CIS CORNER: NOT RAVEN ABOUT THE HOCKEY SKED

The schedule for the Carleton Ravens' first full season in the OUA men's hockey league only makes sense if one considers the players are students and academics come first.

The schedule for this season might work against developing the student interest and the media attention that would go into Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees carrying the Canal War over to the ice. The teams face off on Hockey Day in Canada, Feb. 9, which will be kind of cool if that regular-season finale has playoff implications.

The timing of the first three Ravens-Gee-Gees matchups leaves a little to be desired, though, in terms of getting exposure. The teams open the conference schedule with a home-and-home Oct. 5-6, but that's Thanskgiving weekend, when most students will be heading home. It's also the first weekend of the NHL schedule, with a Saturday night New York Rangers-Senators game sure to dominate the headlines.

The Oct. 5 opener is also on a Friday night, coinciding with the a Gee-Gees home football game vs. Queen's. (Now you know where Out of Left Field hopes to be that night -- helping Rachael Leigh Cook mark her 28th birthday, which falls Oct. 4*).

The third matchup is an oddball Tuesday night game Dec. 4, right before end-of-semester exams, which again, probably will keep some students away.

Ultimately, though, keep in mind the players are students. It makes the most sense to have neighbouring teams play each other right, reducing travel time before December exams and again in before February midterms.

Ultimately, a rivalry depends on how competitive the teams are. Since a thread about the Gee-Gees and Golden Gaels attracted some interest, it only made sense to do some checking around and see what the Ravens have for their fledgling season after playing an exhibition slate for the past two seasons.

There's 13 players with major junior experience, with forward Andrew Self, who was one of the Sudbury Wolves' top playoff scorers during their run to the OHL final, as perhaps the notable recruit. (Self's actually passed up a chance to play an overage season in The 'Bury.)

Also noteworthy Ravens newcomers:

• Winger Francis Walker (has played little across the past three seasons, but scored 90 points in 44 games in the Provincial Junior A loop three years ago; has the somewhat advanced age -- 24 -- and the size -- 5-foot-11, 205 lbs. -- peculiar to a successful offensive player in the CIS);
• Winger Andrew Gibbons (18 goals, helped Belleville finish first in the OHL's East Division in '06-07);
• Winger Justin Caruana (played on the Peterborugh Petes' 2006 OHL championship team);
• Centre Jared Cipparone (52 points with Burnaby in the BCHL last season)
• Former 67's grinder Brodie Beard, who's played in the Royal Bank Cup and Memorial Cup;
• Winger Jeff Leavitt (five-year OHL veteran).
• Goalie Doug Jewer, a former NCAA D-1 netminder at Northeastern in Boston.

Obviously, it's not going to be easy for a team in its first time out, but Carleton coach Fred Parker -- who nearly took the Ottawa Jr. Senators to the Royal Bank Cup final in 2002 -- should have a fairly competitive. team.

BEING RED

Four Ravens basketball players (current of former) are on Canada's roster for the Pan-Am Games, reports cishoops.ca: Point forward Aaron Doornekamp, guards Ryan Bell and Osvaldo Jeanty and forward Paul Larmand, who played on the first two national championship teams in 2003 and '04.

(* FYI: "Helping" Rachael celebrate her two-eight does not necessarily involve being in the same room, building, city, state, province, or country. The restraining order is safe.)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.