Tuesday, February 26, 2013

W Rugby Teammates Bid for Amazing Race Canada

Two Queen's Women's Rugby teammates are making a bid to be selected for The Amazing Race Canada. Bronwyn Corrigan and Marin MacLeod have posted a video to be submitted for their application on YouTube. It can be viewed here.

Please share this video on whatever social networks you can  - they are already over 2000 views after posting the video online this weekend!


Monday, February 25, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

My least favourite Game Report of the season – my last.

We lost to Ottawa U. in the East Semi-finals 72-44. No question Ottawa’s outstanding, smothering defence was the difference, as we had difficulty finding any rhythm in our offense whatsoever. And when we did get open looks, we rushed and shot poorly (only 29% for the game). I was very pleased, however, with our effort and perseverance. We continued to battle hard throughout the entire 40 minutes, playing some very good defence of our own at times.

Jenny Wright was the only player to register in double figures, notching 16 points, although rookie post, Robyn Pearson added 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Q’s SID Report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/23/WBB_0223135337.aspx?path=wbball

A reflection on the season suggests a number of things: we are a relatively young team (6 first year players and no 5th year players).

We were inundated with injuries that produced two major effects: it prevented a number of veteran players from being in the lineup where they would normally be expected to contribute significantly to the team’s success; and it provided opportunities for our younger players to gain valuable playing experience that otherwise might have been limited. While as a coach, you never like to sacrifice one season for the next, given that we had no choice in the matter, this situation will serve us well moving forward.

We experienced the excitement/pressure of the playoff games, including a dominant win in the first round and a dominant loss in the second round. We have developed a new level of resilience, gained further insight about our abilities and areas to focus on during our off-season training.

All of this knowledge and experience has allowed us to gain confidence: that often elusive yet critical element to individual and team success. It was a very good “learning” season.

Thank you for all your interest and support throughout the season – it is greatly appreciated by the entire team. I’ll be back in touch with “Updates” about our program as things continue to develop.

All the best.

Dave.



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Quick game report as we have a short turn around before our next game …….. which means, yes, we did beat Ryerson …. And in convincing fashion, 86-64.

Our number one objective was to control the tempo of play, and we did just that. With a more aggressive defence, we were able to force more turnovers and poor shots, allowing us to get out and run. We outscored Ryerson 26-21 in the first and 22-14 in the second. Liz Boag was phenomenal in the first half dropping 22 point on 6 of 8 from behind the arc. There was no letup in the third, outscoring Ryerson 22-13, before finishing the fourth at 16 apiece.

Boag finished with 24 along with 3 assists and 4 steals. Jenny Wright added 18 points and 4 assists, while Emily Hazlett netted 12 and 5 boards. Hanna Koposhynska hit double digits with 11 points and 6 boards, while Nicole Morse had a career high 13 rebounds to go along with her 6 points.

Q’s SID Report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/20/WBB_0220133846.aspx?path=wbball

We now face Ottawa U. on Saturday, February 23rd at 6:00pm. Ottawa finished first in our division as is currently ranked 10th in the country. They beat us both times in regular season: 66-43 at Ottawa (Jan. 18), and 67-53 at Q’s (Feb. 2).

Thanks for all the emails & facebook well wishes.

Cheers,

Dave.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Quick update with regard to the playoffs. Courtesy of Ryerson beating Toronto twice over the weekend, they have moved ahead of us in the standings to fourth spot. This means that Ryerson will host us on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:00pm in the Mattamy Centre (former Maple Leaf Gardens).

Ryerson beat us both times during the regular season – at Queen’s 70-64 on January 6th, and at Ryerson (old gym) 66-47 on January 25th. Needless to say, we have our hands full.

This marks the third consecutive year we have faced Ryerson in the first round of the playoffs. Ryerson won both previous meetings: in 2011 @ Ryerson (62-51) and in 2012 @ Queen’s (71-66).

Third time's the charm??

Cheers,

Dave.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We wrapped up our regular season play with a strong performance against Laurentian (winning 80-68), but followed with a poor (1st half in particular) performance against York (losing 77-64).

Q’s SID Report (Laurentian): http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/8/WBB_0208130250.aspx?path=wbball

Q’s SID Report (York): http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/9/WBB_0209133859.aspx?path=wbball

We are currently are in fourth spot in the East, but most teams have two games remaining. What we know, as of today, is that we will finish in either fourth or fifth place. If we finish fourth, we will host either Ryerson, York or Laurentian. If we finish fifth, we will play Ryerson at Ryerson. Ryerson needs one win against Toronto to capture 4th position. They play each other Friday & Saturday in back to back games. Toronto has locked up third place, while Carleton and Ottawa play each other on Saturday to determine first & second.

The first round of the playoffs (6 @ 3, 5 @ 4) will be on Wednesday, February 20th – time to be determined. (Reminder: by OUA playoff regulation, no passes or complimentary tickets are permitted)

We will take a couple of days off to rest and recover from the long trip and then get back at it to prepare for next Wednesday.

Have a great week!

Dave.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Another tough weekend, facing the two top teams in our division (Carleton & Ottawa) has stretched our losing streak to six games – the longest in recent history. While discouraging on the win/loss account, there are some encouraging aspects to the weekend as well. We are learning to deal with the physicality of both those teams a little better, and we are learning to work with new line ups, partially due to injuries.

Our loss to Carleton (90-54) was a trouncing, but more the product of the last 5 minutes of the game. After being down by 20 at the half, we brought it back to 13 to start the fourth quarter. However, a 20-2 run at the end of the game, blew things wide open. Second chance points and points off turnovers were our nemesis against a very physical team.

Jenny Wright finished with 16 points, while Liz Boag added 11. Robyn Pearson led the team in rebounding with 8 and Sydney Kernahan grabbed 7.

SID report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/1/WBB_0201133206.aspx?path=wbball

Our loss to Ottawa (67-53) remained a much closer game throughout the majority of the game, although Ottawa led by 9 at half. We reduced that lead to 7 by the end of the third, but could get no closer in the fourth, eventually fouling at the end. We did a much better job on the boards, but still gave up too many points off of turnovers.

Liz Boag finished with 20 points and 5 assists, while Jenny Wright had 15 points and 4 assists. Sydney Kernahan hit double digits on the boards with 13 to go along with her 6 points.

SID report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2013/2/2/WBB_0202132300.aspx?path=wbball

As that was our last home league game, we honoured Sydney Kernahan as our lone graduating player. In addition to having all of our parents & grandparents recognized at half time, a small presentation was made to Sydney at the end of the game. Area wood carver, Ray Scott of Pine Spirit Studio (Westport. ON), was on hand to present Sydney with one of his unique wood sculptures, along with a framed action photo. A very nice reception followed for all the players and families.

Our playoff picture remains unclear as we have slipped to 5th place with two games remaining. We can finish as high as fourth (behind Toronto, Ottawa & Carleton) and are in complete control of our destiny. Our games this weekend at Laurentian and York are critical. Nothing like going down to the wire!

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, February 8 @ Laurentian 6pm
Saturday, February 9 @ York 6pm

Playoff picture:
Wednesday, February 20: 6 @ 3, 5 @ 4

Have a great week!

Dave.