University of Maine-Fort Kent alumni and fans of the Bengals’ soccer program can listen to UMFK soccer games live this year.

Thanks to UMFK’s Web services department, 13 Bengal men’s and women’s soccer games will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.umfk.maine.edu/vstream.

Jamerson Crowley, a UMFK sports information staff member, says university officials and students alike are, “very excited about the ability to bring the Sunrise Conference and Bengal athletics to everyone in Maine, New England and the world.”

The schedule, which has nine games left, has been divided up into seven women’s game broadcasts and six for the men. The next schedule broadcast is Saturday’s 3 p.m. men’s game at home against Husson College of Bangor.

UMFK Web services also plans to broadcast any Bengal men’s or women’s playoff games.

Sox get SEC TV off on wrong foot

Last Saturday’s late-afternoon Southeastern Conference college football clash between Tennessee and Florida was not seen in the local area, except on satellite systems subscribing to the NCAA College Gameday football package, due to a conflict with the Boston Red Sox.

For the last two years, Bangor television station WBGR (Channel 33) has carried all late Saturday afternoon SEC CBS telecasts not carried by Bangor CBS affiliate WABI. But this year, WBGR is unable to run either of the first two CBS telecasts due to conflicts with Red Sox game broadcasts, which WBGR also takes from WABI whenever WABI opts not to air them.

Last weekend’s Sox game started at 7 p.m., but WBGR officials opted not to take a chance on the football game running late and didn’t air it. Ironically, the game ended at 6:58 and could have been shown. Such is not the case this week, however, as Saturday’s Sox game starts at 5 p.m.

“No, we just couldn’t take the chance on the game going late and missing an hour of the Red Sox,” said program director Kathryn Heinonen.

WBGR also won’t air this Saturday’s game, but will air the first of 10 games Oct. 5. That game will either be Georgia at Alabama or Arkansas at Tennessee. All games will start at 3:30, except for a 3 p.m. start Nov. 16 and a doubleheader on Nov. 9, when Notre Dame at Navy starts at noon followed by Miami at Tennessee.

Sports Zone in awards zone

Representatives of Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) will be wearing a path in the carpet at Saturday night’s Maine Association of Broadcasters banquet.

The Sports Zone will receive three first-place awards, two seconds, and a third in four categories.

WZON took first and second in play-by-play for University of Maine football and hockey coverage, respectively; a first in sports features for a piece on Shawn Walsh’s death from cancer; a first for best promotional campaign for its UMaine hockey musical spots; and a second and third in continuing coverage for the World Trade Center attack and Walsh’s death, respectively.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or ANeff@bangordailynews.net