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(04/24/12 9:43pm)
“Breathe.”
“Stay within yourself.”
“He’s not better.”
“I’m going to show you how great I am.”
These words may not mean anything to most, but to players on the College’s baseball team, they’re special.
When assistant coach Eric Woodrow came to the College last year, he brought with him the knowledge of perhaps one of the most important aspects to baseball — the mental game. With that ever-expanding knowledge, he developed a system that has changed the way the College’s players hit — writing small sayings into their helmet to help them focus.
“I wanted them to have something that whenever they’re faced with adversity, when something doesn’t go their way, they’re struggling, or whatever it is, they can look at their helmet and say, ‘OK, this is what I need to do to be successful,’” Woodrow said.
The small words of advice are chosen by the player, and they have to represent something that calms him down. Woodrow’s only stipulation is that each hitter must write at least one and no more than three things in his helmet, and it has to be something deeper than just a hitting tip.
“I didn’t want it to be mechanical, because I’m a big believer in the mental game rather than a specific way to do things,” Woodrow said. “It did not matter to me what they wrote, as long as it was between one and three things, and I wanted either a word or a short phrase. Something that they can look to in the batter’s box or in the on deck circle, they look at it and say, ‘OK, I’m getting back to the basics, I’m getting back to what I need to do to focus.’”
The approach has worked, as the same team that began the season 3-6 after their yearly spring trip to Florida is now sitting at 21-14 and 9-5 in the NJAC, good enough for third place. It was during that trip that Woodrow had to cement it to his players that the approach would work after the rocky start.
“I don’t think they bought into it (at first),” Woodrow said. “They didn’t understand it. Maybe I didn’t explain it well. It was tough going down there, you’re never going to be successful offensively that first week.”
If they didn’t get it then, then the team is certainly well-versed in Woodrow’s mental approach to the game now.
“He’s been there before, and we’ve trusted in him through everything he does in terms of the information he gives us,” senior catcher Mike Galeotafiore said of Woodrow. “We have an offensive hitting book that we read before the season. It’s our mental approaches, it’s our physical approaches. It’s all the aspects of the game that you aren’t necessarily thinking of in a normal situation at the plate. He makes us aware of that, he makes us smarter baseball players.”
Galeotafiore, who has “Be here now,” “slow breathing” and “Nana” written in his helmet, believes that Woodrow has brought a very positive influence to the team.
“He’s been nothing but supportive and encouraging, but he demands a lot of us,” Galeotafiore said. “And we certainly love that, because anyone who wants you to succeed is someone you want in your life.”
Galeotafiore’s sayings mean a lot to him, especially “Nana,” a tribute to his grandmother who passed away two months ago.
“It keeps me focused on reality, and that this game is supposed to be fun, because there’s other people that aren’t as fortunate as us,” Galeotafiore said.
However, “slow breathing” has a less deep, more literal meaning to it.
“If you ask any of the guys on the team, I’m probably the most upbeat and animated,” Galeotafiore said. “I’m always pumped, ready to go. But at the same time that kind of hurts me a lot. So when I get excited in the box, I’ll look at my helmet, and it says ‘slow breathing.’ And then I take that long, deep, controlled five seconds, in five seconds out.”
Woodrow’s teachings haven’t just been focused on writing inspirational sayings, however. He’s also brought a deeper knowledge of the game to the players.
“I think hitting, there’s such a fine line between a hit and an out that you’ve got to stay positive, you’ve got to have that right approach,” said senior first baseman Jimmy Ruzich, whose bat reads “one pitch” and “He’s not better,” “We’ve talked about it day in and day out, about thinking the count, thinking what the guy’s going to throw you instead of just going up there and saying ‘I’m going to hit it.’”
“We all know if you can get here you can swing it,” said junior right fielder Mike Murphy, whose helmet says “relax” and “Stay within yourself.” “So a lot more was put into knowing the game, understanding the approach you need to take in certain situations, and that’s helped us win these games, big games like (Friday vs. New Jersey City University) where we’re not hitting the ball, we’re just putting some bunts down, moving runners over and getting them in. That’s all we need to do.”
One of the more interesting sayings is junior second baseman Scott Kelly’s “I’m going to show you how great I am,” which is a little longer and a little more provacative than most of the helmet writings. However, that’s not how Kelly sees it.
“It makes me fearless when I go and look at it every time before I enter,” Kelly said. “Because, you know, it sounds very selfish but in a way it is, because that’s how you have to be at the plate. You have to think that no pitcher is going to beat you, and that’s what I feel like, that’s my thought process. That’s what I say to myself.”
Kelly, who is leading the team with 49 hits and is third on the team with a .340 batting average, is also a big believer in Woodrow’s approach.
“I think it definitely helps,” Kelly said. “You write something down, and it’s not too much baseball related. You don’t want to write something like that, you don’t want to think of anything mechanical when you’re up there, you just want to relax. And I think writing something in your helmet really just reminds you. Sometimes you forget, that one time where you’re struggling and you look back and you’re like ‘I’ve got to follow what I said before.’ That’s what makes this, is going up there with the same approach as what you have in your helmet.”
Junior third baseman Nick Cifelli (“breathe,” “visualize” and “positive”) believes that the idea of staying positive has helped him most.
“If I get nervous, I just take the step back, take a nice deep breath and stay positive and everything,” Cifelli said. “If you go into the batter’s box with a positive attitude you’ll probably get a positive outcome.”
A lot of what allowed Woodrow to make the impact that he has is the freedom that he was given by head coach Dean Glus.
“When Coach Woodrow came in, he didn’t change much but the approach was different,” Glus said. “And a lot of times new blood is good. (With my coaches), we talk about what I want done, my philosophy, and I let them run with it. If you ask my (players), I’ve said maybe a handful of words to them about hitting.”
Overall, the main reason that this season has worked out the way it has has been the fact that Woodrow’s approach has brought the team together, from freshmen to seniors.
“When you have guys who look up to each other and are leading others, they’re all buying into the same ideas,” Woodrow said. “I think for the most part these guys are all buying in, and when they see one guy, some of those experienced junior, senior leaders, the younger guys tend to follow.”
(04/24/12 4:27pm)
In a time where all of the NJAC games are of vital importance, the College’s baseball team stepped up and took three out of four games this week en route to snatching up a tie of third place in the conference.
The team delighted the home crowd on Friday, April 20 with a grind-it-out win versus New Jersey City University, 3-1.
“The hitting wasn’t there, but certainly the defense and the pitching can also win us games, and it did this time around,” senior catcher Mike Galeotafiore said.
The pitching really did win the game for the Lions, as junior pitcher Rob Schneider tossed eight innings of one run ball against the Gothic Knights.
“We held on, we won, we’re lucky we swept them and we’re in pretty good shape in the conference right now,” sophomore pitcher Jim Fuhrman said.
After Schneider’s gem, senior closer Mike Ham tossed his eighth save of the season, which places him within three of breaking the team record set by Nick Maddalena in ’02.
“I don’t really think about it in terms of the record, I think about it in terms of like, Rob today, for example, went out and threw eight really good innings, and that’s me making sure he gets his win,” Ham said. “It’s really not about what I’m doing, it’s about what those other guys are doing the first eight innings of the game.”
While Ham is humble, his teammates and coach have nothing but praise for him.
“He’s been that guy for us, where the ball is in his hands and regardless of the outcome,” Galeotafiore said. “We know that he does care only about winning, and those three outs, he knows that that’s the most important thing for him, because that’s all he has every game that he looks forward to is those last three outs in the ninth inning.”
“Mike is right up there with (the College’s greatest),” head coach Dean Glus said. “When you get seven, eight, 10 saves in a season, that’s impressive. He may be in the top 10 or 20 in the nation right now.”
As much as the team believes in Ham, however, they usually hope to be far enough ahead to not need a save.
“I believe in the closer, I was a closer in college. I believe in that role. But it’s always much easier on everybody if we go up 8-2 and go into the ninth inning and we can use someone else.”
The Lions’ bats weren’t exactly on fire during the game, but junior second baseman Scott Kelly belted a double and an RBI on his way to a 2-5 day at the plate.
“You’ve got to take every hit as it comes, and you’ve got to produce and manufacture runs like we did today, because you don’t know what the score’s going to be at the end of the game,” Kelly said.
Senior first baseman Jimmy Ruzich scored the insurance run in the seventh inning off of a double by junior right fielder Mike Murphy.
“I was just trying to keep everything simple,” Ruzich said. “The past two weeks I kind of struggled, and working with our hitting coach and just talking with my teammates, just go back to the basics, whatever got you here. It’s such a fine line between a hit and an out. I don’t even think I swung the bat that great today, I think I got more lucky, but you’ll take it every time.”
The Lions then went on to split a doubleheader against Ramapo College on Saturday, April 21, which helped solidify them at third in the conference going into the final week of conference play. The top six teams advance to the NJAC playoffs.
Glus is filled with nothing but confidence going into the team’s final week of the regular season.
“We’re going to do well,” Glus said. “One way or the other, we’re definitely going to do well.”
(04/18/12 3:41pm)
(04/17/12 8:30pm)
In a week that was a make-or-break situation for the College’s baseball team, the Lions took three out of four games in NJAC play to advance through the standings.
The team set the pace for their four-game weekend swing with a convincing 10-7 win over Rutgers University-Camden on Thursday, April 16.
The Lions jumped out to an early lead with a six-run second inning, which put them up 7-2 over the Scarlet Raptors.
Junior right fielder Mike Murphy went 3-5 for the day with three RBI, bringing a recent cold skid to a halt.
“Today I just saw the ball deep, was hitting fastballs, so I felt good today, finally,” Murphy said. “About time.”
The win was dominant all around for the Lions, with seven of the nine batters notching an RBI in the game. Senior first baseman Jimmy Ruzich knocked in two runs on 1-3 hitting, while junior second baseman Scott Kelly went 1-2 with three walks, an RBI and a stolen base.
Kelly, however, made the play of the game on defense when he snagged a hard-hit ball on a line drive and turned it into a double play to end a near-disastrous five-run inning for the Scarlet Raptors.
“Luckily I took enough steps where I could make a play on (the hit),” Kelly said. “That’s what I’ve been doing, I try to put myself in a position based on where the pitch is supposed to go for me to make a play, and thank God I was in the right place at the right time.”
A conference at the mound after the fifth Rutgers run crossed the plate helped calm down sophomore pitcher Brian O’Connell, allowing him to pitch the College out of the inning.
“We knew we were OK,” Kelly said. “That’s what we wanted to tell the pitcher, you know, that we’re alright, just get a ground ball. Turning double plays, that’s a rally killer, and that’s what we want the pitchers to do.”
That first win sent the Lions into a very successful weekend against the NJAC, where they took three of four games — one more from Rutgers-Camden on the road and one of two against William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.
The doubleheader against Paterson on Saturday brought not just a very important NJAC win for the Lions, but also a milestone for senior catcher Mike Galeotafiore, who slapped his 200th hit in the first game against Paterson.
Galeotafiore is one of only nine players in College history to reach the 200-hit plateau, and at his torrid pace of .425 since returning from the team’s spring trip, he has a chance to take the all-time mark of 238 set by ’07 alum Gerard Haran.
Galeotafiore realized that he was close to the milestone, but it was only once he stopped focusing on it that he was able to get his bat going.
“I cleared my head when I got back to Jersey, and just started having fun,” Galeotafiore said. “When that moment hit me that I realized it’s my senior year, and there’s nothing else left from a competitive baseball playing perspective after this, I immediately began focusing on having fun and doing the best I can. I figured all the cards would fall into place if I did that.”
Through it all, it was always about the team’s success to Galeotafiore and not any individual records.
“I just really wanted to be as consistent as possible in my four years here,” Galeotafiore said. “I had no real individual goal to one day collect 200 hits, although I knew if I wanted to reach our team goals of making it to regionals and winning the whole thing, that over time those hits would have to add up at some point. But all in all, I’m just grateful for everything the game of baseball has given me. I try to put my heart and soul into every workout, practice and game, so that these sorts of feats become realities.”
Galeotafiore is also one double away from tying the College record for doubles with 58 (also held by Haran), a number that he will likely break before the end of the season. The doubles record was one he set out to reach, since he’s not much of a power hitter.
“The doubles record is a goal I set out for myself to reach since freshman year,” Galeotafiore said. “I knew there was zero shot of me hitting 10 home runs, nevermind 50!”
(04/10/12 8:11pm)
The baseball team continued its way through the tough NJAC schedule this week, taking a 3-2 record into what promises to be another tough week.
The week was highlighted by a split with No.9-ranked Rowan University, with the win in the series coming on Thursday, April 5.
The Lions jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, during which some savvy baserunning by junior second baseman Scott Kelly helped plate the first run of the game for the College.
Junior designated hitter Jonathan Gabriel sent the last two runs home with a two-RBI single in the seventh inning, his 10th and 11th RBIs for the season.
Sophomore pitcher Brendan Kelly secured the win in the contest, boosting him to a 3-2 record for the season with a 5.40 ERA. Senior Mike Ham closed out the game for his fifth save on the season, moving his ERA to a dominant 1.35 for the season.
As far as Kelly is concerned, the Lions can roll with any team.
“The NJAC is one the best Division III conferences in America, and we have shown that we can play with anybody,” Kelly said. “We just have to stay focused when we play teams twice. We have to keep believing in each other and everything will fall into place.”
Unfortunately that second-game bug bit the College in a road game against Rowan on Friday, when the team lost to the Profs by a score of 7-3.
The Lions then split a doubleheader with Rutgers University-Newark on Saturday, losing the first contest 10-8 before rebounding and taking a dominant 9-5 win in the second game.
Ham came on again in the ninth inning, giving up two runs but getting the Lions out of the game with a win.
“(Ham) is a phenomenal pitcher,” Kelly said. “He works hard and is that guy on the team that you know when he is pitching he’s going to get the job done. Having a great closer like Ham eases the tension knowing that he is going to get outs. Off the field, he is very cool, calm and collected, but when he is on that mound, he is a bulldog. He has four pitches in his arsenal that work effectively. Without a doubt he is the best closer in this conference.”
The team is now looking toward another tough week against NJAC opponents, first facing low-ranked Rutgers University-Camden, but then facing tops-in-the-conference William Paterson University, who boast an impressive 5-1 conference and 20-5 overall record.
Even with the tough games at the end of the week and the team looking to improve its fourth-place NJAC ranking, the team takes a firm game-to-game approach, not overlooking any one opponent in favor of an NJAC opponent.
“It is very important that we stay focused for every game this week,” Kelly said. “St. Joe’s on Tuesday is our next test and next focus. We can’t be passive against out-of-conference teams. They’re just as important and NJAC games. As far as William Paterson, they’re our last test for the week. First we have St. Joe’s, Rutgers-Camden and then William Paterson. If we take care of business against St. Joe’s and Rutgers-Camden like we should, then we will go in Paterson with momentum that will make us come out on top.”
The team returns to their home field against Rutgers-Camden on Thursday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. before going on a three-game weekend road trip.
(04/10/12 7:12pm)
I wanted to (as usual) try something new this week, but unfortunately, after almost four semesters here I’m starting to run out of ideas. So, for this week’s review, I gave a place that I had a previous bad experience with another shot.
That place is Purple City Pizza/Cluck -U Chicken. The last time I ordered, it took well over an hour to get to me and the food was cold. But that was in the past. I’m a forgiving man.
I pulled them up on GrubHub and placed my order — there was a cool chicken sandwich (“cluckwich”) special where you could get a sandwich, a side and a drink for $7.50. The best part is, there’s no delivery minimum, so whatever you order they will deliver.
I ordered the Original Cluckwich with a side of mac and cheese. I also ordered their Mega Fries (cheese, bacon and jalapeños) since I thought that sounded good.
Delivery didn’t take long at all (although the delivery guy couldn’t find my house and called me). My food was actually hot, so they were off to a good start.
I sat down all ready to eat, and then my dad calls me from Missouri — My dad, who I don’t get to talk to that often. Naturally, we were on the phone for like 40 minutes and my food got cold (no complaints, however. Always nice to hear from my dad). So guess which reviewer got to do a really thorough reheatability review this week? This guy.
First, I reheated the cluckwich. I decided that trying to reheat lettuce and tomato would be nasty, so being the savvy reheater that I am, I just took the top half with the chicken and cheese and reheated that. It actually heated up really well. The chicken was nice and juicy on the inside, but really crispy on the outside. And there was a lot of chicken, like a good amount filling more than just the area of the bun.
Next I took on the mac and cheese (which for all intents and purposes, I will lump in with the “entrée” section since it was part of a meal). It was good. It wasn’t the best mac and cheese I’d ever had, but it certainly wasn’t bad. It just could’ve been a little cheesier.
Last, I reheated the fries in the oven for a few minutes. Honestly, the fries were pretty awful. They used liquid cheese, which I’m not totally opposed to, but it just didn’t taste all that great. The jalapeños were huge slices, seeds and all, which I’m not a huge fan of. And the bacon pieces were pretty few and far between. Disappointing for something that sounded so good.
Overall, my experience with Purple City/Cluck-U was pretty good, save for the fries. I’ll definitely give them a ring again.
Come back next week for another enlightening food review from Alex Wolfe.
Purple City Pizza/Cluck-U Chicken
Where:
1632-E North Olden Avenue
Hours:
Sun. - Wed. : 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Thurs. - Sat. : 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Number:
(609) 278-1616
Web orders:
Find them on grubhub.com
Ratings (out of 5):
Specialties: **
Entrée: ****
Speed: ****
Cost: ****
Reheatability: *****
Overall: 19/25
(04/03/12 12:41pm)
The baseball team took one of three games last week, but their 1-1 split with No. 4-ranked Kean University helped them get off to a good start against NJAC competition for the season.
The first game was a 10-inning 2-1 win for the College, with the winning run being plated by freshman third baseman Jacob DeWitt. Junior pitcher Bobby Graber shut out the Cougars until the ninth inning, when he gave up the lone run of the game.
“It’s about believing and having the heart,” junior second baseman Scott Kelly said. “We have talked about our ability and the strength of our team, and we showed it on Saturday.”
Hitting was scarce in the game — so there weren’t really any superstars there — but senior first baseman Jimmy Ruzich was a stud in the field, with nine put-outs for the game. He also went 1-4.
The second game didn’t go quite as well for the Lions, as they were held scoreless by the Cougars in a 1-0 loss. Regardless of the loss, senior pitcher Eric Lewis put the hurt on Kean, holding them to eight hits.
Kelly believes the team brought its A-game against one of the best pitchers in the NJAC in Kean’s Kevin Herget in the first game.
“Our arousal level was not there the second game but we faced one of the best pitchers in the conference and beat him (in the first game),” Kelly said. “We also had the best pitchers in the conference, Bobby Graber and Eric Lewis, and they both pitched phenomenal games. We finally showed the potential we have in this team.”
The team has another tough NJAC slate this week, with a home-and-home against Rowan and a doubleheader against Rutgers University-Newark (which currently sits tied for No. 1 in the NJAC).
“It’s only the first week and teams haven’t separated themselves, but we know we are one of the top teams in the conference,” Kelly said. “What’s going to separate us is quality pitching and timely hitting. We have had great pitching outings from a lot of our pitchers such as Graber, Lewis and (senior) Mike Ham, and now the hitters have to showcase their aggressiveness by having productive at-bats. If we do that, we will be successful in the conference.”
(04/03/12 7:16am)
Infractors looking for a free ride should beware, because a new online series is looking to expose bike thieves.
“To Catch a Bike Thief,” a new online series being put out by Sweet Currant Productions and web producer Ingo Lou, will be targeting bike bandits by placing “bait bikes” on college campuses.
“I think on the whole the web series is meant to be part education, part entertainment, part documentary,” Lou said.
The show premiered on Monday, April 2, and the studio held a premiere party that included a lock-cutting contest in which participants raced to be the first to cut a bike lock and win the bike it was attached to. Lou said this was to raise awareness for just how easy it is to cut a bike lock.
While the first few episodes are taking place in Canada, Lou hinted that next might be the west coast and the show is looking to broaden its horizons.
“We’ve talked to a couple of colleges in Canada, but we found that our show, at least the trailer for our show, became quite popular in California and in particular San Francisco because there’s a very strong and very vibrant bike culture,” Lou said.
The first season will consist of six webisodes, but according to Lou the show has already been inquired about by TV big shots.
“We’ve had some really early and unexpected interest from a production company that specializes in creating reality TV,” Lou said.
Last summer served as a test period for the show’s creators, when they placed DIY bait bikes in different locations to test their concept out.
Those interested in checking out the premiere episode can check it out on tocatchabikethief.com.
(03/28/12 3:18am)
So last week I took on a famous pizzeria. This week, I decided to take on a campus celebrity — the Fat Shack.
For full disclosure, I have had Fat Shack before — it’s pretty hard to be here more than a few months and not try its late-night offerings. That’s right, this place is only open at night, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on most nights, to be exact. Translation: It’s pretty much the perfect place to get some grub if you’re drunk one night and don’t want to (or can’t figure out how to) work the oven.
Speaking of grub, my favorite site, campusfood.com, was bought out by grubhub.com, and if you had an account with Campus Food you can move over and get free money. And free money is awesome, so do that!
And now on to the Fat Shack. Just as a warning, if you’re not into eating a whole day’s worth of calories in one sitting, this place is not for you.
So here’s the jist of what Fat Shack’s specialty is — fat sandwiches. Originated at our neighbor up north, Rutgers University, these sandwiches have a whole bunch of stuff thrown into a hoagie roll. Ingredients include mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, cheesesteak, jalapeño poppers, French fries, etc. etc.
I browsed the list of sandwiches (names included the Fat Doobie, Fat Roscoe, Fat Hangover and Fat Veggie) and settled on the Fat Slob, which consists of cheesesteak, chicken fingers, French fries, mozzarella sticks, mayo and ketchup. There are probably two or three other sandwiches that are pretty similar in composition to this one, but the ketchup and mayo sold me.
I also decided to order a quesadilla with bacon, mostly since I had to meet the order minimum.
All in all, it ran me $6.99 for the sandwich and $5.74 for the quesadilla (bacon was 75 cents extra), for a grand total of $12.73 and a dollar for delivery. For the amount of food I got, it was not a bad price at all.
The food took about 25 minutes to get there, and they even gave me a courtesy call to let me know they were at my house. That was a nice touch.
So I took my food in and ripped into it (I was pretty much ready to eat my own arm off, as usual) and was greeted with a wonderful fat sandwich. Wonderful tasting, that is. One thing about fat sandwiches, they are super delicious, but they don’t look all that appealing to the eye.
More about the taste, though. It was phenomenal. If you’ve never eaten mozzarella sticks, cheesesteak, chicken fingers, French fries, ketchup and mayo together you should. Another good thing is that it gets you full, too. I mean, it’s probably only around like 1,500 calories, no big deal.
I ate one of the four slices of the quesadilla for the purpose of the review and it was really good too. Not overly crispy, but well melted and the bacon tasted good.
That being said, I actually had some leftovers this week! I warmed up the remainder of the quesadilla for breakfast the next morning and it warmed up really well. Good stuff there.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience at Fat Shack. Definitely not the healthiest food, but as far as taste goes, it was extraordinary.
Fat Shack
Where:
1410 Parkway Ave
Hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 8:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Friday & Saturday: 8:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Number:
(609) 323-7654
Web orders:
grubhub.com
Ratings (out of 5):
Appetizer: ****
Specialties: *****
Speed: ****
Cost: ****
Reheatability: ****
Overall: 21/25
(03/27/12 6:44pm)
(03/27/12 7:53am)
With some passionately sung hooks and a great stage presence, Wiz Khalifa stole the show in a captivating performance at this year’s College Union Board Spring Concert.
Khalifa performed many of his hits from his album “Rolling Papers,” which released to great success last year, as well as a lot of songs from his numerous mixtapes from the last few years, including “Kush and Orange Juice” and “Cabin Fever.” Concert goers were alive and energetic for Khalifa’s whole set, and at times was a sea of bobbing hands and heads, all singing along.
Among the top numbers Wiz played were “No Sleep,” “Taylor Gang,” and his radio smash hits “On My Level,” “Young, Wild and Free” and “Black and Yellow.”
“On My Level” was one of a few songs where Wiz sang parts of the song more like a rock song, which gave his set a very old school rock concert feel at times. The fact that Khalifa sings a lot of his own hooks gave him the flexibility to alter the songs and add that feel.
One of the only downsides to his set was that he didn’t sing all of the words to some of his songs — a lot of it was left to the crowd to fill in the blanks. The audience did know most of the words it seemed, but Wiz even left some of his slightly more obscure songs to the crowd to sing.
Jay Sean, who is best known for his hits “Down” and “Remember” in 2009 – the former of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – preceded Khalifa.
Sean started off slow and had a hard time getting the crowd going at first. He played “Remember” pretty early on, which built up the excitement, but then lost it with a slew of slow songs.
In a strange move, Sean then left the stage for about 15 minutes and let his DJ spin a few songs for the crowd. Surprisingly, this tactic worked, and the crowd was much more energetic when Sean returned to the stage.
Sean then played a few more upbeat songs and added in an interesting sequence where he beatboxed Lil Wayne’s song “A Milli” — words, bass and beat included. He ended his set with “Down,” which got the crowd all ready for Khalifa.
Ceej opened the concert with a short set, which didn’t really get the crowd going until the group started using some industry beats towards the end, including Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild.”
Overall the concert was a great success, with Khalifa stealing the show and holding the crowd in the palm of his hand.
(03/20/12 7:41pm)
The baseball team responded to a tough spring trip by winning three games this past week, highlighted by a 7-1 thrashing of Haverford College in the home opener on Friday, March 16.
The win was the second in a row for the College after their 3-6 start on their Florida spring trip. During the game, senior catcher Mike Galeotafiore went 3-4 and jacked his first home run of the season.
Junior second baseman Scott Kelly ripped off two hits in four at-bats and drove in a run, continuing his torrid pace to start the season. After 13 games, Kelly is hitting .490 with a home run, six RBI and 15 stolen bases.
“I’m seeing the ball well and we have such a potent lineup. It eases the tension off of the hitters knowing that every guy in that lineup is going to produce for us,” Kelly said.
Senior first baseman Jimmy Ruzich also had a big game, knocking in two runs on 1-4 hitting. Freshman infielder Mike Murray also went 2-4 and brought a run home as the team’s designated hitter for the game.
The team also defeated Elizabethtown College in one of two tries on Saturday, March 17, taking down the Blue Jays 4-3 before losing the second game 3-2. The team ended up on top for the week, however, finishing 3-1.
“We learned from our experiences out in Florida and used that as momentum into this past week,” Kelly said. “We focused on the little things to make us a better team. We picked each other up and got timely hits and quality pitching when we needed it. Each win was an all-around team effort.”
The team has had a somewhat rough go at it so far, but is looking to improve as the season goes on.
“Every team has its peaks and valleys,” Kelly said. “Unfortunately the ball is not bouncing our way in some games but even though our record shows we are under .500, it fuels each person on this team to do what they need to do for us to become successful.”
This season’s slow start is in stark contrast to last season, when the team jumped off to a hot start during the spring trip. However, the team lost some games down the stretch last season and is hoping to reverse their fortunes this year.
“We started off hot last year but lost a little mojo going into the end of last year,” Kelly said. “This year we are looking to take something out of every game no matter win or lose and use that as motivation and momentum to carry us into the next game.”
Now the team is focused on taking things one game at a time and not letting the tough NJAC schedule ahead of them distract them from the task at hand.
“Every game is important from non-conference games to NJAC games,” Kelly said. “We can’t oversee these next six games because they are just as important to us as NJAC games. We won’t necessarily be changing our approach because we know what it takes for us to be a great team and every game is the most important game of the season.”
(03/20/12 7:20pm)
I’ve eaten a lot of pizzas in my life, but until this past week I had never really had a “famous” pizza (unless you count Domino’s and Papa John’s. They are on TV after all).
That all changed this week when I had DeLorenzo’s Pizza from just over in Trenton, which was recently featured in Parade magazine as one of the top pizza destinations in the Northeast (Are you aware of how many pizza places there are in the Northeast?!).
I ordered over the phone, and I decided that just a plain pizza would be the best gauge for how good the place was.
When I ordered, the guy on the phone said it would be ready in 25 minutes, so I left after about 10 to go pick it up. I got there about 15-20 minutes later and my pizza was all hot and ready for me.
Before I get into the pizza, however, I have to talk about the place itself. The restaurant is fairly small, with booths lining the outside walls and tables down the middle. The cool part is, this place doesn’t take credit cards. It’s all cash, and run with an old-school typewriter-looking register at the back of the restaurant. The door to the kitchen is open too, so you can kind of see what’s going on behind the scenes.
When I got to the register, my pizza was $15 even. That was pretty cool too. I guess it’s either under the table or they figured out pricing with tax included. Either way, it’s a bit much for just a cheese pizza, but based off of this place’s reputation I had my hopes up.
When I got my pizza home, I eagerly popped the box open. Maybe it was just that I was starving, but that pizza looked delicious. So without any haste, I dug in.
The pizza definitely covered all of the bases for a good pizza, but I’ll start with the sauce. There was plenty of it, and I’m glad there was because it was delicious. There were some chunks of tomato still in it, and it had a sort of sweet quality to it — they didn’t try to drown it with garlic and herbs, basically.
The crust didn’t disappoint either. If you’re into thinner crusts, this place is for you. It was just bready enough that I felt like I was eating a pizza and not a cracker with sauce and cheese, but thin enough that it didn’t taste like a loaf of bread. My only complaint was that it did seem a little burnt in places, but that kind of added to it in its own special way.
As far as the cheese, there was a good amount. There’s not too much else to say about the cheese. Cheese is cheese.
So, overall, it was a very good pizza pie. I don’t know if I would say it was the best I’ve ever had (like everyone, I’m very attached to my hometown pizza place), but it was really, really good.
Come back next week for another enlightening food review from Alex Wolfe.
DeLorenzo’s Pizza
Where:
1007 Hamilton Avenue
Trenton, NJ
Hours:
Sunday - Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Thursday: 11:00am - 1:30pm; 4:00pm - 8:45pm
Fri: 11:00am - 8:45pm
Sat: 3:00pm - 8:45pm
Number:
(609) 393-2952
Ratings (out of five):
Sauce: *****
Crust: ****
Speed: ****
Cost: ***
Atmosphere: *****
Total: 21/25
(03/14/12 3:18am)
I wanted to branch out this week. So … I … (drumroll) … actually drove somewhere instead of ordering out. Not only that, I got breakfast instead of my usual dinner. I know, I’m a loose cannon.
I decided to head to New York Bagel Deli, which is semi-famous around here for their breakfast offerings. I was definitely not disappointed as the little restaurant lived up to the hype.
I went in and was greeted by the smell of grease frying and every type of breakfast item mixed together. To some, that might not be a good thing. To me, it was awesome. It means they’re doing their job right.
The restaurant itself is very small. Four tables line the right side wall, the counter and grill is along the left side and there’s some drink coolers in the back.
I went up and ordered a sausage egg and cheese and a bacon egg and cheese, both on hard rolls. There’s not really “specialties” when it comes to breakfast sandwiches, so I decided that their specialty would be the quality of their breakfast meats. Then I sat down and waited for my food.
It only took about six or seven minutes for my sandwiches to be done (that’s an estimate, I forgot to time it). Not too shabby. You can only do better than that at a fast food place usually. As far as cost, it wasn’t bad. About $3.50 per sandwich.
I decided to take my food to go and go home to eat it. I must say, I was not disappointed.
First, the bacon egg and cheese. The bacon was really crispy, and also thick-cut. Like, thick-cut to the point that you sometimes bite it and get the whole strip because it was too thick to bite through that easily. It was pretty delicious. My only complaint was that it was a little too salty. Yeah, I know, bacon is salty, but it just seemed a tad more salty than usual.
And then there was the sausage egg and cheese. It definitely lived up to the bacon version, with four sausage links across the egg and cheese. The sausage was really good. I would describe it as a mild sausage — it’s not really spicy at all, but it tasted really meaty and delicious. Sausage is hard to describe.
The rolls deserve a mention too, because they were really fluffy and fresh tasting. These guys definitely get a round of fresh bread daily.
Overall, I really enjoyed the food from New York Bagel Deli. It was quick to get, not overly expensive, and most importantly, absolutely delicious. I’ve definitely been turned into a repeat customer.
Come back next week for another enlightening food review from Alex Wolfe.
New York Bagel
Where:
1097 Parkway Avenue
Hours:
Mon. - Sat. : 5:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sun. : 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Number:
(609) 882-0078
Web orders:
Find them on campusfood.com
Specialty: ****
Entrée: *****
Cost: ***
Speed: *****
Atmosphere: ****
Overall: 21/25
(03/13/12 10:45pm)
The College’s wrestling team took sixth overall at the Division III Championships on March 10, but the stage belonged to senior Mike Denver that day, who took the National Championship for the 184-pound weight class at the event.
Denver went 5-0 at Nationals to take the title, besting rival Mike Reilly from King’s College to take his first title in five years at the College. Denver was ranked No. 1 in the country in his weight class since late December.
“It’s something that you really have to experience,” Denver said of winning the title. “I’m kind of speechless. You work so hard towards a goal, and I’ve been working five years toward the national title and I finally accomplished the goal. I don’t want to say it’s a relief, but it’s an amazing accomplishment.”
Denver delivered on the biggest stage of them all, and he credits a strong support system within the coaching staff for his ease of mind during the finals. On staff are Dave Ilaria, who won the 2003 National Championship at 133 pounds for the College, and Sean Flynn, who won over 100 matches in his time at the College.
“I was talking to those guys and they were giving me insight on what to expect with all of the hype with the cameras on you, the warm mat, you’re on the big stage,” Denver said. “They kind of just told me to block all that stuff out — it’s just one more match, just another match. Just like in the beginning of the year, this is just one more match, just keep training, keep doing what you’re doing and good things will happen. So I just kind of went out there with that mentality.”
Denver credited the coaching staff for the season as well, saying they kept the team well prepared for the big moments.
“I can’t say enough about the coaching staff, they really made us peak at the right time and be able to perform at the right time,” Denver said. “It’s not really how you start, but how you finish.”
In particular, first-year coach Joe Galante took the team far in his first season, earning the honor of being named Division III Rookie Coach of the Year for wrestling following the team’s sixth-place finish.
“I think he did great things with the program this year,” Denver said. “He’s starting new things, he’s getting alumni back in the program which I think is great. He’s getting people more involved with the program.”
Galante’s conditioning program was also effective, leaving the players feeling strong — but not tired — for big matches all season.
“It’s not workouts where we kill ourselves every day, he’s working us out smart,” Denver said. “We’ll come in one day, maybe get a light drill, and then the next day we’ll go really hard, but then the next day we’ll go kind of easy. I think the way he set up the workouts and everything just made it so that when it came down to conferences, came down to nationals, where everything is on the line and that’s where you’ve got to peak, I think that’s what he did. For a first-year head coach I think he did a great job this year.”
At Nationals, junior Dan Kerr finished fifth at 133 pounds and fellow junior John Darling finished sixth in the 157-pound weight class. The finishes of those two, combined with Denver’s first-place effort, propelled the College to its sixth-place overall finish.
Now that his career is over here at the College, Denver was thankful to those who supported him in his time here, through the ups of his National Championship run and the downs of being injured almost his entire sophomore year.
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ to all of my friends and all of my family who have supported me and supported the program along the way, and to the people who have been with me from the very beginning since I got to TCNJ,” Denver said.
While Denver’s time at the College as a wrestler may be over, people shouldn’t forget his name.
“I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about Mike Denver in the coaching realm in the years to come,” Denver said. “So don’t count me out just yet."
(03/13/12 4:35am)
“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time is now.”
At the time of this writing, over 74 million people have seen these words flash in front of them before watching the 30-minute-long “Kony 2012” video by filmmaker and head of the “Invisible Children” foundation Jason Russell. Last week the video went viral and became easily the most discussed topic on Twitter, Facebook and even major media outlets.
For those of you that aren’t part of the 74 million that watched this video, here’s a brief explanation: Russell narrates the video and tells everyone about a man named Joseph Kony in Uganda, who has made a career out of forcing children to serve him in his own child army.
The video spotlights different points in Russell’s journey, like meeting a young boy (now a young adult) from Uganda named Jacob ten years ago, to telling his young son about Kony now. It also details the actions that have been taken to bring Kony down, both by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the U.S. government. The U.S. action was spurred on by a protest walk by Invisible Children on Washington where the members informed members of Congress of the acts by Kony.
Now, Russell is asking people to help by doing three things, and I quote: “1. Sign the pledge to show your support. 2. Get the bracelet and action kit” and “3. Sign up for TRI to donate a few dollars a month.”
I have a huge problem with that last part.
First, let me just say that I realize that this is a real problem. This guy is obviously not making up the whole Kony thing. However, Russell is trying to make people think that they need to do more than they do to stop it.
One of Russell’s claims is that he needs your money to make sure that the U.S. stays in Uganda trying to find Kony. He implies that the U.S. will get bored and decide it’s not worth the time anymore and pull out. However, he makes all of these claims without a single reliable source to confirm it and parades it as fact.
Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way about how he did this is that he targeted college and high school kids. He specifically said that that demographic has to be the one to help him, by watching his video and giving “a few dollars a month” to his cause. Oh, and to buy his $30 action kit, which contains a T-shirt, two bracelets (individually numbered no less!) and some posters and stickers. Thirty dollars is a fair amount of money for most people without a college degree (and to some with one), and he not only wants that but also monthly contributions.
This would maybe be acceptable if Kony was still not being tracked, but to demand money from people so that a nonprofit can play vigilante in Africa is just awful.
Which brings me to the nonprofit part. Russell pays himself and two of his higher-ups over $90,000 per year. That is a lot of money. The more ridiculous part of that is that they likely aren’t even paying for travel expenses, food, etc. That can all be paid for by Invisible Children and written off as a business expense. So really this guy is pocketing almost $100,000 a year.
In addition, they’re currently sitting on a LOT of money. In 2011 alone, Invisible Children took in almost $14 million according to charitynavigator.com, and spent just over $7 million. That means that last year alone they kept almost $7 million in the bank.
Now, all of my accusations could wind up being baseless and this guy could be totally legit. However, my point is that there is a good chance this could be a scam, and we need to all stop flocking to the hot thing on Twitter or Facebook.
We laugh at the people who bought into “Miracle Medicines” in the 1800s from traveling salesmen, and yet really this could end up being no different. So, I urge you all, do some research. Make sure these things are legit before you go dumping your time and money into them. I don’t think any of us want to be remembered as that idiot generation that bought into everything they saw on Facebook.
(03/13/12 2:33am)
When Chiddy Bang came to the College for the Welcome Back Concert in January, I was impressed with their live performance as they captured the crowd.Now, I’m even more impressed with their studio chops after their debut album “Breakfast.”
The album opened with an intro that had me a little skeptical, but once the music kicked in it was all bass-thumping, sound-layering fun.
The album featured the group’s two previously released singles, “Mind Your Manners” and “Ray Charles,” and admittedly I think “Mind Your Manners” might be my favorite song on the album. That’s not to say that the rest of the songs weren’t good, but I just really enjoyed that song before and I still enjoy it now.
Many of the songs had melodic hooks, either by Chiddy or by others, and they were overall fantastic. Chiddy has a very energetic style of rapping, and the hooks always mirrored his mood in the song. He was also very good at setting the mood for a song. He has a sort of “rapping range.” Rappers obviously don’t really “sing” but he was very good at portraying a range of emotions throughout the songs.
Those emotions translated to a very diverse track offering. “Whatever We Want” is a great bass-thumping track now that we’re back to windows down weather. “4th Quarter” can really make you feel like a boss and get you pumped if you need it. “Does She Love Me?” will tug at your heartstrings a bit if you’re prone to that sort of thing. Basically, Chiddy Bang succeeded in creating a great range of tracks and told a story throughout the album. It’s not quite on the level of Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” as far as storytelling, but that album sits in a class of its own in that regard. They certainly did a good job, and borderline great considering it’s their first album.
Xaphoon Jones also deserves a lot of credit for the beats, as he delivered on the promise he made during my interview with him at the Welcome Back Concert to bring “layers of sound” to this album. Every track has a strong bass line and then just layer upon layer of sound on top of it. It’s a very forward-thinking style of hip-hop, as he managed to get the club music feel without going completely David Guetta with it. My only complaint is that on one or two of the earlier tracks, it can be a little overwhelming on the first listen — especially if you’re listening at high volume.
Overall, this album was great. I had high hopes for it, and they were not dashed. The group made most of their fame with mixtapes so far, but “Breakfast” looks like a start to great things for Chiddy Bang on the album front.
(03/12/12 10:17pm)
The baseball team got off to a rocky start, going 3-6 to begin their season in their spring trip to Florida.
“Starting 3-6 was of course not what we wanted, but as coach tells us, each loss is a learning experience for us, and each game we played out in Florida taught us more about how to become a better team,” junior infielder Scott Kelly said.
The team lost a few tight ones on the trip, including a 5-4 loss to Suffolk University and a 7-6 loss to Rhode Island College. However, Kelly believes that the team can learn from its mistakes and take a lot of positives from the trip.
“We are going to use the experience we gained out in Florida to strive to become a great team,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of talent from pitching, defense and offense and we know for a fact that we are going to benefit from the games we played out in Florida.”
Kelly in particular played well, hitting .500 to begin the season and also swiping 10 bases in 12 attempts. Despite his individual success, however, Kelly credits the team atmosphere for his success so far.
“What’s been working for me this season is being with the team and watching everyone work hard to become better,” he said. “Everyone has been working hard on and off the field to become better and it motivates each of us internally to do whatever it takes to become a better baseball player. I want to do whatever I can to contribute to the team but it reflects on the team’s work ethic and how hard we work day in and day out to strive for success towards our team goals.”
Junior outfielder Mike Murphy has also started off strong, batting .379 with a home run and 6 RBI so far. Freshman infielder Jason Dewitt has also been strong, posting a team-leading 10 RBI.
The team will open at home on Friday, March 16 against Haverford College.
(02/29/12 5:49am)
The men’s track team dominated the competition this past week, cruising to their 15th straight NJAC Championship by posting a score almost 80 points higher than the next best school.
Senior Chris Medina continued his strong season, posting the best time for the 200 meter ar 22.13 seconds, where he was one of three Lions in the top five. He also placed second in the 60 meter, with a time of 6.94.
The distance events treated the College very well, with the team taking multiple one-two finishes. Sophomore Dominic Tasco and freshman Erik Moutenot took first and second in the 800 meter with scores of 1:54.29 and 1:54.51, respectively.
“We’re a talented bunch throughout all of the events which helped us claim the NJAC title,” Tasco said. “With the guys who qualified for ECACs, we have a chance to go after the ECAC title as well. These past few meets we were at have given us confidence to achieve our goals we’ve set for the meets to come. We just have to carry this confidence with us throughout the week in our practices and give it everything we’ve got when it’s time to compete.”
The 5,000 meter was full of more Lion domination as three Lions finished in the top three spots. Junior Mark Sidebottom took first with a time of 15:42.29, and senior Donald Docimo and junior Alex Matteson finished second and third, respectively.
Junior Julio Alorro took first in the pole vault with a height of 4.75 meters, while freshman James O’Connor and sophomore Scott Lisa took first and second in the high jump, respectively.
Overall the men’s team dominated, scoring 218.5 points to second place Ramapo’s paltry 141.5.
“Our team is deep,” Tasco said. “Teams in the conference may have one individual who can score for their team, while we have three or four runners in the same event who have the ability to score. These points add up, which makes us a powerful team in the conference.”
The women’s team unfortunately lost the meet, snapping their own 14-year NJAC winning streak. Nevertheless, the team posted some good individual numbers.
Much like the men’s team, the women’s team put up some very solid distance numbers, with junior Cathy Goncalves leading the way in the 3,000 meter with a 10:16.41 time, followed by sophomores Megan Flynn and Julie Jablonski, who finished second and third, respectively.
“There wasn’t much competition in the 3K so my teammates and I worked together to control the pace and sweep the race with a one-two-three finish,” Goncalves said. “Our main goal was to obtain as many points as possible for our team.”
The team might have lost the NJAC for the first time in a while, but they aren’t dwelling on the loss.
“Although our 14-year streak was broken this past weekend, we aren’t dwelling on the loss,” Goncalves said. “We have a relatively young team and by continuing to build on our experience, we look forward to retrieving our title again in the spring.”
Now both teams are looking forward to the ECAC Championships and Division III Championships in successive weeks. The women’s team is looking for some redemption from the loss this weekend.
“Last year, the women’s team won the indoor ECAC championships, so we’re looking forward to defending our crown,” Goncalves said. “We hope to remain focused and not let the loss of NJACS affect the rest of the championship season.”
The men’s team is hoping for much of the same, and hope that their success against bigger schools and Division I teams this year will guide them to some more victories.
“Being able to compete in meets at the New York Armory and Boston have really helped the team prepare for future meets,” Tasco said. “These venues are filled with competition from all types of schools from all divisions. Competing in these meets have helped simulate what it will be like in championship season when we compete in ECACs and Nationals, where we will see the top Division III athletes come together. It forces us to rise to the occasion.”
(02/29/12 5:41am)
After a season filled with ups and downs, the College’s club ice hockey team pulled out a tight victory over Millersville University on Sunday, Feb. 19, by a score of 6-5 to win the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship.
The championship almost played out like two different games, with the College dominating in the first two periods, going up 5-1, and Millersville making a push in the third period, pushing it to 5-5. However, once they composed themselves the Lions were able to put the decisive goal in the net on a power play.
“We thought we had the game won after the second period, but Millersville knocked us off our game by scoring those four goals so fast,” senior defender Glenn Reese said. “Their crowd really got into it and they had all the momentum. But we finally started playing our game again, started forechecking hard and shored up our defense. That let us stop their scoring frenzy and take back control of the game.”
The game concluded a dominant weekend at the GNCHC playoffs, where the College beat down its first two opponents with a combined score of 10-1. Senior goalie Justin Zegel was able to shut down the opposition all season with solid goaltending and a clear line of sight set by his defenders.
“(Zengel) was outstanding, especially down the stretch,” director of hockey operations Chris Mikolajczyk said. “If he sees it, he’s stopping it. You could drive a truck through the way these guys cleared the way for him to see, and he saw everything no problem.”
For Zengel, winning the championship was the pinnacle of everything that he has done in hockey to this point.
“I have been playing hockey my entire life and have never won anything as meaningful as this championship,” Zengel said. “It makes all those thousands of hours that I’ve spent over the years practicing and traveling and putting my social life on the shelf completely worth it.
“A friend of mine actually said to me yesterday, that I didn’t realize until she said it but she was right. She told me, ‘Do you know how many college senior athletes get to win a championship? It’s probably like 1 percent. You are pretty lucky.’ She was right. I am incredibly lucky and thankful to TCNJ and all of my teammates and coaches that made this happen this year. There is no better way I could have imagined ending my senior year of college than by raising that trophy. It means the world to me.”
First year forward Nick Lisciandro led the league in points, but did not lead the league in either goals or assists, a testament to his well-balanced game.
“I was fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of great players who helped me succeed,” Lisciandro said. “A forfeit by Long Island University our last weekend contributed to me coming up a goal and an assist short from the lead in both, but if we didn’t win the championship all the personal stats would mean nothing.”
Reese was around a few short seasons ago when the team almost disbanded due to lack of membership, so the championship win carried even more pull for him.
“After the 2008-2009 season, we lost a lot of seniors, and the team nearly folded,” Reese said. “The next two years were tough as we had to rebuild the entire team (I was the only player left on the team that played during the 2008-2009 season), but it felt great to be rewarded with a championship for working through those two years. As a graduating senior, it was the greatest way I could possibly think of to end my competitive hockey career.”
Mikolajczyk credits the coaching staff, led by head coach Joe Cucci, for keeping the program afloat and putting them in a position to compete.
“Coach Cucci and (faculty adviser) Les Schriber were really the architects of this team and this program,” Mikolajczyk said.
Sophomore forward Kush Patel is looking forward to another strong year, and hoping to defend the title.
“First and foremost, I think I can speak for the entire team when I say we are hoping to defend our title, and in addition, go even beyond our conference,” Patel said. “Aside from losing (Zengel) and (Reese) to graduating, the bulk of the team will be returning next year. And with getting some new freshman into the lineup, I think we will have as good of a team next year, if not better. Our goal for next season definitely will not change whatsoever.”
Liciandro is also looking forward to another big season.
“Our ultimate goal next year will be to have a good showing in regionals and see where we can go from there,” Liciandro said. “We have a great core of players coming back so sky’s the limit.”
For now however, the players are just enjoying the moment and basking in their victory, especially Zengel.
“Even though it felt like 20 seconds, all I can remember is that I couldn’t stop smiling, and that for the first time it felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted off of my shoulders and that feeling was the greatest feeling I have ever felt,” Zengel said. “I have been playing ice hockey since I was 8 years old, so I had been working my entire life for this one moment, and I think that why it was so relieving. I still have that feeling even now.”