Sports

<p>Disclaimer: This article was written by Brady Chapman, a student-athlete on the STU men’s soccer team. This is part of an ongoing partnership with JOUR 2033: Local Reporting, Global Media.  St. Thomas University’s men’s soccer team head coach John-Ryan Morrison has announced he will retire at the end of the 2024 season.   During his 10 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The St. Thomas University&#8217;s women&#8217;s volleyball team is scoring big by coaching high school teams. These players are serving up more than just spikes — they&#8217;re delivering valuable life lessons. The current initiative is spearheaded by the Spartans Volleyball Club, which reached out to STU&#8217;s assistant coach last year and this year. Four Tommies volunteer [&hellip;]</p>

<p>After eighteen gruelling weeks of the National Football League (NFL) regular season, it is that time of year again — we are officially on the road to Super Bowl LVIII.    In early February, Super Bowl 58 will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Allegiant Stadium. R&amp;B singer-songwriter Usher will join the likes of Maroon [&hellip;]</p>

<p>While there are many benefits of playing sport, the often overlooked fact is that you have to pay for them first. For many, the financing behind being on a sports team can be a hurdle that gets in the way of a child unlocking their true athletic potential.  Monica Bourque is a first-year kinesiology student [&hellip;]</p>

<p>From Timbits hockey to St. Thomas University&#8217;s Tommies, athletes often find themselves under the guidance of their own parents when practicing a sport. While this coaching dynamic holds the potential for a positive career in sports, it can also be a slippery slope. Sean Whalen is a former defenseman for Pownal Minor Hockey who is [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In a bid to break down the barriers surrounding mental health in sports, St. Thomas University&#8217;s Athletics Department organized Bell Let&#8217;s Talk Games across its volleyball, basketball and hockey teams.   The initiative, part of the university&#8217;s ongoing collaboration with the Bell Let&#8217;s Talk campaign, aimed to raise awareness about mental health issues and challenge the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Leblanc sticks close to home to suit up for Tommies Paige Leblanc always envisioned staying close to home to play basketball. Playing for the Fredericton High School Black Kats throughout her high school years, the first-year guard describes herself as a “home body.” “I think moving away from home would probably be really hard for [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Jan. 5 and 6, the St. Thomas University men’s volleyball team made the journey to Peterborough, Ont., to face off against the Trent University men’s volleyball team. The Excalibur play in the U SPORTS Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference. Considered by many as a “higher” level than the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA). The [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In 2023, the Riverview Ford Fredericton Red Wings are celebrating a milestone season, as the 2023-24 Maritime Hockey League (MHL) season marks the team’s fifth anniversary. In March of 2019, the St. Stephen Aces, a team coming off a recent playoff run, decided to relocate their junior team to Fredericton, citing financial issues. Although this [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Jan. 1, the inaugural game of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) took place in front of a sold-out crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. During that game, New York took on Toronto, ending in a 3-0 victory for New York. Ella Shelton, a Canadian-born defender for PWHL New York, scored the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In the world of St. Thomas University (STU) athletics, there&#8217;s a familiar voice that resonates through the airwaves, providing a vivid narrative of the highs and lows of the Tommies&#8217; sporting endeavours.  That voice belongs to Bill Gibson, the webcast commentator who has become synonymous with STU sports.  Gibson&#8217;s journey into sports commentary began in [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Oct. 27, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers took the ice at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton for the 2023 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic. Alongside this game was the unveiling of a new postage stamp of iconic Fredericton-born Willie O’Ree. Canada Post launched the new postage stamp commemorating the hockey winger famous for breaking the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Nov. 18, Sport New Brunswick hosted the annual New Brunswick Sport Awards in Fredericton, which aim to recognize outstanding achievements of New Brunswick athletes, teams, coaches, officials and volunteers across the province.  Adam Matchett won Volunteer Administrator of the Year for his work with Aboriginal Sport and Recreation New Brunswick (ASRNB). He first began with [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The St. Thomas University’s women’s hockey team recently hosted several fundraisers for Grace House, a local women’s shelter for women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence.  The team held a bake sale in James Dunn Hall on Nov. 17, which raised around $600 and a 50/50 sale at their game on Nov. 19, which raised over [&hellip;]</p>

<p>For most sports teams, the head coach acts as the face of the program and the main point of contact for the media, in charge of recruitment and receiving the brunt of the criticism. On the sidelines, but equally as important, the assistant coaches may avoid some of the blame, but they also go unrecognized [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Nov. 7,  St. Thomas University soccer player Josh Oakes was named the 2023 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men’s soccer Player of the Year. Oakes became the first-ever student athlete at STU to be named Player of the Year. In addition, Oakes was one of the 15 student-athletes to be named 2023 CCAA men’s [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As the St. Thomas University men’s volleyball team dives into an exciting season, their commitment to making a difference goes beyond the court. In support of men&#8217;s health, the team is showing their support through a Movember campaign. Early on in the season, the team had a meeting about their goals this year and what [&hellip;]</p>

<p>For university student-athletes, the bus trip to away games is no foreign concept. Ranging from short, one-hour rides to Saint John, or long treks to Antigonish, N.S., Mason Brewster and Natalie MacKay are familiar with them all.  In his second year on the men’s volleyball team, Brewster had traveled with his high school volleyball team [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Oct. 16, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of five new sports to the 2028 Summer Olympics, including a hybrid version of box and field lacrosse, Canada&#8217;s national summer sport. Lacrosse was last played in the Olympics in 1908 in London. During those games, only two countries competed in the sport: Canada [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The St. Thomas University Tommies cross country team attended the 2023-24 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Championships hosted by the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Rams on Oct. 28 in Truro, N.S.  With a brand-new team this season, the men’s team ranked sixth in the ACAA with 86 points. The women’s team was unable to rank as [&hellip;]</p>