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VANCOUVER -- Milan Dragicevic is determined not to go down without a fight. White Mens Earl Thomas III Limited Jersey . Dragicevic, coach of the University of British Columbia varsity mens hockey team, is on a mission to keep his program going as its future remained in doubt Tuesday. The school announced 16 teams, from the current 29, that will play next season -- but mens hockey wasnt among those approved. "It was really disappointing, obviously -- disappointing for the players, disappointing for the program, disappointing for the alumni -- and all the hard work thats (been done) for this program for the last 100 years," said Dragicevic. "And for (university administrators) to even consider putting this program as a non-varsity (program), its a slap in the face, I think." UBC has played a key role in Canadas national hockey development. The late Father David Bauer and former UBC athletic director Bob Hindmarch established the first Canadian national team on campus in 1963. The universitys sport review advisory team is in the midst of examining the athletics department and determining which teams should stay at the varsity level. The fate of the 13 other teams will be decided at the end of February, giving Dragicevic and the programs supporters about six weeks to save the mens hockey program. Teams receiving a passing grade include: womens ice hockey and womens field hockey, mens and womens basketball, mens football, mens rugby and womens volleyball. "Mens hockey is gonna stay," said Dragicevic. "I have a feeling that its going to stay. Im very confident, and as I told all the players today, our alumni group is a very powerful group. They support our program. It doesnt matter about wins and losses. Its all about player development and development for life afterward." Administrators contend the varsity teams annual budget, which has been raised by $200,000 to $6.4 million, is insufficient for so many high-performance teams. "We simply could not have gone on with 29 varsity teams," said Louise Cowin, UBCs vice-president of students, during a news conference. "And, its not just a question of financial resources." Cowin added that UBCs athletics program was on "an unsustainable path" and other Canadian universities have been struggling with the same issues. She pointed to the University of Toronto, Queens, Carlton, University of New Brunswick, Trent and Brock as examples of post-secondary institutions where the number of varsity teams has been reduced. But Dragicevic called his teams omission from the approved list "shocking" given hockeys popularity and rich history in Canada. "Its Canadas national sport," said Dragicevic. "Weve been around for a long time. It kind of blows your mind that they would consider this, when you look at the tradition and the community involvement that we have. At the end of the day, I believe theyre gonna say hockey is a no-brainer to keep at the varsity level." The approvals came after teams submitted reasons why their programs should continue. The mens field hockey team is also determined to retain its varsity status after missing out in the first stage. "I thought we fit the criteria very well," said Arif Virjee, a player who with the team who also sits on UBCs athletes council. He cited players strong academics, national team representatives and the teams long history as factors in its favour. "Weve had national team players stretching back to the 1950s," he said. Virjee, who is in his last year at UBC, feels mostly for young players who hope to continue with the program. "This is my last year at the university," he said. "I think its more disappointing for first and second-year players. They made choices in coming here. They have to make some decisions going forward." Other notable omissions from the approved list include womens soccer, even though UBC is a national soccer training centre that Canadian womens team coach John Herdman has pledged to use for training and player development, mens and womens golf and mens baseball. The baseball team has supplied a number of players, including pitcher Jeff Francis, to the major leagues and Canadas Olympic team. Varsity teams are being graded on a number of criteria set out by the university, including success in competition, coaching strength, history, alumni support and even attendance, which is traditionally low for most sports on campus. Cowin and Ashley Howard, UBCs managing director of athletics and recreation, were surprised that 16 teams passed the first stage of the review. They had expected fewer teams to qualify. Howard said the approved teams made the based on their current situations and decisions were not based on new alumni funding support. But, she said, new funding programs will be considered for teams seeking to be approved as part of the second stage. The review process has generated strong opposition from some alumni and current donors with many concerned some teams are being unfairly targeted for their high cost and lack of recent success. Derek Swain, head of an alumni group who has been battling to keep programs alive, was not impressed with what he heard at the news conference, contending that administrators have not been as transparent as they claim to be. He said the administrations plan has been "highly flawed" while the review has "an unnecessary and divisive process." "Im hopeful though that they got the message that varsity athletics are very important and theyre very important to the community at large," said Swain, a former UBC basketball player. Swain said alumni groups are planning to withhold donations to the university if teams lose their varsity status. He said its important to recognize that former varsity athletes contribute more to the universitys general coffers than other graduates. But Swain, who criticized administrators for not including more people with varsity sports experience in the review process, said hes hopeful that some programs can be saved. Jermaine Kearse Authentic Jersey . A CFL source told TSNs Matthew Scianitti that Smith will re-sign with the Toronto Argonauts. Blue Luke Willson Elite Womens Jersey . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. NEWARK, N.J. -- The Florida Panthers are hardly a powerhouse away from home, but they are showing signs of improvement on the road. Scott Clemmensen stopped 27 shots against his former team, and the Panthers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Saturday. "Very satisfying win built on team effort," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "We got a lot of quality minutes out of players." Sean Bergenheim, Kris Versteeg and Mikael Samuelsson scored for the Panthers, who have won four of six. Florida stretched its Southeast Division-lead over Washington to two points with just its second road win in 12 games. Steve Bernier scored for the Devils, and Martin Brodeur made 18 saves, but New Jersey has lost two straight for the first time since a three-game skid from Jan. 19-24. "Its a missed opportunity," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "We didnt do enough, made a couple mistakes, and they made us pay." Bernier and Bergenheim traded goals in the first period. Bernier scored his first goal since Feb. 10, 2011, 1:39 in to give the Devils a quick lead. Dainius Zubrus forced a turnover by Keaton Ellerby below the right circle, and Zubrus pass to Alexei Ponikarovsky deflected in off Bernier in front. New Jersey surged after the early goal, and the Devils had an 8-0 advantage in shots until Brodeur stopped Eric Gudbransons drive at 10:58 of the first. But while the Devils dominated, they couldnt solve Clemmensen. The Panthers play improved as the first period progressed. "Thats what you need for your goaltender," Panthers defenceman Brian Campbell said. "It was an important game for us. It is important to get wins." The Devils recorded only 15 shots in the final 40 minutes. &quoot;I think we came out well in the first 10 minutes," DeBoer said. Russell Wilson Authentic Jersey. "I think it was a combination of a couple things. Were playing our seventh game in 11 1/2 days (and) I think we ran out of gas. On the other side, I thought Florida did a good job of bottling us up. I think it was a combination of those two things. "We just couldnt generate." Bergenheim got the Panthers even at 15:08 with a power-play goal, redirecting Gudbransons shot past Brodeur. Versteeg gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead 7:43 into the second when he ripped Stephen Weiss blocked shot over Brodeur from the slot. Versteegs goal was his 21st of the season, one shy of his career high set in the 2008-09 season when he was with Chicago. "I think Steeger is a big game player, a big-game goal scorer. He played on both sides of special teams," Dineen said. "I was happy with the way he responded." Florida protected its one-goal lead in the third period by clogging the neutral zone and keeping the Devils shots from the perimeter. "We did a good job coming back," Campbell said, "blocking shots, doing what (good teams) do." Samuelsson added an empty-net goal at 19:35 to make it 3-1. "A game like this late in the year is better than a game like this earlier in the year," Clemmensen added. "For us to do it here is good. Its a road win; good for us." Florida was 1 for 3 on the power play and killed New Jerseys only advantage. NOTES: The matinee was Floridas first of the season. The Panthers will play another day game on Sunday at the New York Islanders. ... The teams split the season series 2-2. ... Florida D Jason Garrison sustained an undisclosed lower body injury in the second period and didnt return. ' ' ' |
