St. Michael's Holiday 2012

http://www.mississauga.com/sports/article/1361600--move-over-majors-here-come-the-steelheadsThis year, 2012 starts a whole new set of updated changes for the September 29th blog post. It started as an inspired post to continue the special Catholic day honoring the legend of my own namesake. So, every year on this day, I spend some time to reflect on how to become a better person. But that's enough about me.

There are two university schools in North America that share the Archangel Michael's name that have a rich tradition of intercollegiate hockey programs. One in Toronto and another in Vermont. Only one problem. When I started this yearly blog custom, The Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the OHL morphed their identity along with their new owners.

One half of this blog's team recap capsule has now come to and end with the sad report that the St. Michael's Majors hockey program as it existed last year in the OHL is no longer. Earlier in the year, I missed the story that the Majors program had again been sold to Landmark Sport Group and were to be renamed. However, the naming rights went back to St. Michael College School in Toronto. I don't know if they will choose to rebuild a new program in a new athletic conference. But moving forward, I will certainly honor the team's long tradition of developing many players for the professional ranks.

COHF would like to wish the new Mississauga OHL team good luck going ahead into this season.

SMC Logo

St. Michael's College program is a Div-II team in the Northeast-10 conference. They have both men's and women's teams. They don't win very often, but they continue to be awesome representatives of the university.

The men's team is looking to fill the continuity gap with the resignation of last year's head coach. Alumni Chris Davidson had hung on to the program for 5 years as head coach while placing 16 total years with the hockey program. That news came in July and it took a month to find Damian DiGiulian in August as a suitable replacement.
It seems like every year that I use the cliche of "nowhere to go but up". The men's Purple Knights team will have to do better than the 6-18-2 of last year's record. While examining their season last year, they did string a few wins together at the end of January of 2012. However, the last few games they lost by a large goals against margin.

The women's team last year didn't have much of anything to be proud of either. A 3-22-1 record is what happens when the team gives up 113 goals (4.34 GAA) all season long. Amazingly, that is the same number of goals against that the men tallied. But as long as they keep up their GPA's, then perhaps their futures after graduation will be be a lot better. Perhaps what they need is an infusion of Div I instruction as the Lady Purple Knights have hired former University of Vermont captain Chelsea Rapin as assistant coach.

Good luck this season, St. Michael's College. I will be praying for you.