Offtopic/fun » Northeast Conference champion, both reached

NEW YORK -- Touted prospects Matthew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier survived the New York Islanders final roster cuts Tuesday and will begin the season with the NHL club.The 19-year-old forwards were on the 23-player roster announced for opening day after defensemen Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech were sent to the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Earlier in the day, forward Eric Boulton was played on injured reserve.Shane Prince and Alan Quine, who both had key goals during the Islanders run to the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring, were also among the 14 forwards, six defensemen and three goalies on the roster.Veteran forward P.A. Parenteau, waived in a surprise move on Monday that indicated the team favored the younsters, was claimed by the New Jersey Devils.The Islanders visit the crosstown-rival Rangers in the teams season opener Thursday night. Jesse Gonzalez USA Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Juan Agudelo Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Djordje-Mihailovic-America-Jersey/ . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Chris Wondolowski Jersey . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Zack Steffen USA Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (STATS) -- As the FCS heads toward its final full weekend of the regular season, some head-to-head matchups within the STATS FCS Top 25 stand out for whats riding on them.It starts with No. 1 Sam Houston State and No. 2 Jacksonville State, which held those spots for the fifth straight week on Monday.Both teams will play the other top team in their respective conference, with an outright championship and automatic bid to the FCS playoffs at stake. In the MEAC, an outright title and a spot in the Celebration Bowl are on the line.Sam Houston State (10-0), which gained 108 of the 160 first-place votes and 3,873 points in this weeks national media poll, will host No. 11 Central Arkansas (9-1) in a matchup of unbeaten Southland Conference teams.It feels great to be 10-0, have a conference championship game coming up this weekend, Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said. As a player, as a coach, you dream about playing in a conference championship game. We get the chance to play in one.Jacksonville State (9-1), which has won 23 straight games in the Ohio Valley Conference, will try to complete a third straight unbeaten campaign in the conference when it hosts UT Martin (7-4), which is two spots outside the Top 25. A UT Martin win would create a shared title between the two teams.Supremacy in the MEAC will be decided when No. 9 North Carolina A&T (9-1) makes the short 55-mile trip from Greensboro to No. 24 North Carolina Central (8-2) in Durham.The three big matchups will help cap a memorable FCS regular season, which includes 10 teams posting wins over FBS opponents and more trying this weekend. The NCAA will announce the pairings of its 24-team FCS playoffs Sunday morning.The top six teams in the Top 25 held their rankings after each won a conference game by double-digits. After Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State, Easternn Washington (9-1) was third, five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State (9-1) fourth, The Citadel (10-0) fifth and James Madison (9-1) sixth.dddddddddddd The Citadel (Southern) and JMU (CAA Football) have clinched outright conference titles and automatic playoff bids.The Top 10 was rounded out by Richmond (8-2), South Dakota State (7-3), North Carolina A&T and North Dakota (9-2).After Central Arkansas, Chattanooga (8-2) fell five spots to No. 12 following a loss. Then it was Villanova (7-3), Charleston Southern (6-3), Youngstown State (7-3), Coastal Carolina (8-2), Grambling State (7-1), Samford (7-3), Lehigh (8-2) and Wofford (7-3), which beat Chattanooga and entered the rankings for the first time since Nov. 11, 2013.Cal Poly (6-4) slipped to No. 21 and was followed by Montana (6-4), Western Illinois (6-4), North Carolina Central and Saint Francis (7-3). N.C. Central and Saint Francis, the Northeast Conference champion, both reached the rankings for the first time in program history.New Hampshire, Harvard and Liberty fell from the Top 25 following losses. Three conferences tied for the most ranked teams with four -- the Big Sky, Missouri Valley and Southern.A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. In the voting, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.The Top 25 is released on Monday afternoons during the regular season, but next weeks will be out Sunday morning prior to the announcement of the playoff field.A final Top 25 will follow the FCS championship game, to be held Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas. ' ' '