Oregon Daily Emerald
Wednesday, October 5,2005
“But the real tragedy was that
15 hadn’t been colored yet. ”
Steve Spurrier, former Florida football coach, bemoaning the fact that a fire
at Auburn’s football dorm had destroyed 20 books in 1991.
■ In my opinion
SCOTT I. ADAMS
INTENTIONAL GROUNDING
Revamped
NHL makes
return after
a year away
I know this week’s column places me at risk
of losing some of my few-but-loyal readers, but
I feel it needs to be written, so bear with me:
This column is about hockey.
I see you haven’t turned the page yet, so I’ll
keep going.
I could not be happier with the return of the
National Hockey League following a season-long
hiatus spurred by a 10-month players lockout. I’m
well aware that most of America may not have
mourned the absence of professional hockey last
year, but fans of the sport, such as myself, are in
need of it and happy to see it back.
In my opinion, the NHL offers the most excit
ing playoff action this side of the Big Dance. The
16 teams that make the playoffs are faced with
playing a minimum of 16 post-season games in
order to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup. That means
there are four series to be played with each being
best of seven. Don’t think for a minute that the
playoffs are without upsets. With every year there
is a post-season shakeup favoring an underdog.
Just look at the current caretakers of the Stan
ley Cup in Tampa Bay. It has been two years since
head coach John Tortorella and his Lightning
shocked the hockey world by topping Calgary in
the 2004 finals. Many never thought they’d see a
team from Florida hold the cup for more than one
year, much less beat a team from Canada in a
hockey series.
The regular season opens today, and there is
much to look for in the opening games as the
NHL tries to both resurrect and reinvent itself
with its $39 million salary cap. The league has
implemented a number of new rules and regula
tions in the hopes of making the game more fast
paced, ultimately favoring the quickest players.
One such alteration is the four-foot addition to
each offensive zone. This was made to encour
age more offensive play, mainly on power plays.
The size of the neutral zone is being reduced by
four feet, but the blue lines and center line will
remain 12 inches wide. ESPN analyst Scott Bum
side feels that these changes will provide “much
needed room to create offense.”
The biggest change to the game is the addition
of the shoot-out, ending the days of regular sea
son ties. No regular or post-season game will end
in a tie or be left solely to overtime to be decided.
After a scoreless five-minute overtime period,
three players from each team — picked by their
coaches — will compete in a shoot-out. This is
different from college football, in which statistics
and the score are penciled into the archives, with
the final score of a game ending in a shoot-out
showing the victor winning by only one goal.
It’s clear that sports fans who yearn for a quick
ending to a tie game will take joy in this new
arrangement. But as with any rule change, this is
going to take time to grow accustomed to. Shoot
outs have been used in professional soccer for as
far back as I can remember, and still there is a
ADAMS, page 8
the sideline
Former soccer players Nicole
Wilcox and Jen Hull help
athletic coaching staff
BY JEFFREY DRANSFELDT
SPORTS REPORTER
-rihey have the appearance of athletes —
fit and strong as they stand along the
X sideline. It’s just not a look you expect
of former athletes, especially not ones retired
from the game.
The competitiveness remains — it’s just
channeled differently. Years of learning and
competing at a high level have provided the
coaches a foundation with which to teach a
promising Oregon soccer team.
The Oregon coaching staff leans toward
the young side, and doesn’t hesitate to go be
yond the sideline to the field if that’s what it
takes to show what they teach. Whether it be
head coach Tara Erickson, assistant coaches
Mike Smith and Nicole Wilcox or volunteer
coach Jen Hull, this staff has taken a hands
on approach.
At practice, one or multiple members of the
coaching staff are always playing with the soc
cer team. Erickson, a former player at the Uni
versity of Washington, holds her own, having
given birth this year. Part on-field instruction,
part necessity, the coaches’ participation also
helps to meliorate the blow of three players hav
ing season-long injuries and being unable to
play, Smith said.
Wilcox, a member of Erickson’s staff at Port
land State, and Hull both had successful college
careers. Their focus now is not playing, but
teaching, though at first glance, Hull, an 2005
graduate, and Wilcox (’04) look as though they
could still play competitively at the college level.
“They are great about relating to the players,”
Erickson said. “They are younger, a little more
connected to them in age and physical ability.”
Hull, a four-year starter at Seattle Pacific,
has filled a volunteer position as goalkeepers
coach. She has eased the transition of Jessie
Chatfield, the promising freshman goalkeeper
and Eugene native.
Like Hull, Wilcox played four years — two
each with Iowa State and Washington State.
After graduating, Wilcox joined Erickson
while she was at Portland State. Erickson was
hired by Oregon in January and Wilcox fol
lowed along, this time becoming an assistant
Nicole Barker | Senior photographer
Nicole Wilcox, a
former player at
Washington State
University, is helping
the women's soccer
team as an assistant
coach. Wilcox is
helping them
offensively as they
prepare for the Pac-10
Conference opener
on Friday at Arizona.
coach after volunteering at PSU.
Both Wilcox and Hull look at their work not
as taxing but as a chance to do something they
enjoy and love, a chance to teach soccer to a
younger generation. And having created a
perennially successful program certainly hasn’t
hurt their morale.
Before Erickson’s staff arrived at Oregon, the
Ducks had gone 16-54-7 in eight years of Pacific
10 Conference play.
Hull works with goalkeepers after initial drills
to open practice, working with Oregon’s three
goalies along the sideline.
At the center of instruction, Hull gives tips
and motivation. She treats everyone the
same, not giving preferential treatment to
anyone, whether it be the two-time starter
Domenique Lainez, the standout newcomer
Chatfield or the third-year Arizona trans
plant Emily Marrer.
Hull speaks highly of Lainez, who watches
now behind Chatfield, the much heralded goal
keeper with six shutouts in her initial season.
Lainez started two years in goal, logging 1,803
out of a possible 1,816 minutes in 2003 and
starting 18 of 19 matches in 2004.
“It’s really tough,” Hull said. “With a
goalkeeper, it’s not a position that you can get
SOCCER, page 6
■ Duck football
Defender's health is top priority
Defensive end Devan Longs play will be crucial against Arizona
State's high-powered offensive led by quarterback Sam Keller
BY LUKE ANDREWS
SPORTS REPORTER
The return of a healthy Devan Long at defen
sive end will be a welcome sight for the Oregon
defense as it prepares to take on Arizona State,
one of the nation’s highest-rated offenses.
Long, last year’s team sack leader, is recover
ing from a leg injury suffered in the season
opener against Houston. The senior was side
lined for subsequent games against Montana
and Fresno State and played a limited role
against USC.
Long recorded three unassisted tackles
and a game-high two sacks against Stanford
on Saturday.
“I’m still trying to get back to 100 percent, but
I am coming along,” Long said. “It felt good to
get back out there,” he added.
Long’s presence helped a defensive line that
had struggled to pressure the quarterback in the
early season. Entering last weekend, the Ducks
had sacked opposing quarterbacks only seven
times in four games. Oregon had five sacks
against Stanford and limited Cardinal quarter
back Item Edwards to 156 yards passing.
The Duck defense also held Stanford to 220
total yards of offense and 64 yards rushing.
Stanford gained a mere 15 yards in the second
half and failed to score an offensive touch
down in the third and fourth quarter for the
second consecutive week.
“Devan Long makes us whole on the defen
sive line,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti
said. “He’s an effort guy and the best pass
rusher that we have. ”
Getting pressure on the quarterback will be
key for the Ducks this weekend against quarter
back Sam Keller and a potent Sun Devil offense.
Nationally, Arizona State ranks first in pass
ing yards, fourth in total yards per game and
eighth in points per game.
Keller’s favorite target this season has
been senior wide receiver Derek Hagan,
who, with 593 total receiving yards, ranks
second nationally behind Oregon State’s
Mike Hass (831).
“[The Sun Devils] have always had a good
offense,” Long said. “We have to look at tape
and find some tendencies.”
Correctable Mistakes
Though it didn’t hurt them last weekend, the
thorn in the Ducks’ side has been penalties. Ore
gon was penalized an eye-popping 16 times for
170 yards on Saturday compared with Stanford’s
8 for 64 yards.
Oregon’s 46 total penalties rank third highest
in the nation, and its 442 total penalty yards
rank as the second highest total behind only
Texas Tech.
“I don’t like it. I don’t condone it, and we
will do everything we can to stop it,” Bellotti
said. “But they are things we can learn from
and are not things that are set in stone in terms
of we’re always going to assume we are going
to get penalties. ”
Saturday’s game has all the makings of an
ugly contest as Arizona State has also been pe
nalized 46 times but for slightly less yardage.
The Sun Devils rank fourth highest in the nation
with 415 total penalty yards.
Owning the Second
Oregon has outscored its opponents a com
bined 55-27 in the second quarter this season.
FOOTBALL, page 8