"The referees cheated us"
So claims Junior Salmonbellies GM Harry Ferguson. And he's right. The previous time these two refs officiated, they called every little thing, to the point that they slowed down the game. Half the calls they made were lost on the fans. So many times, we'd ask each other, "what did they call this time?" In this game however, they did the opposite, until the final four minutes: "'At this level it’s frustrating that found a way for it to decide a game,' said New West head coach Rob Dick. 'They had the whistle put away for most of the game and then at the end they decide to make calls just because we’re up by one rather than let the teams finish.'"
Grant Granger's (Newsleader) summary of
Thursday night's game is pretty good. And the more I read about Regy Thorpe, the less I like the guy: "Six Nations head coach Regy Thorpe said they spotted the glove’s deficiency at the start of the tournament and stored the knowledge for the right time. The Arrows had been burned a couple of times this season on similar calls, including one Thorpe said cost them a 22-game undefeated streak."
Labels: lacrosse, reffing, Regy Thorpe, Salmonbellies, Six Nations Arrows Express
What is the Minto Cup?
Here's a nice little piece on the
Minto Cup from the Province newspaper. My favourite part: "The New Westminster Salmonbellies won their first cup in 1908 and, according to reports, the Royal City became 'seriously unhinged.'"
We're still seriously unhinged :-)
Labels: 1908, lacrosse, Minto Cup, New Westminster Salmonbellies
Interesting comment by Six Nations Arrows Express Coach
I figured as much. Even the Express's coach thinks they would not have won without their sneaky tactic. Here's
Regy Thorpe, as quoted in The Province: "'I hate to do that, but it was our only chance,' Six Nations coach Regy Thorpe said about the illegal-equipment call. 'It's unfortunate [for Robertson], but it's part of the game. Rules are rules.'"
Of course, he doesn't mention the no diving rule that Shawn Evans constantly violates, not to mention the delay-of-game he should have received for faking an injury.
It will be interesting to see how the reffing will be in the final game. I'm sure having TV cameras around will change things. I've seen some pretty bad reffing this lacrosse season.
Labels: lacrosse, reffing, Regy Thorpe, Shawn Evans
Oh, where do I begin?
First off, I have to say that this was the most exciting lacrosse game I've ever seen. It was fast and furious. I sat on the edge of my seat, jumped up and down, participated in impromptu standing ovations, and chanted "New West" in response to the Six Nations fans' drumbeats. Heck, I even taunted the ref a bit.
The Salmonbellies trailed 2-1 at the end of the first period. Right from the start they hadn't taken as many shots as the Six Nations Arrows Express. Kyle Buchanan tied it up in the second period, and when Curtis Manning got a shorthanded goal five minutes later, the direction of the game changed. The Bellies managed to hold the 3-2 lead until the end of the second period.
Midway through the third period, Express took two in a row, which the Bellies didn't answer to until seven minutes later, when they took two as well.
At this point, though, Express's Shawn Evans, who's dived at least three times already without getting called on it, takes another dive and fakes an injury, prompting the refs to give a slashing penalty to Salmonbelly Eric Lewthwaite. Once Lewthwaite is en route to the box, Evans miraculously recovers (insert sarcasm here). And the next thing you know, the refs are checking Craig Robertson's equipment. Robertson gets a two-minute penalty for a split glove and a game misconduct, no doubt for questioning the call. Sean Tessarolo goes into net. With two in the penalty box, the Bellies let a goal slip by. Score: 5-5.
With 29 seconds left in the game, the Six Nations overthrow a pass and the Bellies gain possession and call a time-out. They're unable to score and lose possession with just 17 seconds left in the game. Six Nations then call a time-out and come up with a plan. On the buzzer, Mitch Nanticoke drills one into the net, assisted by Cody Jamieson and Shawn Evans--yes, the same Shawn Evans who got hurt just minutes earlier. Game over--literally.
So, there you have it. Six Nations advance on a technicality. Now, had they called the equipment violation earlier, and not at the same time as Evans' Academy Award-winning performance, I'd have a lot more respect for the team. Because they went about it the way they did, I can only conclude that they were being opportunistic and doing whatever they could to take a win. But, they seem proud of themselves...
As for the Robertson, well, I don't know. I'll have to withhold judgment until I get more details. He did save the Bellies from a serious thrashing, though. The Express had 67 shots on net compared to the Bellies' 35. And I certainly don't blame Tessarolo, either. Had the Bellies taken more shots and placed them better, the game would have had a different outcome.
Oh, well. Go Lakers!?
Labels: lacrosse, Minto Cup 2007, New Westminster Salmonbellies, Six Nations Arrows Express
Salmonbellies advance to Minto Cup semi-finals
The New Westminster Salmonbellies beat the Edmonton Miners 9-2 tonight at Queen's Park Arena. The game remained scoreless until the eleventh minute of the first period, when Alex Turner placed one in the Miners' net, assisted by Curtis Manning and Eric Ross. By the top of the second period, the Bellies were leading 4-1. This score made me nervous, for in the game against Burnaby a few days ago, Bellies started going downhill in the second period, when the score was 4-1. (Not that I'm superstitious or anything...). By the end of the second period, the score was 5-2, but the Bellies were playing poorly, prompting goalie Craig Robertson to storm out of the arena yelling, "Let's wake the f*** up!" It just might have worked. At the top of the third period, when Robertson came off with a knee injury and back-up Sean Tessarolo went into net, the rest of the team picked up their game, getting four goals in three minutes and a final goal with just 12.4 seconds left in the game.
MVP for the Bellies was Jordan McBride (three goals and an assist), while Cole Howell, with a shorthanded goal and an assist, was MVP for the Miners.
And in the almost-irrelevant-but-highly-interesting department, kudos to the young guy who sang O Canada at the start of the game. We have no idea who he is, but the fans sitting in my section were all extremely impressed by his talent. Well done.
Tomorrow night, the Bellies take on third-place Six Nations Arrows Express. Stay tuned...
Labels: Edmonton Miners, Minto Cup 2007, New Westminster Salmonbellies
Bellies lose to Lakers in Junior A
It's a pity the
Junior A Salmonbellies couldn't hold the strong lead they had on the
Burnaby Lakers in the first period. By the end of the first the Bellies had 4 points to the Lakers' 1, with both teams having taken 15 shots on net. In the second period, the Bellies managed to gain one more point, while the Lakers moved up to 4. What was shocking, though, was the number of shots on net by the end of the second (23 for the Bellies; 41 for the Lakers). The Bellies couldn't score at all in the third period (and took only 10 shots on net), while the Lakers managed to gain another 3 points, including the winning goal in the final two minutes of play. Final score:
Lakers 7, Bellies 6.
MVP for the Burnaby team was runner Dane Dobbie, while goalie Craig Robertson took the MVP award for the Salmonbellies.
Cliff Sepka, member of the 1953 Minto Cup winning team, the New Westminster Salmonacs (Salmonbellies + Adanacs), performed an honorary face-off at the start of the game. Members from the 1953 Salmonacs and the 1960 and 1994 Minto-winning Salmonbellies teams took part in a brief ceremony and photo op during the first intermission. The 1953 team was the first New Westminster team to ever win the Minto Cup.
At the time of his retirement from the sport, Sepka was the all-time WLA scorer with 746 goals, 581 assists (a total of 1327 points over 484 games). His jersey, number 19, is retired. His brother Don, who also played '53, was present tonight as well.
Labels: 1953, Burnaby Lakers, Cliff Sepka, Craig Robertson, Dane Dobbie, Don Sepka, New Westminster Salmonbellies, Salmonacs
Minto Cup action at Queen's Park Arena
Well, at least one national lacrosse championship is happening on the wooden floor this year. The
Minto Cup is underway. So far, the BC champions, Burnaby Lakers, and the New Westminster Salmonbellies have
one win each in round-robin play. They're scheduled to play each other this evening at 7:30. I plan to be there.
Labels: lacrosse, Minto Cup 2007
The way it should be
From a news release put out by the
New Westminster Minor Lacrosse Association:
New West Minor Lacrosse is pleased to announce that it will provide FREE admission to all New West minor lacrosse players and coaches for all New West Junior Salmonbellies games during the Minto Cup, including playoff/medal rounds!!
Labels: Minto Cup 2007
Oh, well
The Adanacs are officially the 2007 WLA champions, having
beaten the Salmonbellies 8-7 tonight in Coquitlam. The Bellies put up a good fight tonight and their fans appreciated it.
While the entire team played well, I was most impressed by
Jordan Hall with two goals and three assists;
Cory Melville, with an assist and some mighty fast running; and
Ian Hawksbee, with an assist and some great defensive moves.
Annoying-player-of-the-game award goes to Adanacs'
Geoff Snider, whom the Adanacs' website ironically refers to as mild-mannered and soft-spoken. Hmmm.
All in all, though, it was a good game. It's too bad the Bellies didn't play like this in the other three games. They'd still be in the running for the Mann Cup. Maybe next year?
Labels: 2007 WLA champions, Coquitlam Adanacs, lacrosse, New Westminster Salmonbellies
Upstream battle for the Bellies
Here's a
great article on the WLA finals.
Larry Pruner writes, "That allowed Coquitlam goalie Chris Levis to come out and challenge the New West shooters, who hit him square in the ‘A’ on his chest so often it began to look like target practice." This remark is, well, right on target.
Labels: Adanacs, Salmonbellies, WLA
More on Craig Conn
Here's a
press release regarding Conn and his injury.
Here's an excerpt:
“In light of this incident, we are deeply concerned about the lack of restrictions in off-season activities in NLL player contracts. The league needs to work to restrict such activities as playing in summer leagues,” Hamley added. “We wish Craig well in his road to recovery and we know we speak for our fans when we say he will be missed this season.”
New Westminster misses Conn this season too. (And please don't change the rules so that Conn and other NLL players can't play in the Canadian league.)
Labels: Craig Conn, lacrosse
Tough times ahead for the Bellies
Things are not looking good for the New Westminster Salmonbellies. Last night's loss of 14-11 was acceptable. They played better than they had been playing and put up a good fight. The final point of the game was a disappointment, though. New West had too many men in the final two minutes of play, which resulted in a penalty shot for the Adanacs. The ball went in, removing any hopes the Bellies may have had about catching up.
Tonight's game, however, saw the Bellies playing poorly again. Final score: 10-6. Defense was pretty much non-existent and offense was weak as well. The team just doesn't seem to have it anymore, which is rather sad. They've fallen apart since Conn was injured. Speaking of Conn, he was there tonight, watching from the sidelines, sporting a Bellies T-shirt and crutches. I wonder how he feels watching the Bellies struggle just to stay in the game.
Labels: Adanacs, Craig Conn, lacrosse, Salmonbellies
More on Thursday's lacrosse game
Here's what the
Newsleader has to say: "There are royal butt kickings and then there’s the Royal City butt kicking the Coquitlam Adanacs administered to the New Westminster Salmonbellies Thursday night." Yup. That's about right.
The Newsleader also provides some clarification on
McEwen's gross misconduct: "Following the fray, Darren McEwen of the Salmonbellies was issued a gross misconduct for abuse of officials, which carries a two-game suspension." Just what the Bellies don't need: no Conn, no Disher, and now no McEwen. Interestingly, we still don't know what McEwen did. I think Ref Radar was just in a bad mood. He lost his temper several times. Heck, when he was leaving the box post-game, a fan yelled out that the bench-clearing brawl was all Radar's fault. Radar looked like he wanted to throw the fan in the penalty box, too.
Labels: Craig Conn, Darren McEwen, gross misconduct, Matt Disher, Ray Durante
I want my money back
Well, it's hard to believe that what we witnessed at Queen's Park Arena tonight was the first game of the WLA finals. Where did the top-rated Bellies go? They were awful tonight. Again, they had no defense, their shooting was off, and they dropped the ball (literally) far too many times. Final score: 15-5 for the Adanacs.
The Bellies had a few--a very few--good plays. Peter Morgan scored a couple of times on powerplays, Iannucci made a beautiful one-handed goal after picking himself off the ground in front of the net, and Shibild made a lot of good saves, particularly in the latter part of the game. Shibild was looking a bit discouraged in the first period, and even made a direct in-front-of-the-net pass to Adanacs' Colin Doyle, who promptly placed the ball in the net.
The Adanacs played a much stronger game, however, and totally dominated all three periods. Their star player tonight was Ray Durante, mind you, a ref who's got a bit of reputation for favouring whoever happens to be playing against New West. I'm not saying that the Adanacs didn't deserve to win. They played hard and they played well--consistently. But Radar was annoying. He failed to call an illegal pick on an Adanacs player, and when a Bellie from the bench pointed it out, he got two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Radar also missed calling a Bellies' goal in the last couple of minutes of the game (not that it would have changed the outcome). Then, on the buzzer, Iannucci shot straight into the net. An Adanacs player started roughing him, and both benches cleared for a fight. And somehow, after all that, Bellies' Darren McEwan gets a ten-minute abuse of officials gross misconduct. I'm pretty sure a lot of fans wanted to abuse Radar tonight too. As for McEwan, I'm not sure why he was the only one who ended up with a penalty from the brouhaha. In fact, I didn't even find out about the penalty until I got home and compared my notes with
Pointstreak.
Post-game fight
Adanacs' Captain, Bruce Murray, after the fight
Here's to a better game Sunday night in Coquitlam.
Labels: Athan Iannucci, Canadian Lacrosse Association, Colin Doyle, Peter Morgan, Radar, Ray Durante, Ron Shibild, WLA 2007
The season in review
Here's a
good summary of the way things stand in the Canadian Lacrosse Association as we get even closer to the 2007 Mann Cup.
Labels: 2007 Mann Cup, Canadian Lacrosse Association
Here we go...
The Adanacs beat the Lakers and now advance to the WLA finals. The first game is tomorrow night and, like my lacrosse buddy says, "it's going to be a bloodbath."
Here's what
The Record has to say: "One of the most heated rivalries in the history of the Western Lacrosse Association is on again. The New Westminster Salmonbellies will play the unfriendly host to the Coquitlam Adanacs in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association final at Queen's Park Arena Thursday."
I don't mind a rough game, but the Salmonbellies really don't need to lose any more players to injury.
Labels: Burnaby Lakers, Coquitlam Adanacs, Salmonbellies, WLA finals
Where have all the children gone?
Those have you who have been attending the playoffs may have noticed the smaller crowds. Some may want to blame it on summer vacations. I doubt that's what it is, though. Children's tickets are overpriced. In the regular season, kids could get season's passes for a mere $20. For the playoffs, however, each game is $11. If a family only has one child, this may be affordable. But New Westminster has a number of four-children families (and a lot of these kids play lacrosse). An evening out for two parents and four kids is a whopping $74--and that's not counting popcorn, drinks, 50-50 tickets, and whatever else people spend money on at games.
Now I could understand it if there happened to be standing room only. But the stands are only about a quarter full. Charge the kids a toonie apiece for admission. Heck, even let them in for free if they come with their parents. Today's youth are tomorrow's players and fans. The Bellies' management should be encouraging them to come out and cheer, not raising the cost of admission to keep them away.
Labels: children, lacrosse, Salmonbellies, ticket prices
Too close for comfort
Well, the New Westminster Salmonbellies managed--just barely, mind you--to beat the Nanaimo Timbermen tonight at the Barn. Final score: 11-10. After a stellar first period that included a hat trick by
Nenad Gajic (1st star of the game), the Bellies fell apart. Runners stopped running, defenders stopped defending, and shooters shot directly at the goalie.
And speaking of goalies, as much as I appreciate Matt King's talent, I think he's nasty. Tonight he got two penalties. The first was for unsportsmanlike conduct, the second for holding. It was really more of a tackle, though--a childish play by a childish goalie. I'm also annoyed by his habit of constantly knocking the goal. Today it even cost the Bellies, for a goal didn't count because King moved the net again. I've never seen a goalie mess around with the net as much as King. His antics, however, don't discount the fact that he's one of the best goalies, if not the best, in the WLA.
We still don't know who the Bellies will be up against in the WLA finals. Coquitlam is leading Burnaby in the series 3-2.
Labels: lacrosse, Matt King, Nenad Gajic, WLA
About last Wednesday's game...
It was a downer--the
worst Bellies' game of the season. Not only were they missing Conn, but Disher's now out on an injury (back for the finals, if the Bellies get there). And the rest of the team just couldn't get it together. One player who did stand out was
Cory Melville. He was quick on his feet that night, unlike many of the others.
Silly move of the day goes to the Bellies' bench crew, who challenged the length of a Timberman's stick. The stick was legal, earning a delay-of-game penalty for the Salmonbellies--not what you need in the last two minutes of the game when you're trying to catch up.
Nanaimo's big win (the Bellies first home-game loss of the season) has given them
the confidence they need to tie the series. We'll see what happens tonight in Nanaimo.
Labels: Cory Melville, Craig Conn, Matt Disher
Interesting debate about minor lacrosse championships
Here's a
great post (with a great discussion thread) on minor league national championships. Girls' lacrosse isn't at this level yet. On the one hand, it makes it easier because we don't have to plan/fundraise for cross-country tours, but on the other hand, it would be a great experience for the girls to experience the national championships--what some posters refer to as "the experience of a lifetime."
Camaraderie and the smell of sweat
Now that the playoffs are on, I get to the arena a little earlier than usual, so I can secure a parking spot. I don't have to worry about my seat so much because, for the past two seasons, I've been sitting in pretty much the same spot.
I picked the spot last year because it was close enough to the Bellies' bench to allow me to see the players' reactions, hear the coaches' comments, and smell the players' sweat. But an added benefit to this location is the two loyal fans that sit behind me. Both are former Salmonbellies. The older guy (76) played on the old wooden floor--when it was still new! He also played with the Senior Bs for a few years, and coached lacrosse as well. The younger guy (mid 40s) went through to the juniors. I love hanging out with these two--I hear about strategy, about technique, and about the good ol' days with broken noses and wooden sticks--"none of these Tupperware sticks."
So, in addition to having my seat saved for me, I come home with a lot of stories and a few teasers. Tonight's teaser was about my very own neighbourhood, Sapperton. I'm sure I'll hear the rest of the story soon.
Lakers lead Adanacs
The Lakers won again tonight and now lead the Adanacs 2-1 in the playoff series. I followed the game on
Pointstreak. The two teams were tied at one apiece at the end of the first period, but the Lakers jumped ahead in the second, gaining eight points to the Adanacs' five. Burnaby took another two in the third period and gave one to the Adanacs, making the final score 11-7.
Tomorrow at Queen's Park, the Salmonbellies meet the Timbermen for the third time. The 'Bellies lead the series 2-0.
Labels: Burnaby Lakers, Coquitlam Adanacs
More on lacrosse in New West
This is a different version of an earlier article on lacrosse that incorporates some interviews that never got used the first time around.
The sound is distinctive, heard nowhere else in the country. The hollow thud of a ball bouncing. The resonance of stomping feet, rising and falling as players stampede from one end of the box to the other. It’s the sound of a lacrosse game in New Westminster, British Columbia, home of the country’s only wooden lacrosse floor.
The original tongue-and-groove surface, installed in 1938, had set the scene for thousands of games, from mini-tyke to the semi-professional Senior Salmonbellies. In 67 years, several national championships took place on the floor’s fir planks.
In recent years, however, the floor had begun to show serious signs of wear and tear, and citizens started to worry about what to do. The easiest option would have been to remove the floor and use the underlying cement as the playing surface, according to Jamie Stewart, president of the New Westminster Minor Lacrosse Association. But local lacrosse fans and heritage buffs wanted nothing to do with that, so they launched a campaign, headed by Stewart, to ensure that the legacy continue.
To raise both money and awareness, sections and individual planks of the old floor were sold off, enabling fans to take home a piece of history for as little as ten dollars. A definite hit in New Westminster, fir boards have also been shipped all over North America, including Virginia, New York State, and across Canada.
The new floor, like the original, comprises numerous panels that can be dismantled and stored at the season’s end, but the new floor is made of stained maple, as opposed to painted fir. The wood’s grain shows through the sea-green stain, creating the illusion of a sandy beach through tropical waters. The Salmonbellies’ logo, a bright red fish swimming through the legs of the letter W, graces either side of the centre face-off circle.
The floor epitomizes community pride. As I chat with Stewart in the stands while we watch the minors play, people approach and comment on the floor. Stewart points to a group of parents standing behind the glass at floor level, parents of kids playing in the next game. “And when this one’s over,” he says, “they’re going to walk out and check out the floor.” He’s right: they do. And that’s exactly what I did the first chance I could. I walked out onto the floor, examined the grain, tapped my foot, and ran my fingers along its smooth greenness.
It’s hard not to get caught up in the spirit, to take part in history in the making. When my daughter’s bantam team played their first game on the new floor two weeks before the May 25, 2006, official opening ceremonies, the team of twelve- to fourteen-year-old girls lined up side by side and simultaneously knelt to kiss the floor.
The New Westminster Lacrosse Association dates back to 1889, when the Royal City, christened by Queen Victoria, was just thirty years old. The following year’s formation of the British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association, comprising teams from Vancouver, Victoria, and New Westminster, prompted a lengthy inter-city rivalry, a rivalry that is responsible for the Salmonbellies’ name. According to local legend, angry Vancouver fans called out a taunt of “get their salmon bellies!” during a game between the two cities. Rather than taking it as an insult, the New West team revelled in their new name, and subsequently added the image of a fish to the team jersey.
The ’Bellies went on to great things. The name has been engraved a total of 24 times on the Mann Cup, an award established by Canadian National Railway’s master builder, Sir Donald Mann, that is now presented to the Canadian Senior Lacrosse Champions. (The country’s other major lacrosse award, the Minto Cup, was originally intended for the senior amateur and professional teams, but is now awarded to the Junior A champions.) In addition to the Cup itself, Mann Cup recipients also receive a ring with their team’s logo.
A strong sense of pride accompanies any affiliation with the ’Bellies, whether that affiliation comes from being a fan, an official, or a player at any level. Pride is especially strong in those players who grew up in the Royal City. Said 2005 MVP Kerry Susheski of playing for his hometown, “I grew up watching the old ’Bellies win the Mann Cup series, the Minto Cup series. It’s just always been a dream of mine to play for the Salmonbellies at the senior level, on the wood floor.”
“The Salmonbellies is what sports is all about,” team trainer Keith Johnson tells me at the ’Bellies annual fundraising dinner, a boisterous gathering of lacrosse legends, current players, and numerous volunteers and supporters. “You’ve got grassroots, history.”
And for many years, you had success. Despite winning the championship multiple times, the team has been struggling in recent years. A full decade and a half has passed since the Salmonbellies last won the Mann Cup, reminiscent of a lengthy dry spell that ended in 1958.
In New Westminster, lacrosse is about history: preserving it and repeating it. “We play a violent game with lots of injuries for no pay, just the chance to hold one of North America’s oldest trophies, and the chance of a ring,” says Richardson. For New Westminster native Joe Bell Jr., “There’s no better way to win a Mann Cup than with a fish on the ring.”
The 2006 season came to a close when the Salmonbellies lost in the finals to the reigning champions, the Victoria Shamrocks (who were subsequently defeated in the Mann Cup challenge by the Peterborough Lakers in Ontario). In 2007, however, the top-ranking ’Bellies, who ended the regular season in first place, are in even better shape to claim their 25th Mann Cup championship. This year, the Cup playoffs return west, many hope to the wooden floor of Queen’s Park Arena, where the Salmonbellies and their fans might truly relive the glory days.
Labels: Queen's Park Arena, Salmonbellies, Susheski, wooden lacrosse floor
Bellies beat the Timbermen
The Bellies played a great game last night against the Nanaimo Timbermen, winning 12-5. I have to admit though, the player of the game was the Timberman goalie, Matt King. He put on an amazing show, twisting and dancing in the net to make almost 50 saves. Disher, on the other hand, had to fend off only half the number of shots.
King appeared visibly tired by the middle of the second period, and we began to wonder why the T-men coaches didn't pull him off for a break. He started to make a few dumb moves, like crushing a Bellies player into the boards behind the net, and getting a penalty for slashing. In the third period, he also looked like he purposely knocked the net off (several times), prompting fans to yell at the ref to give him a delay-of-game penalty. But refs aren't inclined to listen to fans...
Craig Conn got taken away by ambulance last night for a knee injury. From the stands, it was hard to tell what happened exactly. There was some sort of collision with a Nanaimo player, then Conn went to the ground, flopping like a dying fish. Fans couldn't tell who was injured (I ended up asking GM Dan Richardson) and for the longest time we didn't know if it was a neck injury or not. It turned out to be his knee, which will likely keep him away from the game for a long time. I hope it's not as bad as it seemed.
Apart from that, it was a good game, with lots of action. The two teams meet up again today in Nanaimo. I think the T-men are going to come out scrapping.
Labels: Craig Conn, Matt King, Salmonbellies, Timbermen
