Saturday, March 21 1992 locaaSPORTS FastLANE NORDIC CLUB AGM The Castlegar Nordic Ski Club is urging its membership and all those interested in the Club’s activities to attend its annual general meeting at the Community Complex, 8 p.m., March 25. Among the items on the agenda are the election of anew executive and the Club's future. AGENT Brack Racquetsquash is back and he’s backing a bad idea. Page 14. REALTY WINS MEN’S B-BALL Age and wisdom won out over youth and inexperience in the Kootenay West Men’s Basketball League championship at Selkirk College Tuesday night. Page 14. Peewees take B.C. by storm! @ Castlegar wins Provincial Championship as Horcoff, Evin and Pucci combine to sink Sicamous in final Ed Mills SPORTS EDITOR Led by the amazing goal- scoring feats of Shawn Horcoff, the Castlegar Peewee Reps won the A Peewee Hockey Provincial Championship in Squamish Thursday night. - Horcoff scored two goals and David Pucci had the other as Castlegar beat Sicamous 3-1 to take the title in the seven-team tourney. Horcoff scored 27 goals and added 10 assists in seven games over five days at the tourney. Castlegar led Sicamous 1-0 through two periods before Horcoff and Pucci put it away with back-to-back goals. Justin Evin had his shutout broken with less than five minutes remaining in the third period. “A lot of the parents are pretty tired and the kids are really tired, but everyone’s really happy, they’re all hugging each other right now,” said Laurie Moore from the arena moments after the game concluded. Moore, whose son Grady was third on the team in scoring with three goals and 11 assists in the tourney, said everybody in the tournament was marvelling at Horcoff. “He’s the toast of the tournament, everybody notices him.” Pucci had 18 points, including seven goals, while Darren Belanger had a goals and eight assists and Rob Blier had four goals and two assists. Moore said Craig Hawkins was a standout defensively, as was Evin. Castlegar opened the tourney Sunday with an 8-7 loss to North Vancouver, They beat the host Howe Sound 14-3 Monday and then lost 7-4 to Burns Lake. Castlegar beat Sicamous 9-4 Tuesday, then beat Fernie 7-1 on Wednesday and Parksville 7-5 on Thursday to advance to the championship. k REC HOCKEY CHAMPS News photo by Ed Mills Kootenay Computers’ players (L to R)Chief Mercer, Bob Larsh and playoffs MVP. Dave Terhune display the hardware representing recreational hockey superiority in Castlegar. See story page 15. Bantams bounced in semis Ed Mills SPORTS EDITOR Bad reffing, bad breaks, bad karma. A coach can come up with any number of reasons — a lot of them little more than excuses — to explain away games lost that should have been won. Castlegar Bantam Reps’ coach Vince Antignani Sr. can do better than auras, errors and excuses — he can point to the facts. The Reps lost 5-4 Thurs- day afternoon to Westsyde in the semifinal of the AA Bantam Hockey Provincial Championships in Salmon Arm Westsyde scored the win- ner with a minute left in the first sudden death overtime period. Those are a few facts. The rest tell like a story from a coach’s proudest moment and worst night- mare combined. Trailing 4-1. heading into the third period, Castlegar came back to tie it and would ‘| have won it in regulation if the Westsyde goaltender hadn’t turned into Houdini. “We outshot them 48-24, we had chances like you wouldn’t believe,” sighed Antignani Sr. from his hotel room in Salmon Arm. “There were break aways, shots in front of the net, and we just couldn’t put it in. “You’ve seen how it works. You’re all over a team, you’re getting chances all over the place, then they get one chance to go up the ice, they capitalize and that’s it. “Tough loss, and really disheartening for the boys,” he said. i Vince Antignani Jr, Jeff Moffat, Mike Myhra and Bryan Yackel scored for Castlegar, which played Friday in the game to decide third and fourth place. : Talk to us today. @ Saturday, March 21 1992 Realty saves best for last in men’s b- Mi Selkirk College’s fountain of youth runs dry against older, tougher Realty team Ed Mills SPORTS EDITOR In the end, the winners were just older, smarter, bigger and meaner than their oppo- nents. Castlegar Realty used all the tools it possessed to its ad- vantage Tuesday night to win the Kootenay West Men’s Bas- ketball League championship with a dominating 61-49 win over Selkirk College in the col- lege gym. John Ritchie scored 17 points to lead Realty to the ti- tle in the league’s inaugural season. Still. wearing a knee brace as a result of arthroscopic surgery a month ago, Ritchie ,also led Realty in the meaner, tougher, stronger and bigger categories. Aggressive under both bas- - kets — and vocally with other players and the referees — Ritchie was an intimidating force that sparked Realty against the younger, faster col- lege team. He was especially effective on Selkirk’s leading scorers, Mark MacConnell and Darren Ettles, who were almost invis- ible offensively. “He (Ritchie) was playing at about 75 per cent, which is about 110 percent for me,” said teammate Brian Turlock. Turlock and Wayne Mc- Carthy — the two guys who were instrumental in getting the league started here— both had 13 points for Realty. “We played the game like a championship game, rather than just a regular Tuesday night dance down the floor,” Turlock said. “The game meant some- thing to us, it was the age ver- sus youth thing. The guys were pretty motivated,” he said. Down eight points early in the first quarter, Realty turned up the intensity on offense and defence and started a physical game under the baskets. By the end of the first half Realty led by 47-36 and had Selkirk players pleading with the the referees for more foul calls. Turlock said there was no special plan to intimidate - Selkirk, and if it looked that way it was only because Real- ty was using what advantages it had going into the game. “We're certainly bigger than they are, height wise and cer- tainly weight wise. And that’s e way basketball’s played these days — it’s a lot more physical than it was 10 years ago,” he said. While Realty used all its weapons, Selkirk failed to get its most dangerous one, the speed game, into high gear. In fact, Realty played like the speed game was its forte in the first half. “We just didn’t play very well,” Ettles said. And Ettles agreed his team was probably intimidated. “I know they kept me off the boards very well and it was pretty rough, rougher than usual,” he said. Mike Perra led Selkirk with 16 points and Theo Friml had 13, but it was an ineffective of- fense with Ettles and Mac- ‘Connell out of the picture. Turlock said the game was a showcase for the five-team league, which filled the void when the men’s league in Nel- son folded last year. “That was probably the two most talented teams that have been on the floor in a men’s basketball league game that I’ve seen around here in the four years I’ve been playing,” Turlock said. “Hopefully we can build on that for next year.” a eae News photo by Ed Mills Mike Perra‘s (centre) 16 points weren't enough for Selkirk College as they were shut down in the WKMBL final Tuesday. the crowbar hotel. faculties. “Hey, was that you I saw in the crowd at the Mike Tyson rape trial last month? Brack Racquetsquash. ter a bit. his eyes. I was tending to my chinchillas last : > Saturday afternoon when who walks places, big guy? by the coop but Castlegar’s oldest and most revered sports-minded citizen, Unmistakable with his simian-man poche gait and protuberant facial features, anapolis? Brack almost made his way right past me kneeling there toe-deep in rodent poop, soI tripped him with my rake. Ialways enjoy talking sports with a man of such wisdom and moral recti- tude as Brack. And as he lay there cheek to cheek with the pavement, stunned, I took the opportunity to ban- “Groot, howda, eugonofngggg,” he said, and I immediately remembered why I love this man. Such selfless con- cern for others. Such total disregard for his own safety in the face of hope- less odds considering his gene pool. , anyway?” What plan?” gave him another minute to collect his “Yeah I think so,” said Brack, his powers of speech returned. “What were ya‘ doin’ there of all ‘Oh, the Donald sent me down to Indianapolis to pitch his plan for Mike,” he said matter-of-factly. “Dale Donaldson set you to Indi- “No, not ‘the Duck, dummy, the Donald, as in Trump. Boy, are you a scke” “Oh, Donald Trump! How is Mr. Taj “Missing Ivana terribly, I’m afraid to say. Big, biiiiig mistake that was. She was always the brains behindthe __ Brack said. operation, not to mention the beauty,” | “Brack, you lunatic, haven't seen__the Brackmeister said. you in awhile, what ya’ been up to i bud?” I said as focus slowly returned to an’t argue with you there Rac- quetsquash, but back to the plan. “Oh, the Trumpster sent me off to see if if we can talk the U.S. justice rooney. system, aka the court of public opin- ‘ion, into getting a deal for Mike.” “What kind of a deal?” “Well, the way the Dumpster, ah, “’m doing fine, thanks,” I said and Trumpster — he hates it when I do Agent that you know — and [had it figured out, Mike gets to avoid a stay in the crowbar hotel by donating the bulk of the money he makes from prize fight- ing torape crisis centres and the like,” “I get it. The idea is that Tyson pays for his sins literally by helping other Yakety-yak with the Brack MiBonehead Brackdrops back into the Gar and talks about his and the Donald’s goofy plan to get Mike Tyson out of That was punishment alright. The ring is no picnic, bucko,” he said. “Probably a little more of a picnic compared to 10 years in the pen. “But that’s not what I mean,” Brackmaster said. “I mean, wouldn’t a cozy deal like that send out the mes- sage that people with fame, fortune and ability are treated differently un- der the law than Joe Nobodies like me and you?” “Speak for yourself Joe.” “Okay, but doesn’t it?” “Well it might send out that mes- sage, but then again, think about the money Tyson would pump into these rape crisis centres. Cash like that would help a lot of women. Throwing him in the can won't put a penny to- wards their plight and only take more money out of taxpayers’ pockets.” “Okay, but doesn’t the plan still put a convicted, unrehabilitated rapist back out on the street, wherehe could victims of crimés committed by people like himself,” I said. “Un, yeah, sort of. But that’s not the spin I put on it,” said the Bracka- “Doesn’t that mean Tyson gets to avoid punishment for his crime just because he’s a talented boxer?” “Nah, no way, did you see what Buster Douglas did to him last time? take another woman’s dignity?” “Rehabilitated? Right Ed. We’re talking about the U.S. penal system here. Tyson will undoubtedly become a lot meaner and uglier in jail than he ever was before he went there.” “Good point, Brack. I still don’t agree with you on this one, but you know, it’s always nice to chat with you buddy.”