Sports year in review: April-June 2015

This is the second of four parts in The Terrace Standard's annual year in review, showcasing sports highlights from April 2015 to June 2015.

April

The River Kings win silver at the Coy Cup in Fort Nelson March 28. It is the second year in a row the River Kings make the Coy Cup, and they lose the final 6-1 to the Fort St. John Flyers.

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Austin Turner, a Terrace minor hockey graduate and forward on 100 Mile House Wranglers is credited for playing 50 games without a single penalty. It is something no other player has ever done in the 46-year history of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, and Turner played some big minutes in the league.

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A mixed northern team called the Atom Gitxsan Chiefs earns silver at the annual Prince George Aboriginal Youth Hockey Championships over Easter weekend. It is quite a feat for the mixed team, with players from Hazelton, Terrace, Fort St. John and a goalie from Calgary, who had never practised as a full squad before.

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Terrace’s Joe Pelletier is the second fastest Canadian at an April race in New Orleans, Louisiana and contributes to a good cause along the way. A local charity runner, Pelletier runs the international 10km Crescent City Classic race in 45:54 and raises $1,870 for the Canadian Institute for the Blind.

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Lisa Nicholson from the Terrace Badminton Club goes to the 2015 North Central Badminton Tournament in Prince George and comes home with top honours. She places first in the youth singles category, which includes both female and male players, and second for the mixed youth doubles.

May

The combined Skeena and Caledonia track and field team places second of 12 teams with 222 points at the Prince George track meet early May. Coach Megan Reid says quite a few of the athletes also smash their previous personal bests.

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Nearly 300 Terrace roller derby fans celebrate with the Northcoast Nightmares at their first home win May 9, after a 121-89 take-down of Quesnel Gold Pain City in the last of a three game series. It is a year of first for the Nightmares, who also win their first game against the same team in Quesnel on April 29.

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Terrace’s U17 girls soccer team earns a big win at the Slurpee Cup in Kamloops over the long weekend, despite a small roster. This team has come close before, but this year they finally clock the most points overall, winning every match and tying for first in the final with Vernon.

June

Terrace’s Northern Fusion club volleyball team has yet another bright season – cleaning up at nationals and taking gold in their division. The U16 team starts off the season with silver in a Prince George tournament, and then place 9th at a challenging Super Series tournament in Burnaby. At provincials in Abbotsford in May the girls earn bronze in their division. Then, in the 2015 Volleyball Canada Championships in Calgary, the girls play strong, go undefeated in the first day, ranking first in their pool, and win the tournament.

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The Terrace Peaks Gymnastics Club picks up a new, 32-year veteran coach from the Lower Mainland, Karl McPherson, after nearly six months without a competitive coach. McPherson has produced provincial champions, coached kids to nationals and American National Collegiate Athletic Association teams, been named coach of the year, and acted as a judge and coaching evaluator. Moving from White Rock, he is looking for a change of pace, with a small town and one gym club.

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The Terrace Northmen open the regular rugby season with a win at home against the Williams Lake Rustlers May 23. It is a solid 27-19 win and the first time they had beat the Rustlers in years.

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Grade 10 student Tyler Dozzi wins two gold medals at the provincial championship track and field meet, recovering from a fall in one race. He secures first place in the Jr. Boys 1,500 and 3,000 m races.

Terrace Standard