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( Men's basketball reflects on the season
(Y Sport/Schmort: Beer Pong
(¥ Women's basketball surprises at Provincials

And more!

Heritage Classic fail

» Flaws in the NHL's outdoor concept

sy Eric Wilkins
Sports Editor

We. M sports
Aly |, @theotherpress.ca

B: the time this article hits
the stands, the NHL's
Heritage Classic game between
the Vancouver Canucks and the
Ottawa Senators will be in the
books. Undoubtedly, there will
be some fans at the game who
enjoy themselves immensely, and
why not?—they’re at a hockey
game, after all. There is one
fact everyone should recognize,
though: the once historical and
interesting series has become
nothing more than a huge money
grab for the league. Before
continuing, I’d like to note that I
consider the Heritage Classic and
the Winter Classic one and the
same, especially after the most
recent “Heritage Classic” game.
They’re outdoor hockey games;
don’t try to pretend there’s a
difference between the two.

The Classic used to bea
semi-legitimate show. The first

: matchup back in 2003 featured
: the Edmonton Oilers and the

: Montreal Canadiens. There’s

: some history there and great

: names on either side. It made

: sense. In 20u1, the second gameas :
: well—the Calgary Flames against
: the Montreal Canadiens—was

: asimilar story. This third game

: in Canada though isa bit of a

: reach. The Vancouver Canucks

: and the Ottawa Senators? The

: inspiration is supposedly the 1915
: Stanley Cup Final between the

: Vancouver Millionaires and the

: original Ottawa Senators, and the :
: retro jerseys will reflect that, but
: it’s really just a straight-up farce.
: If I want symbolism I'll go take

: an English lit class. Don’t try to

: conjure up some storyline to give
: two teams with no history some

: kind of a rivalry. Call it a regular

: game played outside and I’m far

: more likely to support it.

The draw for the Classic is

: that it’s a spectacle—a rarely

: occurring event that everyone

: should be fighting tooth and nail
: to see. However, by increasing

: the frequency of the games over

: the years, the league is slowly

: killing the appeal. They’re now

: becoming nothing more than

: expensive matches with poor

: sight lines. Ever been to a football

game and felt your seats didn’t

: provide an adequate view of the

: action? Try shrinking the area

: of play to a small ice rink in the

: middle of a stadium and change

: that big brown football into a

: tiny black puck—and then charge
: yourself an extra $100.

The series is fabricated. I get

: that. But playing in Vancouver

just adds to how artificial it is. A

: game under BC Place’s retractable
: roof is a far cry from the real

: outdoors. That said, when was

: the last time anyone in Vancouver
: skated outside (Robson Rink

: doesn’t count)? It’s just not done.

: So, to sum up this year’s game,

> it’s two teams with no connection
: whatsoever other than their cities
: once had different hockey teams

: that played ina final, playing an

: “outdoor” game ina stadium with
: a retractable roof, ina city that

: never gets cold enough to actually
: skate outside. Fantastic.

» Nanaya Miki helps take women’s basketball to new heights

Courtnie Martin
Sports Reporter

Fa

#

ust one of a handful of
PACWEST international
players, Nanaya Miki has made
a name for herself more than
4,500 miles away from home.
Born in Osaka, Japan, Miki has
played basketball for as long as
she can remember. It was always
her dream to venture off into the
world and explore her passion.
Leaving her home to pursue
post-secondary education in
a foreign country, she found
herself in Washington, where
she played for Skagit Valley
Community College. After a
gruelling transition of adapting
to both a new language and
teammates, her efforts paid
off. Skagit hosted an annual
holiday tournament that would
change her life drastically. In
the championship game of
the tournament, Skagit faced
Douglas College. The game was
intense, and at the end of the
40-minute mark Douglas came

: out on top to win by one point,
> but Miki was the real winner.

: with yet another country and

: the opportunity to continue

: furthering her education.

: Douglas College welcomed

: her in the summer of 2013.

: She taught her new team her

: Japanese traditions while her

> new Canadian family taught her
: theirs. She quickly grew a strong
: relationship with her teammates.
: “I would say Nay is one of

: the kindest, most honest, and

: loyal people I have ever come

: across. She is always motivating

: constantly checks up on me and
: not to mention she is hilarious

: says first-year player Amber

: Beasley.

: Miki instantly made a

huge impact on the program.

: Her vivacious will-power and

: phenomenal athleticism on

: the court leaves the crowd and

: opponents respecting her talent.
: Coming off the bench, Miki

: contributed as many as 21 points
: ina single game for Douglas this
Miki found herself intrigued :

season.
The fifth-seeded Royals

came into Provincials after a

: clutch win against Langara

: College, where they were

: do-or-die and blew out their

: competitor. Miki, of course,

: was instrumental in helping

: to secure a Provincial berth

: for the Royals. Going into

: playoffs, Douglas faced Capilano
: University where Miki had an

: electrifying 21 points and was

: named player of the game.

: She continued to impress in

: her teammates, but is strong and :
: not afraid to speak her mind. She :

the next game as she put up 19
points against the #1 seed, the

: Vancouver Island University
: is a great teammate and friend— :

Mariners, to lead the Royals

: toa huge upset in overtime.
: and it’s fun to see her goofy side,” :
: lost in the final to Quest, Miki

: made the Tournament All-Star

: team and can certainly be proud
: of her efforts.

Although the Royals ultimately

Miki lives by the Japanese

: quote, “Kumo no munou ha

: itumo aozora,” which translates
: to, “There is always light behind
: the clouds.’

Know the score?
Contact: Eric Wilkins, Sports Editor
M sports@theotherpress. ca

www. theotherpress.ca

Crews work to construct the temporary arena and ice
surface inside BC Place Stadium // By Cam Tucker

Daughter from the Land of the Rising Sun

# : =e 3 _ a j

i

Nanaya Miki // By Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald