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Esdale namedto All-Star team
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown SteelHounds defenseman Paul Esdale has been selected to represent the Northern Conference in the Central Hockey League All-Star Game to be played on Jan. 17 in Bossier City, La.
Esdale, the native of Edmonton, Alberta, is in his first season with the SteelHounds and has scored six goals with 17 assists in 19 games played.
The 27-year-old will join teammates Jeff Christian and Chris Richards who were named as Northern Conference starters.
Esdale was selected by Colorado Eagles coach Chris Stewart, the Northern Conference all-star coach.
Mooney/Ursulineloses to Rocky River
ROCKY RIVER -- The Rocky River ice hockey club team defeated Mooney/Ursuline, 4-3, in Thursday's North Coast League game.
Jim Lacko, Ryan Carothers and Landon Rust scored goals for Mooney/Ursuline (6-7-1, 2-3 NCL). Eric Davignon, Dean Macklen and Phil Tate had assists while goaltender Joel Hodge stopped 53 of 57 shots.
Titans lose
MARIETTA -- The Westminster College men's basketball team defeated Olivet, 80-67, Friday in the first round of the 36th annual Marietta Shrine Tournament.
Senior guard/forward Dom Joseph (New Castle, Pa.) led the Titans by scoring a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-10 from 3-point range.
Westminster led 45-33 at the half and took its largest lead of the game when junior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union High) nailed a 3-pointer to give the Titans a 19-point, 54-34 lead with 15:35 remaining.
Thiel falls
SPRINGFIELD -- The Thiel College men's basketball team suffered an 83-59 loss to NAIA scholarship school Indiana University Southeast in the opening-round contest of the Charles Zimmerman Memorial Classic at Wittenberg University . Freshman guard Cory Chafee led the Tomcats (3-6) with a career-high 25 points. Sophomore guard Brandon Mirizio (West Middlesex, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) and junior forward Joe Herrmann added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Grove City tumbles
BLUFFTON -- Grove City shot 59 percent (30 of 51) from the floor but the Wolverines fell to 3-6 overall with an 87-82 loss to University of Cincinnati-Claremont in the semifinals of the McDonald's of Bluffton Tournament, hosted by Bluffton University.
Grove City also drained 11 of 18 (61 percent) three-point attempts. However, the Wolverines made just 11 of 24 foul shots, including a 6-for-14 effort in the second half. UC-Claremont (10-8) went 18 of 22 at the foul line.
Sophomore guard Ryan Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) fired in a team-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Grove City.
Hiram losesat Otterbein
WESTERVILLE -- The Hiram College men's basketball team was defeated, 98-62, on the first day of the Otterbein College Smokey Ballenger Classic.
The Terriers are now 2-6 overall and have lost three straight. Maryville improves to 6-4 overall.
Hiram was led by junior forward Chuck Williams (Cortland/Lakeview) who scored a game and season-high 18 points. He shot 66.7 percent (six-of-nine) from the field including 66.7 percent (four-of-six) from three-point range.
REGION
Haggans outfor Bengals game
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh linebacker Clark Haggans will miss the Steelers' season-ending game Sunday against Cincinnati because of a sprained knee ligament.
Haggans was injured during the second quarter last week in a 31-7 loss to Baltimore, but returned to play in he second half. He will be replaced by James Harrison, who is probable with a shoulder injury. Haggans is third on the team with 77 tackles and is tied with Joey Porter for the team lead with 61/2 sacks.
Browns' Coleman on injured reserve
CLEVELAND -- The Browns lost another offensive lineman Friday, placing Cosey Coleman on injured reserve because of an ankle injury.
Coleman is the 14th player Cleveland has put on injured reserve. He started 15 games at right guard this season.
The Browns have lost five offensive lineman, including starters LeCharles Bentley, who hurt his knee during training camp, and Ryan Tucker, who left the team because of an undisclosed mental disorder.
With Coleman out and Joe Andruzzi listed as doubtful with a knee injury, the Browns' starting guards Sunday against Houston will likely be backup Lennie Friedman and rookie Rob Smith, who has spent most of the season on the practice squad.
Linebacker Andra Davis also will miss the game because of a lingering concussion.
Wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, who had been battling a shoulder injury, is listed as questionable with a strained quadriceps he suffered Thursday.
To help fill the possible absence of Northcutt and wide receiver Joe Jurevicius (concussion), Cleveland signed wide receiver Kendrick Mosley from the practice squad Friday.
Vindicator staff/wire reports