Mags Coach Honored

MAGNIFICAT HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS COACH WINS ‘COACH OF THE YEAR’

FROM THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS

(ROCKY RIVER, OH) Chris Johnson, Magnificat High School tennis coach, has received the “2008 Coach of the Year for the State of Ohio” award from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Coach Johnson led the Magnificat Blue Streaks to three tournament championships this year, with all seven of the Varsity A Team players advancing from OHSAA Sectional to District competition. One player went to State, finishing as one of the top eight singles players in Ohio.

Coaching Magnificat tennis for the last three seasons, Johnson has consistently led his players to District and State competition, with a 53-3 record. Under his leadership, his team has won two League Championships, a District Championship and a State Team Championship in 2007. He was also named Plain Dealer “Coach of the Year” in 2007.

Johnson’s selection for the award was based on his team’s winning season, as well as the consistent dominating force Magnificat has been in the sport of tennis under his tenure.

“This is a great honor for Chris, as well as for the tennis team and for Magnificat High School,” says Ms. Rhonda Rickelman, athletic director for Magnificat High School.

Johnson is a Bay Village resident.

Magnificat High School, a Catholic, college preparatory school for girls, is located at 20770 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River.
-30-

Browns Sign Ivey

Browns SIGN DB IVY

The Cleveland Browns announced that they signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Corey Ivy today. Ivy is a veteran of eight NFL seasons who has spent the past three years with Baltimore. He was in training camp with the Browns in 2000.

Ivy originally went to camp with New England as an undrafted college free agent in 1999 and had a brief stint on the Patriots’ practice squad that year. After attending camp with Cleveland, he latched on with Tampa Bay in 2001, and spent the next four years with the Bucs where he was a member of the team that captured the Super Bowl title following the 2002 season. He played one year with St. Louis (2005) before joining the Ravens. In his NFL career, the 32-year-old Ivy has appeared in 110 regular season contests, including 21 starts. He has amassed 209 tackles, 9.5 sacks, three interceptions, 37 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also has been a mainstay on special teams where he has registered 96 stops. He started 13 games for the Ravens in 2007 when he recorded 63 tackles, three sacks and an interception.

Ivy lettered two years at Oklahoma (1997-98) after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma. Born March 29, 1977, he attended Moore (Okla.) High School.

-BROWNS-

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Indians Trim Roster

INDIANS REDUCE ROSTER BY

FIFTEEN (15) PLAYERS

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has reduced their spring training roster by fifteen (15) additional players.

This morning the Indians optioned RHP JOHN MELOAN, RHP ADAM MILLER, RHP HECTOR RONDON, RHP JUAN SALAS, LHP TONY SIPP, CA CARLOS SANTANA and INF LUIS VALBUENA to AA Akron and re-assigned RHP JACK CASSEL, LHP DAVID HUFF, CA ARMANDO CAMACARO, INF JORDAN BROWN, INF WES HODGES, INF JESUS MERCHAN, INF BEAU MILLS and OF STEPHEN HEAD to minor league camp.

Currently there are 44 players in Major League camp in Goodyear, AZ. The Indians take on the Milwaukee Brewers today in Maryvale, AZ at 1:05PM PT/4:05PM ET with LHP AARON LAFFEY taking the hill.

—tribe—

Monsters Fall to Milwaukee at Home

MONSTERS EDGED IN OVERTIME AT HOME BY MILWAUKEE

In their first game of a home-and-home series against the Milwaukee Admirals, the Lake Erie Monsters pushed the AHL’s second-best team to the brink before losing in overtime, 2-1, at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night.

“It was the type of game I expected; two teams that don’t give up a lot of goals in the standings, and two good teams defensively,” said head coach Joe Saco. “We knew it would be a close, low-scoring affair. Unfortunately, in overtime, we couldn’t find a way to seal the deal.”

Phil Dupuis started the scoring for the Monsters, notching his team-leading 16th goal of the season on the power play at the 15:13 mark of the first period. Skating into the zone, captain Chris Durno dropped the puck for Dupuis just inside the blue line. Driving to the net, Durno took both Admirals defenders with him, opening up space for Dupuis. Making quick strides from the blue line in, Dupuis fired a wrist shot from the top of the circle, beating Milwaukee goalie Mark Dekanich low on the blocker side, to put the Monsters ahead, 1-0.

With the goal, Dupuis has now registered a point in the past five games, recording five points (2G, 3A) in that time.

Heading into the second period trailing by one, the Admirals would tie the game at the 8:15 mark of the middle frame on Mike Santorelli’s 20th of the season. Knifing through the Lake Erie slot, Santorelli turned the puck over on his back hand and let if fly, beating Monsters goalie Jason Bacashihua low blocker side. Kelsey Wilson and Scott Ford picked up the assists on the goal.

With time winding down in the second, the Monsters were poised to take the lead. Walking out of the corner with the puck, Josh Aspenlind threw a cross-crease pass to Dupuis. Looking at an open net, Dupuis one-timed the feed. But before Dupuis could raise his arms in celebration, Dekanich dove from one side of the net to the other, getting the toe of his stick on the puck, making sure the game would remain tied going into the third period.

Heading into the final frame of regulation knotted up, both goalies would get out of the third period unscathed. The final 20 minutes of regulation play saw the score stay tied at one, as Bacashihua turned away 11 shots, while Dekanich turned away five, sending the teams into overtime.

It seemed as if the game was destined for a shootout, but then, with 21 seconds left in the sudden death overtime, Cal O’Reilly scored the game-winning goal, his 14th of the year. Ragging the puck into the Monsters zone on his back hand, O’Reilly circled the Monsters cage and tucked the puck in on the wrap around, giving the Admirals the win.

The Monsters finish their home-and-home with the Admirals on Friday, when they travel to Milwaukee for the first time in franchise history for a game at the Bradley Center at 8:00 p.m. Lake Erie will close out the weekend with a set of home games, as the team hosts San Antonio on Saturday and the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday.

Mount Union Diver Making Marks

MINNEAPOLIS, MN)–Mount Union College sophomore Mary Vallinger (Poland/Poland Seminary) finished 12th in the 3 meter diving competition at the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships Wednesday at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Vallinger tallied 403.60 points and was only the second underclassman in the top 12.

She will compete in the 1 meter dive Friday and you can watch a LIVE web video broadcast.

A month ago Vallinger claimed her second straight Ohio Athletic Conference diving titles and second-straight OAC Diver of the Year award.

“Mary has worked very hard and has tremendous potential,” commented Mount Union College head men’s and women’s swimming coach Eric Mojock. “She is extremely dedicated and we all look forward to watching her compete against the best of the best.”

Aside from coaching Vallinger at the NCAA Championships, Mount Union diving coach Richard Blough in his 50th season involved in either competing or coaching will serve as a judge for the men’s diving competion.

Local Girls Burn Up The Ice

OHIO FLAMES WINS 3 MID-AMERICAN DISTRICT GIRLS ICE HOCKEY
CHAMPIONSHIPS, TWO TEAMS ADVANCE TO NATIONS.
CLEVELAND, OH; MARCH 17, 2009: In action last weekend, The Ohio
Flames Girls/Women’s hockey teams won three USA Hockey, Mid-
America District Championships. The U16 Tier II team defeated
the Erie Lady Lions 3-1 on Friday, 3-13-09, in the inaugural
Tier II championship game played at the Cleveland Heights
Pavilion. Winning titles at Kent State University Saturday,
3/14/09; the U12 Tier I team defeated Team Pittsburgh 4-1 and
the U19 Tier I team defeated Gilmour 4-0. Both Tier I teams
advance to the USA Hockey National Championships, April 1-5, in
Rochester, New York. Other Ohio Flames teams playing in the USA
Hockey, Mid-America District Championship finals in Kent were
the U14 Tier I team winning the Siler Medal with a 4-3 loss to
Team Pittsburgh in OT in the Championship Game and the U16 Tier
I team winning the Siler Medal with a 4-0 loss to Team
Pittsburgh in the Championship Game.
Ohio Flames Mid-Am Championship Results Page 2
~ MORE ~
About: U12 Tier I
The U12 Tier I team won the District Championship 4-1 over rival
Team Pittsburgh on goals from:
1st Period; Bauman on a power play
1st Period; Lindsey – assist Speroff, Pozuc
1st Period; Filice – assist Menges
3rd Period; Filice – open net
The U12 Tier I team is a tournament and Nationally-bound team,
coached by Mike Bauman (former coach of St Ignatius High School)
and Bill Switaj (current coach of Walsh Jesuit High School and
former coach of Kent State Univeristy, Div 1). In addition to
playing in regional tournaments, the players also play on local
boys Pee Wee teams during the season. The remaining schedule
for the U12 Tier I team will be the National Tournament at The
ESL Center in Rochester, NY; April 1-5. U12 Tier I roster:
Kasidy Anderson Shaker Hts, OH
Samantha Bauman South Euclid, OH
Maya Davis Kent, OH
Megan Drucker Solon, OH
Michelle Filice Kent, OH
Madison Hoven Batavia, OH
Allison Lindsey Strongsville, OH
Kelley Madden Novelty, OH
Carolyn Menges Novelty, OH
Monica Pozuc Kent, OH
Sarah Speroff Euclid, OH
Gabriella Switaj Kent, OH
Audrey Warner Shaker Hts, OH
Kellen Wittman Tecumseh, KS

Monsters Go Pink

Pretty in Pink and Must Love Dogs at The Q This Weekend!

Lake Erie Monsters to play on pink ice and wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer this Saturday to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Fans encouraged to bring their dogs to the game on Sunday to benefit the APL

No, it’s not a movie screening, but Quicken Loans Arena will be Pretty in Pink and feel like Must Love Dogs this weekend. This Saturday, March 21st, the Lake Erie Monsters will be hosting “Pink the Rink” Night to support breast cancer awareness. The following day, Sunday, March 22nd, the team will hold “Pucks and Paws” Night, where fans are encouraged to bring their dogs with them to the game.

For Pink the Rink on Saturday, presented by Rock the House Entertainment, the playing ice will be painted pink and the players will be wearing one-of-a-kind pink jerseys. The logo on the front of the jersey even includes a pink ribbon, the universal symbol of breast cancer awareness. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game, so fans will be able to bid on their favorite players’ sweaters and will walk away with the game-worn jersey at the end of the night…sweat and all! Portions of the proceeds from both the jersey auction and ticket sales from the night will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Northeast Ohio affiliate. The Monsters play the San Antonio Rampage at 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, fans are invited to bring their dogs to the game against the Grand Rapids Griffins at 5:00 p.m. for Pucks and Paws Night, presented by Camp Bow Wow of Bedford Heights. Furry friends will have their own ‘seat,’ and all the proceeds from the dog tickets will go to the Cleveland Animal Protective League. The APL will also have several pets at the game that Monsters fans can adopt that night. The first 200 dogs at the game will receive a free Monsters dog bowl.

Tickets for both games begin at just $10 and are available at LakeErieMonsters.com or by calling (216) 420-0000. Individual tickets for other upcoming Monsters games, starting at just $10 per seat per game, as well as prorated season ticket plans and group tickets, are also on sale now.

The Lake Erie Monsters are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert.

Jackson Off To Erie

DARNELL JACKSON ASSIGNED TO BAYHAWKS

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned forward Darnell Jackson to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.

Jackson has played in 37 games for the Cavaliers this season and has averaged 1.0 point and 1.2 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game. This is the second time Jackson has been assigned to the BayHawks this season. In his only appearance in Erie, Jackson scored a game-high 24 points on 10-14 shooting (.714) and grabbed six rebounds in 26 minutes in the BayHawks’ 101-89 victory over the Utah Flash on February 9th.

He will be available to play tonight for the BayHawks in their game versus the Austin Toros at 7 p.m. at the Tullio Arena in Erie.

The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

-cavs.com-

Browns Ink Herron

Browns SIGN RB HERRON

The Cleveland Browns announced today that the club has signed free agent running back Noah Herron.

The 26-year-old Herron was originally a seventh-round draft choice of Pittsburgh in 2005. Since that time he has played with Pittsburgh (2005), Green Bay (2005-07) and Tampa Bay (2008).

In 23 career games, the 5-11, 225-pounder has rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns on 85 carries and caught 29 passes for 211 yards and a pair of scores. He had his best season in 2006 when he played in all 16 games with the Packers and rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown on 37 attempts, and tallied 29 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He spent all of 2007 on Green Bay’s injured reserve list with a knee injury and was inactive for all four games that he spent on the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster last year.

Herron was a four-year letterman at Northwestern (2001-04) where he rushed for 2,524 yards and 26 touchdowns on 462 carries and finished his career as the school’s fifth all-time leading rusher. He also amassed 72 receptions for 781 yards and two touchdowns. He was a consensus All-Big 10 selection as a senior in 2004 when he ran for 1,381 yards and 14 touchdowns on 274 attempts and caught 36 passes for 351 yards and a score.

-BROWNS-

Miller May Need Surgery

Last week RHP Adam Miller experienced pain in his right long finger (middle finger) with a decrease in range of motion and a decrease in strength in the finger… He then saw a hand specialist in Scottsdale, AZ on Monday, March 16 and also was seen by Dr. Tom Graham the following day.

Adam threw again today, playing catch up to 105 feet and then threw 25 pitches off of the mound without experiencing any pain in the finger during or following …. If Adam can learn to pitch with the altered anatomy in the finger and can compensate and pitch effectively with it, no surgery will be necessary.

However, if Adam cannot pitch effectively over the next 7-10 days showing command, control and velocity, he will undergo reconstructive surgery on his right long finger.

Due to the injury being to his right long finger, the injury could be career threatening.

If Adam undergoes the surgery, rehabilitation could be 9-12 months.