edited
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      THIS
      SPORT
     
     
      SEASON
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hopes
      are
      high
      for
      Panther
     
     
      teams
      this
      season.
      Coaches,
     
     
      UPEI’s
      Sports
      department
      and
     
     
      UPEI’s
      president
      treated
      the
     
     
      Island’s
      media
      to
      a
      pre-view
      of
     
     
      the
      1999-2000
      season.
      The
     
     
      conference
      was
      held
      at
      the
     
     
      Field
      House
      and
      hosted
      by
     
     
      Ron
      Annear,
      the
      head
      of
     
     
      Marketing
      and
      Programs
      for
     
     
      UPEI
      Athletics.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      First
      to
      speak
      was
      Barb
      Mullaly
     
     
      UPEI’s
      Athletic
      Director.
     
     
      Mullaly
      had
      high
      praises
      for
     
     
      the
      support
      from
      the
      media
     
     
      and
      sponsors
      and
      the
      hard
     
     
      work
      from
      the
      athletes
      and
     
     
      coaches.
      Fallowing
      the
      Ath-
     
     
      letic
      Director
      came
      each
      of
     
     
      UPEI’s
      team
      coaches
      with
      their
     
     
      sutlook
      on
      this
      season.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Woman’s
      Soccer
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Coach
      Paul
      Steel
      lost
      8
      players
     
     
      ‘rom
      last
      year
      and
      will
      be
     
     
      §jelding
      a
      younger
      team
      this
     
     
      year.
      There
      are
      7
      first
      year
     
     
      slayers
      this
      season
      and
      4
     
     
      started
      in
      the
      team’s
      opening
     
     
      zame.
      Captains
      for
      this
      sea-
     
     
      son’s
      team
      are
      Lana
      Birch
      and
     
     
      Sherri
      Gallant.
      The
      Woman
     
     
      Panther’s
      coach
      said
      that
      he
      is
     
     
      ooking
      toward
      the
      future
      with
     
     
      his
      team
      and
      this
      years
      goal
      is
     
     
      :o
      make
      the
      playoffs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Field
      Hockey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      year’s
      team
      will
      have
      6
     
     
      rookies
      with
      as
      many
      as
      four
      of
     
     
      them
      in
      starting
      positions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      field
      hockey
      team
      will
      also
     
     
      have
      three
      award
      winners
     
     
      returning
      this
      season.
      The
     
     
      Field
      Hockey
      Panthers
      will
      be
     
     
      competing
      in
      a
      three
      team
     
     
      league
      (with
      Dalhousie
      as
      a
     
     
      club
      team).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Men’s
      Soccer
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bruce
      Norton,
      will
      be
      return-
     
     
      ing
      to
      coach
      the
      defending
     
     
      AUAA
      Men’s
      Soccer
      champi-
     
     
      ons
      this
      year.
      Coach
      Norton
     
     
      explained
      that
      this
      season
     
     
      would
      not
      be
      easy
      with
      the
      loss
     
     
      of
      three
      players
      from
      last
      year
     
     
      and
      other
      teams
      aiming
      to
     
     
      defeat
      last
      year’s
      champs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Taking
      over
      the
      position
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Captain
      this
      year
      will
      be
     
     
      Brodie
      McMurrer
      with
      John
     
     
      Michael
      Murphy
      and
      John
     
     
      Sutton
      as
      Assistant
      Captains.
      —
     
     
      The
      Men’s
      Soccer
      coach
      also
     
     
      revealed
      his
      high
      expectations
     
     
      for
      this
      years
      team
      as
      he
      was
     
     
      only
      “relatively
      pleased”
      with
     
     
      their
      8-0
      season
      opening
      win
     
    
   
   
    
     
      against
      Moncton.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Men’s
      Basketball
     
    
   
   
    
     
      George
      Morrison
      returns
      this
     
     
      season
      as
      head
      coach
      of
      the
     
     
      UPEI
      Men’s
      Basketball
      team.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TMorrison
      notes
      that
      it
      is
      still
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      _
      early
      in
      the
      year
      for
      the
      team
     
     
      .
      but
      that
      he
      is
      optimistic
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      20
      players
      trying
      out
      for
      this
     
     
      years
      team.
      A
      change
      in
      the
     
     
      league
      means
      the
      Panthers
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ya
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      te
      ae
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      playing
      St.
      Marys
      this
      year
     
     
      instead
      of
      Acadia.
      Looking
     
     
      ahead
      to
      the
      season
      coach
     
     
      Morrison
      noted
      “Anything
     
     
      short
      of
      the
      playoffs
      would
      be
     
     
      disappointing’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Woman's
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Basketball
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tracy
      Elsworth,
      the
      coach
      of
     
     
      the
      UPEI
      Lady
      Panthers,
      has
      9
     
     
      players
      returning
      this
      season
     
     
      and
      6
      recruits.
      It
      is
      still
      early
     
     
      for
      the
      Woman’s
      basketball
     
     
      team
      but
      coach
      Elsworth
      stated
     
     
      that
      it
      was
      a
      “quality
      team”and
     
     
      that
      she
      expected
      “nothing
      shy
     
     
      of
      playoffs”.
      Elsworth
      went
      on
     
     
      to
      explain
      that
      she
      would
      like
     
     
      to
      take
      back
      the
      championship
     
     
      that
      the
      team
      held
      two
      years
     
     
      ago.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Woman’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Volleyball
     
    

    
     
      Speaking
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
     
     
      Woman’s
      Volleyball
      coach
      Jeff
     
     
      MacEachern
      was
      Barb
      Mullaly
     
     
      UPETI’s
      athletic
      director.
     
     
      Mullaly
      explained
      that
      this
     
     
      year’s
      team
      is
      “much
      improved
     
     
      over
      the
      last
      couple
      of
      years”.
     
     
      At
      this
      point
      there
      are
      16
     
     
      players
      trying
      out
      with
      3
     
     
      returning
      players
      and
      4
      rook-
     
     
      ies.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      A
      ell
      cl
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hockey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      hockey
      team’s
      head
      coach,
     
     
      Doug
      Currie,
      will
      be
      joined
     
     
      this
      season
      by
      assistant
      coaches
     
     
      K.J.
      White
      and
      Ron
      Carragher.
     
     
      Currie
      explained
      that
      they
     
     
      “graduated
      a
      large
      crop
      of
     
     
      players”
      last
      year
      and
      will
      be
     
     
      have
      12
      new
      players
      this
     
     
      season.
      The
      new
      players
     
     
      include
      7
      forwards,
      3
     
     
      deffencemen
      and
      2
      goalies.
     
     
      Coach
      Currie
      noted
      that
      he
     
     
      sees
      “potential”
      in
      this
      year’s
     
     
      team
      and
      expects
      a
      strong
     
     
      “team
      atmosphere”
      to
      be
     
     
      created.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Concluding
      the
      evenings
     
     
      speakers
      was
      University
      of
     
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island’s
      Presi-
     
     
      dent
      Wade
      McLauchlan.
     
     
      President
      McLauchlan
      gave
      his
     
     
      thoughts
      on
      the
      upcoming
     
     
      season
      and
      then
      went
      on
      to
     
     
      thank
      the
      coaches.
      The
      Presi-
     
     
      dent
      explained
      that
      the
      coaches
     
     
      are
      “virtuai
      volunteers”
      and
     
     
      “do
      it
      for
      the
      love
      of
      the
      game”
     
     
      because
      they
      only
      receive
      a
     
     
      small
      amount
      of
      pay
      compared
     
     
      to
      the
      work
      they
      do.
      Finally
     
     
      Mr.
      McLauchlan
      praised
      the
     
     
      community
      for
      the
      support
     
     
      and
      sponsorship.
      END