Girl’s volleyball team maintain one game advantage after two-game losing streak.

By Rafal Symanski

The Mount Allison girls volleyball team defeated UNBSJ on Friday, February 12, 2010.  The gym was filled with screaming, horn-blowing, and the occasional tambourine.  Both teams brought their “A-game” and from the start a huge crowd supporting the Seawolves cheered on.

The first set was a nail-biter, always within two points of one another.

Seawolves took the first set by a score of 25-19.

The second set went very differently, where control and patient gain were the winning combination, our team fell behind quickly.  A brief timeout called by the coach of the UNBSJ Seawolves did wonders for the team.

As soon as the game was resumed, a change was visible.  It must have been something the coach had told his team that brought the players’ focus back on the game.

After having been down by 9 points at one point, the students fought back to being within two points.  Their efforts, alas, were not enough to finish the comeback and the second set went to Mount Allison.  The score was 21-25.

The third set was very similar to the second, with one exception: our team was the one to jump to the initial lead.  And just like their rivals, UNBSJ did not relinquish their lead.  They took the lead and fought to preserve it.

Preserving the lead was no small feat. Katie McKewon, wearing the number 11, dramatically dove backwards with one arm stretched out to keep the ball alive.

Putting their bodies on the line in order to win was a non-issue with either team.  Whether the player succeeded or not, it did not diminish their resolve to make the impossible play a successful reality.

Alexandra Hooper, wearing number 13, was extremely proficient in both attack and defense, her blocking make it very hard for the opposition to score.

The third set ended with Alexandra Hooper emphatically slamming the ball into an unsuspecting Mount Allison player, leaving them wondering what had hit them.  Going into the fourth set, UNBSJ looked like a team on the verge of taking down their biggest competition.

Although it was a close set, the fourth one went to Mount Allison by a score of 21-25.  The match would be decided by the tie breaking set.  Playing a fifth set in ACAA volleyball meant that the first team to reach 15 points, with a minimum two-point lead, would win.  The team that won the fifth set would also win the match.

Once again, our team jumped into the lead, but Mount Allison quickly tied it up with all to play for tied at 10 points each.  This time, the Mount Allison coach used his timeout to give the players a break.  As with UNBSJ’s timeout earlier in the match, this one did wonders for Mount Allison.  They came back aggressive and hungry to win.

In the fight for a crucial point in the last set, Megan Fitzpatrick, wearing the number 10 jersey, made three, what seemed like impossible, digs in order to win the point and stay alive.  But it was not to be.  Soon after, a defensive blunder by a Seawolf saw the game fall just outside of reach.

The game ended with a final score of 15-13 in the tie-break in favor of Mount Allison.  The UNBSJ volleyball team played host to division rivals Mount Allison and lost by the closest of margins.  The match lasted over two hours. The crowd was graced with great entertainment and a very high level of competitive volleyball.

Playing against the team trying to catch you in the standings was no easy feat.  Mount Allison is currently second in the 2009/2010 standings.  UNBSJ, at the top of the table, sporting a dashing 14-3 record, must now step up their game.

With a two game losing streak, what seemed like a clear lead at the top of the table has diminished into a one game advantage.

Their next opponent will be third place Mount St. Vincent University, currently in third place.  UNBSJ is capable of beating any team in the league.  They have demonstrated their talents throughout the duration of this season.  Their record speaks for itself.  UNBSJ truly does have talent.  The community knows this, and will continue to support their team.  Go! Seawolves Go!

Rafal Symanski is a Baron Staff writer.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  ALEC MACKINNON, BASKETBALL

This week’s Aramark Male Athlete of the week BA Student Alec MacKinnon.  The first year Pictou native is without a doubt one of the hardest working players for the Seawolves in a game or at practice.  Alec’s play on the weekend against CU and MSVU was strong as he held one of the highest shooting percentages from the field. “Having a player like Alec come off the bench allows us to have confidence when resting our starters because we know the game is still in good hands when he is on the floor” said Coach Steve LeBlanc. “He has been a great addition to the team and he will be a player to look out for as the years go on”.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: ERIN SPROUL, BASKETBALL

This week’s Aramark Female Athlete of the week is BN student Erin Sproul.  This is the Saint John native’s fourth year with the Seawolves as a guard.  Erin has continued to work hard on her game during practice and it has not gone unnoticed by the coaches.   Her shooting has continued to improve over the past three weeks averaging 11 points in this past weekend’s matches against CU and MSVU.  “We needed someone to step up due to an illness on the team and Erin was up for the task” explains Coach Kevin Munroe.  “Her defense was tenacious, she scored well in both games and she is demonstrating great leadership in her final year with the team”.

Dana Miller outlines the many controversies that are overshadowing the 2010 Olympics.

The city of Vancouver, BC and the surrounding areas, will be hosting the 21^st Winter Olympic Games, with the opening ceremonies to take place on February 12^th.   Since the announcement in 2006 that Canada is hosting the games, Canadian athletes have been patiently waiting for their turn to shine and make their nation proud.  But, it seems as though anything and everything is out to stop our athletes from their chances at the podium.

The issues range from financial difficulties to gender equality. While some of these issues are now being put to rest, others are still a source of debate, – just a matter of days before the final Olympic Torch is lit.   Last year,  when the city of Vancouver decided to build an Olympic Athletes Village to host residence for the visiting athletes for the duration of the games, the project saw construction setbacks, financial payments going well over and beyond the budget limits, leavings the need to raise taxes in the province of British Columbia.

One of the more recent issues surrounding the Winter Games is the lack of snow on the slopes. These slopes which are to be used for skiing, freestyle and snowboarding events are in dire straits.   Due to the warmer than normal temperatures, what little snowfall there is, is not staying on the ground.  This has officials scrounging around to bring in dozens of truckloads of snow a day and 500kg bales of hay in to build up the slopes for athletic purposes.  Officials are worried that they will not be able to keep enough snow on the ground for the duration of the events.

On top of this, the Olympics are being credited with only being partially green.  While the organizing committees did their best to ensure public transit and environmentally friendly venues were put into place for the games, environmentalists accuse the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for not having done all that they possible could in that respect.  Others are saying that the Olympic venues have been the result of ecosystem destruction and unnecessary emissions emitted into the atmosphere. Activists are also bringing attention to the proximity of the oil sands, the displacement of the poor and homeless and the security issues which are sure to arise over the course of the events.

But in November, a new series of worries had officials and organizing committees still aflutter with one week left until the opening ceremonies.  With scares of H1N1 virus this past fall and the threat of another outbreak sometime in the next month or so, organizers are encouraging Olympic volunteers and employees to receive the vaccine.  They are also strongly supporting the decision of any competitor to get the vaccine, although it has not been made mandatory for athletes or coaches and training staff.

Decisions were also made to keep the women’s ski jumping events from the schedule.  This has led the Canadian Women’s Ski Jumping team to take matters into their own hands.  Members of the team have approached the BC Court of Appeal, protesting their right to compete.  They are playing the gender equality card, saying it is because they are women, they cannot play.  Other females teams are permitted to compete in the Games, Women’s Ski Jumping in the only event restricted to just men as competitors.    The committees and court appeals state that the sport is not developed enough for consideration in this year’s games.

It seems as though everyone has something to say about national trademarks, even when related to the Olympics.  Even politicians are commenting on the controversy.  One British Columbian Conservative Party Member of Parliament is commenting on the logos of the clothing from the official Canadian supplier, Hudson Bay Company, saying the logos on the clothing resemble strongly of the Conservative Party of Canada logo.  They are in fact similar.    On the note of national commentary, the motto of the games “O Canada” is also being targeted for being contrary to trademark regulations.

Although Canada has had the Winter Olympic Games at home before, the country fought for years to have them here again.   So in the light of the upcoming games, it is surprising that there seems to be so much controversy with hosting the games.  The games last sixteen days, would it be too much to ask that the nation pull together in light of this historic event, and support its athletes in sights of the gold on home turf?  No, of course not.  That would just be too much to ask.  It’s too much to just let the athletes play.

Dana Miller is a volunteer writer with the Baron.

Athletes talk about the visibility of UNBSJ sports in the campus and community

By Rafał Szymański

The Athletics Department at our school exists as a community within a community.  “All the teams are here to support one another” says Andrew, a student playing for the UNBSJ basketball team.

If the athletics department at UNBSJ isn’t exactly the first thing that pops up in conversation among students or the community when talking about our school, then maybe it should be. Far too many non-athletes simply don’t appreciate what an important of campus life this is.

The UNBSJ basketball teams hosted a competition on Saturday night, providing entertainment and revealing school spirit.  The sounds of the game were heard from the university parking lot.  Upon entrance into the Athletics center, the atmosphere changed.  One could no longer ignore the referee’s whistles or the fact that the screaming from coaches’ and players alike was getting louder and louder.

Two of our athletes, Cory Meehan and Andrew Naismith, agreed to speak to the Baron about their experiences as athletic representatives of our school. When asked about school spirit both athletes spoke enthusiastically.

“We are full of spirit, I mean look at the stands today” said Cory Meehan.  “People have been talking about these games for a week and a half now because it’s good competition.”  The mood was similar with Andrew Naismith who simply stated that “we get our fans out and they always support us.”

Saturday indeed was an eye opener.  Granted there were also volleyball games on at the same time, the gym attracted a sizeable crowd that was not afraid of cheering in support or jeering at the opposition.  The crowd was a welcome sight, and a good sign for the community’s interest in UNBSJ sports.

When asked about increasing game attendance on a regular basis, both athletes had plenty to say.  Andrew argued that unless “you come towards the gym, you probably don’t know when the games are.”

“In residence you hear a lot about the volleyball teams, but not much about the basketball teams.”

Although the majority of the community continues to remain in the dark about when games are being played, Cory is optimistic.

“This year they started putting advertisements on the big screen by Tim Horton’s” explained Cory.  Being a high-traffic area this brings hope to the on-campus awareness surrounding sports teams on campus.  The fact that the school has already taken steps to correct this shortcoming brings a sigh of relief.  What is more, some of our players have been involved in request radio interviews.  It is this type of community involvement and advertising that our student athletes deserve and enjoy.

When asked what the first thing that came to mind when mentioning UNBSJ Athletics Cory laughed and said “my team because, I play”.  Andrew answered with one word: pride.  Cory, playing her third year, believes that the UNBSJ Athletics department is on the rise.

“It is moving up, I think, we are a small school, our program is building.  We are recruiting a lot more, bringing in a lot of better players.  More people are definitely going to games.  Considering the crowds from first year to now, it’s definitely grown.”

Both students had a lot to say on the topic of improving community involvement in university sports.  When asked what was the most important aspect of UNBSJ basketball, Cory talked about the relationships forged as a result of playing for UNBSJ.  Her relationships with her teammates extend to life off the court.

“The people I spend most of my time with outside the gym are the people I play with in the gym.”

It is obvious that there exists great team chemistry on both our basketball teams.  The endless effort visible by both teams during the games in order to catch up to their opponents reveals true character.

Although spectator attendance has improved, there is still room for improvement.  What is needed now is “getting people out to the games”, says Andrew.  “It really gets the players into it I find.  If you have a lot of people in the stands watching you, it’s going to get you more in the game.”

Cory agreed withAndrew, stating that there must continue to be “more exposure for fans to come out, to support.  We have the best facilities in the league!”

Far form being mere critics, the athletes have ideas about how to change this.  They argue that closer participation with the SRC is fundamental.  The players want to know about “what happens at meetings”.  Andrew ended off saying “a lot of us (the players) don’t even know who our sports representative is”.  Inevitably, if this is to change, effort must be made to form a two-way flow of information.

Rafał Szymański is a Baron staff writer.

Keith Raynes gives the inside story about our Seadogs

First year Head Coach of the Men’s Basketball team, Steve Leblanc, is very excited as his squad prepares for the stretch drive to the conference championships. The Seawolves are starting to round into game form and beginning to have an identity which is quickness, good outside shooting and tough defence. The team has gained a lot of confidence recently when we they took on the 7th ranked team in the nation, MSVU Mystics, and went toe to toe with them, in their own barn, for most of the game before coming out on the short end of a 63-56 score. Steve and his assistant coach Greg Doyle both agree that the Seawolves need to be better in rebounding at both ends of the court and keep the turn-overs down, which they have improved upon since the start of the season.

The team has some big home games coming up this month with ABU on Feb. 13th at 4:00p.m., NSAC on the 14th at 4:00p.m., 20th against MSVU at 7:00p.m. and on Feb. 23rd STU comes to the Athletic Centre for a 8:00p.m. battle. The Seawolves could finish as high as 3rd, if they have a strong homestand, which makes each game huge as the team keeps improving to get ready for the A.C.A.A. Championships at NSAC March 5th- 7th.

In order for Wolves to be successful this month they need some primetime performances from a few key players. Point guard Grahame Scott must be able to drive and create scoring opportunities for himself and his team mates. 5th year playmaker Colin Johnston must use his speed as an asset and put pressure on the opponents defense and create open looks for outside sharp shooters Kevin Nixon and Andrew Naismith. Coach Leblanc also needs his team to be able to move the ball quickly up the court and be able to handle the defensive pressure of their opponents. If they can accomplish this on a consistent basis then anything is possible.

On the Women’s side, 1st year Head Coach Kevin Munroe faces the month with must wins games to get his chargers into the post season. The Seawolves face ABU at 2:00 p.m. on Feb. 13th, NSAC on the 14th also at 2:00p.m., Feb.20th vs. MSVU at 5:00p.m. and the last home game is against STU on Feb. 23rd at 6:00p.m.

The strengths of the Lady Seawolves are their outstanding work ethic and excellent conditioning which they will need if they are to be successful this month. The challenges for the team is scoring consistently through the whole game and reduce turn-overs which is one area the team has improved in since the start of the season. Other key areas the team has improved in, is rebounding, full court pressure and defense. Two key players for the Seawolves are Jen Bergeron and Chrissie Smith, who are the heart and soul of the team and will be counted on if the team is to make a run at a play-off spot.

The women’s volleyball team will host defending conference champs Mount Allison Mounties at 7:30p.m. on Friday Feb. 12th and finish off the regular season on feb.20th at 2:30p.m. against MSVU.

Keith Raynes is the coach of the UNBSJ women’s volleyball team.

Christie smith goes for a lay-up in traffic.

Laura Simons looking to turn a rebound into points

Sophia Stackhouse goes for a steal.

Christie smith boxes out to get the rebound

By: Matt Lee – The Peak

BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) – It seems like the past decade has come and gone with its fair share of decadence, successes, and scandals. If this decade was any indication, we’re in for another wild ride in the world of sports, so it’s time to count down some of the moments that stood out in the first decade of the 21st century.

1. Steroids in baseball taints the sport’s reputation

It was, without a doubt, the most-talked about story in sport the last decade. No other story became synonymous with a sport quite like steroids and baseball. As fans grew up idolizing Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, little did they know the ugly truth: steroids were being used and baseball players were far from pure athletes. The story evolved into such a debacle that United States Congress even called baseball players in to testify. As investigators delved deeper into the scandal, it became known that steroids had been used in the sport for decades and league officials, owners, and players did little about it because of the increased popularity of the sport and all the money that was being raked in. Everything baseball embodied was in question.

2. The NHL Lockout

Hockey fans in North America were deprived of professional hockey in 2004-05 due to a labour dispute that cancelled the whole season, the first time one of the four major North American team sports lost an entire season. Players and owners pitted themselves in a fight to the death until the players succumbed to the owners’ demands of a salary cap. Amazingly, salaries are seemingly as high as ever.

3. Patriots fall short of making football history

The NFL’s New England Patriots almost accomplished something done only once in NFL history in 2008: achieve the perfect season. Tom Brady’s crew broke records and steamrolled competition. Seemingly destined for immortality the Pats lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in one of the most memorable championships in history. 18-1 was the worst feeling any sports fan could have and their perfect regular season amounted to nothing.

4. Lance Armstrong beats cancer and everyone else on a bike

Whether you consider cycling a sport or not, Lance Armstrong overcame tremendous odds to dominate his ’sport’ in the past decade. In 1996, the legendary cyclist was diagnosed with cancer and given only a 50 per cent chance of survival. He didn’t just beat cancer, he beat everyone in the Tour de France – seven times in a row (1999 to 2005).

5. Michael Phelps swims into the record books

It takes a rare kind of person to win an Olympic gold medal, but swimmer Michael Phelps won an eye-popping 14 in the 2000s. He won a record-breaking eight gold medals in his eight events in the 2008 Games in Beijing to add to the six he won in 2004. Perhaps his name has been surrounded by the smoke of a certain green plant, but you don’t need to be high to know just how great he was in 2008.

6. Team Canada wins Olympic Gold in 2002

The Team Canada Olympic men’s ice hockey team had gone 50 years without winning the gold but finally reached the top of the podium in Salt Lake City. Burnaby’s Joe Sakic was named the most valuable player and it was the catalyst towards Canada reclaiming worldwide dominance for the next few years.

7. The Lake Show returns to the NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers won more championship titles than any other professional sports team in the decade, registering the elusive “three-peat” after winning in 2000, 2001, and 2002 before winning the NBA Championship once more in 2009. Before their friendship turned sour, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had the kind of dominance which is so rare in basketball outside of Michael Jordan.

8. Barry Bonds breaks baseball’s most hallowed record

Steroid allegations aside, there’s no denying there was something magical about Barry Bonds’ 2001 season as he shattered the homerun record with 73, doing it in less than 500 at-bats. Just to be clear though, anyone with half a brain knows that any record attached to Bonds comes with an asterisk.

9. Michael Vick goes to the dogs

From 2000 to 2006 when he was with Virginia Tech and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick changed everything that entailed the quarterback position as he was one of the fastest pivots in the game and talented to boot. In 2007, however, Vick pleaded guilty to running a dog-fighting ring and served 23 months in prison. He has since returned to the Philadelphia Eagles but is now on the short leash of football fans.

10. The rise and fall of Tiger Woods

For the majority of the decade, Woods was not just the superstar of golf, but the superstar of sport itself. He won 12 major championships and while dominating his sport, kept a quiet confidence while maintaining a clean reputation. But in the last two months he has taken an indefinite leave from golf, admitted to problems in his personal life, and has been ditched by many of his sponsors. Suddenly this Tiger has earned some pretty bad stripes.

ARAMARK UNBSJ ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 12^th

^{MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  BRIAN BRIGDEN, VOLLEYBALL}

^{This week’s Aramark Male Athlete of the week is 2nd year BA student Brian Brigden. Brian has moved into the position of starting middle blocker and has been a major reason for the team’s success so far.  Brian played an instrumental part in the Seawolves match against their rivals STU in which they won 3-0 [25-15, 25-22, and 25-11].  Brian had 5 kills, 2 serving aces and 2 stuff-blocks. Coach Wayne Manuel states that “Brian is an intense competitor.  He is intimidating in the middle, works incredibly hard and always comes through when needed.”}

^{FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: KATIE MCKEWON, VOLLEYBALL}

^{This week’s Aramark Female Athlete of the week is 4th year BA student Katie McKeown.  As starting power hitter, Katie had her best performance of the year on Saturday against the defending conference champions the MTA Mounties.  She had 13 kills, 16 defensive digs and 5 serving aces while leading the Seawolves to a 3-0 victory [25-19, 25-22, and 25-23]. The Seawolves lost their Friday evening game to the Mounties 3-1 but Katie still delivered a great performance with 5 kills, 9 digs, 3 stuff blocks and 2 serving aces.}

^{According to Coach Keith Raynes, “Katie’s leadership showed through on Saturday as she did everything to help to lead the Seawolves back to 1st place in the ACAA with her outstanding play both offensively and defensively.  Each player had to raise their level of play on Saturday to be successful and Katie led by example.”}

Keith Raynes gives an update the exciting developments in UNBSJ athletics

The Seawolves Women’s Volleyball Team has had a great start to their season posting a 9-0 record and 1st place in the A.C.A.A. By having such a strong first term the Seawolves, for the first time in their history, was ranked in the top 10 in the C.C.A.A. National Rankings.

They finished off the first term by playing in the Volleyball New Brunswick Senior Open held in Moncton with 60 teams participating and the Lady Seawolves went all the way to the championship final. This was a tremendous showing for the team, program and our University, as it showed the rest of the province on the quality of our players and team that we have here in Saint John.

Returning players on the team are 4th year power hitter and captain, Katie McKeown [ Plaster Rock N.B.], 3rd year middle Nadine Savoie [ Ste.-Anne-de-Kent N.B.], 4th year Libero “Sunny” Hamilton [ Miramichi, N.B.], 2nd year power hitter and C..C.A.A. Academic All- Canadian Kelcie Levesque [ Fredericton N.B.], 2nd year offside Jasmine Lavoie [ Moncton N.B.] 2nd year Middle Dax Hooper [ Hampton N.B.] and 3rd year offside Patricia Lake [ Pasadena, NFLD.]

The Seawolves have some outstanding new recruits that have joined the Program this year starting with  Libero Megan Fitzpatrick [ Shediac N.B.], setter Megan Smith [ Calgary Alberta] and power hitter Veronique Bastarache [ Ste.-Marie-de-Kent N.B.].

Megan Fitzpatrick this past summer won the Gold Medal at the Atlantic Beach Championships in the 18 and under Division at Parlee Beach in August and Megan Smith took her highschool volleyball team [ Rundle College] all the way to the highschool Provincial Final, both outstanding accomplishments.

In early December the Seawolves had a visit from Monica Hitchcock, who was a former captain of our Women’s Olympic Volleyball Team, who brought with her the Olympic Torch that she had the honour to run with this year. It was a great thrill for all the players and coaches to see and hold the torch and have a few pictures taken with it and Monica.

The Seawolves are back on home court January 23-24th as the play in the ”Seawolves Invitational Volleyball Tournament” and then take on Holland College Hurricanes in league action saturday Jan.30th at 1:00p.m. in the Athletic Centre.

In other Varsity news the Men’s Volleyball Team and defending A.C.A.A. Champions have a record of 5-0,  will be  in the Seawolves Invitational Tournament as well and play Holland College on Jan. 30th at 3:00p.m.

In Basketball news the Mens and Womens team have both been training very hard over the holidays and are very excited to get back on the court.  Both teams have a strong core of returning players and a great crop of rookies who are excited to challenge the other teams in the very tough A.C.A.A. Both teams will be on the road in January before returning back home and taking on the Hurricanes of Holland College Jan. 30th with the Women’s game at 5:00p.m and the Men’s showdown at 7:00p.m.

All the teams would very much appreciate your support when they return home and  battle for a play-off spot. Hope to see you there…….GO SEAWOLVES!!!!

Keith Raynes is the coach of the UNBSJ women’s volleyball team.

Canada’s gold streak tainted by silver devastation

Team Canada falls 6-5 to Team U.S.A. at IIHF U20 final

Jan 6 – Kyle Ireland and Dorian Geiger – The Sheaf

SASKATOON (CUP) – Team Canada and the nation they play for were engulfed in silent disbelief after a championship streak lasting half a decade came to a screeching halt in Saskatoon on Tuesday night at the world junior hockey championship.

The speedy Americans managed to fend off a chippy Team Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under 20 Championship gold medal showdown. The Canucks again found themselves down by two goals in the third period due to too many turnovers and odd man rushes. It always seems Canada and the United States are out to prove that they are distinct from one another – and better too.

When it came time for the two North American hockey teams to collide in the IIHF U20 gold medal bout, there was only one thing on most Canadians’ minds – avoiding a devastating loss of the same magnitude Team Canada experienced the last time they faced the U.S. in a championship game at the IIHF tournament.

Rewind to 2004’s gold medal match-up at the IIHF: a game that every Canadian hockey fan wants to permanently block from their memory. Canada lost that game 4-3 to Team U.S.A., after current Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-André Fleury faltered while attempting to clear the puck from the Canadian zone. Fleury’s clearing attempt resulted in the puck unexpectedly ricocheting off one of his own defencemen and into the mesh of the Canadian net, bringing a nation of hockey faithful to their knees.

Though history didn’t repeat exactly, the loss in itself was historically repetitive enough.

The American gold medal comes five days after Canada triumphed over Team U.S.A. in a 5-4 shootout victory – a game that proved to be one of the most frenzied, jaw-dropping games of the tournament.

The gloomy atmosphere permeating the Credit Union Centre following Canada’s loss overshadowed one very bright prospect – Jordan Eberle’s future in the sport of hockey.

Add Eberle’s name to the dynasty line-up of past IIHF Canadian hockey players such as Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and John Tavares. The Regina native netted three points and the tying goal against Team U.S.A. but his solo efforts just weren’t enough to propel Canada to the top of the podium.

Eberle’s eight goals and combined 13 points in the tournament set the stage for the young forward make a big dent in the NHL when he laces up for the Edmonton Oilers when his tenure with the Regina Pats expires.

Team U.S.A. capitalized on the undisciplined Canadian play and questionable calls by officials. Following the Americans’ go-ahead third goal of the game to make it 3-2, there was little turning back for U.S.A. Though Canada forced overtime in the dying seconds of the game, American John Carlson took advantage of a sloppy Canadian defence and powered the puck past backup Canadian netminder Martin Jones on a 3-on-1.

Following the loss, Canadian forward Brayden Schenn voiced the unspeakable disappointment that was brewing in Team Canada’s locker-room.

“When we got down by two, Eberle came up huge. We had a chance in overtime but it never worked out,” said a blank-faced Schenn.

“(The game) easily could have gone our way. We hit two posts in overtime – it’s as simple as that,” added Schenn, who had eight points throughout the tournament.

The American win in Saskatoon was only the second time the team has captured gold in the history of the tournament and the win comes at an opportune time for the red, white and blue.

The gold medal win should be a major boost for hockey fever in the U.S., where the vast majority is unaware of the IIHF tournament. Since the 2011 tournament is poised to take place in Buffalo, N.Y., hockey hype may soon be on the rise down south.

Team U.S.A. forward Chris Kreider enthusiastically reiterated the importance of the gold medal victory for improving the American hockey program. “We weren’t going to settle for anything less than gold. This is a great honour and a great stepping stone for our program,” said Kreider, a New York Rangers prospect.

Records are meant to be broken, and CUC in Saskatoon was oh-so-close to becoming the birthplace of hockey history and Team Canada’s longest winning streak throughout the entirety of the IIHF U20 hockey tournament.

Instead – for Canadian hockey fanatics – Saskatoon will be remembered as the place where dreams were shattered.

Unfortunately for Canada, they will have to wait another five years to be in the same position – if they’re lucky.

In terms of records, though, Canada’s all-time record against Team U.S.A is 27-6-3 – a record that truly speaks to the higher level of hockey that is bred on Canadian soil, and one thing hockey fans from across the nation can still hold their head high about.

U.S.A. coach Dean Blais humbly summed up the reason why the Americans were able to score a victory: “We took a page out of Team Canada’s book, found a way to win, and we played Canadian hockey.”

The Big Players Canadian Player of the Game: Jordan Eberle American Player of the Game: Derek Stepan MVP of 2010 IIHF U20 Tournament: Jordan Eberle

IIHF U20 World Junior Tournament All-Star Team Goaltender: Benjamin Conz (Switzerland) Defenceman: Alex Pietrangelo (Canada) Forward: Jordan Eberle (Canada)