Holland Hurricanes selected to host ACAA Men's and Women's Soccer Championships 2009

Holland Hurricanes soccer players Cassie MacEwen and Tommy Fleming

Charlottetown, PE - Building on a sensational 2008 season the Holland Hurricanes soccer program received tremendous news, when Holland College was selected to host the Atlantic College Athletic Association 2009 Men's and Women's Soccer Championships. The ACAA awarded the hosting privilege to the college at the recent winter meetings in Halifax, where the successful bid was presented.

The bid to host the championships was bolstered by the impressive showing of the Hurricanes over the two seasons in both the men's and women's divisions. Holland College competed in the final four showdown both years on the men's and women's sides. This fall the Hurricanes won the conference title for women and the men lost the heartbreaking conference final after 20 penalty kicks.

 "The rapid development of our soccer program has been noticed in the ACAA and the success of the teams has made the bid an easier sell," said Albert Roche, Manager of Student Services and Athletics.  The teams will be tested to repeat as top four contenders, but with a cast of returning players and the addition of key recruits the Hurricanes are confident of a return to the late October playoff showcase.

"Winning the bid process is wonderful, and undoubtedly we are focused on putting on a great weekend for the ACAA. The next step is to ensure we compete and earn a spot in the Championships. We know our coaches and players will step up to the challenge", said Roche.

Returning conference all-star Cassie MacEwen said, “It will be a great experience to host the ACAAs in 2009 for the players, coaching staff and the school as a whole. We have worked very hard to get nationally ranked, and as a team I know we can continue to improve in the coming year. Hosting the ACAAs is a great way to give our soccer program added exposure to Islanders and out of province players." The mid-fielder is eager to see what the 2009 season will bring.

"Our coaches (Head Coach Meredith Cameron and assistant Amy Connolly) have set the tone for increased expectations for next season, so we will be ready".

Also returning next season is standout Tommy Fleming, who sees hosting the ACAAs as a distinct advantage for the men's squad.

"Getting the playoffs at home is very exciting for the team and we feel we have some unfinished business from last season. The experience we gained from our 2008 season will give us an edge, and knowing we could be playing in front of our home fans will help motivate our teams all though the season." Fleming, who battled through a serious ankle injury that took him out of over half the season, believes the circumstances will make the 'Canes even hungrier in 2009.

The championships are scheduled for October 23, 24 and 25, and will be played at the UPEI Turf. The pitch is the home site for the Hurricanes and the facility is viewed by many in the league as an ideal location for this event. Conference semifinals are scheduled for Saturday followed by championship games on Sunday. A highlight of the championships will be the awards banquet at the Culinary Institute of Canada on Friday evening.

McKenna and MacEachern named Hurricanes Athletes of the Week

Hurricanes basketball players Emily MacEachern and Matt McKenna.

Charlottetown, PE – Holland Hurricanes basketball players Matt McKenna and Emily MacEachern have been named the Holland Hurricanes Athletes of the Week for the week ending December 7.

McKenna had another terrific weekend on the court leading the surging Hurricanes to two home victories over the STU Tommies.

Friday, Matt played like a man possessed pouring in 36 points and hauling down nine rebounds on 8-14 shooting from the field in a 75-53 Hurricanes victory. Saturday was more of the same as McKenna once again led the Hurricanes in scoring with 16 points in a hard-fought 77-71 victory.

This is Matt’s second consecutive selection as Hurricanes Athlete of the Week. He is a second year Retail Business Management student from Winsloe.

The men’s basketball Hurricanes now enter the Christmas break on a five-game winning streak and have a 5-2 record, sitting in second place in the ACAA.

MacEachern gets the nod as Female Athlete of the Week. The women’s basketball ‘Canes had a tough weekend on the court falling twice to STU, but MacEachern had two solid performances for the ‘Canes, playing with grit and determination from start to finish in both contests.

Friday Emily had four points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Saturday she scored eight points and added seven rebounds in 28 minutes of play.

The Hurricanes enter the Christmas break with a 2-5 record and sit in fifth place in the ACAA.

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Holland Hurricanes host STU Tommies in first home games

Matt McKenna, Hurricanes Basketball

Charlottetown, PE – The Holland Hurricanes men’s and women’s basketball teams will be in action Friday and Saturday as they host the STU Tommies in ACAA basketball action. The games are re-scheduled from two weeks ago, when the match-up was cancelled due to bad weather. On Friday the women play at 6 p.m. followed by the men at 8 p.m. Saturday the women square-off at noon, with the men to follow at 2 p.m. All four games are at Colonel Gray High School.

The women’s basketball ‘Canes are coming off two road wins and will be looking to build on that momentum when they hit the court Friday night.

Hurricanes coach Kathy Murray commented on this weekends games.

“Winning breeds winning. I think the girls are starting to believe they can win when they step on the court and that makes such a huge difference. We know that we’ve got our hands full with STU, but we’re a hardworking, motivated team and they’ve shown me that they won’t back down from anyone.”

The Hurricanes currently have a 2-3 record and sit tied for fourth position in the conference. The Tommies are undefeated at 5-0, trailing only the also undefeated MSVU Mystics who sit at 8-0.

The men’s team will be looking to continue to build on the momentum of a three-game road winning streak. The Hurricanes have continued to improve over the last couple weeks and really started to gel last weekend playing tough, team basketball.

Hurricanes Head Coach George Morrison commented saying, “STU will provide another good test for us. I was fairly pleased with how we played last weekend and I really hope we can carry that into the games this weekend. We’re expecting two close games. They’ll likely be an aggressive, pressing team with good shooters.”

The veteran coach also added, “These are our last two games before a pretty long break. It would be awfully nice to go into the break on a high. We’re trying to stay focused on taking it one practice and one game at a time.”

The Hurricanes would like to remind all fans that all elementary school, junior and senior high as well as Holland College students get free admission to all Hurricanes games.

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McCormack and McKenna Named Holland Hurricanes Athletes of the Week after 4-0 Weekend

Katie McCormack, Women's Basketball and Matt McKenna Men's Basketball

Charlottetown, PE – Katie McCormack and Matt McKenna have been named the Holland Hurricanes Athletes of the week for the week ending November 30. Both players led their teams to 2-0 weekends.

Katie was absolutely dominant in two road wins for the ‘Canes, recording two double-doubles. Saturday against NSAC she scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 68-50 win. Sunday in Moncton against ABU, McCormack was unstoppable going for 28 points, 17 rebounds along with six steals in a 74-71 overtime win.

A native of Souris, PE, McCormack has been a huge addition to the Hurricanes both on and off the court this season. Katie is a first-year Primary Care Medicine student. This is her second selection as Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week.

McKenna also had two great games in road wins for the ‘Canes. Matt poured in 17 points in an 83-45 win over NSAC Saturday, following that up with 16 points in an 81-57 win over ABU Sunday.

Over the two games, the Winsloe, PE native scored 33 points, pulled in eight rebounds and went 6-10 from beyond the three-point arc, while averaging 28 minutes per game.

Matt is a second year Retail Business Management student.

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