Newsday has new Isles beat reporter

Katie Strang (not pronounced Strange) replaced Greg Logan on the Islanders' beat at Newsday earlier this month. It has been years since Alan Hahn covered the team - my early favorite writer and a die-hard Islanders fan - so for me, Katie has big shoes to fill. Not Logans (although he did a solid job covering the team), but Hahns.

So far, Strang has done a good job with the limited coverage she can provide in the summer. A graduate of Michigan State and Columbia University's J-School, Strang is on the fast track. She barely spent anytime on the high school staff, where other journalism careers have died at Newsday.

I have covered college lacrosse games with Strang at Stony Brook on a number of occasions and she always spoke the loudest and asked the most thought-provoking questions. Based on that, I know she'll do the same with her new beat.

Good luck, Katie!