, but the Canucks are so deep that Vancouver won’t even notice. Marco Sturm will be a nice addition to a team that already had what it takes to challenge again.

 

Minnesota Wild: It may seem odd to see the Wild placed this high, but in such a weak division, someone has to be number two. Minnesota made waves in the off-season by acquiring two former Sharks in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi. The first line will be deadly but the loss of Brent Burns and Martin Havlat will hurt. If newly-minted Head Coach Mike Yeo can follow the recent trend of successful AHL-turned-NHL head coaches, the Wild may surprise. 

Calgary Flames: The Flames are blessed with a core of players who were all good in NHL 2004, and that doesn’t bode well for them nine years later. Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Alex Tanguay, and Jay Bouwmeester have all seen better days, and that problem is compounded by the loss of long-time D-man Robyn Regehr. The addition of Lee Stempniak will add some new blood to the system, but that Stanley Cup run feels like a long time ago for a team that’s been lacking an identity for years.

 

Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers are blessed with some of the best young talent in the league and many believe they are poised for a breakthrough … is likely what we’ll say next year. Edmonton’s young guns may have a hard time getting used to the rough-and-tumble style of play in the western conference. Taylor Hall, Magnus Pajaarvi, Linus Omark, and Jordan Eberle welcome Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the fold but Oiler fans will be excited about someone a tad older: Ryan Smyth is back and ready to lead this group of youngsters back to respectability.

 

Colorado Avalanche: A team that finished 29th in the NHL should do everything it can to stockpile draft picks and prospects for the future (ain’t that right, Leaf fans?).  Colorado traded a first and a conditional second round pick to Washington for oft-injured goalie Semyon Varlamov in an attempt to score their first true number one since Patrick Roy. Gabriel Landeskog can look forward to meeting the Avs’ next top-five draft pick, when they meet in Washington next year.

 

—Adam Sadinsky

 

Pacific Division

 

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have been one of the top teams in the league for years now, but they have not been able to get over the hump and make it to the Stanley Cup finals. Labeled as soft, San Jose went out this summer and traded Devin Setoguchi, a sniper, for Brett Burns, a tough-nosed defender from the Wild. They also swapped Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat to add some balance to their forwards. Their soft label may finally peel off and they have a strong chance of making the finals this season.

 

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings made some big moves this summer and are going all out for the Stanley Cup this year. Mike Richards, acquired in a blockbuster trade with Philadelphia, will add some grittiness to this already explosive lineup. Along with the likes of Anze Kopitar, Richards makes the Kings a legitimate contender in the West. L.A. was also able to lock up number-one defenceman Drew Doughty, who was in contention for the Norris last year. With a physical front line and a sturdy defence, the Kings should aim high this season.

 

Anaheim Ducks: Anaheim is looking to build upon an outstanding season with an even better one. The Ducks finished with 99 points last year, only six points behind the pacific division champion San Jose Sharks. Cory Perry won the Hart Trophy, Bobby Ryan also had an impressive season with 71 points and Ryan Getzlaf is fully healthy and ready to centre this elite top line. The Ducks can only improve on last year’s performance and look to contend for a top-five finish in the West yet again.

 

Phoenix Coyotes: After a summer filled with uncertainty due to the threa
t of relocation, the Coyotes lost some key pieces of their playoff team this summer. Their major loss was their elite goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov, and it is hard to see the Coyotes challenging for the playoffs again this season without him. Although Phoenix is still a solid team, it will be extremely difficult for them to make the playoffs with the strength of the Western conference this year.

 

Dallas Stars: The Stars are coming off a 95 point season where they narrowly missed making the playoffs. Unfortunately, their chances this year will be even slimmer with the loss of Brad Richards to free agency. The Stars find themselves in the toughest division in the whole league, with the four other teams having made the playoffs last year. The Stars should plummet further as they look to rebuild their squad with youth and move away from the old guard.

 

—Filippo Furlano