Show B2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday March 20 2002 Teen hit by puck at NHL game dies Meet COLUMBUS Ohio (AP) — Seconds after being hit by a puck as she watched an NHL game Brittanie Cecil held a jacket to her head to staunch the bleeding and walked to an exit Two days later she was dead the first such fan fatality and one rtf the few at an American sports event other than auto racing directly related to action on the field An eighth grader at Twin Valley South Middle Schoolnear DaytonBrittanie would have turned 14 on Wednesday Her father had taken her to the game as an early present friends said' The girl was struck in the head by a shot early in the second period of Saturday night's game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames at Nationwide Arena Columbus center Espen Knutsen’s slap shot from the top of the left circle appeared to be deflected by a defense-ma- n with the puck flying over die high glass at the west end of fee ice Larry Young of Winchester sitting one row in front and two seats to Brittanie’s Continued from B1 the only time in' the history of the program USU failed to reach postseason “The entire team knows it Is situation” Com a said “We’re in the same position as we were last year” The Aggies came through on the road in 2001 Com and his gymnasts are counting on the home crowd helping them finish well again “Nobody knows how unnerving it is to compete in the Spectrum when that place is packed” Com said would really like to call put our fans troops to come out and support us We won’t let them down” On paper Denver is the favorite The real battle will ' probably be for second place The remaining four teams 25-ye- ar do-or-d- ie USU ft® left believes die puck first struckBrit-tani-e then him before striking another child He had a small cut on fee back of his head Arena officials and medical personnel immediately approached Brittanie and helped her out of her seat — some IS rows above the ice — and up the steps to theexiL Hospital officials would not disclose the cause of her death Monday night and relatives declined comment Her classmates were in mourning and the small town where she lived was overcome by fee loss “I spoke to Brittanie’s father this morning” Blue Jackets president and general ‘ and his voice choking “As a father of a and an 11 year-old I can’t imagine the grief fee family is experiencing” In a statement-NHcommissioner Gary Bettman said “Our fans are our family and this tragic accident fills us all wife a deep sense of sorrow” Children’s Hospital confirmed fee girl had died but at the family’s request did -- senior from Arcadia Calif placed life in the at the Big West Champi- high jump onships a year ago Junior Robert Crockett took seventh Anthony Stewart and Dwayne Foster lead the way in the sprints both having outside chances of reaching the NCAAs Stewart won the 200 meters at Big West last year wife a clocking of 2121 while Foster finished third ' in the 100 Newcomers Cedric Young and Chris Fogt also figure to be in fee mix as is Guymon in fee 400 Stewart Fbster Young Fogt and Wickard will compete for spots in the 4X100 relay “Our 4X100 sfamild be fim to watch if everyone meshes” USU assistant coach Stan (6-3- 5) (6-7-5) By David Cordero staff writer 2 st Utah State’s During the mid- - to track and field teams won Big West Conference outdoor titles left and right The men hoisted five championship trophies in a six- 98-9while titles season span (1994-9- 6 were an annual happening for the women between 1993-9- 9 The last two campaigns have seen the irien finish third and second while the women have ' both times been runner-u-p So is 2002 the year the vaunted Aggies return to their former glory? ' While the women may be a year or two away from singing Queen’s “We are the ' Champions” fee men appear to be in good that come tune hum to position May “On the men’s side we have a shot at win- ' ning the conference championship” USU head coach Gregg Gensel said “If we do what we're supposed to do — and maybe a few extra things — people will have a hard time beating this team” With athletes like Brett Guymon Maurice ' Jenkins Justin Wickard Joel Johnson Mitch Zundel and several others the Aggie men ' appear to have the depth needed to grab the conference team crown ‘ Individually each of those athletes are expected to finish high in their respective events at the Big West Conference Champi- 8 onship in Irvine Calif May “We have a lot more higher-i- n people” Gensel said T think the only area we may not have depth in is the throws but 1 think all the other areas are pretty solid And I think we improved in our sprints and hurdles” The Aggie women have four returners who finished third or better individually at last sea-son’s conference meetledhy Kristi Connors and Katie Famer Though a few have the potential to qualify for the NCAA Champi--' 1 in Baton onships (to take place May Rouge La) the overall depth is not quite up to par wife other Big West teams like Idaho and Cal State Norferidgei “I really believe that last year this year and probably next year are more of transition late-1990- 9) : if'V - (i' - - V' J’’ - 9 t' - y Wf 29-Ju- ne - years” Gensel said “We're trying to rebuild and get better athletes in addition to the ones e wehave If we get second I think done real good this year” Below both fee USU men and women are we’ll-hav- th ' Cats ‘Con tin ued T f i ? from B1 “We just had oneinhing where we couldn’t get any- - ' body out” Sky View head coach RickThornesaid alluding to Bear River’s seveiHun Vfourth inning ‘ After $ky View brake a M tie wife two runs in the top of tiie fourth Bear River rallied to kriock Cats staffer Clint Lee-o: of foe game A pair of two-ru- n doubles by Courtney Burton and Shel- don Gardner and an efrorby Bobbat center fiefder Todd ' 4 ' fWimLj big-tim- races- ' ti $Mi S'-- ’ ' ' Si p ut - i Ii v "f V iV’i V ! 1' r ' Barr keyd the outburst which saw the Bears sod'll batters to fee plate Gardner 11 fee Bear attack wife three hits in four plate A transfer from Slovakia Hlubocky will likely run in fee 800 and lOO However Hlubocky was hit by a car over winter break which resulted in a foot injury that is still bothering him “He cranes to us wife great credentials" Gensel said “He’s a great athlete but he’s got to stay healthy lb help us he doesn’t have to do anything spectacular just what he is capa- Me of” Nielson last competed in track in May pf 1999 when he took ninth in the 5000 at Big West Upon his return from an LDS mission to Brazil Nielson posted competitive times (hiring fee 2001 cross country season and will run fee 1500 and 5000 this spring Prescott’s specialty is fee 10000 where his 30:1380 ranks him third at USU He also runs fee 5000 Zundel completed fee 1500 at Big West just 17 hundredfes of a second slower than champion and former teammate Brick Bergeson last year In fee decathlon Johnson qualified for the NCAAs a year ago: He also has theability to be a point scorer for the Aggies in conference in the long jump pole vault and javelin “We have a lot of options wife him " Croft said “He’s going to be good fcnough feat we’re going to have options on whether he does fee decathlon or a couple of different events at conference” Senior decathlete Brad Bair was doing well at the College Station (Texas) Muhis last weekend until he tore the plantar's fascia in his ' right foot Recovery is expected to be swift Jenkins was fee Big West pole vault champion in 2000 wife a height of 17-- 3 but slipped to fourth last season all-ti- El UxSenVHendd Journal Utah State senior Hayley Gordon is one of several talented Aggies on this year's track and field squad The USU women are expected to finish in the upper echelon of the Big WM Tournament Men Guy mon is fee most celebrated expected to have an impact as well At fee Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 9 Wickard ran fee 60 in 787-of a second away from qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships “He’s a groat athlete” Gensel said “Wife freshmen you never know how they are going done some pretty good to respond but for us” things Wickard also participates in fee king jump where he tied a USU record with aleap of24 feet 10 inches at the Montana State Invita- tional in Bozeman Feb15 Demario Franklin is expected to compete in both fee high and long jump The fifth-ye- of fee returning Aggies The senior from Huntington finished 10th at the NCAA Championships in the hurdles last season and is within striking range of former USU track star record time of 4885 Corey Murdock’s ' one-hundre- 400-met- er sec-on- ds hs Guymon’s fastest 400 hurdles clocking is 4979 “I’d like to run a mid- - to high-48- ” said Guymon whose hurdles crura is Murdock “I lf between improved about a two indoor seasons (in the 400 dash) so I hope feat can translate to fee hurdles” In fee 1 10 hurdles thefresjiman Wickard is -- fecond-and-a-ha- - appearances He also scored a nm'- Bear Riyer’s big inning could have been a lot bigger had Jared Frank not hit a comebackerto Lee who tiinfed it into a doubleplay “At times today we didn’t make fee plays we needed to” Thorne said Xlint probably got a little tired and got fee ball up a little in fee zone ' And this is a good (Bear River) baseball team We knew coming infest this is Tone of fee fop teams In 3A this year We knew we’d have fo play welL “Defensively we had a couple lapses but they hit fee ball in the gaps when they needed to and sixxeduns” While hegbt roiiied tq a bit on fee mound Lee had a bases-load- said Dusan Hlubocky Mike Nielson Steve Prescott and Zundel figure to be fee Aggies’ main distance runners Hlubocky who ran cross country in fee fall is still sort of an unknown commodity — one wjfe brcathtak-- " e ing potential but yet to prove itin 15-1- examined ko 0? finish in Big West likely for men women ‘ Del-eran- i track and field Upper-tie- r ’ not provide additional information about how long she had been in the hospital or the nature of her injury An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday morning A brief news release issued by fee hospital said the gill’s parents had donated her organs “in fee hope that others will be blessed as much as they were by her life" Dr James Kelly of the Chicago Neurological institute said he could not offer an opinion on fee cause of death based on fee little he knew about fee case “Delayed death is not unheard of from a head injury” Kelly said “But there are so many reasons that it could happen” An honor student and member of fee school soccer team Brittanie was remembered as a hard worker who also loved to shop Her friends on the team chose to go ahead wife a practice on a rtiny day kicking the ball around a field near the school “It’s a miserable day" coach Bill said “I figure that God’s crying along wife us” ed 1-- 1 : (16-17- 5) SeeGLORYooB4 ar solid day at the plate going River rally He stiuck out fee with two RBL Sky first three batters he faced View's leadoff hitter Brennan before giving up a couple of Reese went wife two runs in fee bottom of fee fiftM Lee got hinuelfinlo trouble runs scored and a pauM V" stolen bases by walking fee leadoff batter ‘ haid View Landm lish to start the bot7 opportunities Sky to score in the second and tmn of fee fourth After Burthird innings getting a runner ton’s double his second of fee in scoring positkn wife less game Lee walked in a run fean two outs on hpfeocca- Thome eventually visited his ' rims But Chandler Robinsdn hurler to see if he could get was tagged out at fee plate oA - himself ouVof fee predicament before turning to Doyle p grounder to short in the second inning and Chase V r “This is a great time to see Sorensen was left stranded at lifjdds canpftchoiitofajam second after a couple tof like feat” Tlmnie said “ft’i a'1' grpundouts in fee third good time to see what they’re Wfe cold temperatures and made of a little bit and give i a brisk wind the two teams' q feem achancetDgetoutofa combined for 22 hits on fee ' few jams early min fee pm-— 12 Bear season Ibday that didn’t ' V and River day 10 by- Sky View work necuarily but our C ' sfofeomore (Doyle) canie in Ryan Doyle came on in nfoef of Lee during fee Bear anddidgteri”-4 5 r-4 : : : - : third quarter before Detroit went m a 19-- run fueled by four including' Robinsm’S to beat buzzet ' foe “Wie’ie playing with a lot of and it shows” said " Notes: Malooe passed Elvin Hayes (50000) for second pUcp m fee minutes played list 26-foot- er third-perio- d many from longiange V The Jazz outscored Detroit 36-1in the paint but commit-- : ted 19 turnovers shot fimn range and made one field just goal in a five v minute period down fee ' stretch Hite turnovers killed us L it just looked Ifoemashed : potatoes out there fee way : we’re trying to play” Utah coach Jpny Sima said Brym Russell left fee game after Stackhouse scratched his right eye wife 5:52 left in the third quartet The Jazz were Vt r'rr r leading 5 V DooyeU Marshall put Utah up 56-4-5 midwaythrough the 4 v 54-4- r11- j : i minutes) has played more Stocklm was honored before fee game for becoming ' - ' ' Aefirst pberinNBAhisroiy forecord 15j000 career assists He adnqved fee mark at Hout tori mMadi lO fee fintgame e road trip' of a Staddiouse shot infee 'i i ' five-gam- -l5 first hall Marshall was whit-- V dedforfeeseldonMalled i punening fee ball violatim in : ' L: fee first quartet - - |