By Adam Ovenell-Carter

The men’s and women’s basketball seasons could not have been more different. The women had a strong season from start to finish with only a few bumps on the road, while the men’s year was tumultuous, to say the least. The women made history by being the first Canadian school to win an NCAA playoff game, while the men probably got into the record books for most inactive players. The women’s season was the apple to the men’s moldy orange.

And although the two teams played drastically different seasons, there was one thing that tied them together: superstar performances from a few superstar players. Now, Justin Brown from the men’s side, and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe and Kristina Collins from the women’s are being recognized by the GNAC for their incredible efforts this season.

Raincock-Ekunwe broke her own record this year by posting a near-unbelievable 22 double doubles. Considering the team played 27 games, that feat becomes all the more impressive. She finished second in the GNAC in points, but first in points-per-game; her 358 rebounds were first in the conference, and it wasn’t close (Seattle Pacific’s Nyesha Sims was second with 213). She was the proverbial immovable object for the Clan, borderline unstoppable around the hoop. There’s no doubt she’s the star of the team, if not the GNAC, and that wasn’t lost on her coach.

“Nayo is one of the best athletes in Division II basketball,” stated head coach Bruce Langford. “She has the ability to dominant games.”

As flattered as Raincock-
Ekunwe was to earn GNAC all-conference first-team honours, she wasn’t about to take all the credit herself.

“It’s a really big honour,” said Raincock-Ekunwe. “Being unanimously voted to be on the team from the other coaches feels great, but I think the team has improved a lot.  Our shooting is a lot better, our teamwork is better, we play together, and a lot of people have stepped up this year whereas last year two or three players scored most of the baskets.  Everyone came to play this year.”

One of those teammates who certainly came to play was point guard Kristina Collins. She didn’t make the GNAC first-team, but was given honourable mentions.
The secret’s out on Collins; one GNAC coach called her the best point guard in the league. She directs the offense, and her chemistry with Raincock-Ekunwe is undeniable. Her trademarked three-pointer is simply clutch, and has won games for the Clan.

“In my mind Kristina is more than an honourable mention,” added Langford. “She certainly is to our team.  She is an integral part of our offence and much of what she does goes unnoticed.  She led the league in threes and hit many of them at key times.”

In a season full of bright spots, these two shone brilliantly among the rest.

And while the men experienced a season of turmoil, Justin Brown was one key reason the team got as far as they did. He led the team (and finished fourth in the conference) with 17.6 points per game, and finished seventh in the GNAC in steals. He was a spark plug for a sputtering Clan engine, and despite a rough season, he graduates from the program on a high note.

“It feels good to be recognized and to know that my hard work on and off the court
paid off,” said Brown of his GNAC all-conference second-team honours.

“I certainly couldn’t have had success without the coaches and my teammates so I’m just really happy for
my whole team and the whole school.”

It’s a nice bit of light shed
on an otherwise pretty dark season for the men’s side, though things do look brighter as the team begins to prepare for next year.

Regardless, Brown, along with Raincock-Ekunwe and Collins, were special players for
their respective teams, and earned every bit of their newfound recognition.

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

The 2012 NHL trade deadline was unofficially known as “Rick Nash Watch”, as the superstar winger was placed on the market by the floundering Columbus Blue Jackets. However, he wasn’t dealt, and as a result, Monday’s biggest shocker was the trade that sent former Canuck Cody Hodgson to the Buffalo Sabres for big Zack Kassian.

This season, Cody Hodgson emerged as one of the league’s hottest rookies despite playing limited minutes. Since his junior hockey days, Hodgson has been a star. He was the Canadian Hockey League player of the year in 2009 and he also led Canada to a gold medal victory at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships. But his development as an NHL star has been anything but smooth.

Prior to the Canucks’ training camp in 2009, the Canucks medical staff had apparently misdiagnosed Hodgson’s back injury from his training during the off-season. As a result, Hodgson decided to seek alternative medical options regarding his back after being cut from training camp. This created a media-instigated conflict between Hodgson and the Canucks coaching staff after head coach Alain Vigneault called the young centre out for what he believed to be an excuse for his poor play that led to him being cut.

Eventually Hodgson recovered from his injury and participated in the Canucks’ training camp last season. Although he did not make the team, he began the season playing for the Canucks’ farm team, then the Manitoba Moose. Hodgson was eventually called up late last season and was a part of the Canucks playoff run.

This season, playing limited minutes, Hodgson has been challenging for his place as rookie of the year. He has shown Vancouver fans that he may have had the most natural skillset on the team.

Although Hodgson had success this season, he continued to struggle to find a place on this team. With Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler ahead of him on the depth chart, the ice time was not going to increase. For more ice time, Hodgson would have to play on the wing but it’s not as easy as switching positions as it is in say, NHL 12. He is most comfortable and natural at the center position, but he wasn’t going to get a chance to shine there in Vancouver. Now, he’ll get that chance in Buffalo.

Many fans were outraged at the deal, but the trade ironically responds to what every Canucks fan has wanted since last year’s Stanley Cup defeat: someone to keep the Milan Lucic’s of the world honest. In Zack Kassian, the Canucks received a young power-forward who is tough and has the skills to become a premiere goal scorer, a la Todd Bertuzzi circa 2003. Kassian is no scrub; he is a former first-round pick and is a year younger than Hodgson. And if you need a reason to care about him, just remember it took Cody Hodgson to get him

With an almost guaranteed top three position in the Western Conference standings, the new acquisitions of Kassian, Sami Pahlsson, and Marc-Andre Gragnani are answers to the short-term needs of the Canucks in preparation of another deep playoff run. Pahlsson is more than capable of slotting in for Hodgson’s vacant spot. And, with Kassian’s toughness, Byron Bitz, and Dale Weise may be pushed out of the regular line-up in favour
of the young forward with a bit more scoring touch. As well, Gragnani adds depth to the defense core.

What remains to be seen are the long-term consequences of this trade. Sure, Hodgson was not going to take ice time away from Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler but what about in a few years?

Kesler is still young but with the gritty and rugged style that he plays, he is more prone to injuries than Henrik Sedin. It would not be a surprise if Kesler’s play deteriorates sooner than later. The Canucks got what they needed for the present, but what will define this deal is how each player pans out for their new teams.

However, if the Canucks win the Stanley Cup in the next few years, it’s safe to say the Canucks would have made the right decision trading away Hodgson.

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

Entering the year with a lot of promise and just as much intrigue, the 2012 edition of the Clan softball team is off to a fantastic start. The team, at the time of press, is rolling along with an 8–1 record and a perfect 4–0 mark in the GNAC. They’ve outscored opponents 61–35 and are at, or near the top of almost every statistical category. Still, none of those figures could be classified as the story of the season. That honour would belong to head coach Mike Renney, who earned his 500th career collegiate victory last week.

The big win came in a two-game sweep of Western Washington University last week at home on Beedie Field. In that sweep, the Clan rolled over the WWU Wolves 11–1 before besting them 7–5 in the second half of the doubleheader. Those two wins have helped the Clan move right into top spot in the GNAC.

Buoyed by solid pitching from former walk-on wonder Cara Lukawesky and strong hitting through the lineup, the Clan mercied the Wolves and ended the first game in just five innings, giving Renney 499 wins and a chance to earn the milestone in the second match.

The second match, as the score would indicate, was much more competitive. The Clan hopped out to a 5–1 lead, but sophomore pitcher Kelsie Hawkins got herself into some hot water when she loaded the bases in the sixth inning. With the potential go-ahead run at the plate, Renney made a decision to bring Lukawesky back in. The Clan’s lead quickly disappeared, but Lukawesky at least got them out of the inning tied at five apiece. It would be Brittany Ribeiro who would play hero, as she cranked a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to give the Clan the lead, more than enough room for Lukawesky to work with to seal the game.

“It’s big to beat Western Washington,” said Renney of the two victories. “They were one of the top teams in the GNAC last year and . . . they were still ranked ahead of us in the preseason.”

But it was his coaching decision to put Lukawesky into the second game that arguably saved the game and earned him his impressive 500th win. It’s those types of tough decisions which more often than not end up being the right ones,that put Renney in the position to reach his incredible milestone. He’s had 499 others before it, but this one,he’ll savour.

“They all add up pretty quick, it was good to get the monkey off the back early in the season,” said Renney.  “I’ll probably remember that one for awhile.  The athletes played well today and I’m happy for them.

“They deserved to win,” he added. But if anyone deserved the win, it was the man in the dugout, cheering them on.

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

An apology, for at the time of writing, the Clan women’s basketball team’s post-season has yet to be finished. However, with one playoff victory in the books, the Clan have already made history. With their 69–61 victory over the Seattle Pacific University Falcons on Thursday night, the Clan have recorded the team’s first-ever NCAA playoff victory, and are the first Canadian team to ever win an NCAA playoff game.

The team never trailed, but as has been the case all year long, someone new stepped up with so much on the line. It had been Chelsea Resit in the past, along with the continued impressive outings from Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe and Kristina Collins, but this time, Carla Wyman emerged to help the team make history.

“Carla had one of the best games of her career,” said head coach Bruce Langford. It couldn’t have come at a better time.

Wyman finished second on the team in both points (16) and rebounds (seven), but her biggest play unquestionably came with under 90 seconds to play. With the Clan up by just four points, the third-year guard hit a three-pointer to put the team up seven with time running out.

“I had an open look and I just took it,” said a very matter-of-fact Wyman. She may have played it off, but there was no denying the magnitude of her shot that punctuated the Clan’s late lead. SFU would only
build on that lead to earn themselves a bout with top-ranked Alaska Anchorage.

Raincock-Ekunwe had already rewritten history with a GNAC-record 22 double-doubles in the regular season, and she was her usual dominant self against Seattle Pacific as well. She finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and along with Wyman was the driving force of the Clan’s historic effort.

“We knew we had a chance to advance in a lose-and-you’re-out situation,” said Wyman. “it was a bit of a roller coaster game but we ended up pulling it off.”

With barely 24 hours to turn around and take on the GNAC’s top team, it’s easy to understand how the significance of the win could be lost on the team; they’ve not been a team to pay attention to stats and records, either. Nevertheless, the Clan have made history, in a couple different ways. They’ve set the bar high for next season, but with almost their entire team returning, there’s not much stopping this squad from being next year’s Alaska Anchorage.