Saturday, January 11, 1992 @ Tlooked at my calendar Wednesday morning and there, penciled in beside make dentist appointment,was Rebels column. “Oh no,” I said to no one in particu- When I wrote that reminder in November I was expecting to write a column about the revamped Rebels. A refreshingly positive column about the team’s great new coach, a revital- ized organization and a winning hock- ey team that fans just can’t wait to get in to see. I mean, before the season started I picked the Rebels to win the Kootenay International Hockey League’s West Division. Thank God nobody remem- bers that. And so much for my predic- tions. (I’m also dead last in the staff hockey pool). “Just pretend you didn’t see thé cal- think you have it in for the hockey -: team are only going to have that mis- guided opinion confirmed i in their own minds if you write acolumn about the team that is anything less than a ref- erence letter. And who needs negativity at atime like this? The recession they told us was over isn't. All hell looks like it’s go- endar reminder,” I said to myself. You . ~| know damn well those people who ing to break loose in what was the USSR. The Castlegar-Robson ferry’s gone for good and the President of the United States barfed at a state lun- cheon in Japan. I’m depressed enough without talking about the Rebels. “T’ve got it,” I said. Damn the torpe- does and go with what you were orig- inally planning to do with this column. There has to be a lot of positive ele- ments in our Junior B hockey team, doesn’t there? Sure there does. You just have to look at it in a certain way. Okay, so the coach and a couple of players quit at the worst possible time for the team. But golly gee Beaver, perhaps their life experience will be more gratifying and productive in a different location. Gosh Wally, some- day they might even lead our country from economic malaise and figure out who really shot JFK. Can't argue with that. Perhaps the team will benefit from ‘:. the departures in the sense that it will become a stronger, more tightly-knit unit with the loss of people it had come to know and love. Be positive ‘til it frurts, 4 is my mot- to. Are you buying it? is then: Okay, so the Rebels are on their worst losing streak of the season and Pass the barf-bag, please Free Agent Ed MILLS | has a better chance of winning the Lotto 6/49, twice, then finishing first in its division. But, holy positivity Bat- man, isn’t that exactly.the kind of stuff that builds character in a team? Isn't the team’s current situation the stuff dreams are made of? The classic rags to riches story, the worst-to-best sce- narios. Isn’t it true, — as Ghandi or somebody like that once said — that the Rebels have no where to go but up now, that the team’s future is as bright as it can be? I mean, isn’t it always darkest before the dawn? ° Tm rolling now. Okay, so there’s been some on and off-ice disciplinary problems with some players. But, heh, heh, boys will be boys and sometimes they just have to sow their wild oats before they grow into handsome young men with spunky wives and lovely, well-behaved children. Dale Carnegie doesn’t have a thing -on me. This here, Billy Joe Bob, is a talent laden team, chock-full of as yet un- tapped potential. As long as they keep plugging away, keep their noses to the grindstone and give 110 percent every night, they'll be fine. Only a naysayer would venture a comment suggesting there’s no evi- dence the team is any better than its record and placement in the standings -| indicates. A truly positive person with - the bluest of auras, like Mother Tere- sa and myself, would say the Rebels just haven’t got the breaks — a couple _of bad bounces. You know, if one of |~__ =H those goalposts had been a goal, if we didn’t have those injuries and if those darn refs would see both teams out there the Rebels are a first-place team instead of a last place team. I don’t know about you, but my mother told me this would happen if I ate too many sweets. Uh, excuse me George, could you pass the barf bag, please? : CLEANING HOUSE Banjo 3ina News Staff : What a difference a new ’s makes it row in "92 Wash. year makes in the Castlegar Recreational Hockey League. Banjo’s Pub, which spent most of the 1991 portion of the season in the CRHL base- ment, made it three wins in a row in the new year Tuesday with an 8-2 victory over Wood- land Park Shell at the Com- munity Complex. The win keeps Banjo’s in first place in the five-team league, five points ahead of Shell and Castlegar Pressure Larry Price had a goal in each period and set up anoth- er to lead Banjo’s. Wayne Salekin But it wasn’t until the 15- minute mark of the third be- _ CASTLEGAR RECREATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE TO JAN. 6 w Banjo’s Pub 13 Pressure Wash 11 Woodland Park Shell 10 fore Shell would beat Banjo’s Se. 9 127 goaltender Rick Rogerson 7 e na again, as Kelly Keraiff scored from Kevin Gay and Al Con- News photo by Ed Mills * Second John Horcoff chokes up on the broom while sweeping an opponent's rock through the * fouse. Horcoff plays on one of two Castlegar rinks competing ‘in the Zone 1 Men’s Curling . Playdowns eedecabe — at the Castlegar Curling Club today and tomorrow. 321 220 Kootenay Computers 9 9 Castlegar Sports 9 10 roy. Wayne Salekin also had a hat trick for Banjo’s, while Rob Py, 28Si8t; while Adrian Arisman had a goal and four Wayne Zino, Bob Essaunce assists. : and Frank Costa had two as- Arismanscoredearlyinthe ict, Gaal second to break a 1-1 tie, then Tim Hareotf took the loss in Banjo’s broke it open with unanswered goals. Jim Nazaroff scored for Shell at the midway point of the first period, converting passes from Benton Hadley and t Tos nents 22-9. Aaron Postnikoff scored Banjo’s other goal and added net for Shell, which is 1-1 in ~ new year and 10-11-2 over- opie Ale aks cates, Ban- jo’s has outscored its oppo- ec. 4 1 y 11,1992" @ Battle for first place between Selkirk and Castlegar lives up to advance billing in Kootenay West League Ed Mills SPORTS EDITOR If you want the real story on the Kootenay West Men’s Bas- ketball League, it definitely depends on where you look. | Alook at the standings will is easily the class of the league with its 6-0 record. At the opposite end of the spectrum in the standings sits RHC Realty with its 0-7 sea- son mark. But only a trip to the Selkirk College gym Tuesday the reality of the league. And v that reality, in a word, is pari- i ty. | That parity was highlighted ; in a pair of overtime contests | in the first league games after the holiday break. In the feature game, Castle- gar Realty beat second-place Selkirk College 87-81, while Cowan Office Supplies denied RHC its first win of the season in a 69-65 victory. The battle for first. place lived up to its advance billing as Selkirk built a 40-35 half- time lead in its quest to avenge its only loss of the season. But for the second straight meeting between the two { News Staff here. drive. children. about competitive racing. the series Feb. 16. the hustle of the tracks. Cc teams, Castlegar Realty out- lasted Selkirk in overtime. As he did the first time they met, Wayne McCarthy did the e for Castlegar with 30 points to lead all scorers. John Ritchie had 19 points for Castlegar, including two free throws with 10 seconds tell you that Castlegar Realty . night would offer insight into— The ski season isn’t coming — it’s already That’s one of anumber of pitches the Castle- gar Nordic Ski Club is using to attract mem- bers during the final stage of its membership The club is hoping to meet and surpass last year’s membership total of 233 adults and 76 Among other things, the Club offers in- struction on equipment and training for eyery- one from beginners to those who are thinking In the later category, the second leg of the Kootenay Cup — a series of races sponsored by cross-country ski clubs in Castlegar, Nelson and Rossland — is set for the Blackjack area Jan..11-12. The Cup race will be held in con- junction with trials for the B.C. Winter Games team. 2 The Castlegar Club hosts the final race in Hi On the lighter side of the sport, club presi- dent Dennis Holden is staging a mystery tour } Jan. 26. The tour includes some of Holden’s fa- | fa vorite off-track ski areas, for those who prefer a) the beauty and peace of back-country skiing to Club memberships and rental equipment ~ can be picked up at Mallard’s Ski and Sport in astlegar. left in the game that tied it at 7. KOOTENAY WEST MEN’S BASKET- BALL LEAGUE W LPts Castlegar Realty 6 0 12 Selkirk College 5§ 210 Cowan Office Supplies 3.3 6 Winlaw Pistons : 244 Wade Forester canned 23 points for Selkirk, which drops who had 13 points and kept his sense of humor for RHC. Just like Selkirk, RHC had a chance to win it with time ing out in regulation, but missed two free throws and a rebound from the second free throw. “Our games are all very close,” Zaitsoff said. “We feel very encouraged. It could go ei- ther way anytime.” As he’s done all season for Cowan, Chad - Coupland burned up the court, hitting consistently from the outside for 30 points. . “From where he shoots it’s almost not worth going to check him,” Zaitsoff said. “I mean, he shoots from four-feet outside the three-point line.I Standings don’t tell story in men’s ball to 5-2 on the season but re- think what you have to do is mains in second place in the deal with the people who give five-team league. him the ball.” _ Selkirk had a chance to win Garrett Turta chipped in it in regulation, but missed a with 18 for Cowan, which layup with two seconds left. evened its record at 3-3 and re- “He was double-teamed when he shot the ball, it wasn’t an easy shot,” said Castlegar’ ‘Ss Brian Turlock, who also had 19 points. “Both teams missed a zillion shots over the whole game that would have decided a bit earlier. So you can’t put the fo- cus on that one shot,” he said. In the other game, Eli Soukeroff had 22 for RHC, which came closer than it has all season to its first win. “We're just setting those guys up, everybody makes the playoffs,” said Norm Zaitsoff, mains alone in third place. It was Cowan’s second win in three overtime games this season. RHC was down by 14 points points at one point in the first half but went into halftime leading by a basket. - The Winlaw Pistons, who had a bye Tuesday, are back on the court at the college this Tuesday against Castlegar Re- alty in the 7 p.m. game. Cowan can climb within a two points of Selkirk when those two he. play in:the 8:30 p.m. Castlegar Nordic Club gets word out on ski season News file photo Castlegar Realty’s John Ritchie sank a pair of last-minute free throws Tuesday night that sent the game against Selkirk College into overtime, where Realty won it. The Castlegar Nordic Club offers a variety of fun and instructional programs for cross-coun- try skiers of all abilities and experience. ‘| r. 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