“014 Wedhésday; January 20, 1993 @ Creston squad knocks off hosts to take home annual Hi Arrow Classic title Jonathan Green SPORTS REPORTER The annual Hi Arrow Classic final offered more drama than an afternoon of the daytime soaps. The title game featured the host Stanley Humphries junior boys squad up against Creston’s Prince Charles with winner taking all. In the end it was Creston that took all, 39-34. Shaking off the stubborn hosts, the Comets widened a one-point gap with two late free throws from David Hine to take home the big prize. A term foreign to basketball, Creston coach Bob Ferguson said poise was a big factor in victory. “They don’t get upset,” he said of his Comets. “They want the ball under pressure situations . They know what to do with it.” Losers of the East Kootenay final last year, the Rockets were a bit of a mystery to Ferguson when the season started. He said that a fair number of last year’s team graduated to the senior squad, leaving a lot of ques- tion marks. But after seeing what his troops did in Castlegar, Ferguson said those question marks are disap- pearing. “This is a better team,” he said. “They work very well as a unit.” Despite being the runner-up, Rockers coach Doug Hickey wasn’t disappointed. He said he was happy with his squad’s showing and hoped they could improve on it ina re-match with their Valley of the Swans opponent this week- end. “We get another chance against Creston Friday (at the L.V. Rogers tournament) so we're going to have to add a few new wrinkles,” he said. Comets sighted in Castlegar day win over Trafalgar of Nelson, a game the locals never trailed in after opening with a 14-0 run. Tournament all-stars David Pereverzoff had 16 points for the winners while Grant Mosby chipped in with 12. Hickey said wins over Trafalgar go hand-in-hand with battles against L. V. Rogers, the team most for- mer Totems end up playing for the following year. “We usually beat them and then have a tough time with them as Grade 10s,” he said. Returning to action Saturday, the Rockers met Creston in what would ultimately be the final. Matching each other basket for basket, the teams went into the half tied at 19. Outscoring the Rockers 12-7 in the third, Cre- ston increased a fourth-quarter lead to 35-28 with time running out. But if the Rockers felt any pressure it didn’t show. Scoring six in a row, the hosts battled back to trail 35-34 with less than a minute to play, even dri- ving in the final seconds before coming away emp- ty-handed. At the other end of the court, Hine’s free throws with seven seconds left put the icing on the victory cake. Pereverzoff had 14 points to lead the Rockers while Mosby added 11. Returning for their last game with L.V. Rogers later that day, the hosts forgot all about their ear- lier setback to come away with a 57-45 win. Hickey said he was pleased to see the Rockers re- § bound to defeat Rogers, a team they had lost to ear- lier in the season. “Physically, they can recover,” he said. “Mental- ly I was concerned because they competed hard against Creston. “They showed a lot of mental toughness to come back hard against L.V. Rogers.” Mosby led the way this time with 21 points while News photo by Jonathan Green Coach Doug Hickey offers some friendly advice to Rocker Jason Archambault during final action at the Hi ~'@ Wednesday, January-20,-1993 Linda Moore B.C. CURLING COUNCIL Many sports writers de- scribe what make “dream teams” or top athletes so good. Physical fitness is high on the list. Mental toughness is a priority. Team work in many sports is a must. As well, most mention the assistance of a fine coach, planning strategy and pro- viding a positive environment in which the athletes can per- form well. But when a writer ex- pounds on these same quali- ties in top curling teams, peo- ple scoff. Many say that curl- ing teams win because they get hot — or lucky. Although “breaks” happen in every sport, most curling teams excel because their team members meet the stan- dards in the areas of technical and tactical expertise, as well as fitness and psychological preparation. These are the qualities that the “best” curlers have in common: All top curlers deliver the stone consistently. It doesn’t matter if their styles are unique or unconventional — if the player does the same thing with the rock each time ese throw, they will find suc- cess. The makings of a good curler Great curlers also have a “feel” for the ice. No matter what the ice surface is like — fast or slow, frosty or not — the player can adjust their de- livery and the weight of the stone accordingly. More and more, fitness plays a part in the game. The physical. demands on the skips are not as great, but the other three players have to be prepared at some point to sweep hard, and then step in the hack and throw a delicate draw. With competitions run- ning a week in length, all four players are better off if they’re in good shape. One of the main things that great curlers have in common is the ability to pre- pare mentally for every test. To approach pressure-packed games as opportunities, not threats. To be positive every time they step in the hack. To control the nerves. A very important quality for all curlers is the ability to ° work together toward a team goal. Many good throwers never win, simply because they can’t put their egos aside and fit into at team structure. Each player must accept the roles which are unique to their position and try to excel at that position, and support their teammates in their en- deavors. When asked about their curling, great players don’t say “I won” — it’s “We won”, The finishing touch to a top team is the coach. I see every team as benefiting in some way from “outside” assis- tance. For some teams, the coach may be a manager, ensuring that travel and competition details are worked out in ad- vance. For many, the coach provides a buffer between players, and holds team meetings in which interper- sonal issues can be ironed out. Coaches can also scout opponents and other sheets of ice; and help with season planning and game strategy. The best players aren't born — they work hard at their skills. Commitment and education are vital in all sports, curling included. Each of the qualities mentioned here is achieved through training. During the next month, curling championships are being held in all parts of the province. If you want to see some great athletes in action — people who work hard at their sport — check out curl- ing! Seniors in fight for first Bud Lowther NEWS CONTRIBUTOR Three rinks are tied for the lead with four wins each at the midway point of the third draw in pensioners curling. These rinks are skipped by Arne Akselson and Harry Bate with identical four wins and one loss records and by Tom Wilson, who has four wins and two losses. Having rinks so close to- gether in the lead serves to make the draw more exciting, as we enter not only the sec- ond half of the third draw but our curling season as well. On the weekend of Jan. 8 to Jan. 10, I watched the bon- spiel in Trail where two rinks from the Castlegar pension- ers league were curling. They did not fare too well, but Akselson’s rink managed Bluetop Burger Golden brown to bat .500 with three wins and three losses. Akselson was backed up by Wilson, Ralph Clay and George Crosley. The boys on our other rink were very impressive — with _their matching jackets and “good sportsmanship. THOUGHT OF THE WEEK When you miss your shot, you are probably more to blame than: the sweepers, the ice maker, a bad curling rock, the broom, the stock market, your girlfriend, a hair on the ice, your gout or fate. ETIQUETTE OF THE WEEK Stay outside of the hog line until the thirds have made any measurements. Only thirds and skips should be be- hind the house. Wednesday, Jan. 27 12 Noon - 1 p.m. Fireside Inn GUEST SPEAKER: Greg Rowe, Arrow Lakes B.C. Forest Service Topic: Timber Supply Review The Rockers opened the Classic with a 61-22 Fri- Pereverzoff added 18. Arrow Classic.The Rockers came close but lost, 39-34. troncied cod oye Leafs fal @ Bronco Horvath happy in his last season as league president NEWS STAFF The Nelson Maple Leafs played only game over the weekend but came away with four losses. At the Kootenay Interna- tional Junior Hockey League meetings in Castlegar Satur- day, the KIJHL executive dis- cussed a number of topics, among them Nelson’s use of an ineligible player for three games. Because of that, league president Bronco Horvath said the executive had no choice but to strip the Leafs of their three wins in those games. Add that to a 4-3 loss to the Castlegar Rebels Friday in Nelson and the Leafs sudden- ly had four extra defeats. “The team has been fined ($500) by the league and the games where they used the ineligible player, they have lost those six points,” Horvath said from his Cranbrook home Monday. “I don’t really like that part of it, neverthe- less it’s in our constitution.” With the league ruling, Nelson drops down six points in the KIJHL standings while Spokane moves up four and Beaver Valley two. In other news, Horvath said the league is looking for- ward to a B.C. Amateur Hockey Association ruling on 21-year-olds playing the KI- JHL. He said it was a great idea when the 21-year-old rule was introduced, but it does more bad than good now. “(The BCAHA) said it was a pilot project five years ago,” he said. “Hopefully, for the 1993-94 season, B.C. Ama- teur will do without it . “We don’t want (21-year- olds) in the league.” As well, Horvath said the league is looking at expand- ing into both the Crowsnest Pass and Revelstoke/Sica- mous areas without stepping on any territorial toes. Looking ahead to his last few weeks as president, Hor- vath said he’s enjoyed his three years on the job but re- alizes it’s someone else’s turn. “You can only do so many things and then it’s time to move on,” he said. And with that in mind, the outgoing president said he is pleased with the league that someone else will be calling the shots for next year. “I’m very happy with it,” he said. “Everything is alive and well in the KIJHL.” as executive shakes KIJHL tree | Mi It is said that football is a game of inches, but inches were what separated the Castlegar Midget Reps from winning a hockey game Sat- urday. Squaring off with Cran- brook in exhibition action in Nakusp, the Reps had their East Kootenay opponent right where they wanted them in the late stages of the game. Leading 3-2 with just over a minute left in the third pe- riod, the Reps looked to sew things up when Jason Boden sent one towards Cran- brook’s empty net. But, like a sign of things to come, the puck hit the post, Cranbrook re-orga- nized and came back to tie it 3-3 with 1:03 left. Castlegar got single goals from Matt Pommier, Derek Read and Brian Grycan, while Blaine Wilson picked up the tie in net. The same two teams met in league action Sunday with the Reps holding a slim 2-1 lead after one. But any hopes of return- ing to Castlegar on a win- ning note faded over the next two periods as Cran- brook outscored the Reps 6- 1. Brian Grycan paced the Reps with a pair of goals while Fred Gienger added one. Doug Taylor took the loss in net. SCSCSCSCSESESECSESECSECSECSESESECSESESESESECSESESESECSESECSES tA on't bu OCKE you CARDS ... SeS$¢$eS$eS$e$e$e¢c$c$ec$c$c$ese Rebels rake some Leafs in Nelson Jonathan Green SPORTS REPORTER An arena they couldn’t win in for trying last year, the Nel- son Civic Centre has become a pretty friendly place for the Castlegar Rebels this season. In a Nov. 20 visit to the Queen City, the Rebels collect- ed their 11th win of the year with a nifty 3-2 victory. Playing the same kind of hockey, the locals returned to Nelson Friday and came home with win No. 17, this time 4-3. Coach Garry Sauer said the win was an honest one. “The guys just came to play,” he said. “We went in and played a great game. “The effort was there from everybody. Everyone worked hard as a team.” Mike Hunter paced the Rebels with two goals while Todd Doyle and Nino Da Costa added singles. Leading 1-0 after one, the Rebels looked like they did on the last visit, falling behind 2-1. But like their last visit, they rebounded with back-to-back goals, both on the power play to KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE (As of Jan. 15) EAST DIVISION weT F AP Columbia Val. 15 17 0 180 185 30 Golden 10 22 O 152 211 20 Elk Valley 9 25 O 175 302 18 WEST DIVISION Grand Forks 26 3 245 77 52 Spokane 24 8 241 161 49 Nelson 21 11 222 110 43 Castlegar 17 10 160 130 35 Beaver Valley 11 21 170 241 22 Rossland 7 23 150 278 15 KIJHL SCORING LEADERS (As of Jan. 15) EAST DIVISION GPG A P PIM 33 26 44 31 30 39 33 25 38 30 17 35 29 26 25 33 15 33 WEST DIVISION 26 37 34 28 41 27 29 28 28 29 33 32 Koole, E.V Dhami, Golden Brar, E.V Kinnig, C.V. Steinstra, C.V. Smith, E.V Bird, GF Tansy, Spok \Osachoff, GF Feeney, Ross. Hass, Spok 30 33 32 Maryschak, G.F. 29 33 31 LEADING GOALTENDERS GP GA Avg. Bousfield, Grand Forks 16 34 2.10 Gris, Nelson 15 38 2.50 Scherck, Grand Forks 15 41 2.70 Kelly, Nelson 16 59 3.60 Ray, Castlegar 11 42 3.80 Mattson, Spokane 26124 4.70 lead 3-2 after two. Hunter increased the lead to 4-2 in the third before Nelson closed the gap to one at 3:48. Refusing to buckle, the Rebels got some stellar goal- tending from Vaughan Wely- chko to hold off the KIJHL de- fending champs, 4-3. With the win, the Rebels in- creased their record against Nelson to 3-1-1 this season with the final meeting set for Feb. 6 in Nelson. Looking at the five games the teams have played this year, Sauer said the Maple Leafs brings out the best in the Rebels, an effort he’d like to see continue when Rossland visits Saturday and Columbia Valley Sunday. “The guys just seem to get up more to play Nelson,” he said. “It was an excellent effort. I was happy to see that.” Game time Saturday is 8:30 p.m. while Sunday’s game is set for 5 p.m. Both are at the Com- plex. Last night’s result against Grand Forks was unavailable at press time. for everyone! There's something 365-7266 lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce All Our Prices Include G.S.T. 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