With more than 20" of snow blanketing major parts of the Northeast after a blizzard on Sunday evening, what better thing to photograph (besides more folks out in the elements) than a Russian All-Star hockey team mixing it up with the cadets here at West Point Tuesday night. I think by the second period of their exhibition game, I realized how cool it was to be photographing players from another part of the world again, particularly when I'd been to some of their regions in Siberia, as sort of an homage to my four visits to the Russian Federation throughout my career. Here's a few favorites from the first two periods of the game. Oh yea, final score: Red Stars 11 - Black Knights of Army 4. ~cg.
Russian Red Stars players gather around goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, center) prior to their exhibition game against Army in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Jack Barnes (#19, left) scores past Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, right) during the first period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Mark Dube (#15, center) watches the puck as Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, right) makes a save during the first period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Mike Henderson (#12, right) checks Yaroslav Alshevskiy (#88, center) of the Russian Red Stars as Army's Mark Dube (#15, left) watches during the second period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army goalkeeper Jay Clark (#35, left) reaches to make a save on a shot by Anton Lazarev (#91, center) of the Russian Red Stars as Army's Bill Day (#23, right) defends during the second period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62) splashes his face with water during a break in their exhibition game against Army in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Spent a little time on my day off to walk the same neighborhood streets where I've covered recent homicides, funerals, car accidents and the like over the last few years. A couple of images made this afternoon that will be sent to my editorial stock agency, The Image Works. ~cg.
The NPPA / MNCC (National Press Photographer's Association / Monthly Clip Contest) finally got around to posting their April winners. More props on a regional and national level, which is always good for the soul... ~cg.
Not only am I listening to Classical music lately, I have just purchased Franz Joseph Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat for trumpet & orchestra, 3rd. Movement as performed by Alison Balsom:
"Untitled." Yarosliavsky Station in Moscow, Russian Federation on June 22, 2005.
REWIND - Images from the Archive.
A showcase for some of my favorite images here on the blog that aren't particularly in the working portfolio. Look for this occasional feature where I'll highlight a single image that's meant a lot throughout my career. Enjoy. ~cg.
*To see my previous posts of this ongoing retrospective, click HERE.
Spent about 10 hours yesterday waiting to make this image of yet another homicide victim here in my town. Yea, it's the Holidays and all that, but to me, the news just doesn't wait. Beginning to wonder what's in store for us on many levels in the coming New Year...? ~cg.
Newburgh Police Department Crime Scene Investigators and funeral home workers remove Everton Marcus Fray's body from 155 Chambers Street in Newburgh, NY on Thursday, December 23, 2010. Fray of Jamaica and Schenectady, NY is the city's 11th. homicide this year. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
This year's card is en route to your doorstep, mailbox, desk, mail room or desktop. Special thanks to my very good friend and his family for having just "the right tree" on their property in Pottstown, PA two weeks ago. Wishing you all a very healthy, safe and prosperous 2011. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ~cg.
(Inside message): "Fresh Cut." Sunday, December 12, 2010. 4:07PM
(Rear of card): Marc, Leonie, and Joel Brooks return to their house after cutting a Christmas tree for a customer on their family run tree farm in Pottstown, PA on Sunday, December 12, 2010.
"Hey, I already made that picture...!" One of the best things about being a sports photographer is the proximity we're given to the athletes in games, practices, press conferences, etc. Particularly at the Division I college level and of course in the pro ranks. One such player is quarterback Ricky Dobbs (left) of the U.S. Naval Academy, who incidentally I knew nothing of until last year's Army - Navy game down at "the Linc" in Philadelphia. (Lincoln Financial Field.) Midshipman Dobbs put on a clinic in last year's game (lower right) when he ran for 113 yards on 33 carries and was named MVP of the game. He also set the single season record for rushing touchdowns by a NCAA quarterback at 24, after he scored on a 1-yard run. You don't easily forget a performance like that, especially in a big marquee game like the Army - Navy rivalry.
One of those secret little "wish lists" that I guess I sort develop a few days before a big game like this and file in the back of my mind is hoping that Dobbs would "make good pictures" for me during the game, just as he did last year. I remember telling a few colleagues on the field that we're "going to hear his name a lot today..." Well, Dobbs didn't actually have a career day against Army in Saturday's game - three fumbles and an interception, but I did make good images of him. In fact, since I'm obviously there for the Army side of the game, I couldn't help but keying (watching) on him quite a bit while looking to make good images of the Army defense. Dobbs is a player, that's for sure. While going through my take of Saturday's game, I came up with an almost identical image of him running the option and pitching out to his left, same as last year's game (below):
(2010) Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs (#4) pitches out on the option in the second quarter of the 111th. Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Navy defeated Army 31 - 17. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
(2009) Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs (#4) releases the football on a pitch out as he runs the option during the 110th. Army - Navy Game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 12, 2009. Navy defeated Army 17 - 3. Dobbs ran for 113 yards on 33 carries and was named MVP of the game. He set the single season record for rushing touchdowns by a NCAA quarterback at 24, after he scored on a 1-yard run. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON
Navy safety Wyatt Middleton (#8, left) recovers Army quarterback Trent Steelman's fumble at the 2 - yard line in the second quarter of the 111th. Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Middleton ran for a 98 - yard touchdown on the play and was named the game's MVP. Navy defeated Army 31 -17. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
I've photographed a lot of great or "special" moments in my career, particularly in covering sporting assignments. Everybody from Michael Jordan & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Muhammad Ali signing autographs and HS basketball player Will Bouton's miracle basket, a last-second, three point shot (on two cameras) to send his team to the state finals two years ago. But Saturday's fumble by Army quarterback Trent Steelman (above) inside the Navy 5-yard line as Army was driving in the closing minutes of the first half, would be a play that I probably won't forget for quite a long time. I think my eyes got as a big as Navy safety Wyatt Middleton's when the ball was punched out of Steelman's hands, as the Navy defense literally stood him up again and stopped him cold. First and foremost, this was my fourth Army - Navy game I've covered since joining this paper, as I've sort of become the unofficial "West Point beat photographer" for most events big and small, and just about every game or competition at the academy in all sports. It would be my third game down at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and a ballpark I was becoming fairly familiar with. It was fitting that I'd be back on the natural grass field in South Philadelphia for this year's traditional battle between the two service academies. (I'd missed covering the Army - Notre Dame game at Yankee Stadium a few weeks ago, due to a lower back injury) and thought that my coverage of the Army - Rutgers game in October would be my biggest thrill in covering Army football this year. Little did I know...
(Here's how it all sort of shakes out for me...) Working the Army - Navy game has sort of become my World Series, Super Bowl and Mardi Gras all wrapped up into one. Well, maybe not the Mardi Gras part as I don't get to participate in any of the pregame parties or formal balls in Center City, Philadelphia the night before the game, or of course get to tailgate hours before the game in the stadium parking lot. What I do get to do is worry. And sweat. And ache. My workday for the game usually begins with a 4:30AM wake-up, since I want to be on the road by 6AM for the 3 -/+ hour drive to Philadelphia. But all this is to be expected, especially since I'm already familiar with the logistics of the stadium, press parking, photographer's field level workroom, etc. It's good to get to the ballpark with plenty of time (approximately 5 hours) before kickoff and sort of decompress from the long drive, have a cup of coffee, set up my workspace to send test emails to the office & back to myself, and begin the routine of how I'm going to go about installing my overhead remote in a TV press box either in the end zone as in previous years or in a main press box overlooking midfield. All this of course requires riding the service elevators to the top concourse of the stadium, and climbing the stairs up to either press box. Covering this game is all about preparation for me, as evidenced by the overhead remote image I really enjoy making. It sort reinforces the idea and ideals that everything in my gear bag(s) have to be in working order. Not to mention the three trips I made to the top of the stadium to insure that the remote camera had made this image...
The West Point Corps of Cadets fill the field during the "March On" prior to the 111th. Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Navy defeated Army 31 - 17. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
All in all it was another exceptional experience to again photograph such an important game between the two service academies. The weather never became a factor either, as most of us were able to work without gloves well into the second half as well. It was also good to see a few familiar faces in the photographer's workroom and meet some new colleagues as well. ~cg.
Here's a slideshow from my take on the game.
*(Use the arrow at the bottom left of the player or click the image to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. Pause the portfolio slideshow in the right column by clicking the "II" pause button.)
Click these links to view my previous year's Army - Navy Game coverage in 2009 and 2008.
West Point cadets cheer during the annual bonfire and send-off for Army's football team at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Thursday, December 9, 2010. The cadets traditionally burn an effigy of a Navy boat representing the Naval Academy before the Army - Navy game. Army will face Navy in the 111th. annual Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
I'll start right here: "BBall.", "Hoops.", "The Pill.", "The Rock.", "Square Up.", "Box - Out.", "Swish.", "Pop - Out.", "Shake 'N Bake.", "Pick and Roll.", "Gotcha.", "Face.", "And One.", "Down Low.", "Trap.", "Press.", "Coast to Coast.", "In the Paint.", and back "On the Block..."
NFA guard Will Williams gathers his thoughts during varsity basketball practice at the high school in Newburgh, NY on Thursday, December 2, 2010. Defending Section 9 Class AA Champion NFA opens their 2010 - 2011 season at Minisink Valley on December 9th. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Photographing basketball is probably my favorite sport to shoot. I mean besides football, baseball, boxing, track & field, swimming, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, soccer, field hockey, horse racing, car racing, bungee jumping, hang gliding, wind surfing, marathon running, weightlifting, etc... Well, you get the idea. Basketball offers more opportunities for good pictures ata given game or venue, and sometimes even great pictures.Within the boundries of the rectangle of hardwood we know as the court, there are literally unlimited possibilities of viewing angles, shooting positions for me, as well as for remote cameras, and ways to cover a game. From the pee-wees and youngsters in neighborhood playgrounds and gyms, all the way up to the big boys in the NBA, I've been around basketball my whole life.
At one time I was a pretty decent player through high school and like other sports, I have a deep appreciation of the game with all it's nuances and intricacies. Basketball offers a working photographer a means to get close to the players and coaches, where one can usually freely approach the team benches (or locker rooms) for good feature or "B - roll" images from games and even practices.
As I begin my fourth season here covering basketball at this newspaper, it's always a good time to sort of look ahead while looking back at the work at the same time. This will of course include a fair heaping of high school games, as well as college games at area universities and the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. One good thing in looking ahead is that I've become familiar with the area gyms and arenas these past seasons, and am really looking forward to trying a few new things, as well as tweaking some of my dependable routines.
Anfernee Hardaway (#1, center) of the NY Knicks drives to the basket between Kenyon Martin (left) and Rodney Rodgers (right) of the NJ Nets in the first half of their Game #1 playoff game at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ on Saturday, April 17, 2004. Hardaway led the Knicks' scorers in a losing effort as the Nets defeated the Knicks, 107-83. (Photograph by Chet Gordon for The New York Daily News)
I am working now to add a slideshow of some of my career & recent favorites in covering basketball, so please check back on this post again soon... ~cg.
Got a call last week from an editor on the picture desk at The New York Times, requesting my permission to publish a photo of an internationally known businesswoman I'd photographed on assignment back in 1993. That's 1993 - nearly twenty years ago, when I was a very busy freelancer for them. It was good to know that a news organization such as the Times still goes by the book, and will pay me nearly their day rate again for the use of this image, which ran with the subject's obituary yesterday.
You can read Helen Boehm's obituary by clicking HERE. ~cg.
One of the many reoccurring themes throughout my career continues to be photographing "Men w/ Guns..."
Sometimes it seems that some of these themes and mindsets for me are almost embedded within the subconscious if you will. This by no means is an attempt to make a political statement about the work, nor is it a highlight of those that work with weaponry everyday. It's just that I've been around weapons for a long, long time, beginning first in the military, on the streets with law enforcement personnel, and occasionally even with the bad guys. I have a great respect for those that are trained to use them correctly. (Keywords: Training and Correctly.) What always boggles my mind while on an international trip and in a foreign culture is how a lot of societies are accustomed to armed individuals weaved right into their daily lives... Weapons on the street make for good images, and I don't think there's any doubt about that, but they also tell a lot about how governments and the powers that be sort of "oversee" their populations.
I am always in awe how a population can readily accept the militarization of their communities, and probably just as harrowing - their acceptance of street violence & death, which is predominately the result of the immediate availability of firearms to the general population. This post will be a look at how I've seen "Men w/ Guns..." through the years... ~cg.
13 November 2010
REWIND- Images from the Archive.
Lamu, Kenya. Family butcher shop in Lamu, Kenya on Saturday, May 13, 2006.
Lamu Island is a part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya. Lamu Old Town, the principal inhabited part of the island, is one of the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant center for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures. The island is linked by boat to Mokowe on the mainland and to Manda Island, where there is an airport. There are no roads on the island, just alleyways and footpaths, and therefore, there are few motorized vehicles on the island. Residents move about on foot or by boat, and donkeys are used to transport goods and materials. A port was founded on the island of Lamu by Arab traders at least as early as the fourteenth century, when the Pwani Mosque was built. The island prospered on the slave trade. After defeating Pate Island in the nineteenth century, the island became a local power, but it declined after the British forced the closure of the slave markets in 1873. In 1890 the island became part of Zanzibar and remained obscure until Kenya was granted independence from Great Britain in 1963. Tourism developed from the 1970s, mainly around the eighteenth century Swahili architecture and traditional culture. ~ from Wikipedia.
REWIND - Images from the Archive. A showcase for some of my favorite images here on the blog that aren't particularly in the working portfolio. Look for this occasional feature where I'll highlight a single image that's meant a lot throughout my career. *To see my previous posts of this ongoing retrospective, click HERE. -cg.
"Fox" Battery. 2nd. Battalion / 12th. Marines. Okinawa, Japan. (circa 1986).*Yours truly standing @ second row - second from right. M-198 Howitzer F 2/12 Battery, Fire Direction Controlman. (0844)
Today is Veteran's Day. Yesterday was the United States Marine Corps' 235th. birthday. With all the happenings in the world today & in my career, it's hard to sometimes believe it's been more than 20 years ago when I proudly wore the uniform of the USMC. Being a Marine changed my life, and quite honestly, has had a lot to do with who I am each & every day. I think of my fellow Marines often..."Semper fi." -cg.
MCRD. San Diego, CA July 2004.
SAN DIEGO, CA. USMC Recruit Depot. Paying my respects to the Marines who've passed thru MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) "Boot Camp" in San Diego by touching the infamous "grinder" or parade deck while on vacation thru southern CA. I wet thru Parris Island, SC. 2nd. Battalion Platoon 2015. 16 Nov. 82 - 8 Feb. 83 "Ooh-rah!! ~cg.
It's always nice to be recognized by the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) Monthly Clip Contest for work during the calendar year. Here are two winners from back in July. Hard to believe that the two 12+ hour days spent on the Chelsea Clinton stakeout in tony Rhinebeck was four months ago. ~cg.
Click HERE to see my original post from the two days' coverage of the "Chelsea Wedding Watch" and HERE to see my paper's Chelsea page. Funny, I remember backing up and bumping into Chelsea while covering her mother's announcing her run for the NY Senate race over in Westchester when Bill was still a sitting president... ~cg.
Newburgh Police Crime Scene Detectives and funeral home personnel remove the first of two bodies from 12 Liberty Street in the Heights neighborhood of the City of Newburgh, NY on Friday, November 5, 2010. Two men were the victims of a double homicide last night. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
The phone call came this morning at dawn (around 7:15AM) from my trusted colleague, the reporter who covers Newburgh here with me. Both the good and the bad. "Two homicides last night" he told me a few times as I tried to figure out what time it was on the work cellular. "I'll be there in 20 minutes..." I replied, as if rehearsed between the two of us. "Do I have time to make a cup of coffee?" I remember asking him before we hung up. Working at the scene in a misty, raw and damp morning, I managed to move 4 early images to the office of the cops & crime scene guys, and returned to make the coroner's office people removing the two bodies, some 6 hours after I'd initially arrived on the scene and began making images at 8:15AM. Moved 4 more images of the coroner's people and CSU guys on the scene, in particular these types of images (above). So it's already been a full workday schedule. I guess it's sort of a good thing that I'd returned to the scene to make the later images... Time to get ready for the original work day tonight; a big HS Football sectional championship game up in Kingston under those dreadful lights. Let's hope the rain holds off at least until halftime / third quarter. Will surely be pushing deadline on this game, as there's no internet in this almost archaic stadium... ~cg.
“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.” – Vince Lombardi
For quite sometime now, I've been considering this latest post in an attempt to highlight my football coverage, and what it means from my perspective on the field as a sports photographer, and as a one-time HS player a long, long time ago.Not only during this season, because the teams and games seem to all run together at some point, so I cannot truthfully separate the work into one Fall campaign. Football is a violent, punishing, and brutal sport on both sides of the ball, and at no matter what level. Talented players shine continuously and their abilities are a wonder to behold at times. But there are also quiet, game telling moments that I always try to be aware of as well. Whether it is a defeated defensive lineman (above: Army's Mike Gann a few week's ago after loosing to Rutgers in overtime at the New Meadowlands Stadium) or a father quietly comforting his high school MVP son off the field after their loss in the state championship game in Syracuse University's Carrier Dome a few season's ago (right).
The action will undoubtedly come and covering games in the varying stadiums and venues I frequent presents a whole new set of challenges. Weather becomes either an added bonus in covering games in early / mid - September, comfortably dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, or a major intimidating factor in how one goes about planning their overall workday on the field, particularly at this time of the year. Gloves (usually two pair), thermal underwear, lined work pants, Gortex ski hat, turtle neck shirt, work boots, and a few packets of hand warmers become just as important to me as any lens / camera combination and my shooting position on a sometimes wet or even frozen field. It becomes a mental battle at times in not allowing the elements to interfere with your main objective in covering games, especially as we're now into HS playoff season, and those games are played at night, as well as the upcoming annual Army - Navy Game in mid-December. "Brrrr....!"
"Just Win, Baby." - Al Davis. Oakland Raiders GM
Football keeps me awake nights. Makes me (figuratively) bite my nails while driving to the ballpark. Even the most routine game coverage presents opportunities for phenomenal images, but the preparation and the photographer's mindset must be right on point - all the time. That's one thing about football, good pictures can happen 80 yards away from your position (for a game winning field goal with a 600mm at left) or literally right in your lap, five yards away in the end zone (with a third camera around my neck with a short zoom at lower right. This camera is sometimes referred to as a "bailout" or "oh Sh*t!" camera, as all you have to do is aim and fire, because you've taped the focus ring in place, and it's usually set at a smaller aperture to insure good depth of field on a wide angle or short zoom.) So in a sense, this third camera is like a remote - without actually being a remote, and on some days may never make an actual usable image on the field. Unlike basketball and baseball, where a high percentage of the pictures made in those sports are basically from a "station to station" viewpoint during a game. Meaning a photographer can anticipate where the action will take place; around either basket for basketball and along the base paths or home plate for baseball coverage. Players are photographed coming right at you; as in down the lane on a fast break or dunk in basketball, or running, diving, sliding into a base or a nasty collision at the plate in baseball. It is because of these familiarities with each sport and their playing fields that photographers can utilize remote camera(s), carefully aimed at one of these "stations" and literally just wait for the action to take place, and fire one or more remote cameras setup and pre-focused for that particular opportunity.Blog readers here know of my continual use of remotes, but I'm going to leave that topic for a later discussion, as I usually only install a remote camera in football for an overall view of a stadium, like this one (above) 3 hours prior to the annual Army - Navy game in Baltimore in 2007 - which incidentally means arriving up to 5 hours before game time to install that camera in a TV press box high above the crowd. This overall view is always a nice addition to the day's take on the game and also serves as a file image of each particular stadium, so when images are needed for general stories in the future on a particular team / season / stadium & city, we have them "in the can" so to speak. I routinely mount a remote in West Point's Michie Stadium; either on a rooftop of Kimsey Hall in the south end zone (below) to capture the pre-game parachute team arriving at midfield, and even mounted a remote a few weeks ago on their Jumbo-Tron scoreboard for a variation of this same view of the field from the north end zone.
Football also affords me the opportunity utilize a vast array of equipment. It is not uncommon for me to arrive at the ballpark with 4 digital camera bodies (remember the third one around my neck for anticipated plays right in front of you), and on occasion 5 camera bodies, as I've also begun shooting video clips for the paper's website at most of the games this season. The Canon 5D - Mark II is ideal, as it's 21MP chip delivers superb, broadcast quality video files, and I have the ability to also shoot it as a still camera even while rolling in video mode. Lens choice includes everything from my 10.5mm fisheye to a 600mm (actually a 300mm f/2.8AF with the 2X tele-extender attached). The fisheye is for the overhead views of the stadium (above), as well as using it for a neat huddle image with the camera mounted on a mono-pod where I actually extend the mono-pod or "stick" over the players, and fire the camera either by a hard-wire trigger or Pocket-Wizard radio transmitter & receiver combination.
Russian Red Stars players gather around goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, center) prior to their exhibition game against Army in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Jack Barnes (#19, left) scores past Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, right) during the first period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Mark Dube (#15, center) watches the puck as Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62, right) makes a save during the first period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army forward Mike Henderson (#12, right) checks Yaroslav Alshevskiy (#88, center) of the Russian Red Stars as Army's Mark Dube (#15, left) watches during the second period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Army goalkeeper Jay Clark (#35, left) reaches to make a save on a shot by Anton Lazarev (#91, center) of the Russian Red Stars as Army's Bill Day (#23, right) defends during the second period of their exhibition game in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4.
Russian Red Stars goalkeeper Roman Smiryagin (#62) splashes his face with water during a break in their exhibition game against Army in Tate Rink at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 28, 2010. The Red Stars defeated the Black Knights of Army 11 - 4. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
