The final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings for the year are in and UNH finished tied for No. 78 on the list of all Division 1 schools. UNH was tied with Fresno State and, ironically, Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa has ended UNH’s run in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs three times in the last four years, including last season. . . . Stanford topped the rankings that measure success in the NCAA postseason. . . The Wildcats were the second America East team, behind only Boston University. The Terriers were at No. 68, thanks in large part to their NCAA men’s hockey championship. . . . The only other America East school in the Top 100 was Vermont at No. 98. . . . Dartmouth was at No. 86. Boston College was No. 78 and the University of Connecticut was No. 52.
Incoming UNH freshman forward Cam Reid was selected by the Nashville Predators in the seventh round of the NHL entry draft on Saturday. . . . Reid, 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, played for the Westside Warriors and Victoria Salsa in the British Columbia Hockey League last season. . . . There will be six NHL draft picks on the roster for the Wildcats this season. . . . Besides Reid, they are freshman forward Greg Burke (6th round, Washington), junior forward Phil DeSimone (3rd round, Washington), senior goalie Brian Foster (5th round, Florida), sophomore defenseman Blake Kessel (6th round, Islanders) and Peter LeBlanc (7th round, Chicago).
Ricky Santos and David Ball survived cuts made by their Canadian Football League teams today. But they didn’t exactly come out of the day unscathed. . . . The Montreal Alouettes placed Santos on the one-week injured list and the Hamilton Tiger Cats did the same with Ball. Both played in exhibition games on Tuesday night. . . . Montreal let veteran backup Brad Banks go and kept Santos and three other quarterbacks. Adrian McPherson is considered the backup to Anthony Calvillo and Chris Leak is likely the third-string QB. . . . The Tiger Cats cut three wide receivers. . . . Montreal and Hamilton open the 2009 regular season next Wednesay night.
Former UNH standouts Ricky Santos and David Ball played their second and final exhibition games with their Canadian Football League teams on Tuesday night and now hope to still be on the roster _ and ideally playing _ when the regular season starts next week. . . . Santos was the fifth Montreal Alouette quarterback in the game in a 31-27 win over Winnipeg. He completed three of his four passes for 18 yards and ran twice for 11 yards. . . . The Alouettes open the season at Calgary on Wednesday. . . . Ball, trying to stick with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, caught two passes for 38 yards in the second half of a 21-17 loss to Toronto. Ball was one of nine TiCats with at least one catch and the 38 yards were second highest on the team. . . . Toronto and Hamilton meet again on Wednesday in Hamilton in their season opener. . . . CFL teams must make roster cuts by tomorrow.
Dartmouth will play a football game at UNH on Sept. 26. It remains to be seen when the teams will meet again on the football field after that. . . . The schools have decided to suspend their football series and the two games remaining in the current contract between them _ they were due to play in 2010 and 2011 _ are on hold. . . . . Dartmouth, locked into a tough early-season schedule, has been looking to make some adjustments for years. Both schools are now looking for opponents to help fill in their schedules. . . . UNH has been in discussions with Columbia University, among others, said director of athletics Marty Scarano. . . . The Wildcats have won their last 11 games against Dartmouth and have gone 16-0-2 against the Big Green since 1979. . . . There’s more on UNH-Dartmouth in today’s print edition.
UNH men’s basketball coach Bill Herrion said on Monday night that there is nothing to the reports that have linked him to the vacant head coaching job at Holy Cross. The Holy Cross position opened when Ralph Willard resigned to team up with Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville. . . . Dennis Wolff, fired after last season from Boston University, and University of Lowell coach Greg Herenda are among those that have reportedly talked to Holy Cross director of athletics Dick Regan in recent days. . . . Herrion’s brother, Tom, an associate head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. Bill Herrion’s name has come up less frequently. . . . The Herrions grew up just outside of Worcester and their father was an assistant basketball coach there. Bill Herrion was a serious candidate for the Holy Cross job in 1999. . . . Herrion said he likes where the UNH program is at: “I think we’re finally on the verge. I’m excited about that. I really like our guys. We’re having a great summer and I think we’re very close to knocking on the door. . . . They’ve been good to me hear and backed me and supported me.”
The UNH men’s basketball team will be playing at Maryland and Pittsburgh for its “guarantee” games this season, according to coach Bill Herrion. . . . Those are the games that bring a cash payout to the Wildcats. . . . Both Maryland and Pittsburgh made the NCAA tournament last season. Pittsburgh finished 31-5 and came up a basket short of the Final Four. The Panthers fell to Villanova, 78-76, in a Regional final in Boston. . . . Maryland lost 89-70 to Memphis in the second round at the West Regional. The Terrapins were 21-14 for the season. . . . Maryland got some good news last week when point guard Greivis Vasquez announced that he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning for his senior season. Vasquez averaged 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists a game last season.
Ricky Santos and the Montreal Alouettes opened their exhibition Wednesday night with a 37-24 win over Toronto. With starter Anthony Calvillo at home, Santos was the third Montreal quarterback to enter the game. He completed five of seven passes for 33 yards and ran for a 6-yard touchdown. He also passed for a two-point conversion. Adrian McPherson, expected to be Calvillo’s backup, was nine for 12 for 110 yards and ran for a touchdown. Chris Leak was the second Montreal QB in the game and completed 10 of 14 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception. . . . The Hamilton Tiger Cats lost their exhibition opener, 32-22, on Wednesday night to Winnipeg. David Ball was listed as the backup at one of the wide receiver spots for the Tiger Cats. He was not one of the 11 Hamilton receivers who had a reception in the game. . . . Montreal plays its second and final exhibiton game at home agaionst Winnpeg on Tuesday. Hamilton plays Toronoto at home on Tuesday.
Sounds like David Ball, the former UNH standout, is opening some eyes in camp with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. This from the team’s website after Friday’s practice: “Another day, another impressive catch by WR David Ball. This one came as the New Hampshire product outjumped DB Desman Stephen along the sideline.” . . . The Tiger Cats play their first of two pre-season exhibition games on Wednesday night, at home against Winnipeg. . . . Quarterback Ricky Santos is also taking aim at a Wednesday night exhibition game. Santos is with the Montreal Alouettes. They play their opening exhibition on Wednesday at Toronto.
The Hershey Bears knocked off Jason Krog’s Manitoba Moose 4-1 on Friday night to win the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup championship, four games to two. Chris Bourque, the son of former Boston Bruins’ defenseman Raymond, scored the game-winner for the Bears. Bourque, who played a season at Boston University, also had an assist in the game. . . . Krog did not have a point in the finale. He finished tied for third in playoff scoring with eight goals and 15 assist for 23 points in 22 games. Bourque had five goals and 16 assists, also in 22 games. . . . Goalie Cory Schneider, a former Boston College standout, made 26 saves for the Moose in the championship game.
