Adam Vickers
Sports Editor

or those who do not know,

floorball is very similar to floor
hockey with slight differences.
Floorball is played with smaller
sticks, a weighted version of a
whiffle ball, and goalies with no
padding. The sport was developed
in Sweden and has grown quite
popular throughout recent years,
with the Scandinavian countries
leading the way and other countries
like the US and Canada slowly
catching up to the sport. Like the
rest of Canada, UNBC has adopted
the sport as an intermural activity
to be played every semester. For the
last three semesters in particular,
one team has dominated most of
competition. “Playing the Chiefs is
something that my body will never
forget... ouch,” says competitor
David Powe.

The team is called the Chiefs,

More Than Just a Dynasty

named after the team in the
movie Slap Shot, and their leader
is Stewart Lambert. The Chiefs

top players include Nick Desousa,
Jordan Duncan, and Cam Braun;

in the net is Jonathan Gibson. The
Chiefs are the three time reigning
champs of UNBC’s intermural
floorball, forming our very own
Dynasty at UNBC. The first year was
the most difficult for the Chiefs, but
their years of hockey experience
and being a close group of guyshas
its benefits. Some of the Chiefs
have been playing together for
nearly ten years, having started
hockey together in pee wee. What
makes the team unique is their
ability to control possession of the
ball and find a way to win games
late. For the Chiefs, the first year
resulted in losing only one game
as well as coming from behind
twice in playoffs to pull out the
championship. The team has only
excelled from going undefeated in

The WHL: a Pool of Prospects

Clark Grieve
Contributor

he Prince George Cougars, for

those in attendance, faced a
tough challenge at home on 12
November, against the Central
Division leading Medicine Hat
Tigers. Ultimately, the club kept
it close through two periods, but
ended up falling apart by the end
of a lopsided third period, enduring
a disappointing and somewhat
humiliating 6-1 loss in front of the
Prince George faithful.

Although the game was a tough
setback for the Cougars, it did give
Northern BC hockey fans a chance
to see a future NHL star come
through the area for the only time
this season. The Medicine Hat
Tigers forward, Hunter Shinkaruk,
was a big factor in the victory

for the Tigers, as he spearheaded
an offensive powerhouse simply
beyond what the Cougars defense
could handle. While Shinkaruk
has heated up the Western Hockey
League (WHL) with over one
hundred career goals in three
seasons, the Vancouver Canucks
recognized Shinkaruk’s potential

early this year, selecting him

as 24th overall in the 2013 NHL
Entry Draft. Shinkaruk has the
opportunity to be invited to the
Canucks training camp and pre-
season, where he is expected to
make a significant contribution to
the Canucks roster sooner rather
than later.

Shinkaruk is one of many talented
players coming out of the WHL,
and, being in the WHL, has had the
opportunity to play throughout
BC. Although Shinkaruk hails from
Calgary and has spent his entire
WHL career in Alberta, the Tigers’
recent road trip has given him an
opportunity to play in the province
he will likely suit up for some time
in 2014.

Last season also saw defenseman
and fourth overall selection from
the 2013 Entry Draft, Seth Jones,
excel in the league on his way to
the Memorial Cup final. There
are several other current players
worth keeping an eye on who
will pass through Prince George
soon, including Vancouver Giants’
defensemen and 2012 draftees
Brett Kulak (drafted in the fourth

three seasons. The team’s biggest
adjustment in moving from the

ice to the floor was dealing with
the floor itself, the different type
of balls used for floorball, and the
number of players allowed on the
floor at any given time. The floor is
different than ice in the sense that
you aren’t able to glide as if on ice,
and, to adjust to the solid surface,
you need to keep your feet moving
while handling the puck, which can
be difficult when trying to pull off
a complex deke. The different ball
type is also something they needed
to deal with, because a whiffle ball
is much larger than a puck and
moves differently because it is on
the ground rather than on ice. The
number of players is another big
adjustment; going from five players
to four players puts pressure on
everyone to play a better team
defense while trying to produce
offense, which makes possession a
big key to success.

Soorts#

The Chiefs are about to enter
playoffs with some stiff
competition ahead of them, and
their most recent win resulting

in a tight game. Can the Chiefs
continue their dynasty? We will

see with the upcoming semester
end playoffs. The Chiefs are playing
for more than just wins this year,
they are playing for their friend
Matthew Matte. Matte passed away
a week before the Chiefs finally
achieved their dynasty, and this
year the team got a new set of team
jerseys with the initials MM on
their sleeves to remember him by.
The Chiefs have dedicated every
win this year to Matte, and hope to
carry his memory to another league
championship this season. A team
with guts, glory, and heart are hard
to beat, and it will be a tall order

to unseat the dynasty which has so
much to play for.

~ 4

@ PRINCE GEORGE“ g

round by the neighbouring Calgary
Flames), and Dalton Thrower
(drafted in the second round by the
Montreal Canadiens). The Giants
will be in Prince George for a home-
and-home against the Cougars on
29 and 30 November. Further down
the schedule, the Cougars will get
the chance to see Ottawa Senators
first round draft pick from 2013,
Curtis Lazar, facing off in mid-
January. Although the Cougars did
not have the start they were hoping
for this year, having a chance to

see prospects that will be playing

in different places throughout the
NHL is a great incentive to watch
some games.

Finally, expect to see a lot of WHL
players playing for Canada in the
2014 World Junior Ice Hockey

Championships, from 26 December
2013 to 5 January in Malmo,
Sweden. The eastern location
means some very early morning
hockey games for Canadian fans,
but hopes are high that our
country’s best under-20 hockey
players will be able to bring home
the gold for the first time since
2009. All in all, there is a lot of
amateur hockey to be seen over the
next few months, both on TV and
in person, for Northern BC hockey
fans to watch. With the World
Junior hockey Championships
starting off a winter of great
national hockey, the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi will be just
around the corner, and your
opportunity to see talent at the
before it hits the big time is right
close to home.