All posts by Chris Cruthers

Awards Ceremony

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Awards! 
The Event was quickly followed by an awards ceremony to recognize the people who make this event happen, and the players that make this such an exciting event. 
Best Picker
Patrice Simard
Best Heart
Cody Caldwell
Most Clutch
Duncan Campbell
Tournament MVP
Ian Chan
Congrats to Evan Shaw, who won a pair of Beats by Dre headphones. 
And! A quick shout out to sponsors. 
BC Wheelchair Sports
Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association
Hosting BC
Viasport
Richmond Sport Hosting
Chair Stuff
Ceili’s Richmond
Sheraton @ Vancouver Airport
MTG

Pool A, Gold Medal Game

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Here we go! Watch here for updates.

We’re nearing through the end of the 1st quarter. Ontario is playing fast and loose with their time outs. They’d rather burn them now than leave them unused later. Might cost them in the 2nd quarter. 1:50 left in the 1st, we’re all tied up with 14 a piece.

Ian Chan got a nice steal at 6 minutes, putting BC up by 1. Byron Green is getting some time in, subbing in for Trevor Hirschfield. 21-20, with 3:30 to go in the 2nd.

With .5 seconds left, David Willsie lays a perfect pass to tie the game at the half, 26-26.

Hirsch and Calen McDougall to start the 3rd. Calen taking a few long passes to help BC get out of their own end. Hirschfield with an interception, and BC’s back in front by a point. Willsie misses a pass, and it’s BC ball, up by a point. 4:43 left in the 3rd quarter.
BC tried to run the clock on Ontario, and couldn’t convert on their final possession. Good job by Ontario to stand their ground on the line. BC up by 1, 40-39 at the end of the 3rd.
4th quarter! Kruger reached out to grab a ball at the line that was overthrown. Awesome catch to preserve BC’s slim lead. 7:15 to go.
Cody Caldwell nearly intercepts for Ontario, which would have brought the game back to a tie. 4:50 on the clock. 46-45, BC.
Energy has really ramped up. Ontario’s pressing hard for quick turns. 2:32 on the clock, BC up 50-48.
Fantastic finish for BC! This is BC’s first gold medal win at the Vancouver Invitational. I really expected BC to play clock, but Ontario instead took penalty goals to force the ball back into their hands. Hickling took two hard hits in the final couple of minutes. BC wins, 56-53.

Day 3, A Pool Bronze

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We’re down to the wire here. With only Court A still open, The Canadian Newbies have just opened up their match against Quebec. When these teams met yesterday, the Newbies held Quebec responsibly until the 3rd quarter. Updates to come through the game.
Quebec is leading 31-22 after the 1st half. The Newbies have not been successful in pinning down Quebec to force turnovers and timeouts, though Zak Madell has looked strong.
Cory Harrower is back on the court to start the 3rd, missing most of the 2nd quarter.

At the end of the 3rd, the score is currently sitting at 44-36. Fabien Lavoie and Zak Madell have both played every minute of the game.

Not every game, however, is a nailbiter. Quebec continued to show the strength of their short bench, winning 61-48. Congrats to Quebec on their Pool A bronze medal.

Day 3, Round 1

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Good morning!

On Court A, we have BC-B playing the Seattle Slam for the Developmental Gold medal. BC got off to an early lead in the 1st quarter, jumping ahead by five points, but mistakes at the beginning of the second cost BC, including three interceptions by Seattle’s Brian Chaffin to cut the lead to 1 with 1:40 left in the first half. Seattle’s up, 21-20 at the break.

On Court B, we have Portland B playing Saskatchewan for the Developmental bronze medal. Their game didn’t start until 9:30, and it’s 11-5 with a 2:20 left in the 1st.
Updates to come. If you find me, please rescue with coffee. Will pay in retweets.
BC-B really came on in the 4th quarter, chipping away at what was a 4 point lead to tie the game 20 seconds left. However, a late score with 5 seconds left on the clock left Seattle’s club with the win, and the developmental gold for the tournament. Congratulations to the Slam, 41-40.
On Court B, Alberta pulled off a clincher, winning 44-43 against Jake Merriman and the rest of the Portland crew.

Two BC Teams Head to Gold Medal Games at the 2014 Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament

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(Richmond, BC) — For the first time in close to a decade, BC is poised to sweep the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. BC A takes on Ontario Sunday afternoon for the Division 1 gold at the Richmond Olympic Oval and BC B will play at 9 am for the Division 2 gold against Seattle.


“Last year, BC B was in fourth place in Division 2 and this year we’re undefeated, so the team has made a huge strides,” said BC provincial coach Adam Frost. “The fact that we have two teams playing for gold shows that our wheelchair rugby program in BC is thriving.”

While BC B cruised to the final, BC A fought a harder battle. After losing to Ontario, the team regrouped to face a tough Quebec team starring heavy hitters Fabien Lavoie and Cory Harrower in the semi finals. The teams traded leads and the score was tied at the end of the first, second and third quarters. Going into the fourth, Quebec’s Fabien Lavoie got two steals to edge Quebec ahead. Just as Quebec looked to be booking their ticket to the final, however, Ian Chan responded in the last two minutes with two steals of his one. With just one second left, Chan scored to bring BC A up 52-51 and win the game. 

“We’ve had an incredible number of close games at this tournament,” said Vancouver Invitational Tournament Chair Kevin Bowie. “Both gold medal games are going to be really fun to watch. It would be great to get a big hometown crowd out to cheer for our local athletes.”

Where: Richmond Olympic Oval.

When:
9 am: Portland vs. Alberta (Div 2 bronze)  |  BC-B vs. Seattle (Div 2 gold)
11 am: Quebec vs. Newbies (Div 1 bronze)1 pm: BC vs. Ontario (Div 1 gold)
BC Wheelchair Sports Association


Cost: by donation.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Arley McNeney
Communications Manager
Cell: 778-788-9091
Email: arley@bcwheelchairsports.com

Day 2, Round 4

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On Court B, BC-A is facing off against Quebec. BC took advantage of a few bad Quebec penalties in the opening frame to help break the draw with two minutes left in the opening frame. Quebec is up 26-25 at the half, but this is anyone’s game. Jessica Kruger’s pregame meal? Pink cookies. 

On Court A, Ontario is matched against the CDN Newbies. The game got off to a great start for Ontario, as they took a 17 to 10 lead in the opening frame. They’ve just begun their third frame, 39-27 for David Willsie and the rest of the squad.

Final updates for the games will come as soon as they’re done. 

Thanks to MTG for their continued support of wheelchair rugby.

UPDATE

A bad turnover  right at the end of the 3rd quarter allowed Quebec to take a two point lead over BC-A. 
Ontario continued to run away with their game against the CDN Newbies, taking a 15 point lead in the third quarter. Great learning opportunity for the new members of the CDN squad to play with, and against, Zak Maddell, David Willsie, Duncan Campbell, and Garrett Hickling. Final score, 63-50. 
Byron Green and Jordan Dyke took over from Jessica Kruger and Trevor Hirschfield to start the final frame. Quebec turned over the ball to Ian Chan TWICE in their own end with less than 2:30 to go, allowing BC their first lead in the game with 1:30 on the clock. Running time, BC scored with 1 second left on the clock to close out the game, and with my battery life hovering at 6%. 

Best game of the tournament so far, and we’ll see you tomorrow. 

Day 2, Round 3

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On Court B, we have Seattle vs. Alberta. These two clubs started the tournament facing off yesterday morning in a tilt that saw Seattle win 45-42 in an OT nailbiter. Seattle was frustrated early by Alberta’s tight defense, causing a number of turnovers in the opening frame. They’ve managed to close the gap to two points at the half. 27-25.
On Court A, we’re watching BC-B face off against Portland. These two clubs also paired up yesterday morning with a tilt that saw BC take a clear lead in the 3rd quarter. BC took a 27-18 lead at the half, it’ll be hard to regain that ground in the final two frames.
Fun fact! I think the Seattle Slam is the only club with an official watergirl.

UPDATE
The Slam continued to press Alberta, who very briefly held a four point lead in the game, but tied it up with less than five minutes left. This game ran considerably later than expected due numerous stoppages in the first quarter. Turnovers late in the game led to a 2 point lead for Seattle. The clock-aware Michael Lykins helped seal the deal at the end of the game by picking BC’s turnover and sending it to Neil Spurry, who waited the clock out. 48-45.
BC finished off Portland handily, 54-42. They forced a lot of turnovers and stretched their offence out using long passes to thwart Portland, who dominated last year’s tournament. A good game for the prospects of British Columbia.

Round 2, Day 2

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On Court B, we’re watching Quebec play the CDN Newbies. Zak Maddell’s defensive play is certainly frustrating for Ontario, knocking two passes out of bounds in the first five minutes of the game. Maddell’s chewing up a lot of minutes and is playing end to end, so endurance might factor into the final half. Quebec is up 27-26 at the break. 

At Court A, Ontario is beating BC 26-20 at the half. After a shaky first half yesterday against the BC Newbies, Ontario has looked fast on the court today, stifling BC’s offense. 
A big thanks to Chair Stuff for supplying lunches for players and volunteers today. Their support of wheelchair sports is not unnoticed.

UPDATE!

Court B saw Quebec run away with the third quarter. This happened against the Newbies yesterday too also, with their shorter bench. Awesome play again from Fabien Lavoie and Cory Harrower. Final score is 53-4 for Quebec.

On Court A, we saw Ontario really spread their lead by playing long outlet passes against BC’s high pressure defence. It’s been great to watch Ontario run their full bench through the game, often swapping out veterans David Willsie and Garrett Hickling for some of tomorrow’s wheelchair rugby stars. Final score is 51-34, Ontario takes it. 
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Good Morning! We’re back at the Richmond Oval for another day of action. On Court A, we have BC-B vs the Alberta Roughnecks.
BC got off to an early lead, taking a 7-1 start over Alberta under the direction of coach Trevor Hirschfield. Alberta wisened to the play however, cutting the lead to within four points by dropping the man-to-man coverage and spreading out the floor in the second quarter. 26-22 at the break.
Things are a bit tighter in the game on Court B; Seattle held Portland within two points for most of the first half. We’re currently tied, at halftime, 21-19.
Speaking of breaks, maybe you’d like to relax on a long layover. A big shout to the Sheraton at Vancouver Airport for helping to make this possible.

I’ll update at the game’s end.

BC ran away with it in the 3rd, extending their lead to 8 points while Alberta rested Andrea Wojcik. Final score 56-45.
Seattle came alive in the 4th quarter, forcing Portland to make mistakes in their own end that ultimately cost the Pounders the game. This is Seattle’s first win of the tournament, falling yesterday to both Alberta and British Columbia’s development teams. Final score, 45-43.

The crowd was lively for this round! Good games to start the day.

EDIT: Seattle won their OT game yesterday against Alberta-B. This is their second win of the tournament.

Overtimes and One-Point Games Abound in Day 1 of the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament

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(Richmond, BC) — Fans of wheelchair rugby were in for a treat at the 15th Annual Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament, which started today at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Out of 8 games, 5 were decided by 1 point or in overtime.

“This is probably the best-quality wheelchair rugby we’ve ever seen at the Vancouver Invitational,” said Tournament Chair Kevin Bowie. “Nearly all the games have been close so far and we’ve already had two nail-biting overtimes.”

Better yet, both BC A and BC B are 2-0 after the first day. If both teams finish at the top of their respective pools, they’ll cross over in the quarter finals against the 4th-ranked teams.

“Both BC teams are putting on a great show,” said BC Head Coach Adam Frost. “We hope everyone will come down to the Oval, take advantage of our beer garden and enjoy the games.”

The action continues tomorrow at 11 am when BC B takes on Alberta B. Entry is by donation and all proceeds will be used to support wheelchair sports development in the province. To see the full schedule, please click here.

For more information or to schedule an interview contact
Arley McNeney
Communications Manager for BC Wheelchair Sports Association.
Cell: 778-788-9091
Email: Arley@bcwheelchairsports.com