Lazar locks up U18 roster spot
Vernon’s Curtis Lazar will play for Team Canada’s Under 18 men’s hockey team at the 2012 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, Aug. 13-18 in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia.
Lazar, a 6-foot, 190-pounder with the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings, was one of 13 forwards named Monday following Hockey Canada’s four-day selection camp at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto. The camp included daily practices and three Red-White intrasquad games.
“Made Team Canada. It feels unreal!” wrote Lazar on his Facebook page. “Really pumped for the Ivan Hlinka over in Europe.”
Said head coach Todd Gill (Cardinal, Ont./Kingston, OHL): “It was a very competitive camp; we could have easily chosen all these players to play in the tournament. There is a lot of talent on the ice in this country, and we look forward to getting to Europe and continuing Canada’s great tradition at this event.”
Canada has won the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament four consecutive years.
Pospisil upends world No. 26
Less than a week after bowing out of the London Olympics, and Vernon’s Vasek Pospisil is already back on the winning track.
The 22-year-old outlasted world No. 26 Andreas Seppi of Italy 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in their first-round match at the Rogers Cup Monday at York University’s Rexall Centre in Toronto.
Pospisil, who slipped to 104th in the world poll after slotting in at 85th just two weeks ago, will face 10th ranked Juan Monaco of Argentina in the next round.
After splitting the opening sets, Pospisil went up 3-0 in the third set and he was serving for the match at 5-3, but Seppi broke his service and held his own to draw even at 5-5. Pospisil had five match points before finally putting it away.
Little Britches saddle up in Armstrong
The next generation of rodeo talent will be on display this weekend as Little Britches comes to the IPE grounds in Armstrong.
Hosted by the North Okanagan Rodeo Club, the always-entertaining event runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and features athletes ages four to 13 competing in steer roping, steer riding, pole bending, goat tying and barrel racing.
Admission is free and there will be a concession. For more information about Little Britches, visit www.bclbra.org.
Johnson 47th in Quebec tourney
Myles Johnson finished in a tie for 47th place at the Quebec PGA’s $150,000 Rogers Canada Cup Sunday at the Blainvillier Golf Club.
The Spallumcheen pro crept up the leaderboard with a 1-under 71 in Friday’s round 2, but slipped back down after carding 76-79 over the weekend to finish with a 13-over 301 and collect $625.
North Vancouver’s Bryn Parry of Seymour Creek Golf Centre defended his Canada Cup title by brushing back Ontario’s Bill Walsh of Fairtree on the first extra hole.
Parry carded 70-73-69-72-284 to finish at 4-under and collect $30,000. Walsh had rounds of 69-70-77-68-284 for $16,450.
Johnson opened Saturday with a birdie on the par-5, 554-yard hole No. 2, but finished the front nine with three bogeys and one double-bogey. He recovered on the back nine with two birdies and two bogeys. On Sunday, he followed up a front 41 with a 38 on the back.
Quotable…
“I am sorry Nick Faldo couldn’t be here this week. He is attending the birth of his next wife.” – zany golf broadcaster David Faherty.
