SRU’s Mihalik named regional coach of year

SRU’s Mihalik named regional coach of year

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA.

Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach George Mihalik has been selected as the American Football Coaches Association’s Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year.

Mihalik received the honor in voting by his head and assistant coaching peers in the region, which includes 30 teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic, Mountain East and Northeast-10 conferences.

The AFCA regional Coach of the Year honor was the third earned by Mihalikwho was previously honored in 1997 and 1998.

Mihalik earned his latest honor by leading The Rock to a 9-3 overall record,the outright Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Divisionchampionship and their first berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 1999.

Reporting prep results

The Vindicator encourages coaches and statisticians to report prep results by email (sports@vindy.com) or fax (330-747-6712).

Phone calls (330-747-1478) are also acceptable but emails and faxes are strongly preferred. Deadline is 10:30 p.m.

Calgary Flames fire GM, assistant

CALGARY, Alberta

Jay Feaster has been fired as general manager of the Calgary Flames, with the team in next-to-last place in the Western Conference.

The Flames did not make the playoffs in Feaster’s two full seasons as GM. This year, Calgary has just 26 points and is in 13th place in its conference.

He became acting general manager midway through the 2010-11 season. In 2004, Feaster was general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning team that beat Calgary to win the Stanley Cup.

Assistant GM John Weisbrod also was let go Thursday.

White finishes first in the halfpipe

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo.

Shaun White finished first in qualifying at the Dew Tour on Thursday to begin his quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal on the halfpipe.

White didn’t unveil his newest trick — a twisting, 1440-degree jump — but didn’t need it. His score of 91.40 put him 1.2 points ahead of Christian Haller, meaning White will go last in Saturday’s final.

This is the first of five events that will determine the U.S. Olympic team. On Friday, White will try to qualify for finals in slopestyle, which makes its Olympic debut in Sochi next year.

Also making the final were Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago and Danny Davis, who is coming off multiple injuries but is one of the few riders to beat White in the last four years.

Canada’s Shin leads Web.com Q-school

LA QUINTA, Calif.

Canada’s Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web.com Tour qualifying tournament.

The 22-year-old former New Mexico State player holed two late chips, making a birdie on No. 6 and an eagle on No. 7.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Jonathan Fricke, Chris Epperson and Jason Millard shot 65. Sainz, Fricke and Millard opened on the Nicklaus course, and Epperson played the TPC Stadium Course.

Hockey coach resigns

CALGARY, Alberta

Canadian Olympic women’s hockey coach Dan Church resigned Thursday, less than two months before the start of the Sochi Games, saying he felt others lacked confidence in his ability to lead the country to a fourth consecutive gold medal.

The announcement was made hours before Canada faced the United States, the defending world champion, in an exhibition game in Calgary. Hockey Canada said assistant coaches Lisa Haley and Danielle Goyette will serve as co-coaches until a new head coach is named.

“If there isn’t confidence in what I’m doing, I need to step aside and let the team move on,” Church told The Canadian Press.

Staff/wire report