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SASKATOON -- Cheerful and self-effacing, there is something distinctly boyish about Ottawa Senators up-and-coming power forward Buddy Robinson. Except that hes six foot five and tips the scales at a whopping 235 pounds. After scoring two goals in two nights during pre-season exhibition games, including Ottawas 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday, the 22-year-olds chances of making the NHL this year are looking increasingly rosy. With final cuts expected in the coming weeks, some of his fellow rookies are showing stress, but its clear from his broad grin that Robinson is having the time of his life. "Its definitely good to get a few out of the way early," Robinson said. "You dont want to be three or four games into the pre-season without a goal." Senators left-winger Clarke MacArthur, a veteran of eight NHL seasons, said hes impressed that so large a player has the finesse and speed that Robinson displays. "Hes a big body, and when he gets his feet going hes a big horse going down the wall," he said. "Its great to see a young guy like that come in and get a couple goals. Hes making this league look easy." Robinson said he never really considered the possibility of professional hockey, especially when he was a gangly, awkward teenager. At the time his long frame -- and the clumsiness that came with it -- was more hindrance than help. "I had to put some pounds on before I could really use the size to my advantage," Robinson said. While he is known to all as Buddy, even on official rosters, his real name is actually Charles James Robinson III. The nickname was given to him years ago, as a way of reducing confusion as family gatherings. "Sometimes it gets a little confusing, if someone calls you buddy you dont (know) if its your name or if hes a pal," Robinson said. As time passed, Robinson said he realized he has more than raw power at his disposal. "For a big guy Ive always been told I can really move out there," he said. "Thats what I like to focus on. I really want to be able to keep up with the smaller, quicker guys." Despite his modest ambitions, scouts consistently saw potential in Robinson, pushing him to higher and higher levels of play. In 2009 Robinson was noticed by a Hamilton Red Wings scout, and after tryouts found himself playing in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. After two seasons, putting up 11 goals in the first and 15 the next, he was transferred to the Nepean Raiders. This OMJHL exposure got him noticed by Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and he was offered a scholarship, staying for two years. Robinson caught the eye of Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray during his second year of college, and was offered a college free agent contract. He took the deal and left his college days behind. Senators head coach Paul McLean said hell make his final cuts around Oct. 1, and that so far hes impressed with Robinson. "Hes got good size and skates, and the puck is going in the net for him," he said. "Hes doing a good job." Chris Watt Chargers Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Casey Hayward Jersey . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. http://www.chargersnflfansmall.com/c-27-chargers-h...ersey.a spx . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Brandon Flowers Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51.VANCOUVER -- Milan Dragicevic is determined not to go down without a fight. Dragicevic, coach of the University of British Columbia varsity mens hockey team, is on a mission to keep his program going as its future remained in doubt Tuesday. The school announced 16 teams, from the current 29, that will play next season -- but mens hockey wasnt among those approved. "It was really disappointing, obviously -- disappointing for the players, disappointing for the program, disappointing for the alumni -- and all the hard work thats (been done) for this program for the last 100 years," said Dragicevic. "And for (university administrators) to even consider putting this program as a non-varsity (program), its a slap in the face, I think." UBC has played a key role in Canadas national hockey development. The late Father David Bauer and former UBC athletic director Bob Hindmarch established the first Canadian national team on campus in 1963. The universitys sport review advisory team is in the midst of examining the athletics department and determining which teams should stay at the varsity level. The fate of the 13 other teams will be decided at the end of February, giving Dragicevic and the programs supporters about six weeks to save the mens hockey program. Teams receiving a passing grade include: womens ice hockey and womens field hockey, mens and womens basketball, mens football, mens rugby and womens volleyball. "Mens hockey is gonna stay," said Dragicevic. "I have a feeling that its going to stay. Im very confident, and as I told all the players today, our alumni group is a very powerful group. They support our program. It doesnt matter about wins and losses. Its all about player development and development for life afterward." Administrators contend the varsity teams annual budget, which has been raised by $200,000 to $6.4 million, is insufficient for so many high-performance teams. "We simply could not have gone on with 29 varsity teams," said Louise Cowin, UBCs vice-president of students, during a news conference. "And, its not just a question of financial resources." Cowin added that UBCs athletics program was on "an unsustainable path" and other Canadian universities have been struggling with the same issues. She pointed to the University of Toronto, Queens, Carlton, University of New Brunswick, Trent and Brock as examples of post-secondary institutions where the number of varsity teams has been reduced. But Dragicevic called his teams omission from the approved list "shocking" given hockeys popularity and rich history in Canada. "Its Canadas national sport," said Dragicevic. "Weve been around for a long time. It kind of blows your mind that they would consider this, when you look at the tradition and the community involvement that we have. At the end of the day, I believe theyre gonna say hockey is a no-brainer to keep at the varsity level." The approvals came after teams submitted reasons why their programs should coontinue.dddddddddddd The mens field hockey team is also determined to retain its varsity status after missing out in the first stage. "I thought we fit the criteria very well," said Arif Virjee, a player who with the team who also sits on UBCs athletes council. He cited players strong academics, national team representatives and the teams long history as factors in its favour. "Weve had national team players stretching back to the 1950s," he said. Virjee, who is in his last year at UBC, feels mostly for young players who hope to continue with the program. "This is my last year at the university," he said. "I think its more disappointing for first and second-year players. They made choices in coming here. They have to make some decisions going forward." Other notable omissions from the approved list include womens soccer, even though UBC is a national soccer training centre that Canadian womens team coach John Herdman has pledged to use for training and player development, mens and womens golf and mens baseball. The baseball team has supplied a number of players, including pitcher Jeff Francis, to the major leagues and Canadas Olympic team. Varsity teams are being graded on a number of criteria set out by the university, including success in competition, coaching strength, history, alumni support and even attendance, which is traditionally low for most sports on campus. Cowin and Ashley Howard, UBCs managing director of athletics and recreation, were surprised that 16 teams passed the first stage of the review. They had expected fewer teams to qualify. Howard said the approved teams made the based on their current situations and decisions were not based on new alumni funding support. But, she said, new funding programs will be considered for teams seeking to be approved as part of the second stage. The review process has generated strong opposition from some alumni and current donors with many concerned some teams are being unfairly targeted for their high cost and lack of recent success. Derek Swain, head of an alumni group who has been battling to keep programs alive, was not impressed with what he heard at the news conference, contending that administrators have not been as transparent as they claim to be. He said the administrations plan has been "highly flawed" while the review has "an unnecessary and divisive process." "Im hopeful though that they got the message that varsity athletics are very important and theyre very important to the community at large," said Swain, a former UBC basketball player. Swain said alumni groups are planning to withhold donations to the university if teams lose their varsity status. He said its important to recognize that former varsity athletes contribute more to the universitys general coffers than other graduates. But Swain, who criticized administrators for not including more people with varsity sports experience in the review process, said hes hopeful that some programs can be saved. 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