Saratoga Springs senior Jordan Stevens was named the 2008-09 Suburban Council Player of the Year as released earlier today as voted on by the league's coaches. Stevens received a total of 218 points for top honors.

Shenendehowa head coach Anthony Dzikas was named the Suburban Council Coach of the Year after the Plainsmen posted a 15-1 league record and a current 19-1 overall mark.

The Niskayuna Warriors were announced as the 2008-09 team sportsmanship award winners.

Here is a complete list of award winners:

First team All-Suburban Council

Jordan Stevens, Senior, Saratoga Springs

Matt Miner, Junior, Shenendehowa

Kevin Wenth, Senior, Bethlehem

Jordan Macejka, Senior, Mohonasen

Kyle Mafrici, Senior, Colonie

Second team All-Suburban Council

Kevin Kost, Senior, Guilderland

Doug Milvaney, Senior, Shenendehowa

Jon Terry, Senior, Guilderland

Janique Lanier, Senior, Shaker

Steven King, Senior, Columbia

Third team All-Suburban Council

Sean Peer, Senior, Colonie

Anthony Robustiano, Senior, Mohonasen

Zachary Morton, Junior, Burnt Hills

Alex King, Senior, Saratoga

Guy Waltman, Junior, Niskayuna

Cody Robinson, Senior, Ballston Spa

Mark Seager, Junior, Ballston Spa

2008-09 Exceptional Senior All-Stars

Jordan Stevens, Saratoga Springs

Kyle Mafrici, Colonie

Jordan Macejka, Mohonasen

Kevin Wenth, Bethlehem

Doug Milvaney, Shenendehowa

Kevin Kost, Guilderland

Steven King, Columbia

Janique Lanier, Shaker

Jon Terry, Guilderland

Sean Peer, Colonie

2008-09 Suburban Council Coach of the Year

Anthony Dzikas, Shenendehowa

Saratoga Springs junior Cody Nizolek has been named the Capital District High School Hockey League Player of the Year at Sunday’s league coaches meeting.

The junior forward has scored 25 goals this season along with 13 assists for 38 regular season points and helped the Blue Streaks post an 11-5-1 league record and 15-7-2 overall. Saratoga finished third in the league standings and will host No. 6 Shenendehowa 6:45 p.m. Wednesday night at the Weibel Avenue Rink in the Section II Division I quarterfinals.

“Coach (Mike Ricupero) told us today at practice,” Nizolek said. “I was surprised. I wasn’t the leading point man, but I was up there. Everyone was congratulating me and said they were happy for me.
“I thought I had a chance to get it,” Nizolek said. “I thought the top point guy (Mohonasen’s Kyle McKelvey) may get it or one of the Queensbury kids would get it.”

The two-sport star has his heart set on hockey, but said his college career may be played in the spring.
“I love playing both,” Nizolek said. “I was out today playing at Skidmore with some of the other guys. Playing one helps you play the other sport.
“I would like to play hockey,” Nizolek said. “More realistically, lacrosse will have better offers than college hockey. I would love to play hockey in college.”

To see the full list of CDHSHL All-Stars click here.

- Stan Hudy

One of the fastest growing youth baseball organizations in New York State has just opened up its registration for this spring.

Wilton Youth Baseball in currently open for both its Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth divisions and will register players through March 3.

The registration form can be downloaded at www.wiltonhouthbaseball.org or by clicking here and mailed to WYB P.O. Box 2269, Wilton, NY 12831 or dropped the form off at the WYB box located in the office at Gavin Park.

The link will also allow provide a secure link for on-line registration.

A Last Chance Registratio sign-up will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. March 3 at Gavin Park, also.

See you on the fields!

- Stan Hudy

Sure Shen really took it Averill Park, 80-48, but that wasn't the most impressive feat of the night.

That one came at half time.

I was awestruck by the Shen cheerleading team's routine. One girl was heaved 15 feet in the air while about eight others did back handsprings in sync.

These are usually a complete and total bore, but this routine was worth the price of admission, which for me, was nothing. However, if I had to pay, it would have been worth it.

— Brendan O'Meara

Olympic medalist Kristy Kowal, who won silver in swimming at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, will be the keynote speaker for the Skidmore College observance of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), Feb. 4.

Kowal’s talk, scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, will be in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. A full schedule of events designed to appeal to the region’s young female athletes will be offered Saturday, Feb. 7, in the College’s sports and recreation center.

The entire Skidmore observance is free and open to the public.

Kowal broke an American record at the Sydney Olympics, placing second in the 200-meter breaststroke, where she finished in 2:24.56. In 2001, she was second in the world championships in the 50-meter breaststroke, and in 2002, she was third in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Pan Pacific Championships. While a student at the University of Georgia, she helped her team to three NCAA swimming and diving championships. She was a seven-time NCAA champion and the NCAA’s Co-Swimmer of the year in 2000. In addition, Kowal was the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2000.

Kowal had not swum year-round until the spring of 1995, when she earned a spot on the 1995 Pan Pacific team, her first international team. Upon winning her Olympic medal, Kowal told CNNSI.com, “I have been waiting for this for so long. Winning an Olympic medal has always been a dream of mine. It didn't hit me until I was behind the award stand that I had made it.” The Reading, Penn., native earned a B.S. degree in education in 2002 and is now an elementary school teacher.

Saturday’s activities will feature sports clinics for girls in grades 3 through 8, lunch with Skidmore’s student-athletes, and the opportunity to watch a Skidmore women’s swimming and diving meet. All are free and open to the public. The schedule is as follows:

• 9:30 a.m., registration for clinics in field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball in the Sports and Recreation Center.

• 12:15 p.m., lunch with Skidmore’s student-athletes in the Dance Center gym. The lunch will include a visit from the Skidmore Thoroughbred mascot, face painting, and free give-aways.

• 1 p.m., Skidmore Women’s Swimming and Diving Invitational, Sports and Recreation Center pool.

For registration information for the Skidmore events, call 580-5394.

If there was ever a chance that The Saratogian could be swarmed by angry citizens and be burnt to the ground it could happen on Wednesday after our sports section comes out and the mob begins to form on Lake Avenue.

It was as if the planets and stars aligned at least for Shenendehowa as the Plainsmen completed its own high school trifecta (I took Shen and the points, myself) Tuesday night defeating Saratoga Springs in ice hockey (4-3 in overtime), boys varsity basketball (53-51 after an 11-point deficit) and girls varsity basketball, 51-38 (hitting nine 3-pointers).

Sports editor and Shenendehowa graduate Brien Bouyea couldn't resist a jab with his headline and I was probably the only one in the sports department smiling about the Plainsmen ice hockey victory.

I'm sure we'll all get some e-mails from inside and outside of the Lake Avenue command center for the green-leaning headline from the blue-leaning readership and management, but we do kind of live for these kinds of rivalry nights.

How couldn't I be smiling, a 4-3 overtime high school ice hockey victory that included an early ice time so deadline wasn't an issue. Add with it that it will make my work for the Southern Saratoga weekly newspaper, the Community News, go smoothly Wednesday night never hurts.

It was a great night for the rivals to meet.

Saratoga stormed back from a 3-1 deficit at the Weibel Ave. Rink to tie the game and had several breath-taking opportunities to win the contest in the closing minute.

Nate Rider was on the Shen campus watching the Plainsmen come back from an 11-point disadvantage to win late, very late.

Jeff Scott was on Blue Streak Boulevard to catch some of our favorite coaches (yea, we do have some favorites) Shen's Ken Strube and the always delightful pair of Blue Streak legends, Rich Johns and Damian Fantauzzi at girls hoops.

You could call it a match made in heaven, despite the outcome for the Blue Streaks.

We didn't expect this in the sports department, a 2-1 Saratoga advantage was the prediction before game time by our own prognosticators.

But that's why they play the games don't they?

- Stan Hudy

Saratoga Springs grad and Siena freshman diver Elizabeth Rice was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Diver of the Weekfor the second time this season.

In the regular-season finale against C. W. Post last weekend, Rice barely missed breaking the pool record by posting a score of 226.0 on 1-Meter dives. She then recorded a score of 244.20 in the 3-Meter dives.

Rice, the only diver in program history to win a weekly conference award, joins fellow teammate Brittany Pavolko as the only members in program history to win multiple MAAC swimming and diving awards in the same season.