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inreRno • coimnueo froiti m Division with 9 points, second in the entire AA comparable league to the Idaho Steelheads. Columbia started out the season swiftly by earning points in five straight games, amassing four wins, including a victorious shootout against the in-state rival South Carolina Stingrays and an overtime loss against the Augusta Lynx. The Infernos point streak did come to an end at home Sunday, as the Stingrays exacted revenge for the shootout, taking the decision 4-2. With most of the roster from last year being turned on its head, it’s fitting that Derek Eastman, a three-year Inferno veteran, is leading the team in points. The St. Paul, Minn., native tops the squad with 7 points in six games, as he has one goal and six assists. Seven players are tied for the lead in goals with two. apiece, including Eastman’s teammate from last season, right wing Chanse Fitzpatrick. Other prolific newcomers include second year professional center Mike Stathopoulos from Scarborough, Ontario, and forward Dave Bonk, a former collegiate player at Northern Michigan. Also, new to the team are three players from the Mississippi Sea Wolves. The Sea Wolves, based in Biloxi, have been forced to suspend operations for the season because of the damages to their arena by Hurricane Katrina. Joining the team from the suspended franchise are center Jay Legault, defenseman Chris Cava and left wing Nick Greenough. The trio has certainly earned their keep thus far, as they have combined for 15 total points, including five goals and 10 assists. Goaltending, like pitching in baseball, can either be a positive or a detriment, and the Inferno were left without a goalkeeper after stalwart netminders Rob McVicar and Mike Minard were allowed to leave the team. But Woodard signed Chris Houle, formerly of the Trenton Titans, and Robert Gherson of the United Hockey League’s Quad City Mallards. The two have split the duties so far this season. Each has started three games apiece. Gherson boasts a 1.96 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. The Manitoba Moose, a AAA team from the American Hockey League, has taken a notice in Gherson and offered him a professional tryout contract. The contract means that if they like what they see, Gherson could be promoted to AAA. The Inferno go on a four game road swing beginning this week when they play back-to-back games against the Pensacola Ice Pilots on Friday and Saturday. Columbia will then square off against the Lynx and the Greenville Grrrowl before coming back to the Carolina Coliseum to play the Ice Pilots on Sunday, Nov. 13. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports&gwm. sc. edu WRESTLING • COflTIflUGD FROdl II multiple state championships on the team,” Gainey said. “A majority of our wrestlers were very good high school wrestlers. A lot of the wrestlers that come to USC know about the team before they enroll, the rest pick up a flyer or check out the Web site, www.uscwrestling.org.” For members who want to compete and travel with the team, semester dues are $30, but those only interested in practice can do so without payment. As a club team, its only source of income comes from donations and fundraising. The Carolina Grapplettes, a team of females interested in wrestling, also help raise funds and travel with the team for support. In the “Facebook era,” recruitment of wrestlers and support for the team might pick up considerably. There is a Carolina Wrestling group with 67 members that includes officer information and encourages people to visit the wrestling Web site. Students can also find a Carolina Wrestling Club profile that has more than 390 friends. The profiles serve as free advertisement for the club, upcoming matchfes and practice teams for current and aspiring members. The club practices from Monday to Thursday from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the basketball courts at the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center. Mondays and Wednesdays are dedicated to conditioning; Tuesdays and Thursdays are when the members take to the mats. Anticipating NCWA membership hopefully this year, Gainey and the rest of the Carolina’s wrestlers are slowly building this program from the ground up and, with time, aspire to become the first SEC-affiliated school with a team in NCAA Division I wrestling. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwjn. sc. edu rnnmsv • connnucD mom m year at best; his 179 yards marks the first time he has eclipsed the 1 OO-yard mark. The leading kicker this week was the Giants’ Jay Feely with 21 points. He had five field goals and three PATs, proving once again that kickers can have a huge impact on the turnout of a game. This is the time of year where fantasy team owners will give up on their team because they are out of the race. Most owners who are out of it will set their team and leave it the rest of the year. This is an opportunity for owners still in contention to pick up some talent from these loser teams, such as teams that are 1-6, and the only talent they have is Smith. Now is the time to try and pick up these guys in trades because as it gets closer to the playoffs, owners will tend to reject trades that help other owners. The art of this is to give them something in return that appears to improve their team. Next week can prove pivotal for all teams in contention. A great pick up this week would be trading for Joe Jurevicius; he is coming off a bye in week seven and a mediocre week six performance, so you might be able to pick him up at a relatively cheap price. Look for Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander to have big days in week nine. The Seahawks are playing the Cardinals, who have an abysmal defense. Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks put up more than 500 yards in offense. The Giants’ Eli Manning should also have a big week nine. New York travels to the West Coast to play the league’s worst passing defense in San Francisco, and Barber hasn’t put up back-to-back stellar weeks this year — so all signs point toward a big day for Eli. Delhomme and Smith might have a tough go of things against the Tampa Bay defense. Coming off a tough loss to the 49ers, the Buccaneers will be out for some revenge. The Colts might also have a hard time against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Patriots have not played well until the fourth quarter this year, but they have always put up big numbers and their defense has always butchered the Colts’ offense, much like Peyton Manning does the English language. Denis Pony /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Gates catches a touchdown pass. VET/H ■■MlMMrTnii