We Are All Tigers

By Brian Bleau

Contributing Reporter

The City of Detroit has bent but not broken, it has receded but not conceded; and in the form of a baseball team that holds true to the city’s blue-collar tradition of hard work and resilience, a breath of life has been forced into its ceasing lungs.

Detroit has more than its share of problems. A community that once thrived on its success within the automotive industry has been crippled by more lost jobs and higher crime rates than any city should bear. Racial and ethnic tensions remain not only between communities, but within communities as well.

Even if it was only for a few cold weeks last October, it seemed that a calm was settling over the streets of the Motor City in the midst of a Tiger-mania that many have never seen before.

While we’ve seen championship celebrations for the Red Wings and Pistons in recent years, something much bigger and more meaningful could be on the horizon. The Red Wings viewing demographic is made up of a majority of white suburbanites, and while the Pistons have a much more diverse group of fans, they play more than 30 miles away from the city- somewhat detaching themselves from the aura associated with being a Detroit team.

Our boys of summer play America’s sport in the heart of America. They play a sport that knows no cultural boundaries, a sport that celebrates the meaning of unity, a sport that has not seen a season of such high expectations in Detroit for far too long.

Baseball is a game, but to many people it’s much more than that. It’s a common ground between all people that knows no race or creed, it’s a passion; something that cannot be bought or sold- only loved. Fans see themselves in their teams. They identify with players and their attitudes toward the game just as they identify with their friends and their attitudes toward life.

Last fall, in a historic display of grit and heart, the Tigers humanized the soul of Detroit and sent one of the greatest lineups ever assembled back to the Bronx for an off-season that turned out to be much longer than expected; a result that hardly anybody outside of Michigan believed would come to pass.

Under the direction of Jim Leyland, last year’s Tigers team exceeded the expectations of fans, media, and even its own front office. In a David vs. Goliath match-up, they stood with their backs against the wall on the largest stage in baseball and rebounded in a way that many never dreamed they would, giving us hope that no matter how bad things are, there is nothing that hard work, perseverance, and teamwork cannot improve.

Although the outcome of the World Series was less than desirable, it somehow didn’t take anything away from what the Tigers did last season.
Michigan’s problems are much more complicated than throwing, hitting, or catching a ball, but the solution is not. We could learn a lot from Jim Leyland and his Tigers, as it seems that they’ve learned a lot from us.

It’s do or die time for a city and state on the brink. The Tigers have found their skipper, but we’re still waiting on ours.

Batter up.

Oakland edges out Lindenwood

Grizzlies off to good start in Tournament

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

If you know anything about Oakland University's hockey team, you know third-period comebacks are non-existent. However, if you know anything about Nationals, you know anything can happen. You know to expect the unexpected and the Golden Grizzlies proved they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Luckily, they didn't go down at all. Well, at least not in the end.

The Grizzlies found themselves trailing 3-1 in the third period against Lindenwood in the opening round of games in the National Championship tournament. The final period was a see-saw of emotion, but when the final buzzer sounded, the Grizzlies advanced to the next round with a 5-4 victory.

Will McMahon and Jordan Ingram scored less than a minute apart to knot the score.

"Gordie pulled me aside on the bench and said 'All right Jordan, we need one right now,' and I went out that shift and scored," said Ingram. "He had a premonition, I guess. I just threw it on the net, I wasn't looking for a corner or anything. I saw it go in and that's when the magic happened."

A minute later, Lindenwood came back and regained the lead with a goal from Larry Kopecky. But that just fueled the Grizzlies' fire even more.

"When Will scored, everybody got really excited and they were ready to go. Then Jordan scored and I thought we were gonna have a chance to run away with the game," said Head Coach Sean Hogan. "We finally solved their goalie. Then they scored and I wasn't worried. I still felt like we had had momentum and those power play opportunities really helped us."

Garrett Kondratek and Brent Cooper showed that when the goals came for the Grizzlies, they came in pairs. They netted goals a minute apart to tie the game and then finally pull ahead for the first time in the game.

"We were tied 4-4 and I had a feeling whoever scored the next goal was gonna win the game," said Cooper, who also scored the opening goal for the Grizzlies in the first period. "We were on the powerplay and there was a scrum in front of the net. John Parrish threw the puck on net, the goalie kicked out a save and tried to put the puck behind the net. I stole it from him and roofed it up, top cheese and we held on to win."

Lindenwood found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play with five minutes to play in the game, but couldn't come up with anything. Oakland's Jon Paul Ferrari took a penalty with less than a minute and Lindenwood had yet another chance to tie it up with an empty net, but to no avail.

"Every single year we've been in the National Tournament, the first game has been a struggle," said Hogan. "We won the first game in overtime twice and we were down by three goals last year, so it's a good sign."

Grizzlies advance to semi-finals

OU knocks off UMD with ease

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

Some would call it luck that the University of Michigan-Dearborn upset second-seeded Ohio in double overtime on Wednesday. Others would call it luck that the Wolves came down with a case of food poisoning later that night. But the Golden Grizzlies had one goal in mind -- to make it to the semi-finals on Saturday -- and it drove them to the net five times en route to a 5-1 victory.

The two teams were no strangers coming into the tournament. They had met three times in the regular season, with Oakland winning the first two in overtime and the Wolves taking advantage of a worn-down Grizzlies' roster over Thanksgiving weekend.

But the Grizzlies had come so far since that last meeting and with the Championship game three days away, there was no time to dwell in the past.

Tim Michaels matched his goal total for the season when he netted a pair in the opening period. He capitalized twice on the power play, firing shots from the point.

"I got a new stick before the game, actually," said Michaels. "I think it gave me confidence. Normally during a game, I didn't shoot the puck a lot, I was looking for passes. I finally had the confidence to shoot the puck when I had it."

Jeff Einheuser also scored for the Grizzlies in the first period, which stood as the game-winning goal.

"Basically, it was just hard work on our line. We got it deep, Bertolo had the patience and I got the one-timer," said Einheuser. "It didn't hit me until after the game that I scored a goal that meant something. It means a lot when you're out there, but it means a lot more after the game, knowing you helped your team win the game."

The Wolves tried to get back in the game in the third period with a goal from Jason Vella, but the Grizzlies distanced themselves yet again when Garrett Kondratek struck on the power play.

"The power play is really moving, it's really going along great," said Head Coach Sean Hogan. "Finally! I guess all the complaining we did all year long is paying off. We constantly practiced it and we know what we're supposed to do. I'm just glad it's coming together now. I guess it doesn't really matter until you get here anyway."

With over three minutes to play, UMD pulled their goalie in hopes of sparking some offense but instead surrendered an empty-net goal to Will McMahon, which was only his second of the tournament.

As the teams had met three times over the course of the regular season, they knew the players to key in on, McMahon for Oakland and Steve Rademacher on UMD. The Grizzlies held Rademacher off the scoresheet, while all McMahon could manage was an empty-netter.

"We were obviously pretty fortunate to play U of M Dearborn instead of Ohio, and we were also fortunate they were pretty sick," said Hogan. "We came out with a mission, we weren't about to lose to U of M Dearborn and it showed."

Penn State, here we come!

Final-minute thriller secures bid at Championship

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

The Murdoch Cup had taken its place beside the rink. Penn State had beaten Delaware to advance to the finals. All the Golden Grizzlies had to do was hold on for 60 minutes against the University of Illinois and they'd be playing in the Championship game. But it almost didn't happen.

With 1:19 remaining, the Grizzlies watched the lead they had held the entire game slip through their fingers. The Fighting Illini fought back after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker. Within seconds, the score was tied 2-2 and looked to be heading into overtime. But if you're a Grizzly fan, you knew it was far from over.

"Super Will" McMahon saved the day and made sure the Illini didn't get a shot at overtime.

McMahon caught a breakaway with just over a minute to play, as Brent Cooper delivered a pass from across the ice and McMahon walked in all alone on goalie Mike DeGeorge.

"Who can pull that off in a regular game, let alone with 59 seconds left in the semi-finals?" asked Head Coach Sean Hogan in disbelief. "The one guy on the ice you'd want to watch with a minute left and he's wide open. I couldn't believe it."

"They had just scored and we were in the huddle and JP had his head down. I told him to pick his head up and we were gonna win the game," said McMahon. "Scoring like that 20 seconds after they thought they were gonna win the game, it was very, very emotional. I was just trying to get the team going and rally some support after such a heartbreaking moment. That was the craziest game I've ever played in, by far."

McMahon gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 advantage late in the second period, but the Illini would cut the lead in half before the buzzer sounded. Jon Paul Ferrari had the lone goal in the first period, on what he called, "the only goal I've ever scored that actually meant something."

Goaltender Collin Chase stopped 37 shots to keep his team in the game.

"Giving up the tying goal didn't feel all that great," said Chase. "A minute twenty left and they scored, but for some reason, I felt we'd be all right. Something about the way the team plays in high-pressure situations, I knew they'd figure it out and get it done somehow. And once again, they did."

Seniors sound off

Seniors reflect on final game as Grizzlies

By Brittany Ochtinsky
Contributing Reporter

The lone senior on Penn State University's hockey team had one last chance at a National Championship. After finishing as the runner-up in the previous three seasons, this year goalie Chris Matteo was determined to go out on top. Oakland University's seniors made sure he wouldn't.

With two Division 2 National Championship titles under their belts, the six seniors had one last thing to accomplish -- beating Penn State in the Division 1 finals. Will McMahon led the charge and the team defeated the Nittany Lion Icers 5-1 in one of the most emotional games ever.

Now the senior class share their thoughts on going out on top in their final game in the black and gold.

"I still don't believe it. We were watching the game on the bus and I was still nervous that we might lose. All we keep talking about is winning. I couldn't have written a better story –- I wouldn't have. I mean, if I wrote the story, I would've had me with three goals instead of four. It's one thing to score four goals, it was nice, but to do it and to know that you just helped your team win the National Championship... I mean, I did not win the National Championship myself, but to know that you helped your team that much was just really, really special to me in my last game ever." - Will McMahon

"I had a good feeling after we beat Illinois that we were gonna win, but I knew Penn State was gonna be really tough. It was an emotional game, but it probably would have been more emotional if we would've lost. Losing would have been pretty devastating, but also to get that far, as the tenth seed and not doing so well in the regular season, it was the perfect ending. You couldn’t have asked for anything else." - Adam Chornoby

"Besides just being happy for the players, it means a lot to our coaches, especially Sean Hogan. I remember being a freshman and all Sean Hogan would talk about was Penn State and Ohio and Illinois. He would pump their tires so much and any time something would happen with them, he was always talking about it. When Hogan took over the team and decided to move up to D1, we were like, 'Sean, are you kidding me? We've gotta play these teams, we don't have the resources. We barely had the resources to make it in D2.' He was always telling us, 'We're fine, we'll be fine.' And to go out and win the National Championship four years after hearing him say that, it just seems surreal that it actually happened. We're just pretty happy for him as well because he was the main guy who started this whole run in D1 and he was probably the only guy to believe that we could do it." - Scott Elder

"For me, it was more exciting to play for my dad because he's been at every practice, every game, he never misses a tournament, he's just always there. I think it was exciting for him to see us win one last time. I think more than just winning it for me or the other guys, for him it was just huge." - Jordan Ingram

"For all six of us seniors, you couldn't go out on a better note. Just to see how the program has grown and now we're in Division 1 and that we won the Division 1 National Championship is pretty amazing. It's a great accomplishment, but you've also gotta hand it to the guys who started this team seven years ago. I remember seeing a game when Will was a freshman. The team had only been around for a couple of years and they weren't anywhere near what we are now, so you've got to hand it to them. It's also nice to hear things from other people around the ACHA congratulating us and to do it back-to-back from Division 2 to Division 1 is quite an accomplishment." - TJ Schaeffler

"What a way to go out. We came into this tournament tenth seed and I didn't think we should've been there. I didn't think we were gonna get past that first round with Lindenwood. Obviously, we proved that chemistry and who you play with means more than what you have and how much money you have. We came together at the right time and we won some big games that we knew we could win. A lot of us went in there thinking we couldn't do it, but we ended up doing it. What a way to go out, beating the number one team twice in a month's time and I think we proved to everyone in the league that we could do it. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life." - Jon Paul Ferrari

Golden Grizzlies return to Championship Game

By: Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

TULSA, Ok -The Oakland University women’s basketball took care of business on Monday and put themselves one step close to a 2007 championship with a 75-60 thumping of the IUPUI Jaguars.

“We just wanted to go out there and get back to the championship game,” sophomore guard Jessica Pike said. Pike doesn’t know what its like to lose the Mid-Con tournament as she came off the bench as a freshman on last season’s Mid-Con title season.

Pike continued her success against IUPUI the season, showing poise and having an excellent shooting day. Pike went for 23 points on the game, one short of her career high that she clinched back in February at IUPUI.

Pike was selected to the All Mid-Con Conference team, but her scoring production had tailed off slightly at the end of the regular season. Pike only tallied 12 points over the last three regular season games, but has turned it up a notch for the tournament.

Freshman forward Hanna Reising had a solid game as well, netting 14 points on the afternoon, a grabbing a career high nine rebounds. The 5-11 Reising had a tough cover defensively for parts of the game, being matched up on IUPUI 6-5 freshman center Julia Whitted.

“Hanna doesn’t play like a freshman, so when I think about Hanna, I don’t think of her as a freshman. I just know she is going to step up and play really big,” Pike said of her teammate.

Senior Nicole Piggott didn’t have her greatest day offensively, but the win is all that matters. Piggott only shot one for nine on the game but made up for it with a career high nine free throws made to total 11 points.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that if you struggle it doesn’t matter because somebody else is there to have your back and pick up the slack,” Piggott said.

The Golden Grizzlies will do battle with Oral Roberts from Tulsa, OK for the championship tomorrow afternoon at 1:30. The game can be seen on ESPNU or Comcast Local.

ACHA Division 1 National Tournament

UPDATED 9:01 am Monday

Keep up with the latest in the ACHA Tourney

Day 1
10:00 am #4 Rhode Island 5 vs. #13 West Virginia 3
11:00 am #5 Oklahoma 1 vs. #12 Delaware 2
1:00 pm #2 Ohio 2 vs. #15 Michigan-Dearborn 3 (OT)
2:00 pm #7 Lindenwood 4 vs. #10 Oakland 5
4:00 pm #1 Penn State 2 vs. #16 Robert Morris (PA) 1 (OT)
5:00 pm #3 Illinois 5 vs. #14 Washington & Jefferson 0
7:00 pm #8 Liberty 9 vs. #9 Kent State 1
8:00 pm #6 Iowa State 3 vs. #11 West Chester 6

Day 2
10:00 am #4 Rhode Island 3 vs. #12 Delaware 4
1:00 pm #10 Oakland 5 vs. #15 Michigan-Dearborn 1
4:00 pm #3 Illinois 8 vs. #11 West Chester 3
7:00 pm #1 Penn State 2 vs. #8 Liberty 1

Day 3
1:00 pm #1 Penn State 5 vs. #12 Delaware 2
4:00 pm #3 Illinois 2 vs. #10 Oakland 3

Day 4
4:00 pm #1 Penn State 1 vs. #10 Oakland 5

Leathernecks not so tough, Kangaroos next

Oakland advances with ease in quarter finals
By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

The last time the Golden Grizzlies faced the Leathernecks of Western Illinois University, thousands of OU fans were left in dismay as the low-ranked team handed Oakland a 65-64 loss on the O'Rena floor.

Oakland was ready for them in last night's rematch and the Golden Grizzlies cruised to an easy 74-57 victory.

"Obviously, we were prepared to play," said head coach Greg Kampe. "I think Western had a season-changing win at our place and I think that really motivated us."

One player who surely had a fire lit under him was senior Rick Billings. After coming off the bench for a majority of the season due to injury, Derick Nelson gave him to okay to have his starting spot back for the tournament. After all, it could be Billings's last game in an OU uniform.

Riding on a career-high 4 3-pointers, Billings helped propel the Golden Grizzlies to a huge first half as they entered the locker rooms with a 41-19 lead. Oakland shot 63% from the field compared to WIU's 22% and 80% 3-point shooting versus the Leathernecks's 14%.

The second half showed signs of life for WIU as they more than doubled their shooting percentage. However, Oakland had too much of a lead for WIU to chip away at and with six players in double figures, WIU would have no choice but to take an early exit from the tournament.

"I think what as lost in all of that was how we defended," Kampe said. "I have a great coaching staff and they did a wonderful job preparing these guys for what Western does. We took it away from them in the first ten minutes of that game, so it was very pleasing."

With one game under their belt, Oakland will face UMKC tomorrow at 8:30 CST. The sixth seeded Kangaroos pulled a 86-74 upset over number three Valpo Sunday night.

Oakland to face IUPUI

By: Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

IUPUI advanced to a semifinals matchup with the Golden Grizzlies with a close victory over Western Illinois on Sunday afternoon by a score of 56-51. IUPUI was led by Tanika Mays who charged off the bench with 18 points on the afternoon

Oakland is 1-1 on the season versus the Jaguars, losing their first conference game of the season to IUPUI back on January 8. The Golden Grizzlies however bounced back and defeated IUPUI 58-45 back on February 3. Sophomore guard Jessica Pike is averaging 18.5 points per game this season against the Jaguars, including a career-high 24 points in the victory against the Jaguars.

Oakland has struggled offensivly this season against IUPUI, both games the Golden Grizzlies shot less than 35%.

Oakland is 3-0 all-time versus IUPUI in Mid-Con tournament action, the last game coming nearly a year ago on March 6, 2006, when OU deafeated the Jaguars 66-54.

The game will tip at 1 p.m. eastern time on Monday, from the John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, OK. The Oakland/IUPUI winner will take on the winner of the #2 Valparaiso versus #3 Oral Roberts battle that will take place at 3:30 p.m. eastern time. on Monday

How I spent my spring break: Days 4 & 5

I've just come to the realization that tomorrow, my life will return to normal. This week has been amazing and I don't want it to end. Nothing else has mattered -- school, work... Nothing has crossed my mind. I've just been hanging out with the boys, watching some hockey, and having the time of my life. After tomorrow's game, I'll head back to reality, but for now, I'm living it up.

Friday
The four remaining teams -- Penn State, Illinois, Oakland and Delaware -- took the day off to rest up before the semi-finals. Our day consisted of lunch at the mall (where I made a stop at Build-A-Bear!) then heading to the rink for practice. The team looked much better than Tuesday, but then again, they hadn't just spent four hours cooped up on a bus after getting up at the wee hours of the morning. After practice, we had dinner before heading back to the hotel. Some of the guys went to a movie, but I opted to stay back and do some work -- which of course didn't get done.

Saturday vs. Illinois
Today was a waiting day, as our game didn't start until 4:00. It was nice not to rush in the morning, but it didn't help the nerves at all. After lunch and going back to the hotel for a little, we headed to the rink to watch the Penn State/Delaware game. Though Delaware was up 1-0 when we got there, Penn State came out on top with a 5-2 victory.

Then the nerves got to me.

I realized that if OU somehow managed to beat Illinois, we'd be playing Penn State in the finals.

But they still had to beat Illinois.

If the Illinois game wasn't the textbook definition of a semi-final thriller, I don't know what is. It was a hard-fought game by both teams and OU looked like a goner early in the game (sad to say, but I thought for sure they were done with all the penalties they took early on), but they overcame the odds and knocked off the #3 seed. Talk about an upset!

The first period was scary, as neither team scored. But OU turned up the heat in the second off goals from JP Ferrari and Will McMahon. Illinois added a goal before the buzzer to cut the Grizzlies' lead in half.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

With less than a minute and a half left, Illinois pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Only 1:19 remained when they tied it up 2-2.

But never fear, Super Will saved the day.

Before the face off following the goal, Hogan told JP to win the draw, then send it back to the D. He wanted the defense to chip it into the neutral zone and Tim Michaels did the job perfectly. He got the puck up to Cooper who fed it across the ice to McMahon. Illinois defense tried to get the puck, their forwards got caught up and McMahon walked in all alone on goalie Mike DeGeorge. He had all the time in the world, and of course, if you know McMahon, you know he delivered.

Fifty nine seconds left in regulation and the Grizzlies held the lead 3-2. All they had to do was hold on for those 59 seconds and they would meet Penn State in the finals.

I honestly don't remember anything else about those 59 seconds. All I know is that when time expired, the whole team stormed the ice and from my eagle's eye view, I've never been more proud of them.

For everyone who jumped off the bandwagon in November, for everyone who said they'd never make it to the tournament, let alone past the first round, the Grizzlies proved them wrong.

I'm not really sure what to expect going into tomorrow's game, but I do know that all I can do is hope for the best!

Operation Tulsa-Chapter 1: The Arrival

One reporter's account of one hell of a trip
By Samantha Franz
Sports Editor

After weeks of planning, fretting and dialing wrong numbers, yesterday was finally T-Day.

It was time to leave for Tulsa, Okla. to cover the Mid-Con basketball tournament, and it was my first time on a plane in almost seven years.

But I wouldn't be alone. Senior reporter Rob Tate was right by my side, along with Adam Roberts and Brad Doescher of WXOU Sports. Together, we boarded our first flight to O'Hare Airport in Chicago around 11 a.m.

Now, I've heard of bad flights. I've also heard of really bad flights.

This was worse, because apparently, Chicago is called "The Windy City" for a reason.

As it was time to land, our pilot announced there "could be some turbulance" as United Flight 335 started to descend.

Mental note to virgin flyers: "some turbulance" is a polite way of saying, "hope you're ready to taste your breakfast again."

As our plane rocked back and forth like that shake shack Sandy and Danny dance on at the end of "Grease," something strange happened.

Our plane halted its descent and shot back up into the atmosphere.

The pilot announced that we couldn't land yet due to almost 50 mph winds, so we would circle the runway for 10-12 minutes.

More than 25 minutes later, we were still in the air and the sky had taken on a color that some one dear to my heart refers to as, "Michigan Blight."

Finally, around 11:45, the pilot once again called for a preperation to land. This time, he followed through and after many silent prayers and gripping the armrest in a death grip, we finally landed at O'Hare. I've never been happier to touch solid ground in my entire life.

O'Hare....I wish I could desricbe it in one word. Oh wait, I can. INSANE. I've never seen so many people from so many cultural backgrounds in one place before.

I've also never seen this crazy tunnel thing.

Everybody seems to have their own O'Hare horror story. Here's ours.

11:35 EST. That's the time our flight to Tulsa was supposed to take off.

5 1/2. That's how many hours we were stuck at the airport.

And oh no, the delay wasn't weather related. A flight attendent just decided not to show up for work.

Talk about a butterfly effect.

So, how does one kill such an amount of time? Well, you pay $10.95 for a cheeseburger, pace Terminal B about 26 times, take many half-way naps, and think of people in Chicago to blame for your misfourtune (We came up with Rex Grossman, Sammy Sosa, Michael Jordan, and Oprah.)

When our badly-highlighted United employee (whom we lovingly referred to as "Frosty") announced we would board about 4 p.m., cheers ran out like the Golden Grizzlies had just nailed the game-winning shot. When another employee (this one named "Cornrows") let us onboard, I felt like kissing him.

This flight was fantastically smooth. And after being in such crappy weather, I got to sit back with my apple juice and see this.

Simply beautiful.

We finally landed in Tulsa about 7:15 CST and after a few scares at the baggage claim, we finally made it to the hotel after 8 p.m. CST.

The first thing we did after unloading our bags? We did what any Michigander would do.

We went to a Sonic.

That pretty much sums up our first day in Tulsa. Stay tuned for Rob's updates from the women's tournament and mine from the men's. I'll also continue to document our trip for your amusement.

Happy reading and go Grizzlies!

Women off to great start

Rob Tate
Senior Reporter

Nicole Piggott proved on Saturday why she was named to the All-Conference team last week as she led Oakland to a less then thrilling 82-51 beat-down of the Ladies of Centenary College in first round action of the Mid-Con tournament.

Piggott playing in her final Mid-Con tournament stepped up with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Piggott has been cruising since the end of the regular season. The senior averaged 22.3 points per game over her last three regular season games including a season high 28 points at UMKC on February 19.

Oakland got off to a rampant start causing a quick timeout by Centenary with a quick 6-0 run. The timeout only delayed the Golden Grizzlies. A lay-up by sophomore guard Jessica Pike on a fast break capped a 40-9 run with 5:44 remaining in the half.

Piggott along with her teammates tightened the vice on Centenary on the defensive side of the ball. Centenary shot only 27 percent from the field and Oakland wiped out the Ladies on the glass, crushing them 51-28 in rebounds.

The biggest blow against Centenary’s was their inability to get inside on Oakland’s interior defense. Centenary managed only five two-point field goals on the game.

Freshman Melissa Jeltema had here best offensive output of her career in her Mid-Con debut. Jeltema was relentless against Centenary, hitting many inside baskets, earning a career high 16 points.

Centenary made the score more respectable with Cierra Bush hitting three three-pointers and adding six free throws for a total of 17 points on the afternoon.

Oakland will play the winner of #4 IUPUI vs. #5 Western Illinois which will be played tomorrow at noon.

Look for the results of today’s game and tomorrow’s action here on The Oakland Post Sports Blog

Look, I built a bear!

While at the mall this afternoon, I was highly inspired to build a bear to represent the OU hockey team. It was the closest I could find to a grizzly and he even roars! I have a feeling this is going to be the start of a great tradition... JP has already promised when we win the championship on Sunday that the bear will be in the team picture and I plan on bringing him to every game next season (as long as Sam keeps me on the hockey beat!). He still doesn't have a name, but we'll figure something out by the end of the week.

Go team!

How I spent my spring break: Days 2 & 3

Using my best journalistic judgement, I've come to realize that most of the stuff I've witnessed these past few days should remain off the record, so I'm sorry the updates have been few and far between. I'm still working on game stories for both Wednesday and Thursday, but today is our off day, so I'm going to try and catch up then.

I guess I'll focus on my opinion of the first two games, as well as offer some other info about what happened in others around the tourney...

Wednesday vs. Lindenwood
I came into this game with an open mind. I knew coming off the win over Penn State the last weekend of the season that the team was perfectly capabale of beating anyone. However, I also knew they were perfectly capable of beating a lot of teams this year that they eventually fell to (i.e. most of the games in the second semester). Despite Tuesday's not-so-hot practice, I felt if they had a good night's sleep and were truly focused and wanted it bad enough, they could do some major damage.

The Grizzlies fell behind 1-0 early in the first, which I didn't think was a good sign. But Cooper got them back in the game on a short-handed goal and the teams were tied 1-1 at the end of the first. The second period was a bit of a train-wreck, as they gave up two goals, while not getting anything in their favor. It didn't look good going into the third, because as we all know, the third period hasn't been their strong point this season. They didn't give up, not for a second. McMahon and Ingram pulled them even with the Lions, then lost the lead as Lindenwood went up by a goal. Kondratek tied it up again, then Cooper got his second goal of the night and the game-winner.

To be honest, as the game progressed, I wasn't sure they could do it. They looked really flat the first two periods (although Hogan convinced me that they weren't) and Chase looked extremely nervous in net. I talked to him about it yesterday and he said he just couldn't settle down. Luckily he looked a LOT better yesterday. Lindenwood had a 5-on-3 in the last 5 minutes, then OU took a penalty with under a minute left and Lindenwood pulled their goalie, but nothing happened.

U of M-Dearborn (#15) upset #2 Ohio, which I had jokingly been saying would be nice if we could meet up with them in the second round, but I never thought it would actually happen. The game went into OT and though it was going on at the same time as ours, you could hear when it was over because the whole place erupted into cheers. Well, at least you could hear it from where we were.

Thursday vs. U of M-Dearborn
Obviously, everyone liked their chances against UMD better than they would have if they met up with Ohio in the second round, but I thought maybe they'd be taking UMD too lightly. Of the three times the teams met this season, the first two went into overtime (with the Grizzlies coming out on top both times) and the last one they lost 7-4, but some of us would rather not take into account that last game (Hogan and myself at least) because they were down to half a roster, including three players that were suspended after a fight against Western the night before.

They looked a lot stronger coming out in the first period and as a result, went up by three goals early in the game. Michaels had a pair of goals in the first, which matched his total for the entire season and Einheuser scored the other in his second game back after missing several weeks with an injury. UMD came out ready to go in the seocnd period, but the Grizzlies were able to hold them off. The Wolves finally got on the board in the third, but OU created a little more space with a goal from Kondratek. UMD pulled their goalie with over three and a half minutes left and McMahon capitalized with an empty-netter.

Up next...
Oakland will play Illinois in the semi-finals on Saturday. Illinois is the #3 seed and they beat #14 Washington and Jefferson 5-0 on Wednesday and #11 West Chester 8-3 yesterday. OU and Illinois met up twice in the regular season, with the Grizzlies losing both meetings, 7-2 and 6-3.

#1 Penn State held on as they defeated last year's Division 2 runner-up Liberty (who Oakland beat in the finals) and #12 Delaware upset #4 Rhode Island, the defending champions. Penn State and Delaware will play at 1:00 on Saturday.