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What the puck? Hockey season’s back MATT ROTHENBERG GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM There are many reasons why you should give hockey a look this year. OK, how many of you reading this column are excited that hock ey season is back in full swing? Don’t all of you raise your hands at once, now. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I, for one, am thrilled to hear the swoosh of the skates on the ice, the clatter of sticks at a faceoff, and the reverberating sound of a siren when it signals a goal. A lot of people think that hock ey is a brute’s game, one that calls for little skill but the ability to pull off a half-dozen punches into someone’s face. This couldn’t be much further from the reality of the situation. Playing ice hockey requires en durance and agility. After all, it’s a sport where you’re not relying on your feet to carry your body around, but rather a thin piece of sharpened steel. Hand-eye coordination is a must, as it is with most sports. Sharp reflexes and an uncanny sense of ESP are also valuable. But there are always the vari ables one cannot control — the status of the ice surface, the per formance of one’s equipment and just plain fate. Nevertheless, hockey is tbe sport of Kings... Blue Jackets and Mighty Ducks, too. Like basket ball, many different people from all corners of the globe come to North America to achieve great ness — which only comes when your name is inscribed on the Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy in all of professional sports. Ice hockey is about the people that play it. When has having less than a dozen real teeth in your mouth ever more revered, other than at NASCAR races? Seriously, though, guys are coming from big and small towns in the United States, Canada, cen tral Europe; Russia and who knows where else across the globe. Are you going to find many guys from places named Kamloops, Shawinigan, Flin Flon and Grand Bank playing in the NFL? How about guys from Voskresensk, Ornskoldsvik and Brno? I doubt it. This variety, which might only be rivaled in the NBA, makes the NHL a quilt created from all sorts of fabrics. The NHL is a place where people from numerous backgrounds and walks of life can come together for a sole purpose. Hockey is also a sport that is proud of its own history. Nowhere is this more evident than in the annual awards pre sented to the NHL’s best players. The great minds that shaped the game — Conn Smythe, Lester Patrick and Art Ross — as well as the game’s prolific athletes — Maurice Richard, Georges Vezina and King Clancy — are repre sented in trophies. What other major professional league in North America honors its great est players and coaches by nam ing awards after them? Not many, if any, I can think of. Only baseball’s New York Yankees can match the tradition and honors that the Montreal Canadiens display. With 23 Stanley Cup championship banners hang ing from the rafters at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens are also known for their symbolic torch, passed from captain to captain. The torch relays historic words from John Macrae’s “In Flanders Field,” words that are emblazoned in the team’s locker room. It reads: “To you from fail ing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high.” Or, if you prefer it in French: “Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flam beau. A vous toujours de le porter bien haul” Either way you look at it, those are some pretty heavy pieces of verse, and they are indicative of the overall sense of pride that the NHL has. Playing in the NHL is what young hockey-playing children dream of, especially drinking out of the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. But even minor league hockey is great to watch. The games are always a lot of fun, and, just like in minor league baseball, you know each of those guys is working his tail off just to one day get his big break. For some, it’s a never-ending quest. Even guys who never made it big in the NHL — and who still want to play the game — will try then luck in the minor leagues. That’s something you don’t see too often in baseball. I urge you to check out your lo cal hockey club, wherever you re side. Look past the fighting and rough play to see the game’s in ner beauty. You won’t be disap pointed. Rothenberg is a fourth-year sports management student. His column normally appears every Friday in Gamecock Sports. Football CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 yards in the first half (212) than they were allowing per game (208); That changed quickly in the third quarter. USC’s first five offensive plays of the second half included two in terceptions by Demetrius Hookfin, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The Gamecocks fin ished the third quarter with nine offensive plays for 1 yard, and LSU outscored them 25-0 in that span for a 31-14 lead. Saban credited his coaches for making some adjustments at half • time. He also credited his team for taking charge of the game. “I’d say that was a nice third quarter,” Saban said. “One of the nicest I’ve ever been around.” The turnaround was complete. USC quarterback Corey Jenkins, who hurt LSU with both his throwing and running in the first half, was contained in the sec ond. After completing 4-of-4 passes for 64 yards in the first half, Jenkins finished 5-of-12 for 65 yards. He rushed for 33 yards in the first half, 41 for the game. With the victory, LSU is alone in first place in the SEC West go ing into next week’s game with Auburn. LSU extended its win ning streak to six games. “We lost to a football team that played one heck of a football game,” USC head coach Lou Holtz said. “They didn’t have a turnover. They didn’t make many mistakes.” Third CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 play extremely well in the first half," he said. “We made some big plays on defense. ... The drive of the game was to take the ball in the second half and go right down the field and score, and I think that was a real key.” USC head coach Lou Holtz was worried before the game about LSU’s ability to go on a big run. “Once we got behind the “I knew the game was lost. All you could do was keep fighting and try to hold the score down.” LANGSTON MOORE use NOSE TACKLE eight ball and they could bring it, that’s the thing that you can’t do,” Holtz said. “We couldn’t play catch-up against them, and we knew that.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com www.dailygamecock.com I BRIEFLY Rosenberg scores winner for Carolina Junior defender Robert Rosenberg scored the lone goal of the match in the 94th minute to give the USC men’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over Rutgers on Saturday night in Piscataway, N. J. Three minutes and 55 seconds into the first overtime, Rosenberg scored the game-win ner, unassisted. USC goalkeeper Michael Bachmeyer posted four saves en route to his fifth shutout of the season. Rutgers (5-5-3) outshot the 13th-ranked Gamecocks 12-9, while USC (9-3-1) held the advan tage in corner kicks, 4-3. USC earns sweep, ties school record The 24th-ranked USC volley ball team swept the Auburn Tigers for the second time this season, winning 30-19, 30-22, 30 21 on Sunday. Now 9-0 in SEC play, the Gamecocks (16-3, 9-0 SEC) have tied the school record for the best SEC start, which was originally set in 1997. Carolina is also on a 10-match winning streak, its longest since 2000. Freshman Sarah Morgan led Carolina against Auburn with 16 kills, a career-high, while senior Nadia Sefferovich recorded a season-high 15 digs. Swimming teams win season opener Opening their seasons, USC’s swimming and diving teams de feated the College of Charleston on Friday in the Carolina Natatorium. The men’s team defeated the Cougars 143-125, and the Lady Gamecocks came away with a 153-127 victory. The diving team made an im pressive first showing of the year, as all of the divers qualified for Zones. The team also set three new school records. Andy Bradley placed first on the 3-meter and 1-meter spring boards, setting a new school record for total score on the 3 meter. Lauren King was the winner of both springboard events for the women, and she also set new school records for total score. Cassidy, Sherazi take doubles title The USC men’s tennis team wrapped up play at the USC Fall Invitational on Sunday, and Rob Cassidy and Nasir Sherazi teamed to earn a first-place fin ish in the A-B doubles bracket. Cassidy and Sherazi went 4-0 over the weekend to claim the championship. The Gamecock duo clinched the title with an 8-5 victory over Lander’s Carl Hesser and Sean Voorhies. In singles play, three Gamecocks advanced into semifi nal or final rounds. Ben Atkinson advanced to the A2 bracket’s semifinal round before falling to Valter Paiva of Hampton 6-1,1-6, 6-3. Jason McAlhaney also ad vanced to semifinal play before being defeated by Rice’s Take Morita 6-2,6-0. Cassidy advanced to the B1 consolation finals be fore falling to Jason Pieters of Georgia Tech 6-1,6-0. Lake’s win streak comes to an end USC’s cross country team re ceived third and 14th place finishes from co-captains Jenny Lake and Kinsey Eschenburg this weekend at the Winthrop University Fall Classic in Rock Hill. The Gamecocks finished fourth out of eight teams in the competition. Davidson won the team championship with 44 points, edging out Furman, which had 49. Stephanie Vangsnes of Winthrop took top honors with a time of 14 minutes, 23 seconds. Her time was 22 seconds faster then the second-place finisher. This was the last regular sea son meet for Carolina. The Gamecocks will have next week end off before they travel to Gainesville, Fla., on Nov. 4 to com pete at the SEC Championships. Aerobics instructor training Starts Friday, 1:30-245pm @ October 25,2002 BlattPl Center Studio To register or for information please call 777-1827 ■ - Campus Recreation Btaggg -"-University of South Carolina v,In-* ^. '* .^v ^ \ My Boyfriend M a support group for women in problematic relationships If you are experiencing relationship problems with your boyfriend, this group may be for you. We will explore... Communication Realistic Expectations in Romantic Relationships Emotional, Physical and Sexual Abuse Gender Roles and Equality ^ Other Issues Group Members Identify as Important This group will be lead by Della Marshall, LMSW, and Rachel Parker, an MSW candidate. Please call Rachel at 463.7625 to sign up or ask questions. I FRE^OVIE POSTERS^^^^^ , Tuesday, October 22 pick UP FREE Passes at Russell House Info Desk 9:00 PM Russell House Theater caro^Tp^ucLns {('} Cinematic Arts Commission