The University of Prince Edward Island will host the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Men's Soccer Nationals, November 6-9, 2014 at the UPEI Turf field. The event will host the best male student-soccer athletes from across the country. UPEI held the CIS Women's Soccer Championship in 2010.

Two teams will be selected from each CIS conference, for a total of eight teams who will play eleven matches in a single elimination, four-day tournament. The gold medal match will be held on Sunday, November 9 at 1:00 pm.

On Thursday, November 6, all former UPEI soccer players are invited to attend the opening ceremonies of the tournament at 6:30 pm where a special recognition of UPEI's 1984 CIAU semi-finalist team will take place. Food and drink specials will be available from 4:30-6:15 pm, followed by the UPEI Panthers' opening game at 7:00 pm. A post-game social will be held at The Wave for all alumni. Registration for this event is required to reserve a free day pass and special gift; please contact alumni@upei.ca or call (902) 566-0761 by November 3.

CIS Men's Soccer Championship Schedule

Wednesday, November 5
9:00 am-5:00 pm Practices
5:30 pm CIS All-Canadian Gala

Thursday, November 6
11:00 am Quarter-final #1
1:30 pm Quarter-final #2
4:00 pm Quarter-final #3
6:30 pm Opening Ceremonies
7:00 pm Quarter-final #4

Friday, November 7
11:00 am Consolation semi-final #1
1:30 pm Consolation semi-final #2
4:00 pm Championship semi-final #1
6:30 pm Championship semi-final #2

Saturday, November 8
11:00 am Fifth place - Consolation Final

Sunday, November 9
10:00 am Bronze Medal Game
1:00 pm Gold Medal Game

With our proud past, and bright future, join the UPEI Panthers as we celebrate 40 years of UPEI Men's Soccer! Go Panthers Go!

Heritage Canada The National Trust has honoured Dr. Edward MacDonald for his contributions to the study and promotion of Island history with the 2014 Lieutenant Governor's Award. Dr. MacDonald is a professor of History at the University of Prince Edward. Better known by his students as 'Dr. Ed,' Dr. MacDonald has served through his career as an editor, curator, teacher, policy advisor, heritage advocate, media resource, author, poet, and as an outstanding public speaker.

From the website of Heritage Canada The National Trust:

'Throughout his career, Dr. Edward MacDonald has understood that heritage conservation is about more than preserving bricks and mortar, it is about connecting the broader community to the history of streetscapes, landscapes, and the people who lived in them. As a historian, teacher and volunteer, he has devoted his career, and much of his personal time, to helping his community understand that heritage matters.'

The Lieutenant Governor's Award is one of the National Heritage Awards from Heritage Canada The National Trust for outstanding contributions to their fields. Dr. MacDonald and the other recipients were honoured at a recent ceremony in Charlottetown with The Honourable Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island.

To read more about Dr. MacDonald's award, and to see photos from the ceremony and reception, see Heritage Canada The National Trust's website

For information:
Dave Atkinson
Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

The UPEI Wind Symphony is in concert this weekend as they head to Saint John, New Brunswick on Saturday, November 1 for a performance at Harbour View High School at 7:30 pm. The Wind Symphony will then perform the following afternoon in Summerside, PEI at Three Oaks High School at 2:00 pm. Dr. Karem J. Simon will direct the symphony who will perform an eclectic program, featuring both traditional and contemporary wind band repertoire.

"Fanfare for a Golden Sky," an intense and spirited piece by American Scott Boerma, will open the recital. This will be followed by Gustav Holst's masterpiece, "Suite in F," one of the landmark original works for wind band. Using English folk melodies, Holst's contrapuntal writing and use of instrumental colour creates a very engaging work. Soloist for this performance is fourth­year trumpet major Laura MacLeod. She will be featured in "La Virgen de la Macarena," a bull fighting song made famous by the the trumpet virtuoso Rafael Mendez.

"Passamezzo Antico" by Paul Richards, the centerpiece of this recital's program, is a contemporary work written in Renaissance style with departures into contemporary counterpoint. Richards' brilliant scoring and craftsmanship is apt to appeal to the serious listener. Spanish composer Oscar Navarro's Downey Overture will close the program. It is a virtuosic work reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story.

The 50-­member Wind Symphony has toured the Maritimes annually for the past nineteen years and is among the finest wind ensembles in the region. During the past sixteen years, the Wind Symphony has produced an annual CD featuring selected repertoire from each year's performances. Cathedrals, released in May of 2010 received the 2011 Music PEI Award for Best Classical Recording. In February 2011 the Wind Symphony released its O Canada CD, a project exclusively for PEI public schools. Its most recent CDs, Freebirds, Lord of the Rings, Four Horsemen and Rumpelstilzchen have been highly acclaimed.

The UPEI Wind Symphony is delighted to collaborate with the Harbour View High School Concert Bands, under the direction of Ms. Lisa Sanderson; as well as the Three Oaks High School Concert Bands, under the direction of Ms. Krista Bryson, which will open the recitals. Tickets for these performances may be acquired at the admission desks. The public is cordially invited to attend.

For more information, please contact Dr. Karem Simon at (902) 566-0702 (office), (902) 892-5993 (home), or ksimon@upei.ca

If the present-day UPEI Men's Soccer Panthers need any more inspiration to perform when they kick-off their CIS campaign Thursday evening, a look over to the sidelines where a number of the 1984-85 team will be cheering them on should give them an extra boost.

It was 30 years ago that arguably the most dominant team in Panther's soccer history made it to the semi-finals of the CIAU championships, following a year in which they had won the AUAA title after an undefeated season, took home all the major individual conference honours, had six players named to the all-star team, and had four of the squad named all-Canadian.

'It was a special group of players who came together so well,' remembers coach Gordon Wilson of the squad, that included a mix of Island talent with some outstanding recruits.

'We had won the division the year before, but when Alan Spink from Dartmouth joined us we went up another level, 'recalls Wilson, who remains the only Panthers soccer coach to win three conference titles.

Spink joined an already potent midfield of Islander Don MacKenzie and team captain Glen Smiley, and with the talented Richard Pierre-Gilles always likely to break a game open in combination with lethal striker Scott Neil, it was a nightmare time for opposing conference defenders. Even if they did mount any attacking threat, the steady Steve Polenz, and the goalkeeping duo of Trent Hayes and Jean Francois Painchaud were usually on hand to deal with the danger.

The team went 9-0-3 in regular season before defeating UNB in the final, securing a second straight trip to the CIAUs in Ottawa, where their hopes of winning the university's first ever national title were denied in controversial circumstances. In the semi-final against Carleton, a Don MacKenzie goal was harshly ruled out with the score still at 0-0, before the Ontario champions went on to win 2-0.

'The referee called a foul against Don on the goalkeeper that should never have been,' remembers Wilson, while MacKenzie himself recalls, 'that it was a very harsh decision. I don't like criticizing the official but I got there first, chipped the goalkeeper, and looked on in disbelief as the goal was called back. We had the balance of play and I am sure we would have gone on to win.'

Despite the disappointment of that one game, MacKenzie remembers the time with great fondness.

'That team really put soccer on the map on PEI. It was a great spirit and the community and student body really came together. We had great crowds, and there was wonderful excitement around the field. It was a lot of fun.'

The 1984-85 Panthers team has been named the Honourary Chair of the CIS Championships, and will be recognized at half time during the game between UPEI and the Saskatchewan Huskies, which gets under way at 7:00 pm.

For information:
Nick Murray
Communications, 2014 CIS Men's Soccer Championships Organizing Committee
(902) 368-4547, publicrelations@sportpei.pe.ca

Come out and support your UPEI Panthers (tonight) as they take on the Canada West champions, the Saskatchewan Huskies in the CIS Men's Soccer quarter-final match at 7:00 pm.

All former UPEI soccer players, and the UPEI community are reminded to attend the opening ceremonies of the tournament at 6:30 pm where a special recognition of UPEI's 1984 CIAU semi-finalist team will take place. A pre-game social will take place at The Wave where food and drink specials will be available from 4:30-6:15 pm, followed by the UPEI Panthers' opening game at 7:00 pm. A post-game social will also be held at The Wave.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting or calling Panther Central at (902) 566-0368.

UPEI students get into the games free by showing their UPEI student ID.

Ticket prices are listed below following the tournament schedule:

Tournament Pass
Adults: $30
Students: $15 (UPEI students FREE with valid student ID card)
Children (Under 6): Free

Daily Tickets
Adults: $10
Students: $5 (UPEI students FREE with valid student ID card)
Children (Under 6): Free

For more information and championship updates, click here

In an exciting match last night that drew in over 1,000 fans, the UPEI Men's Soccer Panthers defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies 2-0 in overtime play (quarter-final #4) of the CIS Men's Soccer Championship hosted by UPEI. The Panthers advance to the semi-finals at 6:30 pm (tonight) where they will battle the OUA Champions, the York Lions. Tyler Shaw, former Panther and Canadian recording artist will sing our national anthem.

UPEI fifth-year players Jared Murphy and Logan Dawson settled the overtime game as they each scored a goal in the 110th minute and 119th minute respectively, which secured the Panthers' spot in tonight's game. Dawson was awarded the Player of the Game for UPEI, while Garrett Peters earned the award for the Huskies.

Come out and cheer on your UPEI Panthers tonight as they compete for a spot in the CIS finals!

Tickets can be purchased by visiting or calling Panther Central at (902) 566-0368.

UPEI students get into the games free by showing their UPEI student ID.

Ticket prices are listed below following the tournament schedule:

Tournament Pass
Adults: $30
Students: $15 (UPEI students FREE with valid student ID card)
Children (Under 6): Free

Daily Tickets
Adults: $10
Students: $5 (UPEI students FREE with valid student ID card)
Children (Under 6): Free

For more information and championship updates, click here

Congratulations to the UPEI Men's Soccer team who earned the CIS bronze medal on Sunday, November 9, and made history as the first UPEI Panthers soccer team to win a national CIS competition medal. The Panthers defeated the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins 2-1.

UPEI's player of the game was awarded to Jared Murphy who scored the second goal of the game to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Dylan Mackenzie, who assisted Murphy's goal, netted the team's first goal at 11:45. UQAM's player of the game award was granted to Maxime Leconte.

Eight of UPEI's players have played together for 14 years, and three players- Murphy, Dillon Wight, and Logan Dawson-all took last year off for the opportunity to play this season.

'The sacrifices made, when you have a year like this, makes it all worth it. You're creating memories with friends that are going to last a lifetime,' Murphy said to The Guardian with his tears in eyes. 'Taking that year off with Dillon and Logan, I think we'd all say we'd take 10 years off to have a weekend like this.'

UPEI congratulates the Men's Soccer team and is proud of their national accomplishment!

Go Panthers Go!

The UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week for the week of November 3-9 are Laura Bradley, Women's Hockey; and Jared Murphy, Men's Soccer. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who: Laura Bradley, Women's Hockey; and Jared Murphy, Men's Soccer

What: UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week

When: Week of November 3-9

Where: University of Prince Edward Island

Why: Bradley, a fourth-year arts student from St. Teresa, PEI, had a strong performance for the Women's Hockey Panthers during their two games last weekend; a 3-0 loss to Mount Allison University, and a 3-2 overtime loss to Saint Mary's University. The mobile defensemen recorded an assist during the SMU game.

Murphy, a fifth-year business student from Charlottetown, PEI, continued his strong season performance for the Men's Soccer Panthers, leading the team offensively to a CIS Bronze Medal. The striker scored two game-winning goals during the Panthers 2-0 quarterfinal win over Saskatchewan, and the Panthers 2-1 bronze medal win over UQAM. Murphy was selected to the 2014 CIS Men's Soccer Championship All-Star Team. He was also awarded this week's AUS Male Athlete of the Week.

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991, annear@upei.ca

Jared Murphy, Men's Soccer

PEI fans of Michael Crummey, Newfoundland novelist and poet, will welcome the news that his new novel, 'Sweetland,' is a finalist for the 2014 Governor General's Award for Fiction. Crummey will read from 'Sweetland' and sign books on Thursday, November 27, at 7:30 pm in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. His reading is sponsored by the UPEI English Department, with the generous collaboration of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.

All are welcome to attend!

For information:
Dr. Richard Lemm
Winter's Tales Author Reading Series
(902) 566-0592, rlemm@upei.ca

The UPEI Wind Symphony will perform its final recital of the Fall semester on Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 pm at Zion Presbyterian Church. Given the success of last Fall's performance at St. Dunstan's Basilica, the Wind Symphony is establishing a tradition of performing in downtown Charlottetown. The architectural and acoustical beauty at Zion will provide the ensemble and audience with a memorable experience. In addition, the seating capacity will allow for all Wind Symphony supporters to attend.

Some of the programming for this performance has been selected specifically with Zion in mind. 'Passamezzo Antico' by Paul Richards, the centrepiece of this recital's program, is a contemporary work written in Renaissance style with departures into modern counterpoint. A passamezzo antico is a chord progression common in the Renaissance over which performers would improvise. Richards uses this concept rather loosely creating a work that uses the colour of the modern wind band together with contemporary harmony, rhythm, and style. The spirituality of this work is aptly suited to Zion. Gustav Holst's masterpiece 'Suite in F' is one of the landmark original works for wind band. Using Renaissance and English folk melodies, Holst's contrapuntal writing and use of instrumental colour creates a very engaging work. Spanish composer Oscar Navarro's 'Downey Overture' will open the program. It is a virtuosic work reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story.'

Soloist for this performance is Wind Symphony principal trumpeter Laura MacLeod. She will perform 'La Virgen de la Macarena,' a lyrical and technical work made famous by the virtuoso trumpeter Rafael Mendez.

Performances this Fall will have brought the Wind Symphony to Saint John, New Brunswick, as well as Stonepark and Three Oaks Schools in Prince Edward Island. These performances represent UPEI's commitment to community outreach while providing its music majors with additional performance exposure.

During the past sixteen years, the Wind Symphony has produced an annual CD featuring selected repertoire from each year's performances. 'Cathedrals,' released in May 2010 received the 2011 Music PEI Award for Best Classical Recording. In February 2011, the Wind Symphony released its O Canada CD, a project exclusively for PEI public schools. Its most recent CDs, 'Freebirds,' 'Lord of the Rings,' 'Four Horsemen' and 'Rumpelstilzchen' have been highly acclaimed.

Tickets for this performance are $10 general admission, and $5 students and may be acquired at the UPEI Music Department, and at the admission's desk the evening of the recital.

For information:
Dr. Karem J. Simon, Professor, Department of Music
(902) 566-0702, ksimon@upei.ca