The Martlet

Battling for the last playoff spot in the B.C. Premier League, the Vikes needed a strong start against the league’s second place Vancouver Hawks on Sunday, Feb. 8.

But after the first half, the Vikes were already down as Vancouver led 4-0. The Vikes could have dug themselves a hole, considering the Hawks are the league’s stingiest defensive team. Going into Sunday’s game, the Hawks had only given up 10 goals in 10 games this season — nearly twice as good as the next closest team.

But in the opening minutes of the second frame, the Vikes were able find some life as well as the back of the net on a broken play that resulted from their first short corner of the half. 

Not long after the Vikes struck again, making things interesting. The UVic squad played an in-your-face game, led by defender Shawn Paget. 

UVic coach Michael Lee called the tough defenceman “an incredible player,” who epitomizes the Vikes’ determined effort.

UVic pressed hard and, when needed, goaltender John Plumbley kept the Vikes in it until late in the game when the Hawks scored their fifth goal. Unable to find the net again, the Vikes lost with a 5-2 final score. It was a high-tempo and spirited game, typical of UVic’s style of play.

“There were a couple of short corner calls that didn’t come our way near the end of the game,” said Lee after the game. “We were playing very well until they scored the last goal. That seemed to deflate us.”

The game was somewhat symbolic of the Vikes season, which started slow but has come together in the second half as they have begun to compete with the Premier League’s best teams.

“We won the second half 2-1 against a very good team. The guys responded well and that was very positive to see,” Lee added.

The Vancouver Hawks are a formable opponent. A very athletic team with a roster littered with former junior and senior national team players, they play a fast-paced and intelligent game.

The Vikes used their fitness to their advantage, however, rallying back in the second half, but could not overcome the talented Vancouver team. The Hawks sit second in the Premier League standings, only two wins back of the high-scoring UBC squad. The Vikes, a little farther down the standings than their university counterparts, sit in seventh place.

The much-wanted rivalry between the two university teams has not developed to the level as many had hoped it would. This may be the result of the gap in the standings between the teams, possibly attributed to the difference in the player requirements for the two squads.

And the UBC team does not adhere to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) rules that the Vikes follow. According to CIS regulations, players must be registered full-time students and are limited to five years of eligibility.

The B.C. men’s Premier League, in which both teams play, does not require CIS standards of its teams. The Vikes, who require more travel than most teams, meet the CIS requirements in order to receive funding to offset costs.

Meanwhile, the UBC field hockey team is not as limited in the players available to them and can have members remain on the team for longer than the Vikes. UBC has developed their team well in recent years, and now sits atop the B.C. Premier League standings. The Vikes, who have a regular turnover of players, have a learning curve which needs to be redrawn each new season as new players come in and veterans move on.

The Vikes did get good news this weekend, however, that will give the improved team some hope moving towards the end of the season. With a revised schedule the Vikes will be making up two games that were cancelled earlier in the season. That gives them four games left and an outside shot at making the playoffs.

“Mathematically we are still alive [in the playoff race],” said an optimistic Lee. “And the teams we have to play are teams we can beat.”

The Vikes’ next game is Feb. 28 against the Burnaby Lakers team in Vancouver.