Volleyball Takes on Olds

Basketball Travels to Grand Prairie

Issue 1.11February 8th 2013

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Meet Your Rookies!Cross-country Skiing’s Taya Hoar!

VikingsNation

Hockey Defeats Keyano

The Augustana Vikings Men’s and Women’s basketball teams headed up north to face the GPRC Wolves this weekend coming into the final stretch of the season. The undefeated Women’s team were showing signs of fatigue in their first quar-ter as they finished the quarter down 27-15. Fueled by an extremely aggressive Kelsey Lund the Vikings began their comeback. The Vikings were chipping away at the lead, but didn’t have an answer for the leading scorer of the north, Kelly O’Hallahan. The Vikings continued to cut the lead down every quarter but came up just short, falling to the Wolves 76-72. Kelsey Lund finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Vikings and opponent Kelly O’Hallahan had an outstanding 28 points with 14 rebounds. The Vikings did not take this loss lightly as it was their first loss of the season. Coming into Saturday afternoon’s game the Vikings needed no extra motivation as they were as focused as they have ever been. After some hot shooting from Kari Kubinec and dominant inside play from Kelsey Lund the Vikings were up 48-36 at halftime. The inspired Vikings team continued to play inside out for the remainder of the game as Kari and Kelsey combined for 55 points. The final score proceeded to be 94-75 in favor of the Vikings. The Women’s team was not satisfied having their first loss the season, but the veteran leader-ship within the team helped the squad remain focused to finish out the season.The Men’s team was coming off of a sweep of King’s the previous weekend and wanted to keep their winning streak alive. The first half of Friday’s game was back and forth as neither team seemed to have an answer for each other. The score at half was 41-39 for the Vikings. The third quarter was a different story as it was obvious the intensity level of the Vikings picked up. Led by the Grande Prairie na-tive Lee Danderfer and Shayn Bruney, the Vikings extended their lead going into the fourth quarter. The game continued to be chippy down the stretch resulting in many free throw situations for both teams. The Vikings ground the rest of the game out with a 93-87 win. Lee Danderfer was awarded player of the game for the Vikings, and Jordan Teo for the Wolves. In Saturday’s game the Wolves seemed to have found a spark to lead them to a 39-27 lead at halftime. The Vikings were playing stagnant and needed to come together in order to pull the game out in the second half. After some veteran words from Simon Irving at halftime the Vikings found their groove for the third quarter. Third year guard Michael Swampy caught fire hitting 4 threes in the quarter and rallied his team back as they were only down 5 going into the fourth. The ignited Augustana team applied the pressure in the fourth by using their full court press. Fifth year Shayn Bruney came up with some big steals which led to bucket after bucket.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball vs. Grand Prairie

By Lee Danderfer

The Vikings pulled the game back were up 10. The run was capped off by the hometown hero Lee Danderfer hitting a tough shot in the lane, plus the foul. The final score was 86-76 for the Vikings. David Shantz was awarded player of the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Lee Danderfer chipped in with 25, and Mi-chael Swampy finished the game with 17 points.

Men’s and Women’s Volleyball vs. Olds

By Siobahn Mckenna

This past weekend the Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Teams were matched up against the respective teams from Olds College Broncos. The women played at six o’clock and were beaten quickly in three sets. Jill Alcorn received Player of the Game. The Men’s game went to four with the Men coming out on top. Adam Schwabe was Player of the Game. On Saturday, the teams traveled to Olds. The women came out pumped up and took the first set from Olds, but unfortunately could not keep the momentum and ended up losing in four. Jill Metrunec was POG. The Men’s team also went to four, but the same result as the night before seem inescapable. Returning from an injury, Max Lesiak was named Player of the Game. Come out next Friday as the Vikings fi-nal home game takes place. Cheer for Josh Ryan, as it is the last game of his career.

ACAC Women's Basketball ChampionshipsFebruary 28 - March 2 @ Augustana

The Augustana Men’s hockey team traveled to Fort MacMurray this weekend for a two game series facing the Keyano Huskies. After the lengthy trip there were no signs of “bus legs” for the men as they skated to a 5-3 victory at the Casman Centre. 2nd year forward Kenny Bradley had two goals, while 4th year Scott Aucoin had three helpers in the winning effort.

Saturday afternoons contest was a complete game for the Vikings as they handled the Huskies in a 7-0 road win. Boyd Wakelin and Craig Cornelson each had two goals while a few others had multi point games including Scott Aucoin who is the ACAC men’s hock-ey player of the week. 5th year goaltender Paul Kolida recorded the shutout for the Vikes.

The men are back in action with two home games this weekend hosting the Briercrest Clippers, 7:30 Friday evening and 2:00 Saturday afternoon. Both games at Encana Arena.

Hockey vs. Keyano

Authentic Game-Worn Jerseys For Sale!

Pick one up at the next home game!

$150 ea.

With Play offs just around the corner it’s the perfect time to show off your

Vikings Pride!

Meet Your Rookies!The Cross-Country Skiing Team’s

Tara Hoar!What sport are you here for?I am participating in cross country skiing

What program are you in?I am currently undeclared but I am taking the perqui-sites for veterinary medicine, so I am in mostly sciences classes.

What has been your greatest achievement in your sport so far?So far my greatest achievement has been to learn how to skate ski and to have gotten good enough to race in a couple of Alberta cup skate races. When I started skate skiing at the beginning of the year I was falling down all the time so I have come quite far since then so i am proudest of that achievement. Les is really encouraging and super positive and motivating so that makes the sport really fun as well.

Who has been a role model to you?Everyone on the team has been really supportive, nice and encouraging towards me and it feels more like a team environment to me even though it is an individual sport. They answer tons of questions that have, and were willing to show me how to wax my skies the right way and they are all just really good at giving me helpful advice.

Do you have any pre race rituals or superstitions?No I don’t really have any pre race rituals yet, mostly I just don’t like being rushed right before the race starts as I get really nervous and tense but other then that I just watch how everyone else gets ready and just take bits and pieces of there rou-tines that work well for me.

Why did you choose Augustana and what’s your impression of it so far?My sister came to Augustana before so that was one factor but I also really wanted a smaller campus. Augustana also provides great programs for the outdoor edu-cation and I really enjoy being outdoors so it was great opportunity for me to take some of my electives in outdoor ed classes. So far I am really enjoying my time at augustana everyone is super friendly and the profs are willing to take the time to help you out outside of class time which I find very beneficial. There is always something going on that you can be apart so that makes easier to make friends.

Cheer us on.February 28-March 2Augustana Gymnasium

University of Alberta Augustana Campus

2013

University of Alberta Augustana Campus

2013

University of Alberta Augustana Campus

2013

Thursday, February 28GAME 1 1 pmGAME 2 3 pmGAME 3 6 pmGAME 4 8 pm

Friday, March 1GAME 5 1 pmGAME 6 3 pmGAME 7 6 pmGAME 8 8 pm

Saturday, March 2GAME 9 3 pmBRONZE MEDAL 6 pmGOLD MEDAL 8 pmClosing Ceremonies 10 pm

Schedule

Get Tickets - online!EARLY BIRD TOURNAMENT PASSESAvailable until February 16Adult $20Youth/Senior $15ACAC Student $10

TOURNAMENT PASSESPurchased February 17 and afterAdult $30Youth/Senior $20ACAC Student $10

SINGLE GAME TICKETSAdult $10Youth/Senior $5ACAC Student $10

MEDAL GAME TICKETSAdult $15Youth/Senior $10ACAC Student $10

acacwomensbasketball.ca

Come out and cheer on your Vikings at this week’s games!

Men’s and Women’s Volleyball vs. CUCAFeb 8th @ 6 & 8 HOME Feb 9th 6 & 8 AWAY

Men’s and Women’s Basketball vs. CUCAFeb 8th @ 6 & 8 AWAYFeb 9th 6 & 8 HOME

The gym will be licensed for “Name That Tune!” Night Feb 9th

Hockey vs. Briercrest Feb 8th @ 7:30 HOMEFeb 9th @ 2:00 HOME

The Value of Continuing to Work Hard and Staying Prepared

By Josh Ryan

The Value of Continuing to Work Hard and Staying PreparedOne of the hardest situations an athlete can ever be in is being out of the starting lineup, specifically in sports like football, basketball and volleyball. It is a hard thing to except, being unable to be on the playing surface and performing for your team. However, being ready to come off the bench and perform at a high level is a necessity for players with reduced playing time and the ability to do so requires tremendous resolve. It is a difficult thing to do, but having the patience to do so is not only rewarding for the individual, it is rewarding for the team as well.In order for players to be prepared for stepping into an increased role, there are a number of things needed to be successful. The common answer for most people would likely be working hard in practice and in the gym as well as being a good teammate by actively cheering on from the sidelines. The overlooked aspect is being mentally disciplined enough to pay attention to what the game plan is before the competition, pay attention throughout the game (so that when called upon you are not a deer caught in the head lights) and then have enough focus to per-form under pressure upon being thrust into the spotlight. This results in players enhancing their experiences sideline experience in being more involved, being better teammates and ultimately becoming an asset when entering the game. It is also worth noting that players who endure smaller roles, no matter the duration or strain of said role, often become particularly valuable players after persevering through adversity.Two examples of this topic sit firmly in my mind. One is the performance of point guard Nate Robinson during 2009/2010 NBA playoffs when he played for the Boston Celtics. Robinson had a reduced role with the Celtics than he had held with previous teams in his career. When asked about Robinson’s reduced role, coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers stated that in his discussions with Robinson he had urged the point guard to stay patient and continue to work hard because at some point he was going to win them a playoff game. Sure enough, when called upon in the con-ference finals, Robinson sparked the Celtics to victory. The second is the tale of former NHL MVP and current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis. St. Louis spent most of his early career in the minors or as a role player, eventually being bought out by the Calgary Flames (one of many management errors that still haunt my beloved Flames to this day). After getting picked up by Tampa, St. Louis found the top line within a few years and soon won the scoring title, regular season MVP and Stanley Cup all in the same season. By continuing to work and staying prepared, both athletes made incredible contributions to their respective teams.There have been examples here at Augustana within the last few years. Last sea-son our men’s volleyball team went into the last regular season match up needing a win in order to make playoffs. Rookie outside hitter Andrew Kaliel came off the

bench to fill in at right side, a position he had only played during practice that year, and posted 8 kills in 2 sets and helped the Vikings to their first playoff ap-pearance. This season the men’s basketball team has had several players come off the bench and deliver big performances, such as Michael Swampy’s team lead-ing 17 points in a 1 point victory over King’s University College. As we get closer to playoff time for our indoor teams, players in these types of roles will continual-ly be needed in order to pursue victory.