Canisius Women’s Basketball Team Wins MAAC, Earns Trip to NCAA Tournament

The entire coaching staff and team gathered Sunday, March 13 with members of the Canisius community at the Palisano Pavilion to watch the tournament's selection show, broadcast live on ESPN.

The Canisius College Women’s Basketball team will play the Duke University Blue Devils on Sunday, March 20 at in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN2, CJRN 710AM and via the Internet at www.gogriffs.com.

Join Canisius fans at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery to watch the game live on ESPN2 at noon.  The first drink is included and light snacks will be provided, additional food and beverages will be available at cost.  Click here to reserve your spot on-line or call the Office of Alumni Relations at Ext. 2700.

The team’s exciting victory over Marist College (60-59) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game earned the women a slot in the NCAA Tournament. It will be their first time in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program, as well as the team’s first MAAC championship in program history. 

Becky Zak '06 and Jessica Steeves '06 earned all-tournament honors for their contribution to the MAAC championship win.  Zak had 12 points, three assists and two steals and was named the tournaments most valuable player.  Steeves posted eight points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. 

To read the entire story, click here.

Search Committee for Ice Hockey Head Coach Announced
Canisius College President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., has announced a search committee for the position of head men’s ice hockey coach.  The committee will conduct a comprehensive search to attract and identify leading candidates for the position. Its objective is to have a new head hockey coach in place by April 1.

The search committee is comprised of 10 members including four community and business leaders.  They are: John Walsh, chairman and CEO of Walsh Insurance Group.  Walsh played hockey at Yale University and has coached youth hockey; James Wadsworth, partner at Hodgson Russ LLP.  Wadsworth played hockey at Princeton University; James Patrick, Sabres defenseman and NHL veteran of 21 seasons.  Patrick ranks in the NHL’s top 40 on the all-time games played list and is 12th among defensemen. He also played at the University of North Dakota; and Frank Downing Jr., president of Towne Automotive.  Downing was a four-year letter winner for hockey at the University of Michigan, team captain during his senior year, and named to the Big Ten and Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic teams.

Canisius alumnus and basketball player Terrence M. Connors ’68, founding partner of Connors and Vilardo, and Michael M. Gilbert ’90, director of public relations for the Buffalo Sabres, will also serve on the search committee, as will four staff from the Canisius College Athletics Department: Jennifer Zeh, senior associate athletics director; Kirsten Clark, assistant to the senior associate athletics director; Marc Gignac, director of athletic communications; and Shawn O’Rourke, associate dean of graduate and Canadian programs and adjunct professor of sports administration. 

Bene Merenti Celebration Set for April 22
Canisius faculty, staff and administrators who have reached 20 or more years of service will be honored at this year’s Bene Merenti celebration on Friday, April 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.  Everyone is welcome to attend. 

Canisius Community Day
Canisius faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to participate in Canisius Community Day on Saturday, April 23 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.  Organized by the Office of Campus Ministry, Canisius Community Day is an opportunity for members of the college community to help local non-profit groups get ready for spring.  Lunch will be provided.

Some of the agencies to be assisted include Benedict House, Friends of the Buffalo Niagara River 2005 Beach Sweep, the Food Bank of WNY, Habitat for Humanity, Hearts for the Homeless Soup Kitchen, the St. Vincent DePaul Dining Room, Vive LaCasa and the We Care Neighborhood Community Center.  Last year more than 130 Canisius students and staff members lent a hand during Canisius Community Day. 

For more information, contact Joe Van Volkenburg at Ext. 2875 or vanvolkj@canisius.edu.

March Connections Now On-line
The March 2005 issue of Connections, the on-line newsletter of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), is now available at http://www.ajcunet.edu/connections.  To access it, please click on the URL or copy and paste it into your browser.
 
The on-line version of Connections is designed for computer viewing.  It is also available in pdf (portable document format) for printing copies of the publication as it appears in the hardcopy format.
 
The theme for the March issue of Connections is “Living and Learning Communities: Engaging Students Outside the Classroom.”

Good Friday Holiday
The college will be closed, except for essential operating personnel, on Friday, March 25 in observance of Good Friday.