8 - The Prince George Citizen - Friday, August 25, 2000 Sports CITIZEN SPORTS JIM SWANSON I M £ 9 Dhiw E-mail: pgcnews@prg.southam.ca Sports Editor ^ ■ H Ted Clarke, 562-2441 ext. 401 662-2441 ill % f I 1 M 8 J Brian Drewry, 562-2441 ext. 402 Ext. 400 -A- X-X -#L DIRECT SPORTS LINE: 562-3101 Jones-Parry feels like a rookie again Citizen photo by Brent Braaten WOMEN’S SOCCER FINALE — Nicole Harteau of McQuik Shooters, left, sidesteps PG Croatia/lronhorse forward Connie Roch during Thursday’s Prince George Women’s Soccer Association Competitive Division championship final at Ron Brent Elementary School field. Roch scored the winning goal for Croatia with two minutes left on the way to a 2-1 victory. In the Recreation Division final, M.J. Elson scored twice and Monika Makur added a single to lift Victoria Physiotherapy to a 3-1 win over Myatovic. Spruce Kings hit the road by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor Shon Jones-Parry has that 16-year-old outlook again, although not for the reasons he wanted. The 20-year-old defenceman, the owner of a Memorial Cup ring from his time with the Portland Winter Hawks, isn’t feeling like a rookie because of some off-sea-son training wizardry or youth-rejuvenating diet. Jones-Parry, voted the most irritating player in the West Division JONES-PARRY last year by his peers, is fighting for his hockey life this training camp, the long-tooth in a group of young, talented defencemen the Prince George Cougars began putting through die paces as training camp opened Thursday morning at the Multiplex. “It feels like I was 16 just yesterday, going to my first training camp in Kimberley (with Portland),” said Jones-Parry, a product of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta, who spent much of this summer in Prince George. “My mom asked me the other day how I felt about all this, and I just said 1 felt like I’m 16 again and trying to make the team. Right now I’m hungry and nervous, which is a good because it should make me more excited.” The Cougars defence, considered the team’s Achilles heel the last two training camps, is at the other end of the spectrum this year. The expected return of overager Christian Chartier gives the Cats a goldmine on the blue-line — Chartier, Jones-Parry, Tim Wed- derburn, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Chieduch and Devin Wilson. Top prospects Gary Gladue, Scott Lynch and James Cherewyk will push for spots, as will import selection David Koci and American Joey Hope. Jones-Parry is also in a precarious position because the Cats can only keep three 20-year-olds, and the depth chart points toward a lack of punch on the forward lines. In a perfect world, Chartier would return and the team would rustle a pair of snipers out of the bushes, a scenario that would make Jones-Parry expendable. “There’s nothing I can control with the 20-year-old situation, or the situation on defence,” said Jones-Parry, who spent some time at forward last year when injuries and international tournaments conspired to take up to nine players out of the lineup. “I’m just coming in to play my butt off, do my best and then it’s up to (general manager Daryl Lubiniecki), Ed (coach Dempsey) and Dallas (assistant coach Thompson). It’s up to them who they want to keep and who they want to trade. There’s nothing 1 can do about the mix. Last year, no one thought Jeff Zorn would be traded, and that happened, so you never know.” An undrafted free agent, Jones-Parry had career-high numbers last year with three goals and six assists, while also adding to his lofty career penalty minute total by picking up 237. I le lias no idea what the future holds for a physical, stay-at-home defender like himself. “Whenever you think you have things figured out, something comes up and changes everything,” he said. “This will be the tell-tale year for me, and I want to make hockey my career. If I can have a good year and turn some heads, I’ll get some offers. If not, I guess I’ll go back to school.” Hansen traded to Wheaties Justin Hansen and the Prince George Cougars have officially parted ties. The 20-year-old forward was traded Thursday to the Brandon Wheat Kings in a conditional deal. “If Justin makes their team, we’ll be compensated,’ said Cougars general manager Daryl Lubiniecki. “I’m basically happy. He gets a chance to go someplace else and hopefully it will work out for him. Lubiniecki had been looking for another Western Hockey League team willing to give Hansen a tryout after the Cougars and Hansen agreed over the summer he would not be coming back to Prince George this season. The native of Watrous, Sask., an eighth-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, came over in a trade from the Moose Jaw Warriors 10 games into the 1998-99 season. In 45 games with the Cats last season, Hansen scored seven goals and added 12 assists. He also registered a goal and an assist in 13 playoff games. Raiders recover Amanda Cunningham allowed just one run over seven innings to lead the Prince George Curtis Elite Raiders to a 2-1 victory over Edmonton at the Western Canadian intermediate A women’s fastball championship in Victoria. The Raiders opened the tournament Thursday with a 6-3 loss to New Westminster but rebounded with a 3-1 win over Victoria. The tournament continues through to Sunday’s final. The Raiders play two Saskatchewan teams and Manitoba today. by TED CLARKE Citizen staff They started with a list of 125. Now its down to 35 players for the Prince George Spruce Kings. The Kings let 40 players go Thursday morning and the rest of the cuts got the bad news following Thursday’s intrasquad contest at the Coliseum. Camp opened Tuesday and Kings head coach and general manager Glen Watson and his coaching staff have a much better idea of what they’ll have to work with this season. “Talent-wise I think we’re a lot better than we were at this time last year,” Watson said. “We’ve had some pretty good players here in camp and some real good young kids who should get the opportunity to play next year.” Watson has been impressed with the play of rookie forwards Mike Laz-inchuk of Dawson Creek, Andrew Ebbett of Vernon, Brendan Scott of Penticton and Brett Pillion, Jeff Moleski a n d T i m Sprague, all of Prince George. First-year de-fencemen that have made the coach’s good books include John Bressett of Prince George, and James Switzer of Peach-iand. The Kings are allowed to card 35 players, up three from the league limit last season. But Watson is going to be a little more careful about which players he will sign to avoid the situation he faced last year when his starting goal-tender Joe Gallant bolted for Eastern Canada 10 games into the season. At the time, all of the Kings cards had been used up and they were unable to sign any more players. Fortunately for Watson, Kevin LaPointe and Derek Schultz provided quality netminding for the balance of the season. With rookies like Jeff Warrilow, Tyler Plamondon and Greg Goodwin pushing LaPointe and Schultz, the Kings’ goaltending situation looks to be on solid ground. Watson announced Thursday that former Spruce King goalie Jason Howse, a former Rocky Mountain Junior League all-star, will be working with the team this season as a goaltender coach. “We need that with our young goalies and having guy like Jason around to work our goaltenders is only going to help,” Watson said. The Kings will take 25 rookies who played in the intrasquad game to Kitimat for a two-game preseason set with the Quesnel Millionaires Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The team veterans will remain in Prince George for four days of on-ice and dryland training sessions in preparation for a two-game exhibition series with the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJLIL next Tliesday and Wednesday nights at the Coliseum. Tickets for those games are $5 each. Grays triumph in pitchers' duel Women’s hockey growing by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor This one will go down as an epic. The Prince George Grays claimed the P.G. Senior Baseball League playoff crown late Wednesday night at Monty Gabriel Park with a 16-inning, 1-0 win over the Centre City Petroleum Sr. Babe Ruth Knights. The game, played in cold and wet conditions, lasted almost four-and-a-half hours. The contest’s most impressive feats came from the pitchers — both Ryan Lupul of the Grays and Conor Whitely of the Knights went the distance, each throwing more than 230 pitches. Lupul allowed five hits, struck out 28 and managed to find enougli energy to drive in the game’s only run on a deep sacrifice fly to right field with one out in the top of the 16th which brought teammate Don Sophonow in from third base. Whitely, an 18-year-old who threw for Anaheim Angels scouts last weekend in the Lower Mainland, fanned 20 Grays hitters while yielding just four hits. Both teams had numerous chances to score, but ran, slashed or squeeze-bunted their way out of innings. Lupul was named the playoff MVP, while he and Whitely shared top pitcher honours. Kevin Massicotte of the Knights was given the top playoff hitter award. ■ The league announced other annual awards Wednesday night. The Grays were given their regular season championship trophy, and the expansion Cap-Abilities Gladiators were chosen the most sportsmanlike team. Paul Wilson of the Custom Walls Cimmerians is the 2000 regular season most valuable player after he was 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA on the mound and batted .439 with 25 hits, four home runs and 19 runs batted in. Other awards handed out Wednes- day: Derek Knight of the Panagopoulos Predators won the batting title (.518) and was named the PGSBL’s most dedicated player; Derreck Goodine of the Cimmerians was the top pitcher (5-3, 2.50 ERA, 47 strikeouts in 53 innings); Lupul was the top outfielder, while teammate Derek Hyland was given the top infielder award; Panagopoulos shortstop Logan Lampert’s six homers was enough for the long ball trophy; Lee J. Leslie of Panagopoulos was the best freshman (.420, five homers, league-leading 28 RBIs). B The Panagopoulos all-stars are in Waskatenau, Alta, this weekend for the Western Canadian I)ouble-A Baseball Championship, a five-team round-robin format. rITie final goes Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Little League World Series finalists set WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Ross 1 laggard provided the pitching and Terrence McConn the punch as Bellaire, Tex., advanced to the Little League World Series championship game. Haggard pitched a four-hitter and struck out 13, and McConn hit two homers and drove in four runs as Bel- laire beat Davenport, lowa, 8-0 Thursday night in the U.S. Pool championship game. Bellaire will face Maracaibo, Venezuela, which upset Tokyo 5-4 in the International Pool final earlier Thursday, for the Series title on Saturday. by BRIAN DREWRY Citizen staff They live by the slogan ‘Hockey mom doesn’t just mean cheerleader any more’. The catchy phrase seems to be working as the Prince George Women’s i Iockey League gets set for its third season — and it promises to be the biggest and best yet. The league, which plays its games in the Kin centres, Coliseum and Elksentre, has its seven teams returning from last year and this season they will be joined by clubs in McBride and Mackenzie. And that’s just the veteran players. New players arc being body recruited, so much so, for the first time ever the women’s league will be holding an entry draft. “We’re excited about tire draft,” said Gwen Crossman, a member of the league’s executive. “We’re getting a lot of interest from new players so our goal with the draft is to bring more equity to the league and we’ll do that by allowing the teams with the fewest number of returning players to pick first.” The draft is expected to be done in two stages. The first is in early September after the first registration (today and Saturday at Pine Centre Mall) and the second in late September following the last date to register, Sept. 15. The addition of McBride and Mackenzie teams will give the league more than 175 players and if the local teams think the two out-towners are going to be pushovers, Crossman says they had better think again. “McBride has a really good team and Mackenzie has the raw talent. They just need more game action so joining our league is perfect for them.” Local teams will each venture to McBride and Mackenzie once a month for games. Full Color Northstars, Play It Again Sports, Worth Counseling, Randy Rockets, BX Ptib and Norway Lighting Lightning (formerly Panagopoulos) are all back to chase the defending champion Rebels and thanks to one key member of the Rebels, the competition should be nipping at the champs’ heals. Debbie Nyman, a certified power skater instructor will be attending one preseason practice session for all the teams. The league’s elite players will gather throughout the fall and winter in preparation for the provincial championship in the spring. “We’ll be holding tryouts and then select an all-star team for provincials,” Crossman said. To register or for more information on the league, contact Crossman at 563-1025. Crash helmets needed in [Penticton Ironman swim by BRIAN DREWRY Citizen staff Mearly 1,000 people will dive into ke Okanagan Sunday to begin the 100 Canadian Ironman Champi-ships — and all at the same time, rhe mass start is something Prince lorge’s Stephen Wing is used to. And th eight consecutive Canadian Iron-ms under his belt, he’s learned not to it a whole lot of emphasis on the irt. ‘It’s full contact swimming,” said ing, who will be one of seven local get right at the front. “But for myself, I’ve learned to hang • out on the outside and work my way in.” Wing is a realist, and he has to be. The lawyer at Dick Byl Law Corporation is in the largest age class — the 35-39-year-old division, so a shot at cracking the top 18 for a trip to I lawaii is, well, a long shot. “For me, the top 18 will be tough,” admitted Wing, who has never been to the Hawaii Ironman, “But Ironman Canada is it for me, and for most people there. “I mean, it’s the second largest next to 1 lawaii so for most people there this is the big one. This is what it’s all about.” Rounding out the local contingent in Penticton will be I he Citizen’s district manager for reader sales and service Tom Kurhinen, Daniel Gourlay, Shawn lioff, Alain Dube, Pete Willms and 50-year-old Marie Willmot. It will he Willmot’s first Ironman since 1995, and her last. “Marie is amazing,” added Wing. “She said she wanted to do an Ironman at age 45 and 50 and she’s going to do it.” The Penticton course will begin with a 3.8-kilometre swim beginning on the south shores of Lake Okanagan and will be followed up by a 180-kilometre hike ride and a 42-kilometre run (marathon distance). . This year’s field will be one of the strongest ever. World champions Peter Reid and Laurie Bowden of Victoria are the out-right favourites. “Reid is incredible and Bowden is so good she’ll be in the top 10 of the men,” Wing said. “It should be fun.” athletes in Penticton this week-end for what has become the world’s second largest Ironman competition, second only to the World championships in Hawaii. “And if you’re used to getting your goggles knocked off or an elbow in the nose, then you