Sports Editor Photos by Liam Cripps Saturday October 6th, 2002, is a date that will remain etched in the minds of many Vancouverites for years to come. That was the day the Queen took part in the cerernonial face-off at the final pre-season game for the Vancouver Canucks. I was among the 18,422 fans that witnessed the spectacle. Spectacle is the only word to describe the occa- sion. First of all, the fans were not exactly the typi- cal hockey crowd. The average age of the people in attendance was significantly older than what the Canucks would usually draw—a collective ranging in age from young children to people who likely remember Upper and Lower Canada. Besides this, there was a plentiful supply of Union Jacks being waved and carried through the con- courses of GM Place. I also saw numerous people wearing crowns of all different shapes and types— from ornate costume replicas to the cardboard fold- outs that used to come with Burger King kid’s meals. To further set the scene, the ceremony setting itself was a sight to behold. Usually, when there is a spe- cial ceremony at centre ice, the ceremony takes place on the sure-footed spread of a red carpet. The carpet was there, but this was apparently not grand enough for the Queen. In addition, they carefully placed flowers and other decorative touches along the car- pet to provide the Queen an aisle to walk along. Finally, they had decorated one of the corporate boxes in a similar manner, and it was from here that the Queen watched the first period of the game. I have to admit, the first part of the ceremony was a bit moving as they played a royal march as the Queen made her way to centre ice. Perhaps what was most interesting about this part of the ceremo- ny was the way that the fans reacted. I haven't heard as vocal a response in many years; the reaction when the Canucks went to the Stanley Cup Finals (either 1982 or 1994) wouldn't even compare. After this part, though, the ceremony lost its appeal. As the Queen took the puck and dropped (a more accurate word might be “threw”) it on the ice in the general vicinity of Markus Naslund and Mike Ricci, it began to feel more and more like a staged photo opportunity. The throng of photographers that were privileged enough to get a place on their own red carpet didn’t do much to change this. Finally, after the Queen had done her puck-throw- ing she walked back up the red carpet to make her way to her seat. GM Place staff came back on the ice and dismantled the stage, signifying that the cere- mony had come to an end. In all, there was a ceremony of about two or three minutes after what must have been days and days of Royals Defeat Cascades Jordan Cripps Sports Editor The Royals continued their winning ways versus the UCFV Cascades in BCCAA preseason action, earn- ing the 9-point victory, thanks to extended runs and clutch free throws at the end of the game. The Royals began the game quickly, taking the early lead on a layup by Jim Martin. This would be a sign of things to come for the Royals who, in the early going, were guilty of taking hurried shots with- out setting up the offense. This didn’t last long, though, as they tried to pick up the pace a bit. Martin led the Royals offense in the first half as they exploded for 47 points against the seemingly bewildered defense of the Cascades. The offensive outburst of the Royals seemed to affect the Cascades offense as well, as they committed numerous unforced errors, including 2 backcourt violations. Greg Jackson was also involved defensively, creating turnovers that led to fast-break points. In the first half, it appeared that the Royals might end the game quickly, as they went on a 17-2 run midway through the first half, thanks in part to the outside shooting of guard John Orimaco. His three point shots forced the Cascades to pay closer atten- tion to the outside shot, which meant easier inside play for Ian Hogan and Martin. With the Royals trying to pull away, the Cascades began to tighten up their play on offense and defense. With the score 41-17, and a few minutes | Douglas 89 | UCFV 80 remaining in the half, the Cascades began to turn their play up considerably, cutting into the Royals lead with a 16-6 run of their own as they tried to erase the 24 point deficit. By halftime the reigning National Champions had narrowed the margin to 14 with the score 47-33. Fraser Valley continued their momentum to begin the second half, scoring the first, and only, basket in the early going. The Royals didn’t allow this momentum to continue for long, though and, with the score 51-40 went on another run, extending the lead to 16 once again. Still, the Cascades wouldn't give up and tried to fight back. With the score 65- 56 for the Royals, the Fraser Valley coach called a timeout, and this seemed to inspire his team as they began to cut into the lead as they took control of the game. The tide changed quickly for the Royals following this timeout, and they saw the lead begin to slip away. For the next few minutes, the Royals went scoreless except for a free throw. The lead fell to 1 point and then, with 5:50 remaining in the game, the Cascades earned their first lead since the very early going, getting ahead 69-68. Frustration became evident on some of the Royals’ faces, as they seemed to feel the game slipping away. After UCFV took the lead, the momentum turned once again, and it was the Royals who demonstrated preparation. I’m not sure that it was worth it, espe- cially since the game wasn‘ exciting or, for that mat- ter, remotely interesting. From my perspective, the ceremony didn’t live up to the hype that had been built up. It seemed to be too transparently a public- ity stunt on the part of the Canucks and ended up delaying the game for over a half-hour from the scheduled start time. Once the game started, it became apparent that both teams were affected by the ceremony and floated through most of the game. What has been interesting, though, is some of the fallout from the ceremony and the game. An Internet search shows that stories about the game have appeared in as far-reaching areas as Malaysia and Australia. In addition, I’ve heard that the British media that was here wrote of a violent death-match taking place. I’m not sure what game they were watching, but it sure wasn’t the same one I was watching. I suppose it was an interesting spectacle to behold, but it wasn’t much more than that considering how short the ceremony itself was, and how much the Canucks and the media had done to promote the game. Royals Scoring Jim Martin 13 John Orimaco 18 Ian Hogan 13 Greg Jackson 2 Taylor Cherris-Wilding 10 composure down the stretch. The rest of the way, they seemed to be the team that was controlling the game. The Royals stormed back, recovering the lead and building a 76-69 lead in the last minutes. The Cascades remained within striking distance, though, and it didn’t seem that the lead was safe. Sure enough, they managed to cut the lead to just four, with 50 seconds remaining in the game. Trailing in the final minute, the Cascades sealed their own fate by electing to foul in an attempt to get the ball back more quickly. In the final minute, the Royals were nearly perfect from the foul line, extending the lead to 9 and securing the win. After the game, Coach Munro said that he felt “encouraged” by a lot of the things his team had done. He said that there were strong stretches but also recognized that there were stretches, where UCFV was in control. He credited his team with “working hard” against the National Champions. He felt that the stretches where Fraser Valley took control of the game showed the experience that some of their players had gained as a result of win- ning the National Championship. He acknowledged that his team’s ability to deal with this experience was the result of a “good team effort.” This was also evident as 5 players scored in double figures. Jim Martin led the offense with 23. page 19 ©