YSU

YSU

Penguin hockey
struggles, now 3-16-2

BOARDMAN — The struggles continue for the YSU hockey team, as they dropped a pair of games over the weekend at the Blizzard in Buffalo (New York) Tournament.

The Villanova Ice Cats defeated YSU 4-3 in overtime in the opener. In the consolation game, the Buffalo Bulls came out on top, 3-1.

The Penguins (3-16-2) face Slippery Rock Univ. Friday night and John Carroll Saturday at the Ice Zone in Boardman at 7 p.m.

LOCAL

Graham is honored

BOARDMAN — The North American Hockey League announced that Mahoning Valley Phantoms forward Derek Graham earned an honorable mention for Player of the Week in the North Division – his third such accolade this season.

The 19-year-old from Schoolcraft, Mich. notched two goals and an assist in leading the Phantoms to a split this weekend against the Alpena Ice Diggers.

Graham is now tops among all goal scorers in the league, with 20. He is also tied for the league lead in points (38).

Schedule change

The Mineral Ridge girls varsity basketball game with Columbiana has been changed from Jan. 7 to Jan. 5 due to the Ohio State-LSU national championship game.

STATE

Buckeyes coordinator
wins Broyles award

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Ohio State’s Jim Heacock, whose defense held opponents without a first down on nearly half of their possessions, won the Broyles Award on Tuesday, given annually to the nation’s top assistant football coach.

The Buckeyes, who will play LSU in the BCS championship game Jan. 7, allowed just under 11 points per game. Opponents went “three-and-out” on 48.5 percent of their possessions.

Other finalists for the award were Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, West Virginia offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young.

The Broyles Award is named for Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles, who is retiring at the end of this year. Broyles formerly was the Razorbacks’ football coach and more than 25 of his assistants became head coaches, including Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Johnson, Johnny Majors and Jackie Sherrill.

Worhatch swims

ASHLAND — Brian Worhatch, a 2007 Boardman High graduate, competed in several events helping the Ashland Univ. men’s swim team score 712 to win the Ashland Invitational meet.

In the preliminaries, he swam the 100 butterfly in a personal best 52.10 seconds, then took first place in the finals 51.22. He finished second in the 200 butterfly with a personal best 2:01.27.

NATION

Pelini to coach
LSU in bowl

LINCOLN, Neb. — LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini has Tom Osborne’s “full support” to coach the second-ranked Tigers in the BCS championship game.

Nebraska’s interim athletic director said Tuesday that his new football coach will be on the sidelines as LSU takes on top-ranked Ohio State on Jan. 7 at New Orleans.

“Bo has been at LSU for three years, and its players and coaches have worked very hard for a chance to win the national championship,” Osborne said. “The two-week dead period in recruiting gives him a chance to take care of some unfinished business at LSU without really putting us in any kind of bind.”

Meanwhile, Pelini was recruiting and hiring coaches, including former longtime Nebraska assistant Ron Brown, who said Monday he was hired as tight ends coach.

Nebraska spokesman Keith Mann said Pelini wants to hire all nine assistants before making the list public.

Miles is hired

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Trent Miles, an assistant on Tyrone Willingham’s staffs at Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington the past seven years, was named football coach at Indiana St. on Tuesday.

The Sycamores were winless last season and have won just one of their 33 games the past three years. Miles was a wide receiver for the Sycamores and started his coaching career at Indiana State in 1987 as a graduate assistant and coach of receivers and defensive backs. He later coached at New Mexico, Oklahoma, Northern Illinois and Hawaii before joining Willingham’s staff at Stanford.

Vindicator staff/wire reports