NEW MUSIC FRIDAY

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January 15, 2017

Follow The Peak on Spotify to stay up to date on New Music Friday.

“Doing Good” – Milky Chance

Jessica Pickering: Hipster, indie, boring. I literally forgot I was listening to this. (I mean I got distracted by a Facebook video, BUT STILL.)

Paloma Pendharkar: This song catches the ear right away with that poppy guitar riff. I can only understand about half of the lyrics, but I don’t really care because I don’t think the singer is saying anything revolutionary. It’s basically your run-of-the-mill four-chord pop song to give a slightly peppy start to your morning.

Rita Ovis: If you’re wondering how Milky Chance is doing, “he’s doing doing doing doing doing doing so good.” There’s not much to this jam, but the funky guitar riff does a decent job of hooking in the listener, I’ll give it that.

“Paris” – The Chainsmokers

JP: Maybe I’m confused about who The Chainsmokers are because this is not what I was expecting. It’s better than I thought it would be, but I still don’t care for it.

PP: The only thing that makes this song catchy is how repetitive it is. The lyrics also seem unrelated to each other. So they were in Paris, and if they go down they’re going down together? What exactly went down in Paris?

RO: This seems to be a less-catchy variation of the song “Closer” set in Paris, except Halsey couldn’t make it due to a family reunion or something. The drop leads into an Owl City-esque mish-mash of twinkling and I’m definitely left a little disappointed.

“Not Afraid Anymore” – Halsey

JP: Halsey, babe, what are you doing? Why did you sell yourself out like this? This song is terrible, which is good because it’s for a terrible movie. Halsey, please find your self-respect again soon #Pray4Halsey

PP: I love Halsey’s voice. Something about her tone or the way her vocals are edited make her sound like a glittering martian from the beyond. This song also has a nice ebb and flow. Unlike some of the other songs on this list, I didn’t feel like I had heard everything after a verse and a chorus.

RO: Oh there’s Halsey! This song definitely has an air of mystery and sexiness, I can definitely understand why this is on the Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack. The second half sorta gets Rihanna-y. Honestly, this song is better than I expected.

“Brave For You” – The xx

JP: I miss when my old roommate Sarah Finley use to do NMF with me because this is totally the kind of song we would have annihilated together. I guess I’ll just have to tell you how shitty it is by myself. It’s super shitty.

PP: Is the guitar out of tune? I do feel that the xx’s raw vocals and home-baked sound is part of their trademark, but sometimes their vocals still turn me off. There are moments of sweetness in this song, though, both vocally and in the buildup after the chorus. I’d listen to it again.

RO: This song is quite simple and inspiring almost. Her voice is wispy and charming in all the right ways, which with the guitar melody that weaves throughout the song, creates an effective duet. I feel braver after listening to this :’)

“Wild Fire” – Laura Marling

JP: I can’t believe I’m wasting my limited free time with this terrible song. I have things to do Laura Marling, hurry this trainwreck up.

PP: What sweet, sultry vocals. Something about the way she strings the words together feels really honest. I love the comfortable, slow groove. Is that a washboard? This song uses a nice array of sounds. Sonically, it has a nice blend of acoustic and ethereal vibes.

RO: I’m very into the chill talk-singing in this bad boy. When she does sing it’s like “Ooh girl, you go get it!” It’s a mix between jazz and folky country that really works — I could really see it as a soothing winter jam and I’m digging it.

“No Diggity” – Alice Jemima

JP: Ah yes, because if there was ever a song that needed a slowed down cover, it’s “No Diggity.” Copy and paste my response from the last song.

PP: I’m a sucker for a good cover of “No Diggity,” but who isn’t? While I don’t usually appreciate artists changing lyrics to fit their gender, in light of the current political climate, the choice to change “perfect ten” to “perfect man” strikes me as thoughtful rather than inauthentic. The sparse arrangement suits her vocal style really well. I dig it.

RO: Who hasn’t covered “No Diggity?” This is a very subtly groovy rendition. Alice Jemima’s soft voice teases the listener as the chill electronic beats soothe you into the depths of this sweet, sweet jam.

“Sex for Breakfast” – Life of Dillon

JP: This guy sounds like a really entitled prick. This is just a list of stuff he wants, a shout out to how Jesus is his best friend, and a slightly reworded Drake line. I don’t care how your sentence ends, if it starts with the phrase “started from the bottom” it’s not original.

PP: I’ll be honest, this song is not my cup of tea. I mean, come on, “I get so high I’m friends with Jesus?” He’s really scraping the bottom of the lyrical barrel. I also really hate the clapping. Whose idea was that? Get your act together.

RO: What is this song about? References to religion, sex, drugs, texting, life problems — just pick a topic please. I do like the surprising banjo cameo. Otherwise, the lyrics are borderline nonsensical and I’m just not feeling it.

“Saga mig” – Linnea Henriksson

JP: The cover art looks like young Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy. Overall, this song is. . . not English so idk. The lyrics could literally mean anything, but they seem nice?

PP: It doesn’t matter that I have no idea what she’s saying because whatever it is, I feel it in my heart and soul. Her voice is sweet and pure, and then powerful. This is one of those songs that will give anyone the feels.

RO: This Swedish ballad is killin’ it! I have no idea what it’s about, but I guess that’s irrelevant ‘cause Linnea Henriksson kills it with her powerful voice and I can tell she’s either really excited or mad about something.

“Bite My Tongue” – The Beach

JP: I would kill for a song I like on this playlist. I’m so done with this weird folk-electric-whatever-it-is genre that all sounds the same. All the singers look the same, too: denim jacket and in need of a shower.

PP: The general style of this song is suspiciously reminiscent of the Lumineers. Gang vocals, simple melody, that four-on-the-floor feel. . . you’ve basically got a “Hey-Ho” formula with a few more synths in the post-chorus. I’m sure the general public will drink it up, but it’s not a song I would want to listen to a million times.

RO: This song includes all the ingredients for an indie pop hit: harmonies, acoustic guitar, clapping, heartbreak, and an electronic breakdown. It’s super addicting to listen to; I could see this playing in frozen yogurt shops left and right!

“Ultra Violet” – The Katherines

JP: This feels like the 2017 version of The Veronicas. I’m not sure why, but that’s the vibe I’m getting. Maybe it’s the all dark haired women group pandering to the most popular music genre? Or it could be something else.

PP: I feel like this song is a ballad trying to be a club anthem. It has a catchy melody, but I feel like it would work better with a more sparse arrangement or as an acoustic piece. Her voice just doesn’t really complement the beat behind the choruses for me. I’m sure after a few listens I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my head, though, so someone did their job.

RO: This fast paced song sort of sucks you in like a vacuum and then you’re bobbing your head and just can’t stop. It reminds me of a modern version of early 2000’s girl pop.

“Fuck It Tho” – Keshia Chante

JP: I am here for this title. Fuck it. Fuck everything. I mean, fuck this song, too (and entire playlist tbh), but like, bless that title.

PP: When I saw the title, I expected to hate this song. It surpassed my expectations, though. It really is the perfect mood for ceasing to give a f***. There are some playful beats in there as well. I would dance to this quite happily.

RO: Unpredictable pacing keeps things super fresh in this song. I’d still qualify it as a banger, but it has an extra element of interest. Then, there’s a surprising almost dubstep-like breakdown, again keeping things interesting! If you haven’t caught it yet ,I think this song is interesting!

“Awake” – Freedom Fry

JP: I just don’t care. Like this isn’t bad, but every song before this has made me too apathetic to describe it further. Everyone please treat yo’ self and listen to your favourite artist after this. Self-care is important, especially after bullshit like this.

PP: Here is another carefully formulated indie folk-rock anthem, complete with whistling. Why is whistling so catchy? Also, what’s with the rampant use of ukulele these days? I would be interested to see some scientific research on these topics.

RO: A ukulele, a duet between a girl and a guy, whistling, these are all elements of a cute song. It sounds like it could be in a commercial featuring baby animals, it’s just so cute.

Women’s basketball dominate Saint Martin’s 92–61

By

EIC

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January 15, 2017

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sfubball-december29th-87 — Elisa Homer finished with 12 points on four for five shooting.

This could have easily been a so-called “trap” game for SFU women’s basketball. After a testing and hard fought victory against Seattle Pacific, it would have been easy to overlook a Saint Martin’s team that was last in the conference.

“We said that could happen,” said head coach Bruce Langford on whether he was worried his team would take for granted a win against the Saints. “We said that we have to be really guarded and careful.

“Our habits are what we’re worrying about, that our habit could carry over from one game to the next. If we have any slippage in habits from one quarter to the next, why wouldn’t that slip to the next game? That’s what we are fighting against, so [we said] let’s be sharp, be focused, and be smart.”

What ended up happening was perhaps the team’s most dominant performance of the season. They never looked troubled against the visiting Saint Martin’s Saints, winning 92–61. It was the team’s biggest margin of victory this season, and biggest since a 84–54 victory against the same team last season on the road.

“I thought we came out slow for the first couple of minutes, but then we got together in that quarter and came together a little bit better,” said Langford afterwards. “We had a lot of good people mak[ing] some good decisions and executing really well.”

After the visitors jumped out to a quick 4–0 lead, SFU never really looked back. They went on a 7–0 run afterwards, opening up the lead to 21 by the end of the half.

In the second half, it was more of the same. With the lead up to 39 at one point, it gave players who, in a tight contest wouldn’t be getting much playing time, an opportunity to showcase themselves. Samantha Beauchamp was one of those recipients, recording a season high 11 points in 20 minutes of action.

SFU’s most impressive player on the night though was senior Meg Wilson. The senior from London, Ontario finished with team highs in points with 21 and minutes played with 35. She also went three for four from beyond the arc, and had a couple of impressive coast-to-coast buckets off steals.

“Today she hit some threes for sure, she was on fire there for a while,” said Langford. “She’s dangerous because she can go by people and she can score inside really nicely; she’s got really good finish inside. And she gets a lot of easy baskets off of good steals that allow her to go coast-to-coast.”

One thing that could have troubled SFU in this one was their three-point shooting. Saint Martin’s was tied for the best three-point defence in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) coming into tonight’s game, allowing just 0.275 of opponent’s attempts. However, they weren’t able to contain the Clan, as SFU went 14 for 29 to finish with a 48.3 shooting percentage.

“I think we’ve been shooting the ball better and better,” said Langford on the team’s fortunes from downtown. “But I think that we have some size inside there that can score and therefore they have to pay attention to that, which opens up some stuff, and we got some penetration that opened up some stuff. And then we hit shot early which gives everybody motivation.”

NEXT GAME: Perhaps the biggest game of the season is next for SFU, as they take on Western Washington in a rare Tuesday night contest. With both teams coming in with 7–1 conference records, the winner will get sole possession of second place in the GNAC.

“It’s a huge game for both of us,” said Langford. “[Western Washington] are big and physical, and they’re older than we are, they’re more mature than we are. They’re well-coached and they’re a good team. They’ve got the leading scorer in the country. It’s going to be [a] challenge.”

Indeed if SFU is to be successful, they’re going to have to find a way to shut down Taylor Peacocke — which no one so far this season has seemed to be able to do. She’s averaging 22.4 points per game, and is especially dangerous from three-point range. Last season, she put 24 and 18 points in the two games against the Clan, both of which were SFU losses. It will likely come down to how much SFU can contain her on the night because she will get her points.

Talk the Talks: Multilingualism at SFU

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EIC

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January 15, 2017

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SFU is located in one of the most culturally diverse cities in Canada, a mixing bowl of languages and cultures, a place populated with people from across the globe; yet it is still limited by an English-dominant mentality. Obviously foreign students come to Vancouver to live and study, but why is it that SFU has yet to use multilingualism to its full potential?

After speaking with multilingual students at SFU, a few things became abundantly clear. The first thing is that SFU actually has a lot of students actively using two or more languages on a day-to-day basis. The second is that SFU is slowly making strides to include more language-diverse forums.

Through culture and language clubs — like Korean Storm (K.STORM), the Chinese Undergraduate Association (CUA), and Chinese Link — as well as through university programs such as Tandem (a social project that pairs two people up with contrasting language skills to facilitate language learning in a relaxed and social environment), students are welcome to take part in multilingual events and workshops on campus. Any and all linguistic backgrounds welcome.

SFU has a significant international student population. According to SFU’s most recent report, almost 20% of undergraduate students at SFU completed secondary school abroad, and international students represent an additional 17% of the undergraduate population. Further, SFU’s Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching and Research (CELLTR) found that about 60% (of students surveyed) speak at least one additional language at home.

The university has a responsibility to make sure that those students have the same opportunity to learn as everyone else. Often, international students –– especially those who have a feeling of inadequacy in their English-speaking ability –– can feel segregated from the English student population.

SFU students can learn a lot about language and culture from each other, SFU should prioritize this kind of educational experience

Jack, a member of Chinese Link, told The Peak, “I joined the club in my first year. I came from Hong Kong and was looking for a community that could speak Chinese, as I was not very confident in my English skills.” This is a common occurrence, and many clubs cater to students who need a platform for boosting their ability and confidence in speaking English.

Multiple clubs are stepping up to the plate, helping students who want to improve their English feel comfortable, knowing that they are surrounded by peers who understand their situation and needs. Ivy Liang, from CUA, said, “I joined the club because I wanted a platform to get into local clubs and communities. I wanted to practice English, but I was nervous about jumping right in.” Liang further explained that her club, and many others, are welcoming of all students that are interested in learning more about specific languages and cultures. Liang wants to start a program within the club where members can get together in pairs and converse in English and Chinese, in a coffee-date kind of environment.

K.Storm is another club at SFU, invested in spreading Korean traditional and pop culture. John Xing, the club’s vice-president, welcomes everyone. “Members of any ethnicity are welcome to join to meet others with the same interests during events and to engage in fun and social activities.” K.Storm also offers free Korean language classes.

Michael Rogers, the director of cultural ambassadors for the club, explains, “K.S. and its Cultural Ambassador team is dedicated to teaching free Korean classes and including Korean culture in every event that we do. However, K.S. should continue to become a club that not only brings Korea to SFU, but also helps new Koreans learn about Vancouver and all the amazing things our city has to offer.”

Chinese Link is a club whose goal is to bring people with mutual lingual and general interests together, making friends and volunteering. It is one of those clubs that you might see hanging out in the AQ. One of its members said, “If you feel like you would like to learn the language or more about culture, and make some friends in the process, clubs like Chinese Link may be a good place to start.” He recalled one of his friends, who was learning Chinese, joined the club for a couple of years, and by the end of it had significantly improved his competence.

One way in which SFU, specifically, is working towards fostering multilingualism is the implementation of the CELLTR, which provides SFU’s students, teachers, and faculty services that support their teaching and learning in SFU’s multicultural and multilingual environment. Their program Tandem enthusiastically embraces multilingualism as an asset. Using a casual learning environment — free from the stress of a graded, classroom setting — participants are free to progress at their own pace in a fun, low-stakes way.

But Tandem is not only about learning languages. Dr Joel Heng Hartse, a founder of Tandem at SFU, suggests that it can be a place to make friendships across divides that would normally not be crossed. Unlike SFU’s various language and culture clubs, which focus on only one or two languages and cultures, Tandem’s outreach is particularly diverse; thus allowing a wide range of students to come together to teach and learn.

Clubs and active programs are not the only way the community can promote SFU’s multilingualism, however. CJSF, SFU’s radio station, features many language shows including, “Il Sole Italiano” (an Italian language show), and “That Chinese Show.” Another example is The Lyre, the World Literature program’s magazine, which is currently accepting translations to or from English for its upcoming issue. Dr. Heng Hartse, a lecturer of English, affiliated with CELLTR, suggests a new idea for the future: “What about a non-English newspaper at SFU? A Chinese, French, Punjabi newspaper?”

SFU’s language and culture clubs are full of students that want to improve their English and gain knowledge of Canadian culture, as well as celebrate their heritage. Many of SFU’s English-speaking students, similarly, are looking to learn more about other languages and cultures. As members of SFU’s community, we should look towards bringing these people together.

Think of the collective “we”: We want to learn more about each other’s language and culture; we can mutually benefit from each other’s cultural and linguistic knowledge. So, go out and join a club, join Tandem; learn a language. Embrace a multilingual SFU.

Politics Central: Justin Trudeau chooses Chrystia Freeland to replace Stéphane Dion as foreign affairs minister

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Peak Web

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January 13, 2017

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By: Manon Busseron

Stéphane Dion, one of the most influential Canadian politicians, has been replaced by Chrystia Freeland, formerly in charge of international trade, in the position of foreign affairs minister. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau justified his decision on the basis of keeping strong relations with the US after the election of president-elect, Donald Trump.

Indeed, Dion has been highly critical of Trump’s potential decisions, especially the proposition of preventing Muslims from immigrating to the US. Furthermore, the US is Canada’s main trade partner, and their exchanges involve roughly 9 million jobs. All these factors may partly justify Dion’s removal from his key position.

Trudeau defended his position by highlighting the shared interests with the US. Chrystia Freeland, was chosen to handle Canada’s foreign affairs. She is a former journalist who previously lived in Russia for four years and speaks fluent Russian (among four other languages).

Freeland is already seen by some experts on international affairs, such as Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, as an unwise tactical choice given her clearly anti-Russian position. Freeland has been highly critical of Russia’s politics in Crimea — which can be partly explained by her own Ukrainian roots. She also wrote a book describing Russia as a plutocracy. In response, Russia blacklisted her, meaning she can no longer enter the country.

The consequences of this nomination can not entirely be known now. However, it seems that Canada-Russia relations will not be in total appeasement in spite of both countries’ public wish to normalize their relations. Russian officials already declared that Freeland’s removal from the blacklist will only happen as a response to Trudeau’s government lifting of sanctions regarding Russia.

According to Piotr Dutkiewicz, the former director of the Institute of European and Russian Studies at Carleton University, consequences might also be strained regarding diplomatic relations with the US since Trump has declared himself pro-Russian and Putin-friendly. His Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson — former chief executive officer of the oil corporation ExxonMobil — received the Order of Friendship, one of Russia’s highest distinctions, in 2013.

Although Freeland declared that she “loved Russian culture,” her nomination does not seem to lead to a normalization of Canada-Russia relations, which could provoke diplomatic disagreements with the US and isolate Canada on the international stage.

Canada’s decision to foster its relations with the US rather than with Russia was explained by Trudeau by the important common interests shared with US. Nevertheless, adopting a public anti-Russia position might not be in Canada’s best interests regarding the increasing global role of Russia. Indeed, the assertion of Moscow as a key global player is now a factor to be taken into account as far as North-American diplomacy is concerned.

With files from CBC, Lemonde, Lactualite

SFU women’s basketball defeats nationally ranked Seattle Pacific 71–61

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EIC

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January 13, 2017

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womensbasketballWEB — Meg Wilson finished with 14 points, six assists, and six rebounds in SFU's 71-61 win.

It was a game that truly could have gone either way.

But early on, it looked like SFU would win in comfortable fashion, like many of their games so far this season. Late in the second quarter, the Clan had a 13 point lead against a Seattle Pacific team that came into this game nationally ranked and had only lost one game all season. The Falcons cut the lead to nine by the end of the first half — by the end of the third quarter, it was tied at 51.

“Basically he looked us all in the eye and said ‘do you really want this?’” said senior point guard Ellen Kett — who had another terrific game — on what was said to the team before the fourth quarter. “He said this is it, this is the time, this is what we play for. Dig deep and we can do this.”

“I thought we didn’t let what happened in the second and third quarter get to us,” commented head coach Bruce Langford on what changed in the last quarter. “We dug a little deeper and we tried to communicate a little bit better, and tried to talk about how important some fire in our belly was, because they were really out-working us.”

“We had to get back to team defence. You can’t just play hard, you have to play smart.”

– head coach Bruce Langford

SFU came out flying to start, with redshirt junior Elisa Homer getting the Clan’s first points of the contest. It even featured good performances from bench players such as Samantha Beauchamp.

But to begin the second half, Seattle Pacific seemed like they couldn’t miss a shot, while SFU couldn’t make any. If the visitors didn’t make their shots, they were drawing fouls and going to the line. The Falcons came out flying, putting up 23 points to take the lead by, at one point during the quarter, four points before SFU tied it up to end the third.

“We were making mistakes and we were paying for it,” said Langford on the first three quarters. “We had to get back to team defence. You can’t just play hard, you have to play smart.”

SFU was able to put up 20 points in the fourth quarter, of which Kett got 10 and assisted on six others. It was another great performance from Kett, who led the team in points with 23 and minutes played with a recorded 39 — although it appears she was subbed out for more than one minute in the third quarter. The 71 points SFU scored was only the second time this season Seattle Pacific has let in more than 70.

And not only did SFU put up the points, they played great defence as well — they didn’t allow a single Falcons basket for the last 5:08 of the game.

“They’re really in your face out on the perimeter,” said Kett on a tough Seattle Pacific defence. “They deny the lane, so I think we had great success pressure releasing, back cutting, [and] looking for different options off our set play.”

“I think we have some versatility in our defence” commented Langford on the defensive effort not only tonight, but throughout the season. “[Rachel] Fradg[ley] is lighter and moving better than she ever has, which helps us in being able to switch up some stuff. Ozi [Nwabuko] is a very versatile defender [as well. . .] I just thought we did a really good of job of just keeping our composure and coming back with some fire in our belly.”

Now 6–1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, and with a victory over a nationally ranked opponent under its belt, SFU will likely be in the top 25 of the national rankings — if all goes well their next few games. It’s been a fantastic season so far, and they’ll need more of what happened in the fourth quarter if they want to make it a memorable one.

Next Game: SFU takes on the Saint Martin Saints this Saturday at 7 p.m. The Saints currently sit tied for last in the GNAC with Central Washington, and have lost eight of their last nine games. They sit in the lower half in a lot of major categories, but do have one thing going for them — they have the best three-point defence in the conference, even better than powerhouse Alaska Anchorage, at .278. Despite that, it should be a very winnable game, and a good warmup before a big matchup against Western Washington next Tuesday.

NFL Blitz with Jason Romisher: Divisional Round Preview

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EIC

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January 13, 2017

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4245600956_7b42dd7c31_o — Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have won seven straight, and don't look like slowing down anytime soon.

2–2 last week with the picks, as the Seahawks and Steelers took care of business while the Raiders and Giants did not. The Giants caused some controversy in the loss because their receiving corps, led by Odell Beckham Jr., decided to fly down to Miami on their day off last week and party with Justin Bieber on a yacht. The group as a whole did not play well, dropping several passes in a 38–13 beat down by the Packers. Last week, all of the games lacked drama, with the closest finish being the Texans’ 27–14 win over the Raiders.

This week, three of the games could go either way in really intriguing matchups. The fourth game sees Houston as a 15.5 point underdog with little chance of winning. Because I absolutely will not be picking the Texans, none of these games can produce a result worthy of “upset of the week” status which is a recipe for great games and some unexpected outcomes.

Seattle 11–5–1 at Atlanta 11–5, Saturday 1:35 p.m.

After their resounding win over the Lions, the Seahawks travel to Atlanta to take on a rested Falcons team led by their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn. In his second season as the Falcons’ head coach, Quinn will look to lead his squad to the National Football Conference championship game for the first time since the 2012 playoffs where they defeated the Seahawks 30–28 in thrilling fashion during Russell Wilson’s rookie season. Since that campaign, Wilson and company have won one Super Bowl and have come within one yard and a Malcolm Butler interception of winning another. The Falcons haven’t since qualified for the playoffs until this season.

Quarterbacking Atlanta is Matt Ryan, who sports a 1–5 career playoff record. His chances of improving upon this record are quite good due to his MVP-calibre play this season and an array of weapons, which include talented dual threat running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, as well as the ever dangerous Julio Jones. The Seahawks finally established a running game last week with oft-injured running back Thomas Rawls rumbling for a Seahawks playoff game record 161 yards. They also have a skilled tight end in Jimmy Graham and a very underrated wide receiver in Doug Baldwin. The Seahawks’ defence is good, but not at the level it has played at in recent years. An interesting matchup will be between the always intense Richard Sherman in coverage against Jones.

I like the Falcons in this one, despite their weak team defensive rating, because of the presence of pass rusher Vic Beasley who led the league with 15.5 sacks. The Seahawks’ weakness is their offensive line and Beasley should be able to harangue Wilson enough to give his team the edge. Atlanta is always tough to beat in their home dome and will send the Seahawks to defeat in the divisional round for the second consecutive season.

Prediction: Falcons 31 Seahawks 26

Houston 10–7 at New England 14–2, Saturday 5:15 p.m.

This game also sees a former assistant coach returning as head coach against his old team. Texans coach Bill O’Brien resigned as Patriots’ offensive coordinator after the 2011 season to take the head coaching job at Penn State. He then moved to the Texans and now has the chance to defeat his former team on their field in what would be a miraculous victory.

The reason the Texans — despite having the number one defence in the league, a good running back (Lamar Miller), and an elite wide receiver (DeAndre Hopkins) — are such underdogs is due to their quarterback play. Yes, Brock Osweiler played a decent game last week against the Raiders, but overall his play this season has been, without being too disparaging, sub-par.

The Patriots have one of the best coaching staffs in professional sport and their defence led by coordinator and former engineer Matt Patricia devises a new game plan with different looks each week to take away the main strengths of their opponent. Of course, the Patriots’ key strength is quarterback Tom Brady who has played as well this season as at any point in his career, after serving the ridiculous four-game deflated balls suspension. Brady finished with 28 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In contrast, Osweiler respectfully had 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

The Patriots will take care of business in a fairly low-scoring game which will have a lot of defensive highlights.

Prediction: Patriots 24 Texans 9

Pittsburgh 12–5 at Kansas City 12–4, Sunday 10:05 a.m.

Most people who are sports fans and don’t have much experience playing or coaching at a high level cannot comprehend how, in a given season, a team can get blown out one week and then beat the team that destroyed them later on. This is the challenge which is facing a Kansas City team that got pummeled 43–14 by the Steelers in week four.

The Chiefs have a lot going for them since that defeat. They went 10–2 and saw the emergence of tight end Travis Kelce and receiver/return man Tyreek Hill. Kelce produced the best statistical season for a tight end this year and Hill is simply a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He is one of the most exciting players in the league and it will be a treat to watch him play on this stage.

The Chiefs also got healthier on defence as the season progressed, and have a unit with big play super stars such as Eric Berry, Justin Houston, and Tamba Hali. They are quarterbacked by the experienced and dependable Alex Smith. Smith does not put up gaudy numbers, but takes care of the football and has a knack for making key plays in clutch situations. Smith’s finest playoff moment came during the 2011 season when he was the 49ers’ quarterback and led his team to a victory in a seesaw shoot out with New Orleans.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid is also extremely experienced and has produced good teams in Philadelphia and now Kansas City, which have won a lot of playoff games, but never a Super Bowl. They will also be buoyed by one of the best home field advantages and crowd noise in all of football.

The Steelers will be a formidable opponent. They have a young defence that has improved throughout the season and have three potential hall of famers on offence in Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell. Bell may be the best running back in football right now which doesn’t bode well for a Chiefs defence which struggles stopping the run. Roethlisberger with all his playoff and regular season experience has not played as well of late on the road as at home.

I like the Chiefs to keep it close throughout the game and avenge their early season loss on the basis of their superior special teams. Look for Tyreek Hill to return a kick for a touchdown as he demonstrates his greatness for the first time on a big time stage.

Prediction: Chiefs 27 Steelers 24

Game of the Week

Green Bay 11–6 at Dallas 13–3, Sunday 1:30 p.m.

These two teams also met in the divisional round in the 2015 playoffs with the Packers winning 26–21 led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers had 316 yards and three touchdowns in that victory which took place in Green Bay. This game will be played in Dallas with the teams similarly constructed to their matchup two years ago. Rodgers is the key factor in this game because he simply has been unstoppable during the Packers’ seven-game winning streak. With Rodgers in peak form, the Packers shredded an outstanding Giants defence last week to the tune of 38 points and 406 yards of offence. Unfortunately, star receiver Jordy Nelson sustained a rib injury and is questionable for this week’s game.

The Cowboys meanwhile are well-rested and will be at home with high expectations. Because of the mentality of owner/GM Jerry Jones and the fan base, it always seems to be Superbowl or bust in the big D. The question will be how these expectations and the pressure associated with them will affect rookie starting quarterback Dak Prescott and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. Both Prescott and Elliott had spectacular seasons, landing each in the Pro Bowl.

Overshadowed this season by the rookies, but not to be overlooked, is star receiver Dez Bryant who could have a very big game against a suspect Packers secondary that was lit up several times this year.

The reason the Cowboys have such a prolific offence is not because of their skill position players. Their offensive line is one of the best units in the league. The key question in this game is whether the Dallas offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and enable the unit to put together long time-consuming drives and keep Aaron Rodgers and company off the field. After watching what Rodgers did last week, the Cowboys will need to put up 40 points or more to beat Green Bay and even that might not be enough.

The Packers look like a team of destiny that can only be stopped right now by an incredible force of nature (or a certain AFC team coached by Bill Belichick). For those of you who love learning about football lore, the production crew for this week’s game is currently preparing footage of the 1967 NFL Championship game which was the last NFL title game before the Super Bowl era. That game will forever be known as the “Ice Bowl” because of the -26 degree Celsius conditions at Lambeau Field.

The clip you undoubtedly will see is Bart Starr’s last minute quarterback sneak, which gave the Packers the 21–17 victory over the Cowboys and the title. The Packers, like in 1967 and in the 2015 playoffs, will prevail over the Cowboys in a shootout.

Prediction: Packers 42 Cowboys 38

Men’s wrestling finishes 1–3 at Tracy Borah Duals

By

EIC

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January 12, 2017

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Simon Fraser University - North Idaho College Men's Wrestling — Cruz Velasquez (right) finished with a perfect 4-0 record.

The SFU Clan men’s wrestling were on the road once again last Saturday, travelling to Colorado to wrestle at the Tracy Borah Duals at Western Colorado State University. The Clan had a disappointing team result in their first meet for the second half of the season, dropping three of their four duals to return home with a 1–3 record on the weekend.

When asked about their performance, head coach Justin Abdou made it clear that he was proud of his team’s performance. “[The] guys competed hard, despite the fact that we were competing with a depleted lineup where we were forced to start a freshman with very little experience at 165 lbs,” he said, adding that they “beat New Mexico Highlands and were very close with Western State and Colorado School of Mines.”

The Clan certainly were competing with a depleted lineup. Due to injuries, they were forced to automatically forfeit 141lbs and 149lbs respectively, surrendering six points to the other team for each weight class. Because of these forfeits, a lot of the matchups were closer than they may look on paper. Despite the disappointing result, they still managed to find some bright spots after the weekend.

“It was a great weekend for Velasquez and Molle, who both went undefeated,” Abdou said. “Morgan Smith also had a dominant tournament with his only loss coming up against a ranked Division I opponent.”

Smith has not lost to a Division II opponent this year. If he continues at this pace, he will be a force late into the season. Meanwhile, Velasquez finished the tournament without giving up a single takedown. His defence and toughness has won him his fair share of matches this season, and he has been one of the Clan’s most consistent performers.

These individual performances are impressive and are a key driver for the team in this second half of this season. Smith, Molle, and Velasquez all hope to be competing at the National Tournament along with their other teammates at the end of the season. Results like these will do well to build momentum over the next few months.

SFU will settle down for a week as they do not compete this weekend. This gives them time to work on any issues Abdou saw over the weekend, as well as take care of themselves.

You can look for them to get back on the mats against Warner Pacific on January 21 in Portland, Oregon.

SPOOF: McFogg the Dog: Mascot of the Year

By

Peak Web

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January 10, 2017

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McFogg the Dog, mascot of the divided students of SFU. We take a look at his impact within the SFU community.

Featuring: Ashley Fraser,Max Hill, Andrew Latimer, Edna Batengas, Tamara Connor, Alex Bloom.

Created by Adam Madojemu and Alex Bloom

Women’s basketball continues torrid pace with pair of road wins

By

EIC

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January 10, 2017

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sfubball-december29th-90 — Ellen Kett (centre) had 22 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals in a 101-89 victory against Northwest Nazarene.

The past two games for SFU women’s basketball have been indicative of their entire season to date — finding different ways to win every night. Led by newly named Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) player of the week, Ellen Kett, the Clan defeated both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene on the road. Their overall record improved to 14–2, and 5–1 within the conference.

The first game against Central Washington displayed SFU’s resilience and defensive prowess. After trailing 21–14 early in the second quarter, things could have gone south quickly. But the Clan scored 63 points the rest of the way, including 22 in both the third and fourth quarter to get SFU the victory. What made it more impressive was Central Washington is third in scoring defence, giving up an average of only 60.9 points per game.

“We changed our defence, partly to get them more thoughtfully into the game, which I was hoping would help us offensively,” said head coach Bruce Langford on the adjustments made early in the second quarter. “I thought that helped, and we started to take our shots. [. . .] Once we started to think a little bit, we got better. We started to work hard and took over the game.”

The second game was extremely high in scoring, with SFU putting up over 100 points for the first time in nearly two years. After scoring 33 points in the opening frame, a quarter in which Langford said the team “could have had 39,” SFU held their own against the second ranked Crusaders offence to win 101–89.

“There’s nobody who has that versatility to them. It’s huge for us. She makes everybody on the floor better”

– head coach Bruce Langford on point guard Ellen Kett

“We were shooting extremely well, running our offense very well — we were four for four from three,” explained Langford on the hot start. “We were very efficient, and that continued through most of the game. We tried to sub a lot, and it hurt us a bit defensively, but didn’t hurt us that much offensively.”

Ellen Kett led the way for the Clan in both contests. The senior from Melbourne, Australia did it all in both games, and has arguably been SFU’s most consistent player all season. She leads SFU in minutes played, three-point percentage, rebounding, and steals.

“I thought Ellen Kett was outstanding,” said Langford. “She did it all. She rebounded, took a couple of charges, she had some great assists. I thought she was very good.

“There’s nobody who has that versatility to them. It’s huge for us. She makes everybody on the floor better. She’s very consistent.”

If there’s an area that is in need of improvement, it’s the team’s three-point shooting percentage. Throughout the years, SFU has been one of, if not the best three-point shooting team in the GNAC. Last year, they were first; the year before, third. Ellen Kett last season had the second-best three-point shooting percentages in all of Division II women’s basketball, with 49.5%.

This year has been a different story. They’ve struggled mightily early on — the team was dead last up until very recently. However, with talented shooters such as Kett and Elisa Homer on the roster, SFU likely won’t be that low for long, according to Langford.

“It’s always been one of our strengths. We always take the most attempts or second-most attempts. But per percentage of baskets, we’re always leading,” he explained.

“This year, Ellen came out very slow from the three, Homer came out brutally from the three, and others did not shoot the three well. [. . .] But Ellen’s started to shoot the ball much better and Homer has started to shoot the ball much better. I think our percentage will come back to normal.”

Ellen Kett led all players in minutes played over the two games, averaging 35.5 minutes per contest. Elisa Homer was second with 28.5. But perhaps one player to watch, in terms of playing time, going forward is Tayla Jackson. After playing a season high 21 minutes against Cal Poly Pomona on November 26, she hasn’t had over 20 since, and only played six and nine minutes against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene respectively.

Part of it is illness — she missed the game on December 29 against Western Oregon because of pneumonia and is still “coughing and hacking like mad,” according to Langford — but part of it is finding her role with her new team after transferring from Division I Cal Irvine.

“I think she’s coming along, but she’s struggling mentally and physically with her health and with her role — in terms of where does she fit, how does she get comfortable, [and] how does she get minutes to get comfortable,” said Langford.

“I think she’s putting too much pressure on herself. I think she’s overly focused and concerned about making mistakes and trying too hard almost. She has a style of play that should have more success than what she’s having this year.”

THIS WEEK: SFU plays the first two games of a four-game homestand against Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s, both starting at 7 p.m. in the West Gym. The game against Seattle Pacific is likely to be the tougher test, as the Falcons have one of the stingiest defences in the GNAC. They allow only 52 points per game on average, one of only two teams in the conference to average under 60 points.

“I think one of things is we have to read what they’re doing at any given time of how they’re switching screens and handling screens, and how smart we are playing off of that,” said Langford on how to break down their defence. “Executing will be crucial.”

And although Saint Martin’s is something of a middling team — they’re not in the top half in most major statistical categories and are ninth in the GNAC — they are the top three-point defending team in the conference, something that could challenge an SFU team that, as coach Langford explained, loves to shoot the three.

Clan blow 22 point halftime lead to lose 88–83

By

EIC

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January 9, 2017

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sfubball-december29th-15 — JJ Pankratz (right) played a season high 36 minutes against Alaska Fairbanks, finishing with 19 points and 3 steals.

Well, at least it was an entertaining finish.

But the 225 fans in attendance — the ones cheering for SFU — probably would have preferred the dull march to a 20-plus point victory that seemed guaranteed at halftime. Instead, SFU gave up a 22 point halftime lead and surrendered 60 points in the second half to a team that had seemed utterly defeated in the first.

What had seemed like an easy victory earlier in the game became an 88–83 loss to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks Saturday night in the West Gym.

While the Nanooks seemed to score on nearly every drive, nearly certainly drawing a foul if they didn’t, SFU seemed rattled, missing shots they normally would make. On a free throw attempt when the game was tied 78–78, when SFU needed to score pretty much every drive to keep up with Fairbanks, Kedar Wright went 0 for 2. In the last few minutes, it seemed like SFU couldn’t buy a three.

“We were just getting frustrated with what we were doing, and shots weren’t going down as we wanted it to go down,” said freshman Othniel Spence.

Was the collapse a matter of confidence? Head coach Steve Hanson didn’t think so.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with confidence. It’s just that good players step up when it’s time to step up,” he explained. “We knew they were going to push back and play with some pride, but we just had chances to seal it.”

Instead, he pointed to the team’s rebounding.

“The biggest thing was defensive rebounds. We were terrible. They must’ve had 20-plus points off of defensive boards today,” he said. “Rebounding is just effort, it has nothing to do with height or talent, it’s just effort. They out-willed us down the stretch and that’s what better teams do.

“Rebounding is the game of basketball. We’re not very good at it right now.”

SFU were out-rebounded 36–28, and they only recorded eight in the second half.

After recording a below average 47 points the previous game, however, the game started off great for the Clan. JJ Pankratz, who shared the team lead in points, opened the scoring. Before long, SFU had built a sizable lead.

“Everything was going our way,” said Hanson.

There were some fun plays. On one, Spence stole the ball, ran end-to-end, and nearly dunked it, only to be swatted. However, Wright was able to get the two points on the rebound. Hidde Vos was able to sink a buzzer-beating three to end the half, and put SFU up 50–28.

“They out-willed us down the stretch and that’s what better teams do”

– Steve Hanson, head coach

All signs pointed to the Clan getting their first conference win of the year. It was the most dominant performance fans had seen all year, outside of maybe one of the exhibition wins — and even then, were on pace for a better offensive game than either of those results.

But the feeling was instantly different in the second. Fairbanks started the half with a seven point run. SFU went 2:15 without a point in the half, and didn’t make a field goal until 3:26 in.

By the 10-minute mark, Fairbanks had cut the SFU lead to seven. The Nanooks tied the game with 3:48 left. After that, the game was a nailbiter.

Fairbanks only missed three free throws (16 for 19, 84.2%). One of those missed attempts came in one of the two attempts they got for Tyrell Lewin’s technical foul for language.

After Fairbanks had taken the lead, SFU couldn’t keep pace offensively. With 1:05 left, Tyrell Lewin’s two free throws put SFU back within one, but by then, the game was in the Nanooks’ hands.

With the score at 84–83 after the Nanooks collected an offensive rebound with 32 seconds left, Michael Provenzano had to take a foul to stop the clock. Fairbanks was successful on both attempts. By then, a three point lead was too much to overcome, and Alaska sunk two more free throws to win by five points.

“We’ve got to be a lot tougher. I mean, a lot of the habits we’re seeing in the games are what we’re letting slip in practice everyday, so we have to be more disciplined in practice,” said Hanson.

Pankratz and Provenzano shared both the lead in minutes and points with 36 and 19 respectively. Pankratz also led in rebounds with seven. Wright followed with 16 points.

Graham Miller and Aleks Vranjes were both not dressed. Miller has not played a game in the four-game homestand, while Vranjes has missed the last three. Bowen Bakken, Vinnie Safin, and Bongani Moyo were dressed, but did not log any minutes. Bakken and Moyo have not come off the bench in the last three games, while Safin had played Thursday night.

NEXT WEEK: After completing a four-game homestand, SFU now goes on the road to Oregon, where they will look for their first conference wins against Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

“They’re going to be tough. They’re two very tough places to play, two teams that we can definitely compete with, and it’s frustrating. And we wanted to go into those road trips with some momentum, I thought we built some in the first half today, and just couldn’t toughen up at the end,” explained Hanson.

Last year, SFU’s only conference win came against Concordia on the road, a 90–70 result, and were competitive in a 76–72 loss at home. Concordia sits only two spots ahead of SFU in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and that should be a winnable game. Concordia is in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

First, SFU will face Western Oregon. SFU also fared better against Western Oregon on the road last season, falling by a score of 76–67 (at home, they lost 90–67). The Wolves are slightly above average defensively, but are ranked ninth in scoring offence — a good bet is that the winner’s score will be in the 70s.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. for both.