Here’s you’re weekly Royals update College Roundup By Josh Martin, Sports Editor As soon as the Royals soccer season ended, the basketball season began. It’s funny how sports work out, one finishes and the before you know it another one begins. Nonstop entertainment at school throughout the year from month to month, it’s a beautiful thing. The Royals men’s and women’s basketball teams started their season last week at home in a pair of games that were played out on Friday and Saturday night. The men’s team had a disappointing start to their season with a pair of losses against the UNBC Timberwolves on both Friday and Saturday night. They lost their first game by a score of 94-65 and in the second match didn’t have much luck coming up short to the Timberwolves 87-72. They sit at ninth spot in the standings out of ten teams with zero points and two losses. The women’s team didn’t have much luck either in their matches, losing both of them against the UNBC Timberwolves as well. They were dominated in the first game losing to a lopsided score of 92-30 and then losing again on Saturday night to a score of 78-45. The women also sit at ninth position overall after week one. Earlier this month the Royals women’s soccer team didn’t quite have what it takes to qualify for the playoffs and take part in the BCCAA Provincial tournament while the men’s team came up short in the semi-finals in a 2-1 tilt against the UNBC Timberwolves. It was a disappointment for both teams nonetheless. The Kwantlen Eagles women’s soccer team and the VIU Mariners men’s soccer team were the top two teams who came out with the gold at the BCCAA Provincials. The Kwantlen Eagles defended their provincial title at Newton Athletic Park a couple weeks ago and will be participating in the National Championships in Edmonton. The Eagles were the favourites going into the tournament coming out of their best regular season yet with eight wins, three losses and one tie. They continued to be a dominant force throughout the tournament, shutting out all three of their opponents in each round with thanks to league all-star and rookie goaltender Melina Gomez. She was outstanding in net and will look to continue that momentum heading into Edmonton. They faced the Langara Falcons in the gold medal match and came out with a 2-0 win to take home the title. The VIU Mariners men’s soccer team took home the BCCAA Provincial title in a 2-0 victory over the UNBC Timberwolves and will now head out to Edmonton, Alberta to take part in the National Championships. Come see the Canucks alumni take on the NW firefighters By Josh Martin, Sports Editor es, that’s right, the Canucks y Alumni are stopping by New West to see if the New Westminster Firefighters have got what it takes to play in the 6" bi- annual charitable hockey match for the Hydrant Cup. It’s a truly classic, must- see, family friendly event that raises money for local New Westminster charities and groups in the Lower Mainland. The event has seemed to get increasingly more popular over the years. In the 2006 matchup, the event raised almost $15,000 and in the 2008 game nearly 3000 people attended at Queens Park Arena. This year the match is being held on November 19, at 7pm in the good ol’ Queens Park Arena. There will be a bunch of entertainment activities going on besides the much anticipated game which include face painting, a clown, musical entertainment, a Frisbee toss, a raffle, a silent auction which includes Canucks tickets and autographed Canucks jerseys, and a big barbecue that will be ready to go at 5:30 pm. The New Westminster Fire and Rescue service have got a few high calibre hockey players who will carry their team. Bill Ranford, who was a Stanley Cup winning goalie for the Edmonton Oilers, will be playing defence for the Firefighters to mix things up on Friday night. Firefighter Glen Bailey, who is the president of the charitable event, said that the event usually brings in about $16,000 - $18,000 each time. “A lot of that money goes directly into schools and other charities,” he said. “For a one-time event, it is definitely our biggest fundraiser. It is huge.” Bill Ranford, Cliff Ronning, Jyrki Lumme, and Richard Brodeur are a few of the Canucks Alumni that have played in the past games and this year Paul Reinhart, Mike Brown, and Moe Lemay are expected to join that list. “We are hoping to fill the building,” said firefighter Paul Adamson. “Capacity is about 4,200. Over 3,000 would be perfect.” It would be perfect. Every girl and boy who has grown up playing hockey in New West has always wondered what it would be like if the whole arena was packed to the brim during a classic hockey game. To see all of those seats that were left empty on a game-to-game basis be completely filled with cheering fans, the classic rowdy beer bellies, and the friends and family around you, would be quite the experience. Come out this Friday, it’s sure to be a classic. Tickets can be purchased at Moody Park Arena (604-777-5511), Queens Park (604- 525-5301), or at the Glenbrook New Westminster Fire Hall (604-519-1000). BC Lions make the playoffs in dramatic fashion By Josh Martin, Sports Editor he BC Lions, who not very long | ago were the bottom ranked team in the CFL, somehow found a way to make the 2010 playoffs. They did the unthinkable and pulled their season completely out of the gutter after having a nightmarish start to the year, going 1-7 in the first eight games and then somehow managing to go 7-3 in the remaining 10 games. Throughout the campaign the Lions have seen their share of ups and downs with the Casey Printers dilemma and the quarterback situation and whatnot but at the end of the day despite what they’ve gone through they see themselves playing in the semi-finals against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s quite impressive for such a huge comeback that will mark their last shot to go on one helluva rollercoaster ride. 20 It even came down to the final regular season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the Lions, who needed a win in order to squeak themselves into the final playoff spot in the West Division. It was an intense game to say the least with everything on the line during the final minutes of play in the fourth quarter where Paul McCallum booted the ball from the 20-yard mark past the posts to make 23-21. It was a moment that seemed almost necessary to see McCallum out there to finish the final regular season game with a huge kick on a play that ultimately put his team into the playoffs. He’s been doing it all year, so why not finish what he does best? The veteran kicker, who has been playing in the CFL since 1993, has been by far the most consistent player on the Lions this year with an 88.2% completion rate, averaging 30.2 yards while racking up 174 points for his team. The Lions came out with their eighth win of the season, surpassing the Edmonton Eskimos for the final playoff spot and when the Eskimos failed to win their final game. The Lions secured that spot which looked like a far stretch from where they were at the beginning of the season. After the success of making the post-season, it is safe to say that Wally Buono’s decision of releasing Casey Printers has actually paid off for the squad. Quarterback Travis Lulay has been thriving ever since the departure of Printers, and even earned himself the Gibson’s Finest Offensive Player of the Week award in the final week of the regular season with 31 completions for 424 yards and two touchdowns on 40 attempts. Another player who came up big against the Tiger-Cats was Emmanuel Arceneaux, who racked up 164 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon and also set a season-high record putting him over the 1,000 yard mark. It has truly been an emotional experience, hitting rock bottom and slowly climbing their way back to the surface, re-configuring the team, but at the same time it has all been entertaining. Whether the Lions win or not this year, they’re no doubt going to be a stronger team that compete among the top teams in the league for years to come.