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Sports
LangleyAdvance
Junior A hockey
Penn State awaits Rivermen rearguard Bo knows his way to Pennsylvania – defenceman Bo Pellah committed to an NCAA university recently.
Bo Pellah’s hockey future looks bright. This isn’t just because the defenceman’s 15 assists leads all 16-year-old players in the B.C. Hockey League. It’s also because Pellah recently committed to play for, and attend, Penn State University. “We are excited and proud of Bo on his commitment to a great program at Penn State,” Rivermen assistant coach Jordan Emmerson said. “He will be playing under a great coach in Guy Gadowsky and will flourish in a hockey-mad state like Pennsylvania.” The 5’11” 150-pound native of New Westminster has been one of the most consistent Rivermen all season long, and has already made a name for himself in the BCHL, and will continue to do so as he is only in Grade 11. “Bo will continue to develop with us here in Langley for another year or two before he moves on to further his hockey career,” continued Emmerson. Pellah joins goaltender Jim Kruger (Dartmouth) and centre Austin Plevy (Merrimack) as Rivermen who will join NCAA schools once their junior A playing days are over. ••• Penn State will play the 2012/13 season as an independent before joining the newly created Big Ten Hockey Conference, along with traditional powers Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, beginning in
the 2013/14 season. Future Big Ten members have captured 23-of-64 NCAA national championships.
’Men show their hearts
If you believe in karma, the Rivermen scored points off the ice this holiday season. Rivermen players made two very special deliveries the morning of Dec. 19. Captain Ryan Bakken, Sebastien Pare, and Ray Bell along with “Fraser” the mascot dropped off stuffed toys to Langley Memorial Hospital, for children in pediatrics. The toys were collected from the Rivermen’s Teddy Bear Toss night that took place Dec. 17 at the Langley Events Centre. Teddy bears and stuffed toys were thrown onto the ice after the Rivermen scored their first goal of the game against the Prince George Spruce Kings. After the drop off at the hospital, the Rivermen made their way to the Langley Food Bank to make a special food delivery from the Food Bank Drive that took place Dec. 16 during Langley’s home game against the Powell River Kings. ••• The Rivermen will close out December with two home games. The B.C. Hockey League Coastal Conference-leading Cowichan Valley Capitals are in town to play the ’Men tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 28). The Nanaimo Clippers pay a visit the following night, Thursday, Dec. 29. Both games get underway at 7 p.m. at the LEC. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 604-882-8800.
University women’s soccer
Langley Advance files
Promising Langley Rivermen defenceman Bo Pellah will be packing his bags for Penn State once his junior A playing days are over.
University men’s basketball
Midfielder joining TWU Spartans stumble in California TWU’s most recent soccer recruit is one smart cookie, on the field and in the classroom. \
The Trinity Western University women’s soccer team augmented its midfield core Dec. 21, as head coach Graham Roxburgh announced the signing of Calgary, Alta. product Stephanie Chin. The 5’5” graduate-to-be of St. Francis High School comes to Trinity Western already with an illustrious background, both as an individual and in regards to her team’s on-field success. Chin is currently playing for Calgary’s
Blizzard FC (formerly the Blizzard Threat) in the Calgary Women’s Soccer Association’s Major Division, and through her first eight games was tied for seventh in league scoring with five goals. Prior to this season, Chin has twice attended the BMO Club Nationals with the Blizzard Threat, coming third with her U16 side in 2010 and fifth with her U14 team in 2008. She also won bronze at the 2010 Canadian Soccer Association’s national championships with the U16 Team Alberta AllStars. Chin currently trains at Calgary’s National Training Centre. “We are delighted that Stephanie has chosen TWU for her university
Scorer flies to Florida
…continued from page A17 “I’m going all the way to Florida,” he said, prior to the team’s final weekend of play before the break. “It’s a pretty long flight. I’m going to be spending some time with my family and then I’m getting back here on the 26th. Then it’s back to work.” Puskarich’s place is about a two-minute walk to the beach but he isn’t what you’d call a surfer dude. “It’s on the west coast so there’s no waves there,” he said. “East coast, you go to surf. I’ve only surfed a couple of times. It’s pretty hard.”
career and we know that, in Stephanie, we are adding an excellent player to our program, and a quality person,” Roxburgh said. “I have always been impressed with our interactions with Stephanie and as we watched her, we realized that we have a player with outstanding technical ability and the option of playing in a variety of attacking positions. We really like her ability to attack and run at players, as well as her vision to pass and create goal scoring opportunities for her teammates.” Off the field, Chin has earned Honours with Excellence in Grades 10, 11 and 12. She was also a 2010 Calgary Minor Soccer Association all-star scholarship winner. “I’m very excited to attend Trinity Western as it has a great academic and soccer program,” said Chin, who plans to study kinesiology. “Going on a mission trip is something I’ve always wanted to do and I look forward to the opportunity to help others with my future teammates.”
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TWU lost back-to-back games to California foes last week.
The Trinity Western University Spartans’ trip to California didn’t produced sunny results for the men’s basketball team. Wednesday afternoon in Azusa, Calif., the Spartans suffered their second nonconference loss in three days after falling 79-71 to Azusa Pacific. The Spartans garnered an early 10point lead in the first half but were unable to hang on as the Cougars got to within two points by halftime, trailing 39-37, and then won the second half 4232 to earn an eight-point victory. Once again, like their 91-69 loss to Point Loma Nazarene on Dec. 19, turnovers haunted the Spartans as they coughed the ball up 26 times. Trinity Western’s Kyle Coston led the Spartans’ charge with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while Tristan Smith had 16 points and Sean Peter contributed 14 points for TWU. The Spartans are now 3-8 overall against North American universities. Azusa Pacific now has an overall record of 8-2. With Azusa Pacific trailing 37-29 with a little more than four minutes to play in the first half, the Cougars finished on an 8-2 run, capped by a Tyler Monroe layup to give the Californians momentum going into the second stanza. In the second half, the Cougars opened up as much as a seven-point gap after a Robert Sandoval jumper gave them a 5548 advantage. But the Spartans were not about to
let such a promising start to the contest entirely escape, and a Coston three-pointer midway through the second half made it a four-point game and slowed some of the Cougars’ momentum. From there, while the game remained tight until the final minute, Azusa Pacific never surrendered its lead. Trinity Western got it to within onepoint, at 63-62, after a pair of free throws from Smith, but that would be as close as they would get. The Cougars extended their lead to nine points, courtesy of a pair of Anthony Johnson free throws with 1:31 left and, from there, cruised to the win. ••• On Dec. 19, the Spartans lost the first match of their two-game non-conference road trip to California, falling 91-69 to Point Loma Nazarene at the Golden Gymnasium. Point Loma was the dominant side from start to finish. The Sea Lions never trailed and had control of the game throughout. Trinity Western’s 26 turnovers were ultimately their undoing. Trinity Western was led by redshirt first-year Lucas Nugteren, who had a career high 12 points and seven rebounds. Peter also had 12 points while Smith and Coston each had 11. ••• The Spartans are now on Christmas break and return to the hardcourt Jan. 6 when they host Lethbridge at the Langley Events Centre. Opening tip-off is 8 p.m. The following night, Jan. 7, Calgary visits the LEC to play the Spartans. Game time is 7 p.m.