WOMEN'S SOCCER INSTITUTION CONF PTS DOUGLAS 6-2-3 21 LANGARA 5-4-2 17 VIU 3-2-5 14 CAPILANO 333 12 QUEST 0-6-3 3 MEN'S SOCCER INSTITUTION CONF PTS CAPILANO 8-0-1 25 VIU 6-3-1 19 DOUGLAS 5-5-1 16 QUEST 2-6-1 7 LANGARA 1-8-2 5 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL INSTITUTION CONF PTS VIU 2-0 4 DOUGLAS 2-0 4 CAPILANO 1-0 2 CAMOSUN 1 2 COTR 13 2 UFV 0-1 o CBC 0-2 o MEN'S VOLLEYBALL INSTITUTION CONF PTS VIU 2-0 4 CAMOSUN 2-0 4 DOUGLAS 2-0 4 UFV 1-0 2 CAPILANO 0-1 o CBC 0-2 o COTR 0-4 o Rookie Royals beat Bearcats > Young men’s team overcome experienced opponents Davie Wong Sports Editor [: been a long wait for the returning members of the men’s volleyball team. For the 4 out of 19 players returning from last year’s squad, the start of the season is something they’ve been awaiting eagerly. But no one was probably more excited than their new head coach, Jay Tremonti. With him comes a new era of men’s volleyball at Douglas College, alongside a team with eight rookies and four veterans who are eager to prove themselves. They had the chance to do exactly that when the season started on Friday. The team opened their 2016-17 campaign at home, playing against the CBC Bearcats. The team’s opening roster featured the likes of veterans Johnson Yi, Justin Faester, and Jarod Collins, as well as rookies Mike Howeren, Zack Thielmann, and Jackson Goodman. In their first set of 2016-17 PACWEST volleyball action, the team showed how their youth was one of their best traits. The Royals blasted the Bearcats right out of the games from the first swing. Justin Faester and Mike Howeren put the ball down for the Royals, leading their team to a 25-21 set win. The second set saw the Royals go down early, but Johnson Yi came up huge for his team. A couple of huge blocks as well as massive kills from Yi gave the Royals the energy they needed to come back and close out the set, taking it 25-21. Down 2-0, the Bearcats’ situation looked dire. But just because the Bearcats were down, doesn’t mean that they were out. The Royals also flashed their inexperience here, and not ina good way. The men fell behind early in the third set, allowing CBC to get four points from their opening server. The lead continued to grow for the Bearcats, and soon became insurmountable. Johnson Yi had a serving streak going at one point in the set, but that was the closest the Royals got to closing that set, as they gave it up to the Bearcats 25-21. Knowing the dire situation should the team give up another set, the Royals tried their hardest to close out the game. Hot serving from Justin Faester, as well as Devon Dunn, saw the Royals take the lead and command the scoreboard midway through the set. But the Bearcats area feisty team, and they clawed their way back into the set, eventually going ona five point run to bring the set close. Try as they might, the Royals just couldn't close out the set, and the Bearcats had their comeback ready, winning the fourth set 25-23, and forcing a fifth set. Ina fifth set scenario, Jay Tremonti turned to his veterans for the closer. The team responded with a huge effort, that the Bearcats barely matched. The two dragged the set out as long as they could, with both teams climbing The future is here > Matthews and McDavid shine as the NHL season commences Erik Pinto Contributor Con mid-October, Canadians across the country begin to brace themselves for the grueling winter season. They bring out their fluffy sweaters, wool mittens, and dust off their skates, because it’s hockey season again in Canada. Last week we saw the promising future kick off the beautiful Canadian game. Hockey season for Canadians began in our nation’s capital, where the Ottawa Senators took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The matchup is a classic rivalry that spans back to the inception of the sport. But on this night, it wasn’t about the Sens or the Leafs, it was about a rookie making his NHL debut. His name is Auston Matthews, and if you didn’t know the name before last week, you do now. The highly touted first overall pick in the most recent rookie draft managed to net four goals in his first NHL game. A remarkable achievement that even current NHL great Sidney Crosby himself did not accomplished. However, despite Matthew’s miraculous four-goal effort, the Leafs still ultimately found a way to pick up the overtime loss, falling 5-4. With this performance, the Phoenix native put himself on the map, showing not only his prowess around the net, but also his high level of maturity despite his young age. His leadership comes as an asset toa Maple Leaf’s group that has been struggling to find their identity. Meanwhile, across the country in Alberta, the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Rogers Place in Edmonton was commencing. The stadium cost nearly half a billion dollars and was built to accommodate the hometown Oilers. It compliments a fan base that is hopeful that this year’s Oilers team will be on the winning side. The festivities began with all-time great Mark to a tie score of 14. Put under pressure, it was Johnson Yi that served the team to their first game win, allowing the Royals to take the set 16-14, and the game 3-2. A short rest day was all the team needed after that thriller. Their second game against the Bearcats had a much different light. The Royals made a statement in the first set running away with it and taking it 25-15. The second set was much closer, but the Royals continued their early streak and took that set 25-21. Put against the wall fora second time, the Bearcats needed to fight back again. They did so in the third set, keeping the set as close as they could. Ina set that could go either way, it was the Bearcats that kept the game alive with a huge 28-26 set win to make the game 2-1. With the chance of the giving up their lead again, the Royals made sure to close out the game in the fourth set. They silenced the Bearcats comeback whispers with a dominant 25-18 set win to close out the game 3-1. After the game, Jay Tremonti took some time to comment on his team’s win. “We did pretty good. We came out in the first two sets, and CBC came out in the third and put us on our heels, It was a battle from there on. Our guys pulled through in the end but it gritty performance from CBC. After the first two sets, we started looking at finish line instead of the point in front of us. That kind of shows a little bit of our youth.” Messier and none other than Wayne Gretzky skating around the brand new rink, leaving the puck to the next generation of Oilers. As the face of the franchise and newly-captained 19-year-old Connor McDavid took to the ice, a new era in Edmonton began. The era looks promising as the team went about making some major changes in the offseason, acquiring protection and grit to surround McDavid. This was evident as the puck was dropped and the Oilers squad came out, laying some brutal hits and firing on all cylinders. They ultimately beat their Albertan rivals, the Calgary Flames, 7-4. McDavid lead the scoreboard with two goals and an assist. As Matthews and McDavid shine upon the return of hockey, the expectations upon them will be immense. Regardless of if the two 19-year-olds live up to them, it is certain that the future of hockey is gleaming with promise and prosperity.