Vancouver Giants recap of 2007; a look forward at 2008

This year's edition of the G-Men were 15-0-1 before suffering their first regulation loss of the season to Red Deer in November. Vancouver had a couple of spectacular games on their big winning streak, including a 6-0 win over PG, a pair of 3-0 wins to Spokane and Seattle, a 7-1 decision over the Expansion Chilliwack Bruins, and their Season Opener killing of the Portland Winterhawks 9-0.

November saw the walking out of Goalie Dustin Slade, a month after D-Man Chad Scharff had to leave the club due to the Overage rule (which impacted Slade as well). 17-year-old Tyson Sexsmith took over Slade's old role, and finished the season with a 31-12-2-6 record. Vancouver went through a depression in November through January, going 17-11-2-6 in those three months. Overall they had 17 wins and 19 losses in that period.

After knocking off the Chilliwack Bruins in Round 1, Vancouver demolished the Seattle Thunderbirds in Round 2, followed by the return to Prince George for the Cougars after a 5 game series. The G-Men lost in Double-Overtime to Medicine Hat in Game 7 of the WHL Final, but still managed to make the Memorial Cup due to their being hosts. After an Overtime win over Plymouth, a fast-pace game against Lewiston in which they came on top, and a 1-0 loss to the Tigers, Vancouver set up a spot in the Semi-Final against the Plymouth Whalers. Vancouver came on top in that game as well, 8-1 being the final. This brought an all WHL matchup in the Memorial Cup final, between the Tigers and Giants. Who won? You guessed it, the G-Men 3-1.

The Giants finished the Regular Season with a 45-17-3-7, and their playoff record after four rounds was 15-7. In the Memorial Cup they went 4-1, bringing their full record to 64-25-3-7. They played 99 games in total, the most this team has ever played.

2007-2008: The Future...

Next year's roster for the Giants won't be finalized until their August Training Camp, or later. Captain Brett Festerling leaves the team due to age, as does Wacey Rabbit and AJ Thelen. Backup Goalie Blaine Neufeld will be traded so that in his final year in the Dub he can be a starting netminder, and chances are Tim Kraus is on his way out too. Cody Franson will be heading to the Nashville organization, and Brendan Mikkelson may play for the Ducks farm teams. Mario Bliznak has signed a contract to play with the Canucks, and will probably start the season in AHL Manitoba. JD Watt may depart the team to head wherever Calgary wants him to play, but right now no one knows if Watt's played his final game with the G-Men. Kenndal McArdle is out, he will be playing for the Panthers organization. Mike Wuchterl will probably be headed elsewhere next season, but either him or Garet Hunt could find themselves one last year with Vancouver.

We can however tell you who will be back. On D there's Brent Regner, Nolan Toigo and Jon Blum, accompanied with youngsters Neil Manning and Dillon Scholten. Another veteran D-Man or two will probably be brought in to lead the Blueliners, but for now those five will be wearing Giants unis unless they are for some reason traded. Mitch Czibere, James Wright, Lance Bouma and Evander Kane will all be back at Centre, but one of them may switch over to the Wing so a more veteran guy can be brought in.

Czech sensation Michal Repik, Alberta's Spencer Machacek and Craig Cunningham will all be back, good news for fans who love scoring. And finally, Milan Lucic this year's Memorial Cup MVP and next year's Giants Captain.

Next week is Edmonton's Expansion Draft, and after that we can really start to figure out who will and won't be back for Vancouver.

Giants capture Memorial Cup; Vancouver Giants day is May 29th; Darn

Memorial Cup:

The Vancouver Giants got off to a 2nd period lead and although Medicine Hat battled back, they ended up taking the game, and the Memorial Cup with it.

Milan Lucic and Jordan Bendfeld wound themselves into a scrap 4:29 into the game, and they both decided to call it quits after some OK punches from both Hockey players.

Mario Bliznak opened the scoring at 6:07 of the 2nd, on a re-direction of AJ Thelen who was in front of Tigers Goalie Matt Keetley. Thelen as well as Kenndal McArdle picked up assists.

When Wacey Rabbit was serving a questionable Hooking call later in the period, Darren Helm took full advantage, scoring his 2nd of the Memorial Cup from Derek "Bite" Dorsett.

And just as fans at the Pacific Coliseum started to get ansy on who would come out on top, with 5 minutes remaining in regulation, Michal Repik scored the eventual game-winner past Keetley, that put the Giants crowd into cheers of joy!

Spencer Machacek scored an empty-netter, and Milan Lucic missed the net by half an inch as well, as Vancouver took the Memorial Cup final 3-1 over the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Now, Vancouver came into the Championship because they were the host, but to that Tigers fan who in the concourse after the game yelled "Backdoor Champs", the next time Medicine Hat wins a game, I will be sure to boo my butt off. Congrats, you've made one new fan.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Michal Repik, 1 Goal
2. Matt Keetley, 37 Saves, 2 GA, Loss
3. Mario Bliznak, 1 Goal, 1 Assist

Road Kill Sports All-Tournament Team:
Goalie:
Medicine Hat's Matt Keetley (2-2), 6 GA, 1.51 GAA, Shutout, .949 Save Percentage

Defence:
Medicine Hat's Kris Russell (0-1-1)
Plymouth's Ryan McGinnis (1-2-3)

Forwards:
Plymouth's Tom Sestito (2-5-7)
Vancouver's Milan Lucic (2-5-7)
Vancouver's Michal Repik (3-4-7)

Road Kill Sports Tournament MVP:
Michal Repik (3-4-7)

I would like to thank the Giants staff, players, and everyone in the organization for a great year of hockey, and a phenomenal Memorial Cup tournament. An extra special thanks to Overagers AJ Thelen, Wacey Rabbit and Captain Brett Festerling who have now played their final game of Junior Hockey. Fortunately, all have contracts with NHL Teams (Thelen in Minnesota, Rabbit with Boston and Festerling with Anaheim). Another thanks to Kyle Lamb and Chad Scharff who started the year with Vancouver as overagers but were traded or released as the season went on!

I will have details on Edmonton's expansion draft in the coming days.

I should also note tomorrow is Vancouver Giants Day in Vancouver, as proclaimed by Mayor Sam Sullivan who will be holding a celebration with the members of the team tomorrow (May 29th) at Noon at the Hall.

Moving onto baseball now, I totally forgot to do a UBC Pitchers Recap...thanks to the anonymous reader that posted that comment, I will post that tomorrow! Apologies are in order.

How are they now? Kane County Cougars edition

It's around this time every year I get pumped for Baseball and Football. The BC Lions open up Training Camp next week, and the Vancouver Canadians season is only 3 weeks away (As is the Lions Pre-Season home game). But do you know what's the best thing about it? For Five days in June there will be three events I've been waiting for since September. On June 15th I can enter the gates of BC Place for the First time since the Leos captured the Grey Cup, and Two days later I can head into Nat Bailey Stadium for the annual FanFest and enjoy myself there. And then, June 19th is the day I'm most excited about, the start of the C's season as they square off against Tri-Cities. I'm so excited, I'm not caring about leaving school June 22nd for the Summer! Anyways, back to the blog, in Late-May or Early-June I am always curious to see who is where and doing what in the A's Minor League Baseball System, so here is the inagural edition.

In Kane County (whom I'll be seeing for a game in July), the Cougars suck. I'm serious it's the exact same thing as last year's C's, which is what I have been calling them since April (thanks to their roster). Kane County is 18.5 games back in their division, and they have one hitter who is above .300. Mike "Pray" Massaro is batting .331 as the lead-off man and has hit a team-high 49 hits in 148 At-Bats. The rest of the team is hitting between .159 and .298. Matt Sulentic has the team-low of .159 and could find his way back in Vancouver this season for some Late-June tuning. Another guy who we might see in Van-City is Chris Vitters. Vitters hasn't had a ton of success in Illinois, and is batting a mere .192 as a backup. One of the men in front of him in the Depth Chart is Mike Affronti who I criticized in September on this blog last season as being anything but spectacular defensively. Affronti has been charged with 10 errors this season, double the amount the two players tied for second on the Cougars have (Isaac Omura and Alex Valdez). In my humble opinion, Omura, Vitters or "Error 404" will be back in Vancouver for June 19th.

Pitching wise, there have been some sparks in James Heuser (2-2 3.40), Jason Fernandez (2-0 3.86), Henry Alberto Rodriguez (1-1 2.53) and Branden Dewing (0-1, 0.79). Heuser and Dewing are Two of Three Lefties on the Cougars staff, which may land one of them in Stockton before you can say "Henry Alberto Rodriguez" the newest ace on the squad. TJ Franco Jr is usually overlooked with his 2-1 record that comes with an impressive 2.25 ERA in 28 innings. Almost as impressive as Scott Moore's ERA that stands at 2.04. "I love Canada" also has a record of 0-2. Why is his nickname "I love Canada"? Well, a couple months ago NFTN found an article mentioning that Moore was "insulting" Vancouver, so there you have it, way to go ILC!

Over the next few days leading up to the MLB Draft in two weeks I will be posting "How are they now?" of Stockton, Midland, Sacramento and Oakland.

I'm back; Tuesday-Friday's Memorial Cup recap

Well. I'm back in Vancouver after an interesting week, and it was all worth it to see the Giants kick Plymouth's butt last night in front of 13,000 people.

Tuesday:
Plymouth Whalers vs Lewiston MAINEiacs:

This game was uninteresting for the official scorer until the midway mark of the Third period when Simon Courcelles scored his First of the tournament from David Perron at 14:07 past Michal Neuvirth and the Whalers.

Plymouth didn't give up however, even when their Captain Steve Ward was in the penalty box with two minutes to go in the hockey game. 20-year-old Evan Brophey tied the game up Shorthanded with just over a minute remaining in the hockey game, sending this game into Overtime.

4:19 into the extra frame was all that was needed before someone scored the game-winner, and that someone was....Andrew Fournier of the Whalers! Fournier's First of the tourny was assisted by Ryan McGinnis and Tom Sestito.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Jonathan Bernier, Goalie Lewiston, 37 Saves, 2 GA, Loss
2. Michal Neuvirth, Goalie Plymouth, 26 Saves, GA, Win
3. Ryan McGinnis, Defence Plymouth, 2 Assists

This game brought Plymouth's Round-Robin record to 1-2, and the same with Lewiston.

Wednesday:
Medicine Hat Tigers vs Vancouver Giants:
Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Evander Kane (Healthy)
Garet Hunt (Groin)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Mike Wuchterl (Healthy)

There will be no commentary on this game, there is no need. Vancouver let in a Derek Dorsett goal, his First of the tourny, midway through the Second from Russell and Schlemko on the Powerplay and that was all that happened. There were only NINE penalties during this game, something uncommon when the two teams from the 'Dub play each other.

The Giants dropped to 2-1 this tournament, the same record Medicine Hat reached with the win. Since the Tigers beat Vancouver, the WHL Champs were given a bye into the Memorial Cup final, and Vancouver was forced to play the winner of the Round-Robin tie-breaker between Plymouth and Lewiston.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Matt Keetley, Goalie Medicine Hat, Shutout, 29 Saves, Win
2. Derek Dorsett, Forward Medicine Hat, Goal
3. Kris Russell, Defence Medicine Hat, Assist

Thursday:
Plymouth Whalers vs Lewiston MAINEiacs:
The loser of this game would go home, the winner would stay on...Lewiston and Plymouth, Bernier and Neuvirth, Courcelles and Neal, Denny and Ward, dun dun dun.

Plymouth didn't want to be the ones eliminated Thursday, so Tom "Toasted" Testito put them ahead early with his First of the tournament. Jared Boll and Andrew Fournier picked up assists on the goal scored at 5:39 of the First.

Two minutes later James Neal felt he was needed by his teammates to score another, and that he did, with his Fourth of the Memorial Cup from Sean O'Connor at 8:44. 2-0 Plymouth.

That ended the First period, as well as the Junior Hockey career of Lewiston's Goalie Jonathan Bernier. Bernier was pulled after allowing two goals on 13 shots, and will likely join the Los Angeles Kings next season as their back-stopper. Bernier was one guy who always played hard and it really does suck to see him end a great season being pulled, in favour of Peter Delmas.

The last penalty of the hockey game proved to be a costly one, as Evan Brophey netted his teams Third goal of the game, and his Second of the tourny from Sestito and Neal at 14:30 of the middle stanza on the PP. 3-0 Plymouth.

Plymouth was probably choosing which was the best way to celebrate their win Thursday night during the Second intermission, but their plans would have to wait. 0:51 into the final period, Simon Courcelles gave his team a needed bost in morale, as he scored his Second goal in the last two games from Perron and Pierre-Luc Faubert. 3-1 Plymouth.

2:30 later Tom Sestito really put the icing on the cake when he scored his Second of the game and Second of the tournament from Zack Shepley and Brett Bellemore at 3:20. 4-1 Plymouth.

And as if the fat lady wasn't yet ready to sing, when Peter Delmas was pulled by Lewiston with minutes remaining in the game, James Neal scored his Second of the hockey game and Fifth of the tourny into an empty net at 18:30, 5-1 Plymouth would be your final.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Tom Sestito, Forward Plymouth, 2 Goals and an assist
2. James Neal, Forward Plymouth, 2 Goals and an assist
3. Michal Neuvirth, Goalie Plymouth, 29 Saves, GA, Win

Friday:
Vancouver Giants vs Plymouth Whalers:
Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Tim Kraus (Root Canal??)
Craig Cunningham (Healthy)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Garet Hunt (Groin)
Evander Kane, a 15-year-old WAS in the lineup for the Semi-Final, his First Memorial Cup appearance.

As most fans were stuck in traffic en-route to the 5:00 PM Local start, Wacey Rabbit gave Vancouver an early lead scoring his Second this tournament from Lucic and Franson 0:55 into the game.

Almost a dozen minutes had gone by in the game without a goal, but Michal Repik soon changed that. "Weep", with help from Lucic and Mario Bliznak, scored the eventual game-winner at 12:59 for his First of the Memorial Cup.

2-0 Vancouver heading into the break.

Cody Franson added one more to the Giants totals at 4:55, with assists going to the previous goal scorer and Milan Lucic. 3-0 Vancouver and that was the end of Michal Neuvirth for Plymouth between the pipes. Andrew Fournier scored at 8:40 to give Plymouth a slim shot at tying the game up, but that was as close as they'd get.

At 12:22, JD Watt was shoved into the net by Plymouth backup Jeremy Smith yet Watt was handed Two-minutes for Goalie interference on his 20th birthday. The crowd booed for at least 5 minutes at QMJHL Referee Francis Charron, with numerous chants of "Bull-S***" filling up the arena. There were so many bad calls I won't get into all of them, but Watt's stands out the most.

The crowd was still chanting when Michal Repik in on a 2-1 with Mitch Czibere netted his Second of the game past Jeremy Smith at 14:16 while Short-handed, and suddenly Vancouver re-gained their three goal lead, 4-1 G-Men.

The next faceoff saw Milan Lucic and Jared Boll drop the gloves. Boll received 15 PIMs in total, 5 for Fighting and a 10-minute misconduct, while Lucic was given 5 for Fighting. The fight didn't get underway until 20 seconds in, but Boll did take down Vancouver's Lucic.

Two minutes recovered from the sin bin, JD Watt made his 20th birthday one to remember, scoring his First of the tournament at 16:49, with the assist going to a 15-year-old Evander Kane. Way to go Candy!! 5-1 Vancouver.

Five minutes into the Third, James Wright scored two goals, 38 seconds apart to give Vancouver a whopping 7-1 lead with 15 minutes remaining. JD Watt had two assists, Jon Blum had one, as did Lance Bouma.

Vancouver's final goal came from Spencer Machacek on the PP at 15:12 from Kenndal McArdle and Mario Bliznak. 8-1 Vancouver was your final.

This was the final Junior game for Steve Ward, Jared Boll and Evan Brophey of the Whalers. Vancouver now meets the Tigers in the Championship on Sunday.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Michal Repik, Forward Vancouver, Two Goals and an Assist
2. Milan Lucic, Forward Vancouver, Three Assists, One Fight
3. JD Watt, Forward Vancouver, Goal and Two Assists

Tigers send Plymouth fishing; Game 4 Memorial Cup Recap

Game: Plymouth vs Medicine Hat

Okay. I bruised my right thumb today so I can't type. I am posting a recap from Dondo, a Giants fan at the game who can type. Also, I am leaving town until Friday aft. due to a school function (not my decision), so I don't know how much access to internet I'll have to post. Worst case scenario is I post a recap of all the weeks games Friday after I get back from the Memorial Cup. Thanks and Sorry at the same time.

Dondo's recap:

The Tigers got a couple of pretty easy goals and coasted to a victory against a Plymouth team that simply did not show up. Tyler Ennis notched two goals playing with his line-mates Daine Todd and Brennan Bosch. They were easily the best line on the ice for either team in what was a watching paint dry event. They also seemed to be the only Tiger players who didn’t deliver late cheap shots. The strange part is that the really chippy unnecessary stuff came when the Tigers were already up 4-0. Snappy was at the centre as usual and Kris Russell was doing his damndest to out-Snappy, Snappy. The sheer number of gratuitous cheap shots after the play was in my mind quite ridiculous.

The reffing was good up until the cheap stuff started to happen and then they could not decide who to put in the box, for how long or which teams/players were at the centre of the infractions. The short version: it was almost always a Tiger player. The only Whaler who had the least amount of desire to win tonight was James Neal. I found it a shame that the Whalers made it so easy for the Tigers to romp over them, and that the game was so utterly boring. There were very few intense possessions in the offensive end for either team, where the team works the puck around and gets some quality chances and hardly any odd-man rushes or dangerous looking passing plays. The Tigers had to only play half their level and the Whalers did not show up. The only line I could stomach watching tonight was the Ennis, Bosch, Todd line who had some jump and looked to be enjoying playing out there. The rest of the players dragged their heels throughout most of the game from my perspective. I expected a hard fought tenacious game and I got a bunch of easy goals, a team that did not bother to show up, and a seriously boring game to watch. I don’t think its just because I don’t have a vested interest in one team or the other, its just that the hockey was dull, there was very little spark and the quietest 12,000+ fans I have ever heard. Even the many many Tigers fans were pretty sedate for the most part. I actually think most of the arena fell asleep watching the game.

Giants edge out Whalers and Maineiacs; Tigers lose momentum; First three games of the Memorial Cup reacp

Sorry I didn't post this earlier, but I've had a baseball tourny all weekend so I havn't had exactly a lot of "free time".

Friday May 18th Vancouver Giants (Host) vs Plymouth Whalers (OHL Champions):

Giants scratches:
#5 Neil Manning (Healthy)
#9 Evander Kane (Healthy)
#14 Craig Cunningham (Healthy)
#24 Garet Hunt (Groin)
#25 Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)

In the first game of the 2007 Memorial Cup tournament, the Vancouver Giants didn't waste any time in scoring the first goal. Spencer Machacek lit the light at 5:49 of the First period when Jared Boll was serving a penalty for the Whalers. Mario Bliznak was given an assist, as was Brendan Mikkelson whose shot was re-directed by Machacek to give the G-Men the early lead.

This game would have to wait until the middle frame before another goal was scored, this time it was Plymouth that scored. James Neal, a player who had the attention of many at the World Juniors, beat Tyson Sexsmith for his first goal of the tournament. Daniel Ryder and Steve Ward had the assists. The goal was scored on the PP at 7:26.

Vancouver wasted no time in taking back the lead because less than a minute later Milan Lucic netted his first of the tournament past Michal Neuvirth. Michal Repik took the assist on the goal scored at 8:17.

James Neal however couldn't stand the thought of losing the first Memorial Cup game of 2007, so he scored his second of the game two minutes after Lucic gave Vancouver the lead. The game was then tied at 2-2 on Neal's 2nd assisted by Evan Brophey and Tom Sestito at 10:25 on the Powerplay.

Three minutes later, now at the 13:00 mark of the middle stanza, Milan Lucic handed Vancouver their third lead of the hockey game as he scored his second of the game to give Vancouver a 3-2 edge. Repik and Wacey "Twix" Rabbit helped out on the 13:14 goal.

Once again, and for the final time in this hockey game, Plymouth couldn't stand Vancouver holding the lead. So 2:22 later, Ryan McGinnis scored his first of the tournament from Jared Boll and Sestito to tie the game up. McGinnis' goal I should add was the first scored by a Defenceman this tournament.

The third period saw loads of opportunities for both teams, but both failed to capitalize sending this game to Overtime.

The fans in Vancouver had been waiting since Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series to see Overtime at the Pacific Coliseum, and the 13,000 in attendance for Friday's game weren't disappointed...at least those Giants fans. It took 5:06 before Kenndal McArdle scored his first of the tournament past Michal Neuvirth to win Vancouver the hockey game. JD Watt was credited with the assist on the game winning goal.

4-3 Giants was the final over Plymouth.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Milan Lucic, Vancouver Giants, 2 Goals
2. James Neal, Plymouth Whalers, 2 Goals
3. Kenndal McArdle, Vancouver Giants, GWG

May 19th Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL Champions) vs Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL Champions):
This game, the first for both of the teams in the tourny, was a matchup of great Goalies, Medicine Hat's Matt Keetley (WHL Championship MVP) and Lewiston's Jonathan Bernier (First Round NHL Draft Pick).

Medicine Hat took an early lead in the hockey game, just over 11 minutes in, as Darren Helm slipped his first of the tournament past Bernier. 1-0 Tigers, and the assists went to David Schlemko and Derek Dorsett on the PP marker.

With Daine Todd serving an early 2nd period penalty, Eric Castonguay took full advantage scoring his teams' first goal of the tournament on the PP at 1:40 of the middle frame. Chris "Toot" Tutalo and Simon Courcelles were awarded assists on the game-tying-goal.

Lewiston wouldn't stop there, as Sebastien Piche scored the second Maineiacs goal at 12:04 of the middle stanza. This goal was not scored on the Powerplay and was the only goal between the two teams that did not involve a man in the sin bin. Stefano Gillati and Stefan Chaput took the assists. 2-1 Lewiston.

With Medicine Hat Captain Kris Russell serving a penalty pretty early in the final frame, Lewiston put the icing on the cake when Stefan Chaput scored his first of the tournament from Gillati and Goalie Jon Bernier. 3-1 Lewiston was your final.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Jonathan Bernier, Goalie Lewiston, 30 Saves, 1 GA, Assist
2. Stefan Chaput, Lewiston, Goal and an Assist
3. Sebastien Piche, Lewiston, Goal

May 20th Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL) vs Vancouver Giants (Host):
Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Evander Kane (Healthy)
Garet Hunt (Groin)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Mike Wuchterl (Healthy)

Unlike in the Giants first game of the tournament, it was the opposition to strike first in the hockey game. David Perron beat Tyson Sexsmith on a First period goal that was assisted by Pierre-Luc Faubert at 5:48.

The Second period saw no goals on the scoresheet but many great opportunities. Vancouver doubled up Lewiston in shots during the middle stanza (8-4) but Jon Bernier was unstoppable as usual keeping the goal judge to sit back and relax.

It wasn't until almost the midway mark in the 3rd period when some scoring occured, this time it was Vancouver to get on the 'board. Kenndal McArdle, Game 1's hero, flicked at the puck after numerous failed attempts by Brendan Mikkelson and finally got success as it trickled past Jonathan Bernier. 1-1 was the score. The goal was on the Powerplay.

Just when the 13,734 fans at the Pacific Coliseum were thinking OT, Wacey Rabbit said no way. Rabbit was very patient with the puck in Lewiston's zone, and while Jonathan Bernier was trying to cover up the puck, it was lose on the side of the net, which a speeding Rabbit from around the net noticed, and banged it home on the open corner to score the eventual game winner.

This game almost got tied up however, when with 0.7 seconds remaining Vancouver's Mario Bliznak "covered" up the puck in his own crease. Lewiston's Coach wanted a Penalty Shot but to no avail, Vancouver still won. 2-1 Giants was your final in a game which Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet eluded to as being "Junior Hockey at its finest."

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Jonathan Bernier, Goalie Lewiston, 31 Saves, 2 GA
2. Kenndal McArdle, Vancouver, Goal
3. David Perron, Lewiston, Goal

Pritchett joins the C's; Vote on Stockton Game-worn jerseys

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Do you remember Chris Pritchett? If not, now you will. He played minor-league ball for a long time, and finally made his way to the Major leagues. I remember him from when he played ball in Vancouver during the AAA days. I still remember in 1998, when I was at my first ball game ever, two names come to mind. Chris Pritchett and Steve Scarsone. From the press release:

Canadians newest coach has history at the ‘Nat’


Chris Pritchett joins club as hitting coach for ’07 season

Vancouver , B.C. - The Vancouver Canadians are pleased to announce that former Canadians slugger Chris Pritchett will be back out at the ‘Nat’ this season as the teams hitting coach.

Chris recently moved to Vancouver and had been helping out with the UBC Thunderbird Baseball program prior to receiving his assignment from the Oakland A’s.

Pritchett’s pro career had him spend parts of four (4) seasons with a pair of organizations, California/Anaheim (1995; 1998-99) and Philadelphia (2000) finishing with a .221 batting average, three (3) home runs and eleven (11) runs batted in.

Chris to locals may best be remembered by his days out at Nat Bailey Stadium as he played with Vancouver for parts of five (5) seasons dating from 1995-99. Pritchett hit 16 home runs back in 1996 while with the C’s. The reason that stat may be interesting, the fact that last season here at Nat Bailey, home and away teams combined for 12 home runs the entire season.

Pritchett makes his professional coaching debut this season joining manager Rick Magnante and pitching coach Craig Lefferts on this years staff.

I'm looking forward to this, and with Lefferts, a former World Series pitcher, Magnante the Manager of the South African National team at the WBC and now Pritchett a former Texas League slugger, our prospects will be in good shape!

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Have you ever wanted to own a jersey of a future Major Leaguer? 2004 NWL MVP Javier Herrera? How about former Pepperdine Wave Steve Kleen? Hey, what about "Tum-Tum" Boyd? Anthony Recker? (Hence girl who sniffed his butt in 2005 while he was at 2nd base!) Well here’s your chance. The Stockton Ports are holding an online auction this week to sell game-worn jerseys from the teams game this Saturday against Bakersfield. The Jerseys (Left) are Pink in honour of breast cancer, and all proceeds from the auction go towards the St. Joseph’s Foundation benefiting the Mobile Mammography Fund. All jerseys will be autographed by that player that wore the jersey (seen right)

By bidding on this pink jersey, you’re helping fight breast cancer! All proceeds will go to the St. Joseph’s Foundation benefiting the Mobile Mammography Fund.

The Ports are holding a week-long auction that will culminate on Pink Day (Sunday, May 20th). All website auctions will be frozen at 11:00 am on the morning of Sunday, May 20th, and will resume in the stadium during that day’s game. Attend the game to make sure your high bid isn’t challenged by another fan! The auction will officially end after the 7th inning of the May 20th game.

This jersey has the number 3 on the back and is an authentic jersey created for Pink Day.

Winning bidders will be given their jersey by the player who wore it at the game and will have it autographed (if worn by a player). If winning bidder is not present, the jersey will be autographed (if worn by a player) and mailed to the winning bidder (shipping charge is $7).

Please note that players on our roster do change, and we cannot guarantee that this jersey will be worn by the player who currently wears this number during the game, nor can we guarantee the jersey will be autographed by that player. All bids are final. Having the highest bid on the website does not guarantee winning the jersey – higher bids may be placed in person during the game.

The Jerseys range from 50$ up to 75$ already with guys like Herrera’s jerseys only at 50$ as I type this. Hey C’s, could we be seeing this in the future? *Crosses fingers*

2007 Memorial Cup Preview

This post is to preview the 2007 Memorial Cup happening in Vancouver for the next week and a half a the Pacific Coliseum. Four teams will be participating, the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL Champions), Vancouver Giants (Host, WHL Runner-up), Plymouth Whalers (OHL Champions) and the Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL Champions). Vancouver will meet Plymouth in the First game of the tourny Friday night. All games will be shown on Sportsnet. Here is our team-by-team preview:

Plymouth Whalers OHL Champions schedule:
Friday May 18th vs Vancouver Giants 6 PM Pacific
Monday May 21st vs Medicine Hat Tigers 5 PM Pacific
Tuesday May 22nd vs Lewiston MAINEiacs 5 PM Pacific

Key Forwards (All stats are from 2006-2007 Regular Season):
Evan Brophey (26-71-107)
Daniel Ryder (40-52-92)
James Neal (27-38-65)

Key D-Men:
Steve Ward (15-30-45)
Wes Cunningham (4-27-31)

Starting Goalie:
Michal Neuvirth (26-8-2)

Three overagers:
Evan Brophey (Foward)
Steve Ward (Defence)
Jared Boll (Forward)

Road Kill Sports projected finish:
4th

Lewiston MAINEiacs QMJHL Champions schedule:
Saturday May 19th vs Medicine Hat 1 PM Pacific
Sunday May 20th vs Vancouver 1:30 Pacific
Tuesday May 22nd vs Plymouth 5 PM Pacific

Key Forwards (All stats of the 2006-2007 season):
David Perron (39-44-83)
Pierre-Luc Faubert (32-34-66)
Marc-André Cliche (24-30-54)

Key D-Men:
Chad Denny (17-48-65)
Kevin Marshall (5-27-32)

Starting Goalie:
Jonathan Bernier (26-10)

Overagers:
Simon Courcelles
Pierre-Luc Faubert
Triston Manson

Road Kill Sports projected finish:
2nd

Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL Champions) schedule:
Saturday May 19th vs Lewiston MAINEiacs 1 PM Pacific
Monday May 21st vs Plymouth Whalers 5 PM Pacific
Wednesday May 23rd vs Vancouver Giants 7:30 PM Pacific

Key Forwards (All stats are of the 2006-2007 Regular Season):
Derek Dorsett (19-45-64)
Darren Helm (29-35-64)
Chris Stevens (32-25-57)

Key D-Men:
Kris Russell (32-37-69)
David Schlemko (8-50-58)

Starting Goalie:
Matt Keetley (42-11-1)

Overagers:
Matt Keetley
Derek Dorsett
Chris Stevens

Road Kill Sports projected finish:
2nd

Vancouver Giants Host schedule:
Friday May 18th vs Plymouth Whalers 6 PM Pacific
Sunday May 20th vs Lewiston MAINEiacs 1:30 PM Pacific
Wednesday May 23rd vs Medicine Hat Tigers 7:30 PM Pacific

Key Forwards:
Milan Lucic (30-38-68)
Michal Repik (24-31-55)
Wacey Rabbit (11-25-36) (In 30 games)

Key D-Men:
Cody Franson (17-34-51)
Jon Blum (8-43-51)

Starting Goalie:
Tyson Sexsmith (31-12-2)

Overagers:
Wacey Rabbit
AJ Thelen
Brett Festerling

Road Kill Sports projected finish:
1st

Why the placings?

Call me a homer but the Vancouver Giants are the best team in this tournament. They have guys who should be in the AHL, ECHL and even the NHL. Wacey Rabbit, Milan Lucic and the G-Men are having a great post-season despite losing in Double-OT to the Tigers. The Tigers have a great defensive and offensive corps with Kris Russell, David Schlemko, Chris Stevens, Darren Helm, Derek Dorsett, Jordan Bendfeld, the list goes on. Matt Keetley is behind the pipes and is unstoppable. The only reason I see the Giants coming on top over Medicine Hat is that they are furious for losing the title game last week, meaning there's nowhere to go but up at home.

Plymouth is one of the two surprise teams, with Evan Brophey, Daniel Ryder (Brother of Michael) and James Neal. They weren't expected to beat Sudbury who has two Staal brothers, but they did and here they are. Lewiston has Jonathan Bernier in net and I see that as their only hope. The NHL First-Round pick has been sensational with the MAINEiacs and looks to continue that in the Cup.

WHL Game 6 and 7 Recap

Game 6 Giants vs Tigers:
Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Cody Franson (Upper Body)
Evander Kane (Healthy)
Garet Hunt (Femur)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)

Game 6 got off to a quick and violent start, with Jerrid Sauer and JD Watt dropping the gloves not even two minutes into the hockey game. Both were given Five-minutes for fighting, as well as a 10-minute misconduct for Watt.

Now 10:30 into the game, with AJ Thelen in the box for the Giants, Kenndal McArdle BIT the bullet by scoring a shorthanded marker past Matt Keetley. It was McArdle's 11th of the post-season and was unassisted.

Now in the first couple seconds of the second, this time with Wacey Rabbit in the sin bin, Medicine Hat capitalized with Chris Stevens scoring his 7th at 0:24 on the PP. David Schlemko and Kris Russell were awarded assists. 1-1 game.

The first scrum involving more than two players where a couple people were awarded penalties happened at 12:09 of the middle frame, with Tim Kraus and JD Watt taking the blame for Vancouver with Tyler Ennis and Michael Sauer being sentenced for the home team.

With 1:30 left in the middle stanza, Daine Todd put the Tigers in the lead with his 6th of the post-season assisted by Derek "Bite" Dorsett and David Schlemko. 2-1 Medicine Hat.

Chris Stevens then wasted no time in the 3rd adding to his teams' lead, scoring his 2nd of the game at 3:33 of the 3rd for the 3rd Tigers goal of the game. Scott Wasden and Jerrid Sauer took credit for the assists on the goal.

Brendan Mikkelson broke out of a slump, scoring his first goal since Game 3 of the 2nd round series against Seattle at 5:07 on the Powerplay. Credit to Brett Festerling and Lance Bouma for the assists. 3-2 Medicine Hat.

Mitch Czibere came up with a timely goal to tie the game up at 11:31 while shorthanded. It was his first of the postseason and his first goal since March 9th against the Chilliwack Bruins. 3-3.

Unfortunately for the G-Men, less than a minute later Darren Helm scored the eventual game-winner past Tyson Sexsmith on the Powerplay. 4-3 Tigers was the final score.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Chris Stevens
2. David Schlemko
3. Mitch Czibere

Game 7:
This game was the decider of the 2007 WHL Championship series, with Vancouver looking to come out on top to win their second straight WHL Championship. Both teams however, were guaranteed spots in the Memorial Cup.

Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Cody Franson (Upper body)
Garet Hunt (Femur)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Mike Wuchterl (Healthy)
Yes, Evander Kane played in Game 7! He is remember a 15-year-old!!!!!

The first goal of the hockey game was recorded just about Ten minutes into the game, something that has been more and more common as the playoffs have worn on. (Goals being scored later in the game) Tyler Ennis was the lucky scorer for the Tigers, and his 8th of the playoffs was assisted by Brennan Bosch and Darren Helm. This was a powerplay goal with Brent Regner in the box for Vancouver.

Ok, so no one else scored in the First period, but there was also a new low in my books (theoretically). There were three penalties in the First period, all being credited towards the visiting Giants. Three combined is low but none for Medicine Hat is absolutely shocking!:)

Medicine Hat's first penalty of the game proved to be a costly one with Wacey Rabbit capitalizing for the G-Men with "Bite" Dorsett in the box. Rabbit scored his 11th with Thelen and Repik taking the assists.

Michal Repik next answered for Vancouver, giving them their first lead of the hockey game. He netted his 10th at 18:30 with Milan Lucic and Rabbit had assists. 2-1 Vancouver.

That was it in the middle frame, and a new penalty-low, only two. One for Vancouver and one for the Tigers!!

Medicine Hat took longer than they'd hoped tying the game up, but they still did it at 12:10 of the Third, with Daine Todd scoring the goal. Assists went to Chris Stevens and Derek Dorsett. The game was tied and was sent into Overtime.

A final all-time low in penalties, only one player was sent to the sin bin that period, Brent Regner at 3:59.

The first overtime didn't see any scoring. Yes that's right, I got straight to the point. There were at least two Fog delays in the first OT I must add. Yes, FOG DELAYS in a hockey arena. The arena was too humid so the players had to skate around the Tigers home ice.

The second OT saw some great chances by both teams early, but it was one play that won the game. Vancouver's Spencer Machacek tripped up the Tigers Brennan Bosch in the G-Men zone, before Bosch got up and on a 2 on 2 to score the game-winner that flew past Tyson Sexsmith. Brennan Bosch scored the winner at 7:16 to capture the WHL Championship.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Brennan Bosch
2. Matt Keetley
3. Tyson Sexsmith

The four teams to participate in the 2007 Memorial Cup at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver are as followed:

HOST Vancouver Giants
WHL CHAMPIONS Medicine Hat Tigers
OHL CHAMPIONS Plymouth Whalers
QMJHL CHAMPIONS Lewiston MAINEiacs

Memorial Cup preview is coming up...

UBC Hitters recap 2007

Nic Lendvoy OF #7 Freshman:
"Do the Dew" led the team in Batting Average (.340) and hit UBC's first dinger of the season at Occidental College over two months ago. The Langley, BC native hit another homer in the season, and knocked in a total of 22 runs as well as crossing home plate 34 times. Lendvoy hit a triple and 14 doubles, to help his OBP that was almost .420 by the seasons end. Lendvoy should be back at UBC next season, and if he is, that is just one more positive for the T-Birds.

Fletcher Vynne 1B #9 Junior:
Fletcher's Batting Average did not in my opinion reflect his season. Vynne batted just under .330 for the 'Birds but later on in the season, was replaced by DH/P Scott Webster. Vynne will need to step things up next year as a Senior in order for him to be looked at by MLB scouts, and he needs to lose the Don Sutton attidue. He hit a dinger, and knocked in 24 RBI, which put him second on the team, only behind Jon Syrnyk.

Sammie "Ontario" Starr 2B #3 Freshman:
Sammie surprised many people this season. I expected Craig Leebosh to take the gig at 2nd, but they gave it to the Freshman Starr, and what a job he did. In just over 100 ABs, he batted .320 driving in 11 runs in 37 games as well as scoring a dozen times. If and when Sammie is back next season, with himself, Sean Everest and Leebosh up the middle, look for UBC to have a great middle infield.

Brett Murray 3B #38 Senior:
The Versatile Vet took on a new role this season as a Closer as well as being the everyday 3B. Murray hit Four dingers, as well as just over 20 RBI, in addition to scoring 32 Runs, which was second best on the team. Murray is one guy who has a shot at the MLB Draft, but don't expect him to go in the First couple rounds, instead more like the 20-40 Rounds like OF Connor Janes did last season.

Craig Leebosh IF #12 Sophmore:
"Spidey" surprised some people this season with an average just below .300 in his 57 At-Bats. With another two years of UBC eligibility left, Leebosh could be the next Davey Wallace or Matt Chester (at least when he played 2B last season) in years to come, whether it's with UBC or not.

Jon Syrnyk OF #17 Sophmore:
This guy is a mix of Adam Campbell and Connor Janes rolled into one. Syrnyk beat Campbell's record of Triples in one season (Syrnyk hit Seven), he hit for the cycle once, and he hit four homers which was good for 1st on the team (tied with Brett Murray) as well as leading the team in RBI with 28. If he was eligible for the MLB draft, he'd be one of those 10-18 round kind of guys, just because he isn't the most consistent. Sure he can hit for power, and he has good wheels, but he finished with a .290 average this season, and struckout 37 times, only one behind Ted Wilkie. If Jon can improve his consistency next season, he will be one to watch out for.

Brendan Kornberger C #30 Senior:
This was Korny's last season with the 'Birds, and I bet there'll be moments where he reflects and thinks "I could've done that better". Hitting for a .250 average, Brendan had five extra base hits this season, four doubles and one dinger. His stolen base percentage was perfect this season, 1-1!:) Brendan will certainly be missed next season by UBC, and he will never be forgotten.

Sean "Mount" Everest IF #10 Freshman:
Sean didn't play as much as he'd hoped, but he still has three seasons to play more games. In 64 AB's, he had 16 hits which gave him a .250 average on the season. Hey, that's like hitting once every four times and for a Freshman who faces Lewis-Clark State, that isn't half bad. If Sean can work on getting more power this off-season, I'd bet we're looking at a great infielder in the making.

Zack Ross C #2 Freshman:
Zack appeared in 21 games, but only started three. He was 3-13 this season, and is probably the front-runner for the catching position next year in Brendan Kornberger's absence. With more time at the plate next season, it'll be interesting to see how much damage he can do to the opposition.

Tyler Willson OF #5 Senior:
Tyler came into 2007 following an impressive Junior campaign in 2006. Unfortunately, he didn't hit as well this season as last. Batting only .227 in 128 At-Bats, Tyler couldn't muster a dinger this season, which is not spectacular considering he hit two last year. Tyler won't be back next season due to his eligibility and I'm 99% sure he is not a scout's #1 target in the 2007 MLB Draft.

Dave Dick C/OF #14 Junior:
Dave didn't get as many opportunities to shine this season as he would've liked to have had, but going 7 for 32 isn't anything to really be ashamed of. He knocked in 6 runs during the season, and hit two doubles. Considering he was only in his first UBC season, the coaching staff had other players in their mind as well, which sucks considering Dick has another year with UBC and that's it. Whether it'll be him, Nick Harper or Zack Ross catching next season is anybody's guess.

Scott Webster P/DH #20 Freshman:
Webster hit two homers this season, in just 55 At-Bats, which can be called a lot considering he also appeared 13 times on the mound. Webster's average wasn't anywhere near Nic Lendvoy or Brett Murray, but he came up big when UBC needed him to and that's the main thing. It's exciting and great to think of that the Doc has another three years in a T-Bird uniform ahead of him, both on the mound and at the plate.

Matt Chester 1B #11 Junior, Mike Styrna IF #33 Junior and Nick Harper C #36 Freshman:
Chester came into the season during the halfway point due to mono, and did a great job near the end of the year where he picked up his game. He had a costly error very late on, but this could be a guy picked in the MLB Draft next season. Styrnya didn't get many chances to play this season being a back-up, but he still managed to hit two dingers for UBC in only 47 At-Bats. With a lot of power yet no consistency, it isn't hard to tell why he wasn't a starter this season. Harper appeared in 12 ABs so I can't tell you much on him, but it looks like if he stays a T-Bird next season he'll be the third string Catcher.

Ted Wilkie SS #6 Senior:
Wilkie came to UBC this season hoping to hit the all more and be a good defensive shortstop in his Senior year of College ball. Unfortunately, he did neither. Wilkie hit .153 in under 100 apperances at the plate, and made a team leading 17 errors in the field. Wilkie hit in his final College AB, but when he reflects on this season, I doubt it'll be excitement.

Pitchers recap will come tonight or tomorrow.

WHL Game 5 Recap

Giants scratches:
Evander Kane (Healthy)
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Cody Franson (Healthy?)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Garet Hunt (Femur, is probable for the first Memorial Cup game next Friday against the OHL)

This game was quite dull until the second period. As one WHL broadcaster noted on his blog, "Am I the only one who is losing interest in the Western Hockey League final?" I certainly agree. These two teams are notorious for scoring goals, but with some great defences, goal scoring has been as common as Troy Glaus' foot being healthy. AJ Thelen opened the scoring at 6:11 on the Powerplay in Game 5, with assists being credited to Milan Lucic and Jon Blum. 1-0 G-Men.

The first real brawl of the game happened at 7:24 of the Second, when penalties to four different players were handed out. Colton Grant and Matt Lowry of the Tigers were sent to the sin bin, as were Mike Wuchterl and Brett Festerling of the Giants.

Seconds after the four exited the box, JD Watt and Scott Wasden were sent right back, each receiving two minutes, Watt for Elbowing and Wasden for Slashing.

Late into the Third, with Vancouver still on top 1-0, Wacey Rabbit added an insurance goal at 16:02, with Jon Blum being the credited assistman. 2-0 Giants.

At 16:18, the games first real fight occured, with JD Watt and Michael Sauer dropping the gloves. Watt received an extra 2-minutes for high sticking on the infraction as well.

And finally, with just over a minute to go, with Medicine Hat being on the PK, they pulled Matt Keetley and just like that, their hope was over. Spencer Machacek netted the empty-netter with 1:21 remaining on the scoreboard, 3-0 Vancouver and that was your final.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. AJ Thelen
2. Tyson Sexsmith
3. Jon Blum

Game 6 goes tonight in Medicine Hat, and can be seen across Western Canada on Shaw.

A look back at some UBC Baseball in 2007

It may not have ended like most of us had hoped, but with a bunch of Seniors graduating last season, many NAIA critics didn't expect UBC to even make the Region I tournament this time around. Some new players that provided great offensive skills were Sophmore Jon Syrnyk, Freshman Nic Lendvoy and Freshman Sammie Starr. Pitching wise, Andrew LaFleur proved why he was a key player as a Sophmore last season, and of course Seniors Doug Grant and Brendan Rolfe did a great job in the rotation. Brett Murray the 3B/CP did a great job adding a slider and pitching for the first time in his college career. Sadly this was his final season for UBC. Had he been a Junior, I bet he would've been a sure draft pick in the MLB draft next year.

Rating the batters:
Nic Lendvoy OF #7 Freshman:
"Do the Dew" led the team in Batting Average (.340) and hit UBC's first dinger of the season at Occidental College over two months ago. The Langley, BC native hit another homer in the season, and knocked in a total of 22 runs as well as crossing home plate 34 times. Lendvoy hit a triple and 14 doubles, to help his OBP that was almost .420 by the seasons end. Lendvoy should be back at UBC next season, and if he is, that is just one more positive for the T-Birds.

Fletcher Vynne 1B #9 Junior:
Fletcher's Batting Average did not in my opinion reflect his season. Vynne batted just under .330 for the 'Birds but later on in the season, was replaced by DH/P Scott Webster. Vynne will need to step things up next year as a Senior in order for him to be looked at by MLB scouts, and he needs to lose the Don Sutton attidue. He hit a dinger, and knocked in 24 RBI, which put him second on the team, only behind Jon Syrnyk.

Sammie "Ontario" Starr 2B #3 Freshman:
Sammie surprised many people this season. I expected Craig Leebosh to take the gig at 2nd, but they gave it to the Freshman Starr, and what a job he did. In just over 100 ABs, he batted .320 driving in 11 runs in 37 games as well as scoring a dozen times. If and when Sammie is back next season, with himself, Sean Everest and Leebosh up the middle, look for UBC to have a great middle infield.

Brett Murray 3B #38 Senior:
The Versatile Vet took on a new role this season as a Closer as well as being the everyday 3B. Murray hit Four dingers, as well as just over 20 RBI, in addition to scoring 32 Runs, which was second best on the team. Murray is one guy who has a shot at the MLB Draft, but don't expect him to go in the First couple rounds, instead more like the 20-40 Rounds like OF Connor Janes did last season.

NOTE: This is a portion of what will come out tomorrow. The rest of the players reviews will be out, and a look forward at next year will also be posted.

T-Birds season comes to an end against Concordia

UBC was in an elimination game today at 8:00 AM Pacific against Concordia Cavaliers, and didn't come out on top. Here's how it went down from my perspective (I was at school so I didn't listen).

UBC's Final BO of the season:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
SS Ted "Globe" Wilkie
SP Andrew "Guy" LaFleur

Mike Hall scored the first run of the game for the Cavs, in the bottom of 1 after UBC went down 1, 2, 3 in the top half of the inning.

After both teams failed to get any hits going in the 2nd inning, UBC came up in the top of the 3rd looking for some runs. To no avail. They went down 1-2-3 for the third time this game.

James Mannion doubled in two Cavaliers in the bottom of 3, extending Concordia-Portland's lead to three. 3-0 Cavs.

Brett Murray walked for UBC in the top of 4, but the next batter Nic Lendvoy grounded out to end the inning.

Concordia had two errors in the top of 5, but the two runners, Brendan Kornberger or Matt Chester made it any farther than second.

James Mannion knocked in two more Cavs on his second 2 RBI double of the game, giving UBC a huge deficit to overcome, now with the score being 5-0.

Sammie Starr bunted his way on base for UBC in the top of 6 for UBC's first hit of the game. Unfortunately, Starr reached with one out, and then Jon Syrnyk hit into a double play to end the inning.

Concordia managed one run in the 6th, extending their already big lead to 6 runs, and that was the final straw for UBC Junior Andrew LaFleur.

Mark Hardy came into pitch for UBC in the 7th, and allowed two hits in only inning of work in the tournament.

Ted Wilkie, in his final college-at-bat, singled with two out, but was thrown out on a fielders choice the next play. As Bob Broughton pointed out, Wilkie had travelled a lot of places in his college career. Well done Ted!

Doug Grant pitched a scoreless 8th for UBC, in what was his final college appearance.

UBC wanted to at least keep the game going in the 9th, and lucky for them RF Jon Syrnyk was up to bat. Syrnyk struck out looking. Next up was Brett Murray who grounded out in his final at-bat of his career. Nic Lendvoy was UBC's last hope, and of course he strikes out looking.

The end of a season for UBC, and it's their first time being 2 and out since 2000 back when Jeff Francis and Javy Glatt were T-Birds.

Starting Pitchers Line: Andrew "Guy" LaFleur 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, BB, 5 SO

Relievers role: Mark hardy IP, 2 H
Doug "Exterminator" Grant IP, H, SO

UBC hitter of the game: Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray, Brendan "Korny" Kornberger, Tyler "Down" Willson, Ted "Globe" Wilkie going a combined 1 for 11 with a walk in their final games as UBC Thunderbirds.

I will be posting a season momento, as well as ratings, and where these players should end up, in just a little bit (later tonight)

T-Birds vs Albertson: Game 1

UBC's Batting Order:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
DH Fletcher "Done" Vynne
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Brendan "Bendin" Rolfe

Albertson waisted no time in getting on the scoreboard in this game, as Casey Oliver got on base in the bottom of the first, only to be set-up for Pat Burke's two-run Homer off of UBC Senior Brendan Rolfe.

After UBC went down 1, 2, 3 in the 2nd, Albertson managed to get some more runs off of Rolfe in their half of the inning. Luke Howarth doubled in two runs, and then Casey Oliver drove in a run of his own, 5-0 Albertson. Now, a fact that you won't see on the box score, Oliver's single in the first, Burke's homer in the bottom of 1, and then the three runs driven in during the 2nd were all hit to Nic Lendvoy (or in the case of the Homer, over Nic Lendvoy). Must be tough for him and the left side of the infield.

Sammie Starr hit a single up the gut in the 3rd, but UBC didn't capitalize with Brett Murray popping out, and Jon Syrnyk grounding out to third.

Scott "Doc" Webster came into pitch for UBC in the 3rd, replacing Brendan Rolfe, and didn't do a bad job. The closest Albertson came to a run in the 3rd was when Adam Roach tried to come home, but was gunned down by Nic Lendvoy. Again, Lendvoy was the reason he was out, but had Nic done a bad throw, it would've been six runs that were hit to left. 5-0 still for the Coyotes.

UBC got one run back in the 4th, when Zack Ross (Who courtesy ran for Brendan Kornberger) crossed home plate on an RBI single by Matt "Emcee" Chester. 5-1 in favour of the home team.

Webster sent Albertson to the dugout 1, 2, 3 in the 4th, and struck out two including Luke Howarth who had already had a great game.

Sammie Starr singled for the second time in the Top of the 5th, a great way for the Freshman to prove why he's in the starting lineup. Next up was Brett Murray, who is probably one of the favourites on this team, from a fans perspective. Murray, who was up against Jason Roach, hit a Two-run shot to Left Field, bringing the T-Birds within two runs. 5-3 was the score, and 7 of the 8 runs scored already were hit to, or over left field. Matt Chester's RBI was up the middle. Jon Syrnyk grounded out, and Nic Lendvoy and Korny struck-out, to end the inning.

After he advanced to third on a Wild Pitch in the 5th off of Scott Webster, Casey Oliver scored for Albertson, giving the Coyotes twice as many runs as UBC, 6-3. How did he score? Sac Fly to Nic Lendvoy in left. I know you're getting annoyed by me mentioning this, but it doesn't happen every day.

Kurt Schumacher relieved Scott Webster of his duties in the 6th, and struck out two, and made one Coyote fly out in the bottom half of the 6th.

In the 8th, Greg Chong came into pitch for Kurt Schumacher, who had only allowed a hit in two innings of work, and what a mistake putting Chong in was. After a leadoff double, everything went wrong. Albertson scored six runs in the bottom of the 8th, and put the game out of reach for UBC.

12-3 was the final, and you can be sure Manager Terry McKaig can't be happy about that game. With their loss, UBC will play Concordia-Portland in an elimination game tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM Pacific. Doug Grant will get the start for UBC, and oppose Bryan Goff. If UBC wins, they will proceed to play the loser of the Albertson vs Lewis-Clark State game tomorrow, at 3:00 Pacific. If UBC loses, Concordia-Portland will play the loser of Albertson vs LC State, at the same time (3:00 Pacific). The Albertson-LC State game will be at 11:30 Pacific, and the winner of that game will be in the final game Saturday morning.

Giants shutout Tigers 4-0 at the Coliseum; Tie series up at Two-a-piece

Before I get to game 4 between the Giants and Tigers, I'd like to thank Regina Pats and Saskatchewan Roughriders' play-by-play personality Rod Pedersen for being mentioned on his Blog. Mr. Pedersen runs a daily blog, as well as writing on cfl.ca, and hosting "Sportsline" on Saskatchewan Radio.

Now onto the G-Men.

Giants scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Tim Kraus (Upper Body)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)
Mike Wuchterl (Healthy)

For the first time this series, no fight has erupted minutes, or as Kenndal McArdle has shown us seconds, into the hockey game. Fans would have to wait until later in the Second period for the KOs.

Medicine Hat out-shot the Giants, who had 15-year-old Evander Kane in the lineup replacing Mike Wuchterl, 9-6 in the First period, but weren't able to score, something Coach Desjardins would have beaten them up for at the intermission break.

0:26 into the middle frame, Giants D-Man Jon Blum and Tigers Forward Chris Stevens were handed penalties, Blum for Interference and Stevens got a 4-minute penalty for High-Sticking. I mention this because these were only the second and third penalties of the game so far. Now, are you sure this is the same series as the last three games?

One of the Giants worst enemies Derek Dorsett (left) got sent to the sin bin at 16:41, but Vancouver was unable to capitalize on their fifth powerplay of the game.

Not even 30 seconds after DD was out of the box, he did something Mike Tyson like...biting. You might say biting? Biting is correct, no error there. Dorsett bit Giants fan-favourite Kenndal McArdle on the Finger with under a minute to go in the period. Dorsett was suspended only one game for his antic, but you can be sure Milan Lucic, JD Watt and McArdle will be on the prowl for Dorsett in Game 6, held in Medicine Hat this Sunday.

As the Tigers Chris Stevens was ready to exit the penalty box in the Third, Milan Lucic got him out early, as Lucic beat Tigers Goalie Matt Keetley for his Sixth goal of the playoffs. JD Watt and AJ Thelen had assists on the first goal of the hockey game.

Six minutes later, Mitch Czibere and Craig Cunningham were sent to the box for Vancouver, as was Matt Lowry for the Tigers. This was only the third time of the game where a player from each team was sent to the jail cell.

Michal Repik added another goal for Vancouver, with just over a half-dozen minutes in the game, his 9th of the playoffs, with Wacey "Twix" Rabbit and AJ Thelen getting the assists. This was Thelen's second assists of the contest, and they were his first two points since Game 2 of Round 2, against the Seattle Thunderbirds. And you thought Brent Regner was on a slump.

James Wright scored his second goal in two games, and his third of the playoffs at 16:15, on the Powerplay with only one second remaining on a penalty credited to Tigers Goalie Matt Keetley. Wright's third of the playoffs was assisted by Captain Brett Festerling.

When Wright was celebrating his goal, a scramble started behind Keetley, which resulted in penalties to JD Watt of the Giants, and Jordan "Knockout" Bendfeld of the Tigers.

This was the last straw for Keetley, and was removed by the Tigers coaching staff. In came backup Ryan Holfeld, whose last appearance was March 17th, in the Regular Season against the Kootenay Ice. This was also just his fourth appearance since January 31st, YIKES!

1:33 into Holfeld's net time, came the Giants fourth goal of the game, another goal by Milan Lucic, this time his 7th of the playoffs from Jon Blum and Spencer Machacek. This goal was scored when Bendfeld was still in the box serving his 4-minute penalty for the brawl after Wright's goal.

Giants won 4-0, in a great game after losing not even a minute into OT Tuesday night.

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Milan Lucic
2. Tyson Sexsmith
3. AJ Thelen

Game 5 goes Friday night in Vancouver, with the series tied up 2-2. Game 6 will be Sunday in Medicine Hat.

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QMJHL:
The Lewiston MAINEiacs have secured their spot in the 2007 Mastercard Memorial Cup, the third out of the four teams to compete, along with the Giants and Tigers. Lewiston swept Val D'Or Wednesday night, and feature a First-Round NHL Draft pick in net, in Jon Bernier. In addition to the Kings Prospect Bernier, Marc-André Cliche is in their lineup. You may remember him from the 2007 World Junior Tournament while playing for Canada, or you may know him as a prospect of the New York Rangers.

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UBC is in the middle of the NAIA Region I Baseball Tournament as we speak, playing the host Albertson Coyotes. UBC is down 5-3 in the 7th inning, and Brett Murray hit a two-run shot earlier in the game. Full recap will be up after the game has completed.

Lewis-Clark State won 4-3 over Concordia-Portland in the first game of the tournament earlier today.

UBC will play at least once tomorrow in this double-elimination tournament, and if they make the next round of the playoffs, there's still one more round if they win this tournament before the NAIA World series, I will be doing my first Live-Blog.

Tigers at Giants; Game 3 Recap

Giants Scratches:
Neil Manning (Healthy)
Evander Kane (Healthy)
Craig Cunningham (Healthy)
Garet Hunt (Femur)
Nolan Toigo (Shoulder)

Jordan Bendfeld and Milan Lucic dropped the gloves not even two minutes into this hockey, and let me tell you Bendfeld got owned! Lucic sent him to the ground not even a minute into the fight, and that certainly got the crowd going at the Pacific Coliseum.

30 seconds later, Brett Festerling took a penalty for the Giants, which sent the Tigers on the Powerplay. Medicine Hat took advantage of this, and scored on Tyson Sexsmith 2:45 into the game. The goal originally credited to Greg Baldwin, was awarded to Michael Sauer, while Baldwin and Tyler Ennis got the assists.

Now in the second period, the late stages saw some terrible reffing from Rob Matsuoka and Andy Thiessen. It took the crowd chanting "Too Many Men" for the darn refs to notice Medicine Hat had six players on the ice during a scramble between the two teams.

The reffing continued in the Third. They gave Wacey Rabbit an unnecessary penalty, and while the G-Men were on the PK, Medicine Hat scored their second of the game. Wait, was it a goal or not? NO IT WASNT! But, Matsuoka and Thiessen were sure it was, so there you go 2-0 Medicine Hat. First off, there was an offsides call on Medicine Hat that they never called (Linesmans fault, which brings me to think, Jeff Edgley fell over in the First, maybe it brain-washed him!), and then second, Medicine Hat pushed the puck in on Chris Stevens' butt past Tyson Sexsmith, who was pushed into the net by Stevens! Can you say "T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!". So 2-0 Medicine Hat on a stupid call. BTW, Vancouver scored in the First but was called a no-goal because the ref didn't see it.

Vancouver answered back quickly after Stevens' goal, as Cody Franson scored on a slap shot that trickled past Matt Keetley. Franson's Third from Machacek and Czibere. 2-1 The Hat.

James Wright scored the game-tying-goal on a Brett Festerling shot that he re-directed, and suddenly it was 2-2. Festy and Michal Repik were credited with assists.

OT BABY!

And just as fans were filing in after the 15-minute intermission, game over. Trevor Glass scored the game winner on a shot that went past Tyson Sexsmith, 3-2 Tigers was your final.

How did they win? Well for one they played better in the 28 seconds of OT, but also the Refs won them the game. Matsuoka and Thiessen should be fired, and Edgley can't even stand up!

Road Kill Sports Three Stars:
1. Trevor Glass
2. Cody Franson
3. James Wright

Game 4 goes tomorrow at 7:00 PM on SHAW, and you can go watch it at the Pacific Coliseum, hopefully minus Rob Matsuoka and Andy Thiessen.

Albertson at UBC; Weekend Wrap; Giants vs Tigers game 2

Saturday May 5th Game 1 UBC vs Albertson: T-Birds BO:

2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Doug "Exterminator" Grant

This game was decided in the Bottom of the 4th inning, when Jon Syrnyk scored on a Sac Fly by Matt Chester. The 7-inning game saw both pitchers go the distance, with Albertson's starter going 6 innings and Doug Grant 7. Andrew Brock allowed 5 hits and one earned run, as well as walking four and striking out three.

UBC Hitter of the Game: Jon "MVP" Syrnyk 0-1, 2 BB, SO, R

Starting Pitchers line: Doug Grant 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 SO

Game 2 Saturday May 5th Albertson at UBC; T-Birds BO:

2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Brendan "Bendin'" Rolfe

This game was scoreless until the Top of the 8th, when Greg Chong came into pitch for UBC and allowed two runs to cross, both on RBI Singles. In the Top of the 9th the Coyotes scored one more on another single, this time off of Brett Murray. UBC scored one in the Bottom of the 9th, courtesy of a Tyler Willson single that brought in Nic Lendvoy, but that was as close as UBC'd get. With the loss, UBC was eliminated from hosting the Region I NAIA Tournament this week, but are still in the tournament which will be held at the home of the Coyotes.

UBC Hitter of the Game: Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy 1-4, R

Starting Pitchers Line: Brendan "Bendin" Rolfe 6 IP, 4 H, BB

Relievers Role: Mark Hardy IP, H, SO
Greg Chong 0.1 IP, H, 2 R, ER
Brett Murray 1.2 IP, 4 H, ER, SO

Game 3 Sunday May 6th Albertson at UBC; T-Birds BO:

2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Mark Hardy

Albertson scored Six runs in the Top of the 3rd off of Mark Hardy, but UBC took one of those runs back when Sammie Starr hit a Sac Fly to score Tyler Willson. 6-1 Albertson. UBC then had what has to be the longest inning in club history, when they scored 12 runs (YES 12!) off of the Coyotes, to take the lead 13-6. In the Top of the Sixth Albertson scored two, as did UBC in the Bottom half of the inning. 15-8 UBC. With Kurt Schumacher on the hill in the 8th, Albertson scored 4 more runs bringing their deficit to three, but Scott Webster hit a homer over Right Field in the Bottom of 8, to take a 16-12 lead, and that was the final.

UBC Hitter of the Game: Scott "Doc" Webster 2-6, 2 R, 4 RBI, SO, HR

Starters Line: Mark Hardy 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Relievers Role: Andrew LaFleur 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 SO, WIN
Kurt Schumacher 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, SO
Greg Chong 1.1 IP, H, BB

UBC plays Albertson Thursday at 3PM Pacific on the Road in the NAIA Region I Tournament. If you head over to Albertson's website you'll be able to find their free webcast and hear the game for yourself!

WHL Game 2:
Another fight started this game off, this time Kenndal McArdle and Jordan Bendfeld went at it. Spencer Machacek and Derek Dorsett were also handed major penalties on this. The time? 0:04 into the game, and 44 PIMs were handed out during the break.

Incedentally, Medicine Hat scored their first goal 30 seconds after JD Watt took a tripping call, and almost two minutes after Wacey Rabbit hooked a Tiger (He was in the box), when David Schlemko scored his third of the playoffs at 2:15 on the PP. Vancouver answered at 12:04, also on the PP when Milan Lucic scored his Fifth of the playoffs, from Michal Repik and Cody Franson.

The next goal came seconds into the middle frame, when Kevin Undershute scored his fourth of the post-season past Tyson Sexsmith at 1:33. Kenndal McArdle took another 12 PIMs at 3:07, I should note.

Mario Bliznak tied the game up at 2, during the final period at exactly 7:22. McArdle and Spencer Machacek had the assists. Undershute scored his second of the game at 10:39 and that was it. Tigers win game 2.

Game 3 goes tonight in Vancouver.

UBC at LC-State Recap; Giants vs Tigers Game 1

Tuesday Night: UBC at Lc-State BO:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan Kornberger
DH Fletcher "Done" Vynne
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie

UBC managed just two hits in the first six innings, before in the Top of the Seventh, Pinch-Hitter Scott "Doc" Webster hit a solo home run to Right Field off of Fruitvale, BC's Chris Kissock of the Warriors. That was the only run that would be scored in the game.

Starting Pitchers line: Mark Hardy 3 IP, 2 H
Relievers Role: Greg Chong IP, H
Doug Grant 2 IP, SO (WIN)
Brendan Rolfe 2 IP, SO
Brett Murray IP, 2 H, BB

UBC Hitter of the Game: Scott Webster 1-2, BB, HR, RBI, R

Wednesday Night Game 2 BO:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie

UBC was up 5-2 going into the Bottom of the Sixth, when the Warriors managed four runs, followed by another four run 7th inning and a massive seven run eighth. The Thunderbirds scored one more in the Top of the 9th, but lost 17-6 to the Warriors for the first time this year. I should add the Warriors had three homers, Jessie Mier, Kyle Greene and Jesse Roehl.

Starting Pitchers Line: Kurt Schumacher 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 So
Relievers Role: Andrew "Guy" LaFleur 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER
Scott Webster 1.2 IP 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 2 So
Ben Hoekstra IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, BB, So

UBC Hitter of the Game: Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray 2-6, 2 RBI, R, So
Thursday Afternoon UBC's BO:
SS Sean "Mount" Everest
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Fletcher "Done" Vynne
1B Mike "Fright" Styrna
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
2B Craig "Spidey" Leebosh

UBC didn't have a chance in this one, losing 13-0 to Lewis-Clark State. Beau Mills, a projected First Round MLB Draft Pick, hit his 28th Homer of the season off of Ben Hoekstra in the Third. UBC managed just Four hits off of Matt Fitts and Joe Guntz of the Warriors.

Starting Pitchers Line: Doug Grant IP, 2 H, ER (LOSS)
Mark Hardy 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO
Ben Hoekstra 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, BB
Ben Millar IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB
Scott Webster IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, SO
Brett Murray 2 IP, 2 SO

UBC Hitter of the Game: Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy 1-4, 2B, SO

WHL:
Ever heard of a fight to start a game? What about a penalty before a second has passed in the game? Kenndal McArdle of the Giants and Derek Dorsett of the Tigers were each handed Two-minute penalties before Game 1 of the WHL Final had even started. I don't know why, but all I can say is, there was more as the game progressed!

Jordan Bendfeld, Dorsett, JD Watt and Tim Kraus were each given penalties at 14:39 of the First period, with the score still 0-0. For Dorsett, it was his second time in the box, fourth penalty minute of the game, and still had eight to go in Game 1.

David Schlemko took a Checking-From-Behind penalty for the Tigers at 16:36, and wouldn't be out of the box until the score was 1-0. Wacey Rabbit capitalized on the penalty, and scored his Ninth goal of the Playoffs, with Milan Lucic and Michal Repik being credited with assists.

Before the period closed out, Mike Wuchterl and Jordan Bendfeld were handed penalties in unicent, Bendfeld four minutes and Wuchy two. Count that as unicentation number three in the first period where both teams were handed penalties at the same time.

Derek Dorsett continued in the Second from where he left off in the First, taking a penalty 52 seconds into the middle frame, as did Cody Franson. Franson for Diving and Dorsett for hooking.

Mario Bliznak took an interference penalty on his own, and then Dorsett was sent back to the sin bin for Kneeing. That was it for the Second period.

The Third Period saw Brendan Mikkelson and Brett Festerling being sent to the box (Festy's at 19:37), and then after the game (Yes, the Giants won) the two players who got on the scoresheet first with penalties in this game ended it the same way, when Kenndal McArdle and Derek Dorsett were handed each four minute penalties with 20:00 on the game clock. Who would've thought? They each had a penalty at 0:00 and then at 60:00!

Game 2 goes tonight in Medicine Hat, as Matt Keetley (With 32 saves last night) and Tyson Sexsmith (23-Save-Shutout Friday) go head to head on Shaw.

And, for those wondering from now until the end of the August (Or Mid-September) there will be daily updates if there are C's games (Every day from June 19 until September 12 there will be DAILY updates on the blog), whether UBC is playing or not, and all their recaps, as well as WHL Championship Series and Memorial Cup recaps.

Enjoy!

Yours truly is back

Hey everyone. Sorry, as this is the second time this month I have taken a blog absence, but in the past week I've had three baseball games of my own, school and a ton of catching up to do on the web.

UBC:
Game 1 Saturday Batting Order:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Scott "Doc" Webster
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Doug "Bug" Grant

Starting Pitcher Line: Doug Grant 5 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, SO, HBP
Your reliever line: Mark Hardy, IP, 2 SO

Batter of the Game for UBC: Jon "MVP" Syrnyk, 2-4, SO, 3B, 2 R

Score: Oregon Tech 7...UBC 4

Game 2 Saturday Batting Order:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
DH Fletcher "Done" Vynne
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Brendan Rolfe

Starting Pitching Line: Brendan Rolfe: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB (Win)
Reliever lines: Greg Chong IP
Kurt Schumacher 2 IP
Mark Hardy IP, BB, 2 SO

UBC Batter of the Game: Ted Wilkie 1-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B

Final score: UBC 13 Oregon Tech 3

Sunday Game 1 Batting Order:
2B Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Brett "Versatile Vet" Murray
RF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
C Brendan "Korny" Kornberger
LF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
CF Tyler "Down" Willson
DH Fletcher "Done" Vynne
1B Matt "Emcee" Chester
SS Ted "Zilch" Wilkie
SP Andrew "Guy" LaFleur

Starting Pitcher's Line: Andrew LaFleur 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, BB, 2 So, HBP
Reliever lines: Kurt Schumacher 0.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, SO
Scott Webster 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, BB, 2 HBP
Jordan Anderson 0.1 IP H
Mark Hardy IP, SO

Batter of the game for UBC: Fletcher "Done" Vynne 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, HR

Final Score: Oregon Tech 15 UBC 13

Sunday Game 2 Batting Order (Game doesn't count in NAIA Region I Standings):
SS Sammie "Ontario" Starr
3B Sean "Mount" Everest
CF Jon "MVP" Syrnyk
1B Fletcher "Done" Vynne
RF Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy
DH Dave "Mully" Dick
2B Craig "Spidey" Leebosh
LF Zack Ross
C Nick "Blue" Harper
SP Ben "Hoax" Hoekstra

Starting Pitchers line: Ben Hoekstra IP, 6 H, 4 ER, Loss
Relievers lines: Brett Murray IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, BB
Ben Millar 0.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, WP, HBP
Jordan Anderson 0.2 IP
Greg Chong 2 IP, 2 H
Kurt Schumacher IP, 2 H

Batter of the game for UBC: Nic "Do the Dew" Lendvoy 2-3, BB, 2 R, 2B

Now, I'm sorry for not having full recaps, but I was playing when all four games happened so I have no clue about an extra special play etc. deep regrets...sorry everyone.

UBC plays Lewis-Clark State starting tonight in Lewiston, Idaho for a three game series. They return to the Nat Saturday and Sunday against Albertson, in what will decide who will host the NAIA Region I tournament, and UBC must sweem the Coyotes if I'm correct to host the tourney.

WHL:
The Vancouver Giants clinched the title of Western Conference Playoff Champions this past weekend, defeating the Prince George Cougars the same night the Medicine Hat Tigers finished off the Calgary Hitmen in the East. The two teams will both be in the Memorial Cup, and will start the WHL Championship series Friday night in Medicine Hat. Full recaps of the games will be given by this blog!

C's Notes:
Vancouver has hired a former broadcaster for the C's on Shaw, Rob Fai who will broadcast 26 baseball games on the TEAM 1040 this year, in addition to being the C's Media Relations Manager. I'm awaiting confirmation as to whether there will be webcast games as well this season.

Former Broadcaster and Beer Hawker (Yes it is now "Former") Rob McGowan has been let go by the C's due to taking a pack of baseball cards last week. The full link post can be found at our partner site Notesfromthenat.com, and let me say on behalf of all C's fans, this is devastating to hear.

Sponsorships:
Ever wanted to have your name in one of our posts? Maybe the [Insert here] Pitchers line, or the [Insert here] Game story? Well here's your chance! Email roadkillsports@hotmail.com, for your opportunity to have this happen for the next month. This is for free, no cost, and would be sponsorship for your company!

Roadkillsports@hotmail.com

UBC recap tonight will be up soon!