Panthers
      season
      preview
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      Tuesday,
      September
     
     
      12th
      the
      UPEI
      Sports
      Department
     
     
      hosted
      its
      annual
      press
      conference
     
     
      -at
      the
      Field
      House.
      In
      attendance
     
    

    
     
      were
      the
      UPEI
      President
      Wade
     
     
      ‘MacLauchlan,
      Sports
      Department
     
     
      Marketing
      and
      Public
      Relations
     
     
      Director
      Ron
      Annear,
      Athletic
     
     
      Director
      Barb
      Mullaly,
      Island
     
     
      sports
      media,
      and
      the
      Panther
     
     
      coaching
      staff.
     
    

    
     
      With
      an
      introduction
      by
     
     
      Ron
      Annear,
      each
      _
      speaker
     
     
      addressed
      the
      audience
      and
      gave
     
     
      their
      predictions
      or
      hopes
      for
     
     
      UPEI’s
      teams
      this
      season.
     
    

    
     
      First
      to
      speak
      was
      President
     
    
   
   
    
     
      importance
      of
      the
      community’s
     
     
      involvement
      in
      UPEI’s
      sports
      pro-
     
     
      grams
      and
      about
      the
      sports
      depart-
     
     
      ment’s
      new
      initiative,
      Team
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      first
      coach
      to
      step
      up
      to
     
     
      the
      mike
      was
      Paul
      Steele,
      head
     
     
      coach
      of
      the
      Women’s
      Soccer
     
     
      team.
      Steele
      named
      Sherri
      Gallant
     
     
      and
      Lana
      Birch
      as
      captains
      of
      this
     
     
      year’s
      team
      and
      noted
      that
      the
      team
     
     
      would
      need
      to
      play
      more
      of
      an
     
     
      attacking
      style
      this
      year
      and
      work
     
     
      on
      finishing
      around
      the
      net,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      improving
      their
      mental
      prepara-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      Steele
      also
      noted
      that
      every
     
     
      team
      in
      the
      AUS.
      (Atlantic
     
     
      University
      Sport,
      formally
      the
     
     
      AUAA)
      would
      be
      a
      worthy
      oppo-
     
     
      nent
      this
      season.
      -
     
    

    
     
      Lewis
      Page,
      new
      head
     
     
      coach
      for
      the
      Men’s
      Soccer
      team
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ment
      for
      this
      season
      for
      the
      Men’s
     
     
      Panther
      team,
      both
      on
      and
      off
      the
     
     
      field,
      which
      will
      include
      a
      game
     
     
      against
      alumni.
     
     
      This
      season’s
      team
      is
      com-
     
     
      posed
      of
      veteran
      and
      rookie
      players
     
     
      which
      Page
      hopes
      will
      mean
      lead-
     
     
      ‘ership
      from
      the
      seniors
      and
      quick
     
     
      learning
      by
      the
      new
      players.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ees
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -MacLauchlan
      who
      reiterated
      the:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ,
      followed.
      Page
      showed
      his
      excite.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Captains
      for
      the
      2000
     
     
      Men’s
      Soccer
      team
      will
      be
      Carson
     
     
      Gill
      and
      John
      Sutton
      both
      members
     
     
      of
      the
      1998
      Panther
      Champions,
     
     
      Page
      pointed
      out.
      Two
      new
      players
     
     
      to
      the
      team
      are
      Sean
      and
      Andrew
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MASL
      MACDONALD
      PRESENTS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPORTS.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      McCurdy
      who
      scored
      two
      goals
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      each
      in
      pre-season
      action.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      stated
      that
      the
      goal
      for
     
     
      this
      season
      will
      be
      to
      win
      the
      divi-
     
     
      sion
      championship.
      This
      would
     
     
      allow
      the
      team
      to
      host
      the
      playoffs,
     
     
      in
      which
      they
      have
      an
      impressive
     
     
      record.
     
    

    
     
      Speaking
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
     
     
      Field
      Hockey
      team
      was
      Tracy
     
     
      McGee
      and
      Jana
      Parker
      the
      newly
     
     
      appointed
      co-coaches
      of
      this
      years
     
     
      squad.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Field
      Hockey
      team
     
     
      had
      a
      large
      turn
      out
      at
      camp
      with
     
     
      21
      players
      attending.
      McGee
      and
     
     
      Parker
      noted
      that
      the
      team
      would
     
     
      be
      made
      up
      of
      a
      talented
      group
      of
     
     
      players
      this
      year.
      These
      include
     
     
      eight
      rookies
      on
      the:team
      this
      years
     
     
      and
      two
      graduating
      players;
      Nancy
     
     
      Vessey
      and
      Karen
      MacLean.
     
    

    
     
      The
      McGee
      and
      Parker
      set
     
     
      their
      two
      goals
      for
      the
      season:
     
     
      increasing
      the
      number
      of
      wins
      and
     
     
      getting
      alumni
      involved.
      The
      latter
     
     
      is
      planned
      for
      the
      team’s
      final
      two
     
     
      games,
      during
      what
      is
      to
      be
      Alumni
     
     
      Weekend,
      where
      the
      72-73
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Championship
      team
      will
      be
      recog-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      »
      nized.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Leading
      off
      winter
      sports
     
     
      was
      Jeff
      MacEachern,
      coach
      of
      the
     
     
      Volleyball
      team.
      He
      like
      the
      other
     
     
      winter
      sport
      coaches
      could
      only
     
    
   
   
    
     
      give
      limited
      insight
      regarding
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      respective
      teams
      because
      of
      a
      new
     
     
      AUS
      rule.
      This
      rule
      does
      not
      allow
     
     
      coaches
      to
      train
      with
      their
      teams
      on
     
     
      their
      sports’
      playing
      surface
      until
     
     
      the
      24th
      of
      September.
     
     
      MacEachern
      spoke
      of
      the
     
     
      team’s
      18
      players
      at
      camp,
      6
      new
     
     
      players
      from
      around
      the
      Atlantic
     
     
      region,
      and
      3
      returning
      veterans.
     
     
      The
      primary
      focus
      this
      season
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      volleyball
      team
      coach
     
     
      MacEachern
      said,
      would
      be
     
     
      defense.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      last
      of
      the
      new
      coach-
     
     
      es,
      Mike
      Connolly,
      took
      to
      the
     
     
      podium
      to
      give
      a
      preview
      of
      the
     
     
      Men’s
      Basketball
      team.
     
    

    
     
      Connolly
      announced
      that
     
     
      Gordon
      McNeely
      (a
      former
      UNB
     
     
      basketball
      player)
      will
      be
      assistant
     
     
      coach
      this
      year.
      There
      will
      be
      five
     
     
      players
      returning
      to
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      this
      season
      and
      several
      promising
     
     
      players
      coming
      in,
      Connolly
      point-
     
     
      ed
      out.
      Two
      of
      these
      new
      players
     
     
      are
      from
      Ontario,
      and
      a
      third
      is
     
     
      from
      Queens,
      New
      York.
      Four
      new
     
     
      players
      from
      the
      Island’s
      high
     
     
      school
      program
      will
      also
      join
      the
     
     
      line-up.
     
    

    
     
      Connolly
      explained
      that
     
     
      team
      defense
      would
      be
      the
      focal
     
     
      point
      this
      season
      and
      the
      their
      con-
     
     
      ference
      would
      be
      a
      tough
      one,
      as
      it
     
     
      produce
      the
      last
     
     
      Champions.
     
    

    
     
      Tracy
      Ellsworth,-
      Who-
      is
     
     
      returning
      as
      head
      coach
      of
      the
     
     
      Women’s
      Basketball
      team
      for
      an
     
     
      eighth
      season,
      gave
      a
      preview
      for
     
     
      her
      team’s
      season.
      Assisting
     
     
      Ellsworth
      this
      season,
      will
      be
      Erin
     
     
      Rigby
      (now
      McNeely
      a
      graduate
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PSA
      BERBER
      ES
     
     
      BRO
      RT
      A
      Se
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      two
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      £.%
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      and
      wife
      of
      Men’s
      Basketball
     
     
      assistant
      coach
      Gordon
      McNeely).
     
    

    
     
      Ellsworth
      noted
      that
      they
     
     
      now
      have
      15
      players
      in
      camp,
      9
      of
     
     
      whom
      are
      returning
      _
      players.
     
     
      Ellsworth
      stated
      the
      team
      would
     
     
      focus
      on
      two
      things
      this
      season:
     
     
      strengthening
      their
      defense
      and
     
     
      consistency
      on
      offense.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      to
      speak
      for
      the
      coach-
     
     
      ing
      staff
      was
      Men’s
      Hockey
      head
     
     
      coach
      Doug
      Curry.
     
    

    
     
      Two
      new
      additions
      to
      the
     
     
      team
      this
      season
      are
      assistant
      coach
     
     
      Jeff
      Squire
      and
      new
      goaltender
     
     
      Jason
      Flick.
      Flick
      will
      have
      to
      help
     
     
      fill
      the
      void
      left
      by
      David
      Mitchell,
     
     
      the
      Panthers
      all-star
      goaltender
     
     
      who
      graduated
      last
      year.
     
    

    
     
      Coach
      Curry
      said
      this
     
     
      year’s
      team
      is
      more
      talented
      than
     
     
      last
      year’s
      young
      team
      and
      that
      he
     
     
      will
      be
      looking
      to
      create
      offense
     
     
      with
      the
      defense.
      The
      Panthers
     
     
      will
      be
      in
      a
      tough
      division
      this
      year
     
     
      Curry
      noted,
      and
      will
      also
      have
      a
     
     
      difficult
      28
      game
      schedule.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Athletic
      Director
      Barb
      Mullaly
     
     
      speaks
      at
      the
      conference
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eee
      ee
      ew
      ee
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