Holly Stewart

Until last month, Ryan McKiernan hadn’t played as a forward in over six years and was having one of the best seasons of any rookie defenceman in the country. In the 18 games before Christmas he notched 12 points—the fourth-most by any OUA freshman defenceman—as his McGill Redmen stormed to a 16-0-2 record.

Yet when the Redmen returned from the Christmas break, the lifelong defenceman was playing forward.

“It had been a while since I’d played forward,” McKiernan said. “But everyone wants to be known as a versatile player, so I was excited to give it a try.”

McKiernan was an atypical selection for the move from defence to forward. Most blueliners who make the transition are big, bruising types—like Dustin Byfuglien with the Chicago Blackhawks or the Ottawa Gee-Gees’ Dylan Hole—not puck-moving, offensive defenceman.

But with the return of Keven Dupont from an offseason operation that had caused him to miss the first half of the year, McGill suddenly had seven capable defencemen, and not enough ice time to go around.

Add in a glut of injuries to forwards—Francis Verreault-Paul, Andrew Wright, Patrick Belzile, and Jean-Francois Boisvert have all missed significant time—and the Redmen were in dire need of some help up front.

“We decided not to move someone up front who could just be an extra body,” said McGill Head Coach Kelly Nobes. “[McKiernan] could move up and be an impact forward.”

According to Nobes, with all their injuries, McGill needed a top-six forward. McKiernan wouldn’t just be changing positions—he’d be skating on the second line of the team ranked second in the nation.

“He’s given us some real depth by being effective on one of our top lines,” Nobes said. “It’s great that he’s looked at this as an opportunity to improve as a player, and help his team, rather than thinking ‘Aw, I’m being taken out of my position.'”

In 10 games as a forward, McKiernan has registered eight points. But according to his coaching staff and his teammates, the most impressive part of McKiernan’s transition has been adjusting to the nuances of positioning as a winger.

“It’s knowing where to be in the different scenarios that’s the tough part,” Nobes said. “He’s done a nice job with our defensive zone coverages, especially since we’ve adjusted some of our systems because of the injuries.”

According to Nobes, the move to forward may not be permanent for McKiernan. If McGill’s injured forwards all return for the playoffs, McKiernan will likely shift back to defence.

“Ideally, Ryan would be playing defence, because that’s where he helps the team the most,” Nobes said. “But he gives us a unique ability to be flexible with our lines.”

McKiernan is also unique in that he’s the first American to play hockey for McGill in the last 12 years. His heritage is a fact that is not lost on his teammates.

“Whenever I hear a [French insult] and the word ‘American’ in the same sentence, I know they’re referring to me,” McKiernan said.

McKiernan should be used to that particular display of Quebecois affection, however, as he spent two years playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, before coming to McGill.

After planning to play American college hockey as a child, McKiernan was introduced to the McGill coaching staff by his coach in Drummondville, Guy Boucher—a McGill alumnus who is the current head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Boucher introduced me to the McGill hockey program and it was a no-brainer to come here,” McKiernan said. “It was a chance to play on a great hockey team and go to the best school in Canada at the same time.”

That decision has paid off for McKiernan, as the Redmen are ranked second in the nation and are a favorite to capture the school’s first-ever University Cup—a goal that McKiernan will do almost anything to further.

“I’ll play wherever the team needs me,” McKiernan said. “Forward or defence—anything to help us get closer to Nationals.”

Last Saturday night, from the friendly confines of my living room, I experienced my first Ultimate Fighting Championship event. I had seen a few Mixed Martial Arts fights before, but had never watched a live pay-per-view. The show, it turned out, was spectacular. And that has a lot to do with the fact that I witnessed Anderson Silva deliver one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history

On 5 February Silva not only solidified himself as UFC’s top fighter, he may have cemented his legacy as the greatest fighter ever with a performance that left MMA fans foaming at the mouth. Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a single kick to the face at 3:25 of the opening round. “The Kick Heard Round The World” was one of the most impressive athletic feats I’ve ever seen.

Silva rolled into the ring just after midnight, leaving a trail of swagger in his wake as Bill Withers’  “Ain’t No Sunshine” played overhead. He’s a physical specimen—a long-limbed, sneaky panther ready to pounce at any moment.

As Silva began the fight, dancing around the octagon, it felt like I was watching a modern-day Muhammad Ali. Silva pranced around Belfort mockingly, literally laughing off the few punches that Vitor managed to land. He was toying with his opponent in a terrifying way. And then it happened. Out of nowhere. Just like that.

When Silva delivered “the kick,” it looked like it was headed for Belfort’s midsection. This is a common tactic used to control the ring and land a shot. But at the last millisecond, Silva jolted his leg upward and knocked Belfort square in the face. Vitor’s eyes immediately rolled back as his defeated body crumpled to the ground.

Nobody saw it coming; Belfort least of all. The high kick is rare enough, but when thrown with the intent of ending a fight, it’s less common than a Phil Kessel goal. It literally never happens. Silva was standing so close to Belfort that there shouldn’t have been enough room for him to physically carry it out. Furthermore, performing a kick of that nature is extremely risky because it makes the fighter very vulnerable. High risk, high reward. Silva performed it to perfection.

If my thorough satisfaction with UFC 126 is any indication, UFC, led by its brash, ingenious President Dana White, is poised to gain more and more fans by the day. The pay-per-view event itself was a joy to watch, with each fight having its own unique storyline that tied even a casual fan like myself into the outcome. It’s no wonder that MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world.

Boxing purists need to face the facts. The sport’s time has come and gone. Any hope boxing had of remaining relevant in the one-sided battle with UFC disappeared with the failure of the hyped up, tentatively planned Manny Pacquiao—Floyd Mayweather super-fight. Boxing, my friends, is done. UFC is here to stay.

The sport’s appeal is twofold. Of course, there’s the opportunity to see two men beat each other senseless. If you’re one of those people who believes that statement is pathetic and something a testosterone-filled sports junkie would say, you’re probably right. But what’s even more impressive about the UFC is that tactics play an incredibly underrated role in the fights. Many uneducated fans believe two guys get into a ring and street fight. This couldn’t be further from the truth. These athletes are versed in Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and countless other fighting disciplines.

The time is ripe to get on board the UFC bandwagon. With UFC set to make its debut in Toronto in April and a Georges St. Pierre-Anderson Silva superfight later this year, the future has never looked brighter.

Back in my living room, 10 guys sat glued to the screen as Silva entered the ring surrounded by an aura like nothing we had ever seen. When he landed “the kick,” our house reacted as if we were on the bench of the L.A. Clippers watching Blake Griffin posterize another hapless victim. We had just witnessed something historic. At the time, I didn’t realize its significance. I only saw some dude get knocked the f*@# out—it was awesome.

Adam Scotti

A chance to extend their semifinal series against the Carabins slipped through the Martlets’ grasp as the match point found its way through libero Daphnee-Maude André-Morin’s outstretched hands.

“We gave it our all and it came down to a fourth set, 24-23, for the other team and one pass,” said André-Morin after the loss. “I won’t forget that one, that’s for sure.”

The Martlets lost their best of three semifinal series against the number-two ranked University of Montreal Carabins two games to zero. Montreal won game one at home in straight sets on Friday night.

Coming off the loss, McGill was primed for Saturday night’s game. Graduating senior Kelsey Irwin opened the scoring with a bang, killing a weak volley that barely snuck over the net. The set went back and forth from there, with McGill building a five-point lead before Montreal tied the game at 24 apiece. From there Kelsey Irwin ran off two consecutive kills to earn the opening set win.

The tight game seemed to rattle Montreal, if not on the court then at least on their bench, as the Carabin benchwarmers started screaming loudly every time the Martlets served. A McGill fan matched and exceeded this display of classlessness by sounding an airhorn for the first two Carabin serves of the second set. The set stayed close until 18-18, when Montreal went on a 7-2 run to close it out 25-20.

The run was fuelled by passive plays from the Martlets, and renewed aggressiveness from the Carabins. Montreal kept its foot on the accelerator in a 25-17 third-set shellacking.

The Martlets finally responded in the fourth, running out to a 4-0 lead before coming back to Earth. Montreal caught up at five apiece and from that point neither team could get any separation, with the largest lead being only two points. Montreal snuck out to a one-point lead, 24-23, off of a kill that just barely kissed the line.

With Montreal serving and McGill already down two sets to one, the Martlets’ Head Coach Rachele Beliveau called for time. In the time out Beliveau urged her players to be aggressive. “[I told them] to really push hard and take risks because we can’t give a free ball to Montreal,” she said.

The Martlets never got a chance to put their coach’s advice into practice as Montreal aced their final serve. The ball dropped to the court only inches from libero André-Morin’s attempted diving save.

“She missed the last ball but she didn’t miss a pass the rest of the game,” said Beliveau. “Too bad it happened on the last point but it could have happened on the first point as well.”

Because the CIS championships are being held at Laval this year, instead of the usual two teams from the RSEQ, there will be three. Laval, and now Montreal, are in as the top two finishers in the conference. The Marlets will play a Quebec best-of-three bronze medal series against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or for the CIS wild card spot.

The series begins February 18 at Love Competiton Hall. With the Martlets holding a 3-0 regular season record against Sherbrooke, Nationals are still well within their grasp.

The January transfer window was off to a slow start for most European soccer leagues, until the last day of the month, when the headlines were flooded with unforeseen transfers of epic prices. Notably, Chelsea paid £58.8 million for striker Fernando Torres—breaking his long-term contract with Liverpool prematurely and becoming the subject of the most expensive transfer in the history of the English Premier League (EPL), which is a sign of the changes that wealthy owners are making to the EPL.

During the period from January 1 to 31, EPL clubs cashed out a record breaking total of £225 million. The EPL may be the highest-grossing professional sports league outside North America, but the sum was definitely alarming—so much so that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) issued a warning, emphasizing the code of “financial fair play” and reminding clubs to refrain from spending more than they can afford. The warning fell on deaf ears, because these clubs’ multi-billionaire owners can afford a lot.

Today, overseas business tycoons own approximately half of EPL clubs. It’s no coincidence that teams owned by wealthy businessmen, oil-heirs and investors have become the most dominant squads. The owners’ virtually unlimited cash flow enables these clubs to buy free agents and take advantage of less affluent clubs by offering extravagant prices to their top players. Inevitably, this leads to a supersaturation of talent in the top clubs and consequently little parity.

Furthermore, new owners are foregoing the process of recruiting players in their early teens and developing them towards the first team roster—a process that takes about 10 years. This method has typically resulted in rosters stocked with homegrown talent that the fans loved. John Terry, the current captain of Chelsea, was recruited by the club at age 14 and has matured to be the backbone of the team today 15 years later. The majority of foreign owners have turned to the quick fix of importing expensive elite players for immediate impact, like Torres.

Was Chelsea in desperate need of Torres? Absolutely not. The club already possesses four world-class strikers (Drogba, Malouda, Kalou, and Anelka) who have learned to play in sync as one of the most effective offensive lines in the league. Sure, they hit a rough patch midseason but with their fully capable squad, it was no offensive crisis. However, with the financial help of their current owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Chelsea turned to the easy out of purchasing talent rather than producing it.

Liverpool wasted no time mourning the loss of Torres. Instead, the club turned around and promptly signed Newcastle striker Andy Carroll for £35 million. This was the second big purchase for the club as they bought Ajax striker Luis Suarez for £22.7 million a few days earlier under the pretence that he would be playing alongside Torres. For Liverpool owners, American sports investors John W. Henry and Tom Werner, lavish spending on the likes of Carroll and Suarez is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it’s exactly how they operate the Boston Red Sox, which they’ve owned since 2002.

The Premier League has entered a new era where business has become too great an influence on decision-making. For the wealthy foreign owners, the league is just another playground for investments, where club success equals personal profit. The ability to win a championship is now directly correlated to the willingness of clubs to spend money.

Torres flourished during his time at Liverpool and was a valuable pillar on the squad. Fans were stunned and upset by his sudden departure. As a Liverpool fan myself, I felt the same way. Although Torres’s career goals are not to be undermined, the ultimate decision lay in Abramovich’s wallet. These owners are not paying for true team improvement; they’re viewing each season through the lens of a cost-benefit analysis, with wins balanced against cost, but with no regard for loyal fans. This may sound dramatic but if the league continues to be tainted with bottomless cash flow and impetuous ambitions, then the English may be robbed of their favourite pastime.

Holly Stewart

The second-ranked McGill Redmen (23-2-2) finished a record-setting season in impressive fashion as they shut out the Ottawa Gee-Gees (11-13-3) 7-0 in their final home game of the season at McConnell Arena Friday night. The Redmen dominated the Gee-Gees for the whole game as Guillaume Doucet scored four goals, Alex Picard-Hooper extended his CIS leading points total with a goal and four assists and goalie Hubert Morin registered his first shutout of the season. With the win, the Redmen established a new single-season team record of 23 wins.

McGill dominated the first period, outshooting the Gee-Gees 12-5, but were only able to take a 1-0 lead as defenceman Hubert Genest scored his fifth goal of the season. The second period started the same way as the Redmen continued to create scoring chances but were unable to finish.

Six minutes into the second, Guillaume Doucet took matters into his own hands and made an incredible play. Taking a pass in stride, he streaked down the left wing. As the Ottawa defender attempted to push him wide, the winger held off the defenceman with one hand while protecting the puck with the other. Doucet out-skated the defender, cut sharply to the net in front of the crease, and slipped the puck through the goalie’s five hole as the defenceman tripped him.

The goal put the Redmen up 2-0 and opened the floodgates. At 14:33 Christophe Longpre-Poirier got the puck in the corner of Ottawa’s end and found Doucet in the slot with a picture-perfect pass. Doucet quickly put the puck past Ottawa goalie Aaron Barton. 42 seconds later, Doucet scored again to complete the hat trick. That ended Barton’s night as he was pulled after allowing four goals on twenty shots.

“[Doucet] elevated his game in the last few weeks,” said Head Coach Kelly Nobes. “And that’s important for the team. To have a guy in his fourth year, likely his last year, and a leader amongst the group—it’s important for him to be playing at the top of his game and it looks as if he’s going to peak at the right time of the year. I’m happy for Guillaume and it’s going to be beneficial for the team.”

The third period was not any kinder to Gee-Gees back-up goaltender Harrison May than the first two periods were to Baron. McGill’s Picard-Hooper, Doucet and Jean-Francois Boisvert all scored in the third to make the game 7-0. Picard Hooper assisted on all four of Doucet’s goals.

The Redmen defence was incredible all night, as well, as Ottawa’s scoring chances were few and far between. The Gee-Gee’s were only able to register 18 shots and each time they threw the puck on net Morin was there to make the save. It was Morin’s first shutout of the season, improving his record to 14-2.

On Sunday, the Redmen concluded their regular season with a 4-1 victory over Concordia to claim the 24th annual Ronald Corey Cup and extend their single season win record to 24 games. Picard-Hooper added another two assists to extend his season points total to an incredible 58 points. He has clinched the OUA scoring title and has a 16-point lead in the CIS scoring race. If he holds on to win, he will be the first Redmen to lead the nation in scoring since Montreal Canadiens forward Mathieu Darche won the title in 2000.

McGill’s record-setting year comes in Head Coach Kelly Nobes’ first season behind the Redmen bench. This is the third time in his career that Nobes has led his team to a record setting regular season after previously doing so at RMC and Laurier.

“We’re excited [about the streak], we’re happy that we’ve done very well,” said third-year Redmen defenceman Ben Morse. “We’re happy that we improved and accomplished a pretty big milestone at both ends of the ice.”

While pleased with the record, Nobes and the Redmen have bigger goals on their minds, like winning the National Championship.

“[The winning record] is a nice accomplishment for the team,” said Nobes. “It’s certainly a feather in our cap if you will, but obviously moving forward in the playoffs we’re taking it one step at a time, but we want to win here in the playoffs.”

Now, the division-leading Redmen head into the OUA Eastern Conference playoffs. After finishing in eighth place, Ottawa will be McGill’s first round opponent in the best-of-three series. The first game of the series is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena. The second match will be played in Ottawa on Friday night. If the series is tied, they will return to McGill on Sunday.

The Redmen are considered to be one of the favourites to win the National Championship, but they insist they are not overlooking their upcoming match-up with Ottawa.

“You have to go one series at a time—I know it’s cliché—but Ottawa is a tough team,” said Morse. “We’ve had some battles with them throughout the year, and they’re physical. For us [to succeed, we] have to step up to the plate … and play our own game and hopefully that works for us.”

“We’re focusing on staying in the moment and playing each game at a time, and even each shift at a time,” echoed Nobes. “We’re trying to stay in the moment and focus on what task is at hand. We’re not really looking any further than that.”