8 Ss Falcons: record Is ‘pristine’ weekend game against Vancouver Island Mariners By AMY JONES ball team will compete for top spot in the league this Saturday against their biggest rivals, the Vancouver Is- land University Mariners. “It’s a very big game,” said coach Paul Eberhardt. “I know the guys are looking forward to it.” The team has kept up their pristine record from last season - almost. This time last year they were 7-0 and went on to win the provincial champion- ships. This season they are 6-1, cur- rently sitting in second place in the PacWest league. But that may change come Saturday when the Falcons face the league’s top team, the VIU Mariners. The Falcons have not yet played against the Mariners this season, but Eberhardt likes his team’s chances. “Last season we beat them four times - all very close games,” he said. The Mariners are currently ranked third in Canada by the Canadian Col- legiate Athletic Association, just ahead of the Falcons who are ranked fourth. “We have a big rivalry with them for sure,” said Eberhardt. The team’s success this year has come despite some big changes in the roster from last season. “We did lose a fair number of players so we're just getting to learn how to play with each other,” said Eberhardt. “The chemistry might be a little slower this year but it’s coming along pretty nice.” The team has secured the PacWest player of the week award twice this season. Last week was awarded to Elliot Mason. The week before went to Brodie Greig. The Falcons will host the Camosun Chargers on Friday at 8 p.m. before their big game against VIU on Satur- day at 3 p.m. Camosun is currently at the bottom of the league. As long as the Falcons don’t make the mistake of underesti- mating them, Eberhardt is confident the team will have a positive result. This weekend marks the final games before the Christmas break. During the break the team will go lighter on training to give players time to prepare for exams. They will do a lot of individual conditioning and training and play a few scrimmages before they start up league play again in January. T: Langara Falcons men’s basket- JES CUNNINGHAM photo Langara Falcon’s basketball coach, Paul Eberhardt, is optimistic about the team’s chances this weekend. By TRICIA LO Ine Vancouver Canucks will be paying homage to the Vancouver Millionaires when they take on the Ottawa Senators in the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic. On Thursday morning, both NHL teams unveiled their vintage-inspired jerseys for the upcoming Heritage Classic at BC Place stadium on Mar. 2. “We have a big history of hockey in Vancouver, so it is an honour to put it on,” said Canucks team captain Henrik Sedin at a press conference Thursday. BC Place, which holds as many as 50,000 fans, is expected to host the larg- est hockey crowd in the history of the province. Weather permitting, the roof will be open. The Canucks’ burgundy jersey is a throwback to the Millionaires’ days, featuring a large white “Victory V” logo with the word “Vancouver” print- ed inside. It may look familiar to some, having first debuted earlier this year, during a regular season game to celebrate 100 years of hockey in Vancouver. The Senators’ never-before-seen jer- sey features a large “O,” similar to the design prior to 1934. Red and black stripes on the cream-coloured uniform borrow from the “barber poles” of past jerseys. The design is reminiscent of the one NHL Heritage Classic How do Langara students feel about the vintage attire? INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY TRICIA LO PHOTO COURTESY OF NHL.COM Jason Spezza (left) and Henrik Sedin represent vintage jerseys for this year’s Heritage Classic Vintage jerseys are hyped for the season Sweaters with old-school flair unveiled ahead of this March’s NHL Heritage Classic at BC Place donned by early-NHL era Senators, who won four Stanley Cup champion- ships in eight seasons from 1920 to 1927. “Tm a big fan of it,” Jason Spezza, captain of the Ottawa Senators, said at the press conference. “They’ve done a good job of incorporating some of the retro feel to a modern jersey.” The matchup is a tribute to the 1915 best-of-five Stanley Cup final in which the Vancouver Millionaires swept the Ottawa Senators. That season marked the first time the NHA and PCHA hock- ey league champions agreed to com- pete against one another for the Cup. Another first will be marked with the 2014 Heritage Classic — never be- fore in NHL history has an outdoor game been played in a retractable-roof facility such as BC Place. Vancouver will be the third Canadi- an city to host an NHL Heritage Clas- sic, after the Edmonton Oilers in 2003 and the Calgary Flames in 2011. “With one of the world’s greatest fa- cilities as the setting and one of the world’s most scenic cities as the back- drop, the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic at BC Place will honour hockey’s Canadi- an heritage,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a press release. Special-edition jerseys are on sale now at the Canucks Team Store. Tick- ets for 2014 NHL Heritage Classic game go on sale Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. Ben Edelstein Omega Ricafuente Business Student Nursing Student “It’s vintage. It’s “T love the Million- exactly what it’s aires’ jersey. The supposed to be, but maroon is more Pm not a huge fan subtle.” of the colour. 66 The 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at BC Place in Vancou- ver will honour hockey’s Canadian heritage. NHL Commsioner, Gary Bettman Elan Hollander Arts Student “Tt has a classic, signature vibe. It’s Vancouver Whitecaps rehabilitate their game Returning after a foot injury, Whitecaps forward Omar Salgado takes the field by storm By ANDREA ANTHONY half, Vancouver Whitecaps for- ward Omar Salgado is finally back on the field. Salgado, 20, broke his fifth metatar- sal, the long bone on the outside of his right foot, three times within a year. Salgado was drafted from Club De- portivo Guadalajara in Mexico by the Whitecaps in 2011, and has spent half of his time here on the sidelines in- stead of on the field. “Tt’s been a tough start to my career for sure,” said Salgado. He said it “sucked,” but is happy to be back. Salgado started training again two months ago. Salgado was the first-overall draft pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. He said it was an honour to be the first pick. “T never imagined it would happen.” Salgado grew up playing soccer in E] Paso, Texas. He chose to play the sport because his dad encouraged him to pursue it. After years of sunshine and hot weather, he had to get used to Vancou- ver. “Tt’s always raining here,” said Sal- gado. “I hadn’t experienced rain that much, so it was fun at first. Now it’s tir- ing.” The speed of a slippery wet ball took getting used to, said Salgado. Although he misses his family in Texas, Salgado said he likes Vancouver. “It’s a beautiful city. I don’t think there’s anything like it in the world.” Salgado hopes to study economics at UBC in January and possibly own his own business someday, like his father. Whitecaps defender Sam Adekugbe, new to the Whitecaps roster this Au- gust, spoke highly of Salgado. “The fact that he’s able to come back from injuries ... shows a lot of credit to him and how much faith he has in him- self as a player,” said Adekugbe, 18. “Treally respect him as a player.” The Whitecaps season ended Oct. 28, with the team failing to make the play- offs. Practice is not currently mandatory for the Whitecaps, and many players have already gone home to their fami- lies, said Salgado. Next season will start for the Whitecaps on Mar. 8 at BC Place when they play against the New York Red Bulls. A= being injured for a year and a ANDREA ANTHONY photo Omar Salgado (right) and the Vancouver Whitecaps practice in Burnaby during the off-season before taking a break for the holidays.