Top local sports team of 2009?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm mighty partial to polls.

(For those of you counting, National Lampoon's Christmas is the leader in the favorite Christmas movie poll and The Grinch and Rudolph are tied for the favorite Christmas special poll - you can still vote until Christmas Eve.)

But I digress ...

For my next poll I need a little help in selecting the choices.

The topic is top local sports team of 2009.

The only criteria is the team must be based in northwestern Vermont (no team further south than Milton or further east than Fairfax).

Here's are the teams I can come up with right off the top of my bald little head - in no particular order.

Milton girls soccer - Division II champs

Missisquoi boys soccer - Division II runners-up

BFA-Fairfax girls soccer - Division III runners-up

Milton Broncos 7/8 Youth Football - NVYFL runners-up

BFA-Fairfax boys basketball - Division III runners-up

BFA-St. Albans girls basketball - Division I runners-up

Missisquoi girls hockey - Division II runners-up

BFA-Fairfax softball - Division III runners-up

The plan is to post the poll on Monday, so if I have missed your favorite team or if you have another suggestion, please add your comments below and give me a good reason or two to put that team in the poll.

BFA wins, MVU falls

Took in a little of the MVU and BFA girls basketball games Friday night.

If you want some details, here's a link to the Free Press capsules on the games.

A couple of thoughts on the games ...

First, at MVU it was nice to see former Enosburg star Christiane Brown, who coaches North Country, which defeated the T-Birds.

Brown said her best returning player is lost for the season with an ACL tear, suffered when she was inadvertently undercut in a preseason game. Another expected contributor is also sidelined, recovering from an ACL tear that occurred in soccer season.

These losses may hamstring the Falcons in the long run this season, but against the T-Birds the ladies from Newport performed well.

It was also nice to meet Jim Fuller, the hard-working sports editor for the Newport Daily Express. Travelling to MVU on a Friday nights shows some real dedication to his craft.

At BFA there was a surprising large crowd given there was hockey at "The Doc" (my new name for the Collins-Perley rink in honor of Henry 'Doc' Tulip).

It's clear from what little I saw - I bailed after the first quarter - I didn't bring a flash and it's near impossible to shoot in the BFA gym without one - that these teams are both struggling to find new identities after lots of recent success.

I spoke to BFA coach Glenn Johnson away from the gym a few days back and he told me it's a different job completely without the likes of Tiffany Johnson, Nicole Lawton and the Garica twins on the court. Still, he said he's enjoying the challenge this season brings and he thinks there's potential for incredible growth as the season progresses.

Speaking of Tiffany, she's getting some playing time - sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much - as a freshman for the national-ranked Franklin Pierce women's basketball team.

At some point, I'll try track down some links to websites to the college teams where I know some Franklin County kids are playing in college. If you know of someone playing in college you'd like me to add to the list, please add a comment to this post - it's gets emailed to me automatically.

That's all I got for now - have another poll to post before I head out to shoot at the start of the Enosburg-MVU boys basketball game and the BFA-Hanover girls hockey game.

Busy weekend on tap

I'm planning to do a double-dip this evening starting in Swanton where the MVU girls basketball team hosts North Country. Then I'm sliding down I-89 (hopefully not literally) to catch the Essex girls at BFA-St. Albans.

These photos will appear on my other site coldhollowphoto.com later this weekend.

Tomorrow, I'm back in Swanton to shoot the first quarter of the Enosburg-MVU boys basketball game and then over to the Collins-Perley rink to cover the final game of the BFA-St. Albans girls hockey tournament.

These photos, some of which will be in Monday's Messenger, might not be uploaded until early next week. Check the winter sports list on my website to find out when they are uploaded.

Speaking of the Collins-Perley rink, the recent renovations there are impressive to be sure.

Still, I can't help but wonder why they couldn't have included a little more money for a better sound system. Granted, I'm listening to the PA system from the wrong side of the rink - near the benches. Maybe the sound is better on the spectator's side.

But from where I sit, the player introductions and goal and penalty announcements sound like they are being done by Charlie Brown's teacher. 'Mwwwhrrhaa, mwwwhrrhaa, rraahhra, rraahhra."

And the national anthem sounds like it's being played by F-16s ... poorly.

But those are minor annoyances, to be sure.

Overall, the place has never looked better.

Now we just need to give the gussied-up old girl a new name.

Might I suggest Henry 'Doc' Tulip rink at the Collins-Perley Sports and Fitness Center.

What better nickname could a rink have than 'The Doc'?

Just my two cents.

MVU-BFA girls hockey update

An amazing game that was much closer than the score would indicate at the Collins-Perley rink tonight.

BFA came out with a 6-2 win, but the game was 2-1 BFA heading into the third period.

MVU tied the score early in the final period before BFA scored four quick goals, three of them on a 5-minute powerplay that changed the entire complexion of the game.

These two teams are clearly among the tops in the state and don't be surprised if they meet again deep in the playoffs ... possibly for the Division I title.

I just posted a 252-photo gallery on my website.

A little this and that, high school sports style

Just got back from the Enosburg-MVU girls basketball game in the 'Burg tonight (won by the Hornets, 50-40) and thought it was time to share some thoughts on the young season.

Starting with the game I saw tonight, it was mighty strange to see an Enosburg girls basketball game without Maria Gleason and Lindsey Larivee on the court. I had the pleasure of being an assistant coach their freshmen and sophomore years and covered a bunch of their games in their last two seasons.

I'm pleased to say both are off to good starts at their respective schools - Gleason at Johnson State and Larivee at Plattsburgh State. There has been no better two-some from the same class in the 'Burg and I doubt there ever will be.

I was pleased to see new Enosburg coach Gary Geddes pick up his first win - asuper nice guy and seems to really know his stuff.

I was also impressed with the MVU girls. They aren't going to wow teams with their finesse, but they sure do play hard and gave the Hornets a battle from start to finish.

Milton girls for real

Did you know the Milton girls basketball has nine seniors on it. Nine! They also have no juniors. None! I know it's early, but my guess is the Yellowjackets win it all. They have a ton of size, quickness and talent and coach Mike Lefebvre is good coach and an even better person.

I saw the 'Jackets open up against Harwood and it was 16-0 less than four minutes into the game. Ouch! Lefebvre then called off his press.

Everyone knows Brittaney Rice is a player, but the one I was most impressed with in that game was Kaitlin Geary. If she continues to light it up inside and out for Milton, then a trip to Barre is a given.

MVU boys hockey appears primed for great season

Of course, three games does not a season make, but I've gotten a couple of close-up looks at the MVU bosy hockey team this season and they seem like Division II contenders.

They have plenty of size, speed and skill and I love the approach coach Jason Brace brings to the table. Brace is brash, fun-loving and passionate about the sport and his team and his boys are reflecting that in their play on the ice.

They'll face a tough test Wednesday night at BFA, but regardless of that outcome they should ride the momentum of a stellar soccer campaign into a deep run in the D-II playoffs.

Speaking of campaigns, Brace will leave on a National Guard deployment next month in a stark reminder that for all the blessings we have in this wonderful country there is a price to be paid. Thank God for people like Brace and our other brave troops.

MVU boys hoops on the rise

Another great developing story out of MVU-land is the boys basketball team, which posted one it is most impressive wins in many a moon on Monday when it defeated Division I power Mount Mansfield in overtime.

I'll be shooting the start of the T-Birds' game with Enosburg on Saturday and I'm excited to see them in action. Same too, for the boys from the 'Burg. I'm sure new coach Steve Jette will have his Hornets ready to run with the high-flying T-Birds.

Same old BFA

I watched the first period of the BFA-St. Albans' girls hockey win over the Burlington Seahorses on Saturday and not surprisingly the Comets look very good. I had the pleasure of covering the first few seasons of BFA girls hockey and back then they had lots of depth, tons of talent and had incredibly dedicated and skilled coaching. Nearly 10 years later, nothing has changed.

Change is good

The BFA boys basketball team opened its season a week ago with a win over Colchester and I must say I didn't recognize the Bobwhites. Sure, ageless Kenny Fairchild still roams the sidelines, but who were those whirling dervishes running amok? Fairchild assured me these indeed were his Bobwhites, but given his team's make-up - lots of speed, little height - they are going to be running-and-gunning in the sweatbox otherwise known as the Academy gym this winter. He joked after the game that it's driving him nuts not being able to call plays and that sometimes the pace is too quick for his 'old' eyes to follow. Nice try Kenny. Any coach willing and able to adapt after all of these years is still at the top of his game.

One more thing ... watching Nick Swim run the point is worth the price of admission.