Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots March 20th, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009 03:45 AM

The Prince George Cougars begin their playoff quest to upset the Vancouver Giants this weekend. Meanwhile, the UNBC Timberwolves will focus on defeating the top-ranked Mount St Vincent Mystics of Halifax and aim for a medal at the CN CCAA Basketball Men’s National Championship at the Northern Sport Centre. So, which of these two local teams is the bigger under-dog?

The answer is clear; it’s the Cougars. If the Cats do the unthinkable, and beat the Giants in the opening round series, it will rank arguably as the biggest upset in junior hockey history. After all, PG lost all eight regular season games to Vancouver (including 6-0 last Saturday) by a combined 44-11 score.

The Giants season was impressive. Vancouver finished with 66 more points than the Cats scoring 131 more goals while giving up 147 fewer tallies. Because this talent difference is so significant, Prince George’s only hope of winning a game, or two, is if goalie Kevin Armstrong matches Justin Leclerc’s recent effort for Kamloops. On March 11^th against the Giants, Leclerc made 58 saves in a Blazers 3-1 victory even though Vancouver outshot the hosts 59-16.

This Cougars-Giants match-up is similar to that of basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters vs the Washington Generals. The outcome is pre-determined; it is just a matter of how much pain the Cats will endure. Yes, it is a new season, both teams start from scratch, and anything is possible in sports, but a PG series win is improbable, unimaginable and unlikely.

On the other hand, the T-wolves paint a different picture when they face a superior opponent. I am not suggesting UNBC will knock off #1 Mount St Vincent and earn a medal. However, the difference between the top ranked team and the lowest seeded team in this tournament may not be as substantial.

Unlike the Cats, the Timberwolves own an intangible variable; home court advantage. Playing in your own facility in basketball is a colossal benefit, arguably more than any other major sport. The Timberwolves have also won 13 of their last 16 games. In addition, UNBC placed 3rd at the provincials, behind Vancouver Island, (overall record of 19-1) and UBC-Okanagan.

It was a surprise that UBC-O (13-5 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs) beat Vancouver Island to qualify for the Canadians. In a one game shot, these things can happen. UBC-O is ranked 5th out of eight in this tournament. In their previous game this season at the Northern Sports Centre, UBC-O beat UNBC 67-66 on a pair of free throws in the dying seconds.

These results indicate that the Timberwolves should be competitive. “We want to make sure we are in there as a competing team at Nationals, not as the token host team, so our goal is to win games,” said an excited Dennis Stark of UNBC, an all-star at this year’s provincials.

"If you are not playing to go to Nationals, then I don't know why you are playing. I mean, some people like to play basketball, just to play basketball, but I think at this level and to be a good part of the team, you want to be playing for Nationals and to be playing with the best against the best, beating the best" added Stark, a Kelly Road grad.

In the 2007/08 season, the UNBC men didn’t even qualify for the Provincial playoffs. But things have changed and a once in a lifetime opportunity awaits. “I can't even tell in words (how excited I am). I just can't wait for the weekend. I think we are on the peak right now, but we will be playing our best basketball at the Nationals. It means a lot (home court). When you have about 2,000 people cheering for us, the energy level is going to be nuts," said Inderbir Gill, the T-Wolves BCCAA first team all star guard.Gill was also named one of ten CCAA all-stars at the National awards banquet held Thursday night at the Ramada Inn.

UNBC Head Coach, Mike Raimbault, isn’t making any wacky predictions and is trying to ease the pressure off his team, "We are definitely the underdog. We are just focusing on what we need to do to be successful. We haven't set a specific goal."

Raimbault believes that Mount St Vincent (29-2 this season) will be highly motivated considering how close they came in 2008. "They are a very experienced team. They lost in the National final last year to a talented Douglas Team. They are a team that understands what it takes to get to that level and I am sure they are probably hungry to have more success than they did last year," added Raimbault.

Yes, UNBC is an underdog but the PG Cougars are a 50 to 1 long-shot. There is a major difference.

From the quote rack:

The Toronto Maple Leafs have inked a deal to have their playoff games broadcast on the new Obituary Channel. Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen

AIG could be on its way to setting records for having executives make money while accomplishing nothing. Previous records have been shared amongst executives of airlines, Parliament, and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs.

GM says they will not need $2 billion from the government in March. They may, however, need $20 billion in April.

The new UFL will be composed of players who aren’t quite good enough for the NFL. Don’t we already have that? I think they are called the Detroit Lions. Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

The NHL GM Meetings ending with calls to crack down on “staged” fights thus ending the feud between the Leafs Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe of the Oilers.

The City of Calgary has voted against the living wage proposal. Officials feared it would result in fewer jobs for students, the disabled and CFL rookies. Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

A man survived the 180-foot plunge into Niagara Falls, and then resisted attempts to rescue him. I guess some people took the Bills signing of Terrell Owens harder than others.

In an piece due out in 'Details' magazine, A-Rod is photographed kissing himself in a mirror. Maybe he's trying to make up for the one he broke seven years ago.
A Pennsylvania man cited for DUI says the courts there have no jurisdiction over him because he is his own country. What was John Daly doing in Pennsylvania?Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

March Madness starts with a field of 64 and the champion is determined by weeks of stiff competition. It's the same system Madonna uses to pick her boyfriends. It's this time every year that Madonna starts eyeing the college basketball players she can nail in her own NBA draft. Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

Britney Jordan, the top NCAA women's basketball scorer at 31.3 points per game for Texas A&M-Commerce, once worked as an exotic dancer in Philadelphia, The Dallas Morning News reported. No wonder they're moving up in the poles. Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times

Former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington has been released on $1 Million bail after being arrested for fraud. If they are going after sports team owners for fraud, what about the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers?
Sesame Street is laying off some of its staff because of the recession. Apparently they were told that the layoffs were brought to them by the letters "B", "U", "S", and "H". Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/)

Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi was sentenced to three years in prison for the incident during which he threw his shoes at then-President Bush. Al-Zeidi was reportedly given a conditional discharge for throwing the shoes, but given three years in jail for missing Bush. Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix

And in case you missed it:

A Michigan woman (Mattie Caldwell) has just celebrated her birthday, but she can't remember if she turned 108 or 111. Meanwhile, a Michigan man (Chris Chelios) insists he remains the oldest person in the state.
Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.

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