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The Lancer men’s hockey team has ended the season with a 6-2 loss against New Brunswick in the quarterfinals.
Do you have Lancer spirit? Find out how you can show it off through a music video being made on campus!
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After losing eight straight games, the Windsor Spitfires have absolutely no hope of making the playoffs.
Spring elections are in full force, with voting just a week away.
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YOUR C AMPUS AND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER // MARCH 19 2015 // VOL. #87 ISSUE #25 // UWINDSORLANCE.C A
Lancers Complete Drive For Five Straight CIS Titles KIMELLIOT Sports Intern __________________________ Oh, how sweet it is to be members of the Windsor Lancers basketball nation. The Lancer women’s basketball team earned their five-peat retention of the Bronze Baby trophy as the 2014-15 CIS Final 8 Champions in a 60-47 gold medal trouncing of the McGill Martlets. With their fifth consecutive CIS gold medal now safely in hand, the Lancers now share Canadian university hoops history along with the Laurentian Voyageurs, who were first to five-peat from 1975-1979. Fifth-year Lancer players Korissa Williams and Jocelyn LaRocque simultaneously made history of their own. In leading their team to gold they made new history by claiming the Bronze Baby trophy in each of the past five seasons, something no other players have accomplished in the storied chronicles of CIS women’s basketball. In the immediate afterglow of the 2015 CIS national championship game and regular season in the PEPS Gym of Université Laval, repeat CIS women’s basketball coach of the year, Windsor’s Chantal Vallee said she was really touched after her fifth straight national championship. “Every championship is special, but this one is very special,” said Vallee. “My team only had nine healthy players for most of the season, so some of the girls had to play most of our games. And to win our fifth straight championship in Quebec City - where I am from - also made it very special.” Williams led Windsor to the promise land in the national finals against McGill, scoring 21 points, securing 14 rebounds, dishing out seven assists and garnering six steals. Williams was named tournament MVP for her performances and was named a first-team all-Canadian and CIS defensive player of the year in a pretournament banquet Mar. 11. “I feel complete. I finished my career a winner. I’m just really happy. I am especially happy with my teammates,” said Williams. “I got three fouls called
The Windsor Lancer women’s basketball team poses with the Bronze Baby Trophy as 2015 champions of Canadian Interuniversity Sports. It is the fifth consecutive CIS championship for head coach Chantal Vallee and players Korissa Williams and Jocelyn LaRocque. [Photo by // Yan Doublet - Special to The Lance] against me early and my teammates just pushed and pushed and pushed. They picked up the slack that I left them with. I am really proud of my team’s performance in the final game and the whole weekend. They were in game mode, play-off mode and championship mode so they did not let the loss of one player overly affect them.” Fellow five-time champion and second-team OUA all-star LaRocque said adding another championship to her resume is bittersweet. “It’s great to have won the championship again, but it’s also hitting me now that this is the end of my basketball career,” said LaRocque. Although the Lancers led comfort-
ably 21-10 at the first quarter, 34-26 at the half and 45-38 after three quarters, the stubborn Martlets pushed the Lancer backs against the wall with only one basket separating them in the fourth quarter. The Lancers refused to fold however and Vallee praised her team for their poise.
the very determined No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies 75-61 in the second semi-final game, Mar. 14. The win set up Windsor’s rugged championship duel with the tough minded No.3 McGill Martlets who upset the No.2 UBC Thunderbirds 59-57 in overtime of the first semi-final.
“We just hold [on defense], go back down and push on the next plays to get our scores,” said Vallee. “It happens in basketball games. There’s runs but no big deal - don’t panic, just react as champions.
LaRocque said the preparation Vallee gives her team in practices throughout the year and with in-depth game plans is why she shares such a unique record with Williams as the only female players to win five CIS national championships.
During the tournament Mar. 12, coach Vallee easily guided her number one seeded Lancers past eighthseeded host Laval Rouge et Or 91-57. Vallee then directed Windsor past
“Honestly she just knows what she’s doing. Pushing to your limits every single day so when it comes down to the national championship you’ve been there before,” said LaRocque.
“Sometimes we’ve been emotionally pushed further than what you might encounter in a game so we don’t get overwhelmed.” Fellow graduate and now two-time national champion Kristine Lalone said going out in her fifth year as a national champion feels amazing. “I am so proud of my team. We just stuck to our game plan and I can’t be more happy right now,” said LaLonde. “When I play I just accept my role of setting everyone up and taking my shots when I need to, just as everyone else on the team accepted their role. See BRONZE BABY on page
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
An Awareness of Peace and Understanding
HANIYASSINE
Arts Editor __________________________ Hanan Khaled, director of the Muslim Students Association, had one clear objective for the week: “What we want to do is raise awareness about the religion of Islam just so that people could understand what it is, because there are those misconceptions in the media,” Khaled said. “They portray Islam in a very negative way and we just want to bring out the true colours of the religion, which I believe are peace and understanding.” From Mar. 9 to Mar. 17, Islam Awareness Week occurred in and around campus, largely the CAW Centre’s commons area. The purpose was to shed light on the religion and to provide a sense of understanding to anyone who may be unsure of the religion as far as the fundamentals and virtues go. “Our main point is to build bridges, build connections with other student groups and other students on campus,” Khaled said. A booth was set up for the majority of the week meant to educate anyone passing by about the background of
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Islam. One of the highlights of the week included an interfaith discussion between Pastor Scott McAllister and Imam Dr. Shabir Ally, both of whom serve as leaders of their respective faiths. “It’s an honor to be here tonight and to just be able to share this experience and learn from one another,” McAllister said. The discussion on the evening of Mar. 10 was dubbed Concealed but Everywhere – The Love and Presence of God in Our Eyes. People listened as both McAllister and Ally provided their own perspectives over a series of questions, such as the meaning of life and its purposes. “Regardless of the right answer or wrong answer, each of us has to have some answer,” Ally said. “I ask you why you’re here at university and you might say I’m here to study medicine or something like this. But if I ask you why you’re here in Earth, a lot of people may draw a blank. We need to think about that.” At the end Khaled hopes the week ultimately serves as a reminder of regardless of race or culture, we shouldn’t feat or hate things we don’t completely understand.
Bronze Baby
Lalonde said she has no doubt next year’s edition of the Windsor Lancer women’s basketball team will get the job done when they go for their sixth consecutive CIS national title. “A lot of people doubted us this year, so I suppose they’ll doubt the players on next year’s team as well,” LaLonde added. “[Vallee] is a real tough coach
Islam Awareness Week took place between Mar. 9 and Mar. 17 at the CAW Centre and Toldo Building. The week was meant to educate people about the religion and its background. [Photo by // Hani Yassine]
to play for because she pushes us to our limits. She got us all playing our best at the peak moments in our career. She’s just an awesome coach, I couldn’t have asked for more. She cares for all of us, including our support staff because she cares for us as people first, which makes for an awesome team and I am just so grateful to be a part of it.”
Imam Dr. Shabir Ally speaks during an interfaith discussion at the University of Windsor’s Toldo building Mar. 10. [Photo by // Hani Yassine]
Adding notably to Windsor’s championship success was tournament allstar Cheyanne Roger, the 2014 OUA Rookie of the year, who dominated the paint at both ends of the court when needed. Against McGill, Roger scored 10 points and her perennial partner in the paint, Emily Prevost scored 12 points. The Martlets, who valiantly settled for the silver medal, were led by Mariam Sylla and Alex Kiss-Rusk who both scored 10 points while Sylla and tournament all-star Gabriela Hebert led McGill in rebounding.
Although not all of the Lancers figured significantly in the scoring of the final game Williams, LaRocque and LaLonde were careful to heap praise upon all of their teammates. Returning standouts include Andrea Kiss, Caitlyn Longmuir and Carly Steer, who helped the starters get through to the OUA Final 4 and CIS Final 8 tournament.
and a desire to win. We all beat the odds, we were all doubted, but the young girls stepped into their roles and it was awesome.”
“Like the teams of my past four years, this year, once again, we dealt with losing some of our most experience players - our seasoned vets,” said Williams. “Yet this team had a lot of grit
“I am very grateful to have played on this year’s team,” said Williams “Each year we are a different team, we are part of a whole community...so we we’re playing for everybody.”
lance 2O14 Staff
VOL.87 ISSUE 25 MARCH 19 2O15
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Editor-in-Chief JOLENEPERRON editor@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3909
Arts Editor HANIYASSINE arts@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3910
Business and Advertising Manager JOHNCOOPER business@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3604
Sports Editor BRETTHEDGES sports@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3923
News Editor SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ news@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3906
Layout & Design Manager CHRISMAILLOUX artdirector@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3932
In reflecting on her illustrious Lancers career, Williams said her leadership role meant more to her than simply passing the torch on to her teammates on a winning note.
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA //
Lancers Unite for Campus Music Video
HANIYASSINE
Arts Editor __________________________ The university’s Lancer Nation is pulling no punches in closing out the semester with some extravagance. Come the last day of classes on Apr. 10, the university will showcase what will be its first ever UWindsor LipDub video. Popularized and influenced by the University of British Columbia, a lipdub is a video which combines lip-synching with music. While it shares many of the same traits as a standard music video, what makes a lipdub unique is how the camera seamlessly transitions from one location to the next. It not only acts as a tour guide for a school like the University of Windsor, but it’s also a way to show the spirit within. “A lot of students were doing lipdubs back in 2011, just as a way to show their school and their school spirit,” said head coordinator Rob Crawford. Crawford said what will make this lipdub stand out from the pack is the
intended mash-up of several different songs throughout the duration of the video. Lancer Nation have made steps in ensuring the planning and development of the project is executed with as little hiccups as possible. Crawford finds timing to be the project’s biggest challenge.
“We made a promo video which we actually did a practice lipdub, so we learned a lot about all of the details and intricacies that had to be planned out prior,” Crawford said. “We’re hoping to have the song completed by next Monday and that way we can really time to a T what’s going to happen where.” According to Crawford, the video will begin at the CAW Centre and end at the Lancers’ football field hitting several other campus locations in between. The idea now is to promote the event by holding casting calls and attempting to speak with every class on campus about the project. The goal isn’t just to have students loosen up following the end of classes, but also for the video to serve as a stamp
Screenshot of the LipDub promo video. for school pride and uplift the spirits of those involved. “Our message to students is simple: A lot of people on our campus com-
plain about school spirit, you get a lot of people running to the UWSA trying to campaign an increase in school spirit,” Crawford said. “This is something tangible that everyone
can participate in, and really demonstrates not just to ourselves but to the community, to other universities and students that we’re proud of where we came from.”
UWSA Campaigns Begin with All Candidates Meeting and Poster Night
SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ News Editor __________________________ With the slogan “promote the vote,” the UWSA elections began Mar. 12 with an all candidates meeting. The campaign period has officially begun and will go until Mar. 24. The 44 candidates prepared to launch their campaigns at the all candidates meeting Mar. 12 where they went over their rules, schedules and tasks for the next week. April Adams, the chief returning officer for the UWSA is very much looking forward to this upcoming election period. “I’m trying to promote the vote and get everybody involved,” said Adams. “I do enjoy watching the candidates campaign and they are very creative and interesting.” The all candidates meeting gave everyone a chance to be on the same level when it comes to how the elections will play out and allowed each candidate to voice any comments or concerns they have for the upcoming elections. Larissa Howlett, a student running for the faculty’s arts, social sciences and humanities representative, said she wants to make a difference to the students through her campaign and that’s her main focus. “I was inspired to get involved with UWSA because I could help more then just my department,” said Howlett. “I like doing things for the students and bringing opportunities to them. I’m nervous but I am very excited.”
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Current UWSA president, Ronnie Haidar, is looking forward to seeing what these candidates have to offer for the upcoming election period. “This campus is all about having a healthy dialogue and discussion, and these candidates during the campaign trail need to take a step back and look at themselves and think they are taking those steps forward to be the change” said Haidar. “I walked into the room and had a nostalgic moment, it really brings me back, and I know what these guys are feeling. They have taken the first step to student leadership.” All the candidates share the same passion for students and want to offer a platform that allows students to express their concerns and have their voices heard.
Candidates put up posters Mar. 15 for poster night to start their campaigning for the upcoming UWSA elections. [Photo by // Samantha Fernandez]
Soultrain Sivanesan, Jaydee Tarpeh and Farah El-Hajj, three candidates running for executive positions, believe this is the best way for them to contribute to the students attending the University of Windsor. “I believe in the quote ‘be the change you want to see’ and that’s why I am running,” said Sivanesan. “I want to help the school benefit from me being here.” The campaign period will end Mar. 24 with voting beginning Mar. 25. Students can see the campaign schedule and get a closer look at their candidates by visiting the UWSA’s wesite www.uwsa.ca/elections. “I am all about the voter,” said Adams. “I know these candidates care because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be here.”
Candidates prepare their posters to be put up throughout campus for the UWSA elections [Photo by // Samantha Fernandez]
Return of the Turntable
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Chris Bozzetto purchases a couple of records at Dr. Disc Records Mar. 13 [Photo by Hani Yassine] HANIYASSINE
to the extent where the upkeep may
Arts Editor __________________________
be a bit too high.
From cassettes and compact discs to hard drives and cloud storage, music is accessible in a variety of ways the same way other art forms are, but not often do art forms find themselves delving back into the past. Over the past few years, vinyl records have found themselves in a state of resurgence. Unofficially dubbed as the vinyl revival, sales have skyrocketed
Rows of records are on display and for sale at Dr. Disc Records Mar. 13. Vinyl record sales have increased dramatically over the past year. [Photo by Hani Yassine]
News written in December 2014,
high. More than one million people had purchased records in the UK in the past year. Nielsen Music recently put out a report showing nearly eight million American records purchased in 2014, with Canada facing a 68 per cent increase from 2013 to 2014. Some of the cited benefits of vinyl include superior sound, given the right equipment, and the detailed artwork which usually comes with the product.
vinyl record sales have hit an 18-year
“It’s a piece of art whereas if you’re
the time to adjust the learning experience to the needs of their classes is very important to the classroom environment. According to Miner Gail Murray, a professor in the dramatic arts, does just that.
is not only important for student growth, but for teachers as well.
“I’ve noticed in the past six or seven years there’s been a slow, incremental increase,” said Dr. Disc co-owner Liam O’Donnell. “I used to see kids buying Kiss records or Zeppelin records, but now I see them getting the new Fall Out Boy.” According to an article from BBC
downloading something it’s not tangible., it’s just on your hard drive,” said Dr. Disc co-owner Alex Zelenyj.
come either state side or across the
The increase in sales however comes with a trade-off. With the demand of vinyl being so high, record pressing factories frequently bottleneck in production due to how antiquated the hardware has become overtime. While factories are slowly opening up in the US, there are currently no record pressing companies in Canada. O’Donnell said most of their records
on vinyl alone.
education.
highly doubt I would get that experience from a textbook.”
pond, and while sales have increased the store wouldn’t be able to survive
At any rate, they hope vinyl sales continue to increase, and believe there will always be a place for the format. “It’s hard to say. Some people just grow to stuff,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a hot hobby for a while ... But some do stick to it. Music is special that way.”
Professors Impacting Students: Both Sides of the Story
SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ News Editor __________________________
Students spend a lot of time with their professors to make sure they are being educated on the subjects in their field, ensuring they can move forward in their future careers. Students at the University of Windsor feel their professors have impacted them in more ways than one and some even believe they will keep in contact with those professors after graduation. Allie Miner, a fourth year Drama, Education and Community student said having professors who really take
“She is always sharing her experiences and how we can apply it to a career and ultimately make money because in a career, in the end, that’s the goal,” said Miner. “She offers a judgment free zone to all students, and we all know we can go to her to say whatever is on our minds and she will listen and try to help.” Murray said it is important students never stop learning and feedback
“To know that I have helped someone discover new things, not just about the subject at hand, but about themselves, is very gratifying,” said Murray. “A student I mentored called me recently and said, ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’ I told her to pass it on, to mentor people she comes in contact with and continue the cycle.” Dr. Frances Cachon, a professor in Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, was also mentioned by first year Forensic Science student Munira Jamali and UWindsor student Allie Miner about her impacts on their
“My students are what keep me going,” said Cachon. “They get me through. It’s a huge commitment and you have to be passionate, and when I connect with the students it feels like a calling, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” Jamali said in her lessons, Cachon speaks with such passion she is moved. “She told us she wanted us to be bitten by sociology, just like she was. The semester isn’t even over and I am in love with the field,” said Jamali. “She has altered mine and hopefully a lot of other students’ stereotypical opinions on a lot of controversial issues. I
With the rate of students at the University of Windsor growing rapidly, professors need to take care of large classes. This creates a learning environment that may make it more difficult for professors to get one on one time with their students. “They [the teachers] deserve recognition for what they do, it’s the least I can do to provide that recognition,” said Miner. “When you’re learning, you need to make a connection with who you are learning from. People need to know it’s more than just getting a degree.”
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Pride Through Apparel
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HANIYASSINE Arts Editor __________________________ WinCity is a moniker which you’ll likely be hearing and seeing on a constant basis upon lingering around campus and perhaps the city itself. As an effort to uplift the city of Windsor, local clothing store BB Branded has collaborated with the Campus Bookstore to usher in a line of WinCity Lancers apparel which was launched Mar. 13 with people excited to merge the WinCity logo with the Lancers’ emblem to give a sense of civic unity. “You can go to any of our locations, purchase something that represents the city itself, that represents Windsor itself, the Lancers and the local shop all in one,” said BB Branded owner Ayad Saddi. “Our main vision is hopefully one day we can go to a Lancer game be able to see the crowd just all in WinCity, in school colours, just cheering.” Hoodies, t-shirts and hats carrying the Lancers and BB Branded tags are some of the items currently on sale at both the bookstore and the two BB Branded stores in the city. Part of the proceeds will go towards the Lancer’s athletic program, as Saddi finds the ultimate reward to be giving back to the community through this clothing line.
Campus Bookstore and BB Branded collaborated to bring a line of WinCity Lancers clothing which launched at Campus Bookstore Mar. 13. [Photo by Hani Yassine] one of my friends said, a win-win.”
“What’s unique about this is what’s unique about BB Branded,” said university sales and marketing coordi-
nator Martin Deck. “Local business, great design, and as a Windsorite born and bred, I must say I’m filled with pride when I see the WinCity logo and to be able to include the Lancers logo in that is I think is, as
SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ News Editor __________________________
ronto. “We Teach Ontario wants to bring visibility to an otherwise invisible issue.”
real people, with real struggles, as opposed to a statistic.”
We Teach Ontario is the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association’s (OCUFA) campaign to have a fair contract for sessional professors. These professors and faculty members are fighting for their place in academia, to have similar contract benefits to ten year professors.
Since 2000, there has been an 87 per cent increase in the reliance in contract faculty. This is a major increase, but Lawson said it is still not enough to keep up with the growing number of students that are entering universities.
While the success behind the launch cannot be determined at this time, Saddi, Deck and UWSA president Ronnie Haidar expect the Lancers
and the students behind them will embrace the WinCity logo. They believe doing so will demonstrate unwavering pride for both the city and the school, as they are one and the same with equal focal points.
“It’s an amazing initiative,” said Hai-
“If students can appreciate their professors, students can have an enormous impact they do not even know about,” said Dr. Cachon. “Our working conditions are your learning conditions.”
post sectondary sector and the last point is to increase the transparency and accountability.
dar. “It’s another medium where we can have students and Windsorites as a whole to promote Windsor as the great city that it is.”
OCUFA Fights for Sessional Professors Rights
Sessional professors, unlike ten year professors, do not have job security within the university. They get their classes right before the classes begin in September and are sometimes teaching up to seven classes a year, when they are only supposed to be teaching around four. Kate Lawson, the OCUFA president, said they want to fight for their jobs and rights. “We support their call for better working conditions,” said Lawson, when asked about walk-outs in To-
“We all have interest in good jobs,” said Lawson. “We fight for fairness, social justice, and this is all in the best interests of the students.” Dr. Frances Cachon, a professor in Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, and sessional professor on campus, believes it is important for academic faculty and staff to have full inclusion and recognition. “My employment is not an anomaly, it is now the norm,” said Dr. Cachon. “We are trying to raise awareness. We want to humanize the story by putting a face to the name; we are
Dr. Cachon described this tactic as “casualized labour”, meaning the academy is keeping professors so they are never really full-time. These sessional instructors are not always teaching the same courses, they are put wherever there is an open position, which means they may not even be told about the course until the week before it starts. “When we are hired, we are hired to do one course but that is never the case,” said Dr. Cachon. “It is contract to contract and sessionals are teaching up to six courses a year.” One of the major problems in this case according to both Lawson and Cachon is students are not fully aware of the differences between ten year professors and sessional professors. They believe when they enter the classroom, they are being taught by their professors, no matter what their contract states.
The most recent movement was Mar. 12 when the Ontario Government announced it would be launching consultations to inform and review the funding formula for universities, which will begin this spring. This process, according to the government of Ontario will be open and formal, including faculty, students and administration.This process will include employers, colleges, professional association and both the elementary and secondary education sectors and it will be focused on four main points. The first point is to enhance the quality and improve the student experience, the second is to support differentiation as expressed in each universities’ strategic mandate agreement, the third is to maintain financial and long-term stability of the
OCUFA has indicated it will actively participate in the process to voice any and all concerns of professors and academic librarians with goals to ensure “adequate resources to provide high quality and affordable higher education, supporting good academic jobs and promoting stability, equity and transparency.” Shenikia Clarke, a fourth year Communications, Media and Film student said it is important to make connections with professors to have a heightened learning environments. “If a large gap between students and professors exists, it affects the learning experience tremendously because it emphasizes students as merely a number,” said Clarke. “ The professors set the learning environment, and it paramount that they make it the best experience possible to promote high achievement.”
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Men’s Hockey Season Finishes At CIS Final 8 Tournament
BRETTHEDGES
Sports Editor __________________________ The Windsor Lancer men’s hockey team’s memorable season ended as they dropped a 6-2 decision to the New Brunswick Varsity Reds in CIS University Cup quarterfinals in Halifax, N.S. The first-round CIS tournament exit most notably marks the end of the five-year CIS career of Lancer standout goaltender Parker Van Buskirk. Van Buskirk was named OUA West goaltender of the year prior to Windsor’s 2-1 overtime victory over the McGill Redmen in the OUA bronze medal game Mar. 7. The win clinched the Lancers berth to the CIS University Cup tournament as the OUA’s third seed. The Mar. 12 game saw New Brunswick lead 3-2 midway through the third period, until a slew of penalties derailed the Lancers chances of a first-round upset. The Varsity Reds out-shot Windsor 38-12 with Van
Buskirk turning aside 32 shots in the loss. “We thought we gave ourselves a chance to win against a very good hockey team,” said Lancers head coach Kevin Hamlin. “The shots on goal were not indicative of the play.”
The Atlantic conference champions opened the scoring at 17:15 of the first period on a goal from team captain Cam Critchlow. The Varsity Reds doubled their lead on a powerplay goal by Cam Braes assisted by Philippe Maillet early in the second period. Braes finished with four goals, which tied a CIS record for most goals in a national championship tournament game. Windsor’s captain, Spencer Palmer sliced the New Brunswick lead in half with 13:47 remaining in the second period on a two-on-one breakaway. In his final CIS game, he deposited a rebound behind Shantz See HOCKEY on page
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Windsor Lancer captain Drew Palmer scores against New Brunswick Varsity Reds goaltender David Shantz during CIS University Cup quarterfinal action in Halifax, N.S. Mar., 12. [Photo courtesy of golancers.ca]
UWindsor, St. Clair College Co-Host OFSAA Basketball Championships BRETTHEDGES Sports Editor __________________________ The University of Windsor and St. Clair College played host to some of the best high school basketball players in Canada and the athletes did not disappoint. The OFSAA ‘AAAA’ boys basketball championships took over Windsor during a three day period Mar. 10 through Mar. 12 at the two well known venues. U-Windsor’s St. Denis Centre and St. Clair College’s SportsPlex hosted the 18-team tournament, which included some of Canada’s top-ranked prospects. St. Michael’s College was the No. 1 ranked team heading into the tournament, featuring Nelson Kaputo, a highly-touted prospect who is already entertaining offers to attend American prep high schools which will better condition him for a jump to the NCAA. Kaputo was dominant during the tournament and won player of the game honours in all five contests his team took part in. Windsor Lancer head coach Chris Oliver served as a co-convener for the event along with OFSAA’s Danielle Chevalier. Oliver said Windsor was very excited to have so many potential student-athletes in their gyms, on their campus and around the city. “We want them to see all of the things we value in our community,” said Oliver. “When we do have those conver-
sations with them, hopefully they will have some familiarity with what we’re all about.” At the time, Windsor’s men’s basketball team was ranked second in Canada and were headed to Toronto to compete in the CIS Final 8 tournament at Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. Oliver was lighthearted however when wondering if any of the athletes involved in the tournament were even aware of the Lancers current standing in the CIS rankings as it pertained to recruiting. “Unfortunately, that’s one of the problems we have been having trying to grow the CIS brand,” said Oliver. “In this city at least, people are fired up and what more can you ask for? You have the best high school tournament on your campus and we get to be in the best university event.” Oliver said the quality of players at the OFSAA ‘AAAA’ tournament was tremendous. “I know most of our supposed topend players are in the U.S. but it’s hard to tell watching some of these games,” said Oliver. “There are a lot of guys we could put into our rosters and we will hopefully work on that for the next little while. But the local contingent of players is our major focus right now.” One of the local players Oliver has heavily recruited is Holy Names forward Isaiah Familia, who led the 16-seed Knights to a buzzer beater victory over perennial powerhouse Eastern Commerce high school from Toronto in the tournament’s
Nelson Kaputo of St. Michael’s College drives againt the Campion Bears during the OFSAA gold medal game at St. Clair SportsPlex, Mar. 11. St. Michael’s beat Campion 79-59 to claim the OFSAA AAAA basketball championship. Photo by // Kevin Jarrold] opening round. With the option of returning to highschool for a fifth year still available, Familia said he is going to take the March break and summertime to work on his game before deciding on his post-secondary options. “It’s a big decision but hopefully it will pay off in the end,” said Familia. “I still need to talk with my parents about it.”
Familia did say the University of Windsor could be one of his options whenever he does come out of high school.
That’s what growing up is all about. Hopefully it all works out, not only in basketball but in life.”
“I’ve talked to Coach Oliver, I’ve worked out with some of the guys, right now I have no idea what I want to do so I’ll have to wait until the summertime to truly answer that question,” said Familia. “It’s a tough decision but it’s a mature decision.
The St. Michael’s College Blue Raiders won the OFSAA ‘AAAA’ boys basketball championship, which was played at the St. Clair College SportsPlex Mar. 11, with a record of 48-1.
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Spitfires Eliminated From Playoff Contention BRETTHEDGES
round of picks in 2014.
Sports Editor __________________________ For the second time in three years, the Windsor Spitfires will not participate in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
“Obviously I want to sign a contract too and every game is important so I want to finish this season strong and begin building towards having a good start next year,” said Sanvido. “I think consistency for our team is a big thing and probably the biggest thing that we’ve learned is the feeling of not making the playoffs.”
After dropping their last eight consecutive games, the Saginaw Spirit have moved seven points ahead of Windsor and mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention with three games remaining in the regular season. Spitfires captain Patrick Sanvido said it is tough whenever you are not playing for a playoff spot but there are a lot of players in the Windsor dressing room who will use the final regular season games to keep their futures in hockey alive. “For guys who want to go pro and sign a contract and the guys who want to get drafted, there is a lot to play for,” said Sanvido. “As much as it sucks to not be playing for a playoff spot, there is still a lot of motivation, especially to play in front of our fans. They have stuck with us all year and it’s our last home game [Mar. 19] so we want to play our hearts out for them.” Sanvido said he personally wants to play the last three games in an attempt to build for next season, whether it be with the Spitfires or with the Dallas Stars who drafted him in the seventh
Spitfires forward Hayden McCool said after failing to make the playoffs it is tough looking around the Windsor dressing room at the overage players and know their careers will come to an end very shortly. “Whatever happens, it is hard to look them in the eyes because at the end of the day, we wanted to make the playoffs for them too,” said McCool. “We wanted to give those guys a fun last year in the OHL so it’s tough but we need to continue to play. We want to win.” One of those Spitfires overage players is Slater Doggett, who will play the final three games of his threeyear OHL career beginning Mar. 19 against highly-touted NHL prospect Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters in front of a sold out crowd at the WFCU Centre. Doggett has flourished in his lone season in Windsor, registering career highs with 24 goals and 50 points while switching between playing for-
Windsor Spitfires Slater Doggett looks to deflect a shot against the Plymouth Whalers during the 2014 OHL regular season. [Photo by // Kevin Jarrold] ward and filling in on defense when the team was dealing with injuries and suspensions. Doggett said the Spitfires will play hard and added he wishes to go out with as much pride as possible. As he looks toward the future of his hockey career, Doggett admitted playing in Windsor has helped him develop for the next level but was noticeably dejected when speaking of his pro aspirations. “I definitely had the best season of my OHL career but I think getting into
the playoffs would’ve helped more than scoring however many goals I scored,” said Doggett. “But I think the biggest thing to getting noticed is winning. Teams at the next level want winners and we’re losers right now.” Although dejected, Doggett said he is still going to have fun playing in his final three games but said it doesn’t compare to playing in the playoffs. However, Doggett admitted he is one of the lucky young men who get to live their dreams of playing hockey at a high level.
“I definitely feel lucky. I didn’t play five years like some guys but it was definitely the three best years of my life and the best three years of my hockey career,” said Doggett. “I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity to play in this great league with a bunch of great teammates and great coaches and great fans here in Windsor.” The Spitfires finish the regular season on the road Mar. 20 in Sarnia against the Sting before finishing things off against their OHL West division rival Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Mar. 21.
University of Windsor Team Makes Top 100 in the World for Airbus Competition SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ News Editor __________________________
The University of Windsor engineering team, The Left Brothers, made it through to round two in the Airbus “Fly Your Ideas” Competition. The competition started out with 500 teams from all over the world, competing in different categories including energy, efficiency, affordable growth and traffic growth. The Left Brothers worked on efficiency, creating a new wing design they hope will get them further in the competition. The University of Windsor team is concentrating on the theme of efficiency, so they are tackling both the areas of cost and fuel. Alfredo Salituro, a member of the group, said this competition has opened the eyes of the members to a
lot of different opportunities.
“The changes that you can make now are smaller than what they were, everybody’s optimised different aspects of flying,” said Salituro. “We came up with the original idea and had to pitch the gains and benefits of our idea, what Airbus can gain by improving their existing wing flaps.” The four members of the group are all mechanical engineering students, three are specializing in aerospace and one in automotive. They created this team as a group of friends who wanted to do more in their field. UWindsor professor Jeff Defoe, the academic advisor for the group, said these students are incredibly motivated in their work and need very little coaching in the project. “Working with the group has been extremely rewarding,” said Defoe.
“Regardless of the outcome of the Fly Your Ideas competition, the Left Brothers team have succeeded in impressing me and have hopefully learned some important things not just about the technical topic of their project, but also about how much can be achieved with will and effort.”
In round two, the competitors are to test their products, come up with prototypes and prepare reports ready to send to the competition by the end of the month. The group is working with experts in France via email and teleconference to keep them up to date with their progress.
The team is going up against not only other undergraduate students, but also PhD and graduate students from all over the world. They have made their prototype using a 3D printer and are currently in the testing stages of their project.
“We have to show proof of concept that’s the main thing,” said Salituro. “It’s been a huge challenge, but we are learning a lot. We’re actually learning things that we will be learning this summer, some of the software we are using for the project we will be learning later. It is expanding our horizons and this is great for research.”
“Us being undergrads we were kind of a grade below, so we had a lot of catching up to do,” said Salituro. “Some of the research these teams are doing is their PhD research, so they have been on it for four years. We’ve been putting a lot of hours in just to catch up.”
After this round, the teams will be cut down and only the top five will remain for round three. Winners of the competition would get a one week trip to France to attend the Paris Air Show.
“The Left Brothers team have succeeded in impressing me and have hopefully learned some important things not just about the technical topic of their project, but also about how much can be achieved with will and effort,” said Defoe. “I have no way of assessing the teams’ chances, but I know they are doing their best and regardless of outcome I will be very proud of their efforts.” Regardless of the turnout, the members of the UWindsor team have enjoyed their learning experience this far and have been able to apply their studies to a real-life project. “I think the experience is the best,” said Salituro. “Even if we don’t make it to the next round, the things that we have learned, to do this now is really great.”
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Lancers Men’s Track and Field Kings of the CIS
BRETTHEDGES Sports Editor __________________________ The Windsor Lancer men’s track and field team has won their 20th CIS track and field national title in school history on home track at the St. Denis Centre. The team’s total of 101 points was good enough to edge out their rivals from Guelph who finished second with 92 points. The York Lions claimed the bronze medal in the team competition with 73 points. Heading into the final day of competition, Windsor and Guelph battled down the stretch with the national men’s team title undecided heading into the final event of the competition, the four-by-400 meter relay. Guelph ran in the first heat of the event with a good race, putting the pressure on the Lancers. With memories of a one point CIS men’s title loss to Guelph on home track in 2009 fresh in the minds of coaches and alumni, all eyes were on the track and the clock. Windsor’s four-by-400 meter team was clutch when it counted as CIS silver medal pentathlete Jesse Drennan took the lead on the opening leg and handed off to rookie Chris Kramer for the second. Kramer did not waver during his leg and handed off to Corey Bellemore cleanly as he took the lead for the Lancers on the opening bend of his section. As Bellemore handed off to Alex Ull-
Coaching staff and team members of Windsor Lancers men’s track and field team pose with their 2015 CIS championship banner and trophy at St. Denis Centre, Mar. 14. [Photo by // Edwin Tam] man, chants of the anchors last name rang throughout the St. Denis Centre from the loud contingent of Lancers athletes and alumni in the third corner of the track. Ullman pulled away from heralded Trinity Western run-
ner Thomas Riva and ran to victory with a gold medal finishing time of 3:17.79. “We wanted it so bad,” said Ullman. “When Guelph won their heat and
set a fast time that made things really interesting. We all had to run our fastest race, it was the last race of the year, so we had to give 100 per cent and we did. When Corey [Bellemore] took the baton [from Kramer] in that posi-
tion, I knew we had it. I had the confidence in Corey and the confidence in myself that we would win after Jesse See KINGS on page
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Former Track Standout Off to Arizona for Highland Games
BRETTHEDGES Sports Editor __________________________ After a stellar track and field career as a Windsor Lancer, Celine Gibb dropped shot put and decided to pick up even stranger implements. With multiple OUA and CIS titles in shot put in her back pocket, Gibb decided to get into heavy events at the Highland Games after being introduced to the sport by her former coach and fellow Lancer throws standout Mike Miller. “One day he was out training in the field and after shot put practice I asked him if I could try. After enough pestering he finally said yes,” said Gibb. “He slowly taught me all of the required skills to the Highland Games heavy events.” Gibb used her experience as the Lancer women’s shot put record holder and now holds three Canadian Highland Games heavy event records in weight over bar, open stone and braemar. The 23-yearold will now travel to the southwest United States this upcoming week to compete in the 51st Annual Scottish Gathering & Highland Games in Arizona Mar. 21 and 22.
“Holding three Canadian records is an amazing feeling. It’s for the betterment of the sport,” said Gibb. “Generally it’s slightly older women competing but they are some of the toughest and strongest women you’ll ever meet. They paved the way for my generation to be able to compete in as man events and at virtually at as many games as the men.” The tradition of the athletic competition goes back to the days when rival clans or kings would meet. Some believe competitions were organized to keep down the brawling and street fighting as well to impress one’s rivals with displays of strength and skill and to gain honor and prestige. The games came to America with the immigrants but today the competition is between individuals and not clans. In heavy events there are nine different events, six of which are very similar to track events. The open stone and braemar are similar to Gibb’s track and field forte, shot put, but with different weighted stones. There are two hammer events, one heavy and one light, which have similar characteristics to Olympic hammer throw, except you can’t move your feet and can only wind the hammer. The implements also look very dif-
ferent than an Olympic hammer. Finally there is a light weight and heavy weight which you hold one handed and spin similarly to a discus throw. Gibb said the other three events: sheaf, caber and weight over bar don’t really have a correlation to track and field but are simply feats of strength. Gibb feels the sport was a seamless transition after a successful track and field career that began at Holy Names high school and continued under legendary head coach Dennis Fairall and longtime throws coach at the University of Windsor, Denise Hebert. Gibb graduated as Windsor’s record holder in shot put at 15.75 metres and has two silver and two gold medals at the OUA provincial level as well as two bronze and two gold medals at CIS national level.
Windsor’s Celine Gibb is shown competing in Highland Games heavy events during the 2014 competition season. Gibb holds three Canadian records and looks for more at the Women’s World Championships in Arizona Mar. 21. [Photo courtesy of Celine Gibb – Special to The Lance]
“Highland games heavy events is a fantastic sporting experience,” said Gibb. “I am honored to be competing this weekend in the Women’s World Championships in Arizona.”
upcoming events being held outside, Gibb admits training for Highland Games heavy events in Canada definitely holds it share of disadvantages.
Gibb just finished her first season as women’s throws coach for the Lancers track and field team which allowed her the opportunity to train inside most of the winter. With all of her
“It’s been a tough few months getting prepared for these games with the cold weather we’ve had. I spent the better part of three months throwing in the snow,” said Gibb. “Some days
were worse than others but hopefully my training will pay off.” Gibb said she will head down to Arizona a few days prior to the competition to allow her body to adjust to the warmer temperature. Competition beings Mar. 21 and will conclude Mar. 22.
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Men’s Hoops Finish Sixth In The Nation
KIMELLIOT
Sports Intern __________________________ The Windsor Lancer men’s basketball team finished the 2015 season in sixth place nationally at the CIS Final 8 championship in Toronto. The Lancers earned the silver medal during the provincial OUA Final 4 championship tournament in Ottawa Mar. 7 but faltered in the quarterfinal round Mar. 12 against the tournament host and No. 7 seeded Ryerson Rams 82-68. The No.2 seeded Lancers rebounded with a 91-80 victory against the No. 6 Bishops Gaitors in the consolation semi-final Mar. 13 before falling just short in the consolation final 99-94 to the No. 8 Saskatchewan Huskies Mar. 14. In the quarter-final match against Ryerson, who was the only OUA team Windsor had not beaten all year, the Lancers played a very physical game against the host team to push them off balance but the Rams refused to yield. The Lancers trailed 19-10 after the first quarter and fell behind 28-12 early in the second. Lancers head coach Chris Oliver said his team got off to an unconfident start. “We needed to be better from the beginning and it just snowballed from there,” said Oliver. “I thought we had moments where we were getting better and back into a flow but we just weren’t getting consistent scoring from anyone.” Ryerson shot nearly 20 per cent better than Windsor from two-point range and had a 15 per cent edge from beyond the arch over the course of the first half for a 42-31 advantage. Although Windsor rallied with a 24-point fourth quarter surge it was too little too late to over come the first half deficit. Figuring in double-digit scoring for Windsor was Khalid Abdel-Gabar with 20 points, Alex Campbell with 17 points and Rotimi Osuntola Jr. with 14. For Ryerson it was CIS firstteam all-Canadian Jahmal Jones who led with 20 points while Adik Peter-
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McNeilly scored 19 and Bjorn Michaelsen and Aaron Best both scored 10. Peter-McNeilly grabbed 10 boards for the Rams with former W.F Herman Green Griffins stand-out Jordon Gauthier of Windsor hauling down nine rebounds, many of which on the offensive glass that helped set the tone of the game.
The following night the Lancers turned the tables on the Bishops and played their best basketball game of the tournament on the strength of Mike Rocca’s timely shooting for 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds with four assists. The Sarnia native was three of five from threepoint range with the Lancers knocking down 13 of their 27 overall attempts from beyond the arc. “As competitors, every game we want to win,” said Rocca. “That’s the way it is when you’re an athlete.” Lancer guard Abdel-Gabar said it was really tough to bounce back as a team after the opening loss in the tournament against Ryerson but said it was important Windsor demonstrate their competitiveness and show they belonged at nationals. “There was disappointment around the group knowing we had on opportunity to advance to semi finals and compete with the best but couldn’t capatilize,” said Abdel-Gabar. “Its very difficult to have any motivation left playing for something with less value. I believe true champions compete every time they step on the floor and I think the only thing that kept us competing was pride and knowing it was our last few games together as a team.” Rotimi Osuntola Jr. came back to life with a dunk then a layup to give his team an 82-78 lead down the stretch after a relatively quiet quarter final game against Ryerson. Osuntola said Windsor was happy with the win over the Bishops but were disappointed in the team’s overall performance. “Being there at the Final 8 and knowing what it takes to back there is a new advantage for us,” said Osuntola Jr. “From now on our main enemy is complacency.”
Kings
[Drennan] and Kramer ran amazing legs.” Ullman and Bellemore both had big performances Mar. 14, including second and fourth place finishes in the men’s 600 metres, respectively. Ullman picked up silver in 1:18.52 while Bellemore rounded out the top four in a time of 1:19.11. The Gryphons were able to stay alive in the team competition thanks to a strong performance in the men’s 1500 metres. Guelph’s Ross Proud-
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foot, who was also the CIS male athlete of the meet, won gold in a time of 3:47.84 while Victoria’s Riva picked up the silver in a time of 3:48.08. Guelph claimed the fourth and fifth spots as Kyle Grieve and Aaron Hendrikx finished in 3:49.32 and 3:50.03. The Lancers once again got a number of strong performances in the field events which helped to clinch the men’s team title. Milos Savic captured a bronze medal with a vault of 4.92 meters and fellow Lancer Chris
Windsor Lancer Alex Campbell drives to the basket against the Ryerson Rams during CIS Final 8 action at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Mar. 12. [Photo by // Kevin Jarrold] The main scorers for Windsor on this outing were a balanced attack from Campbell and Osuntola Jr.’s 13 points each followed by Matthews’ 11. Bishops was led by 29 points from Mike Andrews and 12 points from Jona Bermillo. It was Bishop’s second straight loss after dropping a squeaker in overtime 85-96 to the No. 3 Ottawa Gee-Gees in the opening round. In Windsor’s final waltz at the big dance in the consolation final Mar. 14, the Lancers let the Saskatchewan Huskies to slip away with a fifth place victory, which had little or no bragging rights attached to it. Although they let the Huskies barely escape with the 99-94 win, Windsor rediscovered their fighting form in the third quarter and finished the season as they started with balance scoring and rebound from their veterans namely Abdel-Gabar with 21, Osuntola Jr. with 18, Campbell with 16 and Matthews with nine. In the battle of
the boards against the Huskies, Matthews had 13 rebounds to go along with three blocks and three assists while Osuntola Jr. had 10. AbdelGabar had a team high eight assists. Windsor’s Abdel-Gabar closed out his playing career as one of the most consistently competitive Lancers players in the tournament and said it had been a great two years playing with the Lancers and being surrounded by the community. “I’ve learned a lot playing under Coach Oliver, the assistant coaches, and all the players who have played before or during my time. I just want to thank everyone who is involved with the Lancers community,” said Abdel-Gabar. Endorsing Abdel-Gabar’s remarks and speaking on behalf of the team’s other graduating main stay, Osuntola Jr. said Abdel-Gabar was a valuable addition to the program and he also
Waugh finished fourth with a best of 4.82 metres. York’s David McKay won the pole vault in convincing fashion, finishing with a winning vault of 5.20 metres to easily win the event.
Windsor’s Angelo Bortolin won CIS rookie of the year honours earlier in the week and finished fifth with a jump of 14.59 metres. Bortolin also finished sixth in the men’s long jump for more important points.
In the men’s shot put, Windsor’s Eli Pawliw threw a personal best of 16.60 metres to finish third after entering the competition ranked ninth to earn big points in the standings and claim the bronze medal for the Lancers.
Nearing the end of competition Mar. 14 with Windsor leading Guelph by one point, it was Bortolin’s performance in the triple jump which allowed the Windsor Lancers head coach Dennis Fairall to pull Bellemore from the 1,500 metre race and save his energy for the four-by-400 metre relay, which Windsor won to clinch the men’s title.
Over in the triple jump, Aaron Hernandez of Lethbridge won the gold with a best jump of 15.33 metres. Jordan Bruce from Dalhousie finished second with a best of 14.91m and Chas Smith also of Dalhousie won the bronze with a leap of 14.85m.
“It feels great to contribute to a men’s CIS title in my first year,” said Bortolin. “We always say that everyone is
congratulated Matthews on a memorable five-year career at Windsor. “Khalid is a soft spoken individual, but we could always feel his presence on the court. He fit in very well,” said Osuntola Jr. “Evan always did the best that he could to contribute to the team day in and day out. We all wish him the best on his future endeavours.” The Carelton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees battled in the CIS gold medal game for the second time in two years in a fight for a year’s possession of the covet W.P. McGee Trophy, which originated at Windsor’s Assumption College in 1962 and named after the late Windsor educator. The outcome would be the same as the year before as the No.1 Ravens battered the Gee-Gees into submission 93-46, and Carleton’s Scrubb brothers, Phil and Tom, took their curtain call as CIS championship for the fifth consecutive year. a key role, so I’m really happy that I filled my role and contributed to that.” Fairall won the Bob Boucher Award as the CIS men’s track and field coach of the year. In what has been a truly remarkable coaching career, Fairall earned his 20th CIS track and field title and 25th overall CIS national championship with the victory. “I’m really proud of our team, it was a total team effort all weekend,” said Fairall. “We were able to get points from a variety of events and had a number of athletes come up with big performances when it counted. It feels great to win our 20th CIS track and field team title at home in Windsor in front of our fans, alumni and supporters in our house.”
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Covering All Clovers listen to some great music,” Neil said. “It’s a very big community event for Arts Editor __________________________ us, bringing people together that they “It’s the longest four minutes ever,” wouldn’t necessarily see all the time, one person exclaimed at 10:56 a.m, make new friends. It’s a great day.” waiting for the bartenders to start Neil, who is of Irish descent, said the serving. day isn’t met with the same reception HANIYASSINE
At the Dominion House tavern on the morning of Mar. 17, people were settling in and having some breakfast, talking with friends and listening to live Irish music. It was one of the first establishments open. Patrons were getting their fill in before they drank what would be the first pint of the day, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Some waited patiently while others were eager. “The sun is out, we’re ready for a good day,” said Dominion House owner Kristian Neil. Whether north or south, east or west, St. Patrick’s Day festivities were occurring all around the city. Through attire and beer dye, the colour green was prominent all around. Some wore it with the notion to propel themselves into a drunken stupor while others wore for the camaraderie and friendly nature of the day. “It’s a day for people to come together and raise a pint, have a good time and
over at the emerald isle. Only recently have they embraced the celebratory aspect of the day, but usually it’s one consisting of prayer. St. Patrick’s Day is one recognized within the Christian calendar, with the 17 day of March marking the death day of the man known as the apostle of Ireland. According to scripture and Catholic. org, Patrick spent the majority of his life taking the religious gospel to the country, where entire kingdoms had converted to Catholicism upon hearing his message. “I do believe he was a great teacher, he brought a gift that was spread through the missionary work of the church throughout all of the world,” said Jim Roche, a priest who serves at Corpus Christi Church in south Windsor. “In Ireland it is a religious holiday, in the United States it seems to be a religious holiday with a lot of spirits. Not the spirit of God but the spirit that comes in a bottle.” While the sun was shining and peo-
ple were lamenting being at work as opposed to drinking, the day seemed less about the saint and more so a celebration of the nation of Ireland itself. It was a way to delve into the nuances of the country’s heritage. “It’s remembering the culture and tradition, recognizing it as well as the music,” said Emma Bezaire, who was enjoying the festivities with her sister. Music especially played a prominent role in the day. Many folk tales were told through acoustics and passionate performing, with audiences across town carrying no resistance in letting the ballads speak to them. “It’s not just the lyrics or the ballads. There’s so much beautiful music, there’s so many of them that give you goosebumps,” said Peter O’Jell. The celebration of the heritage largely took place throughout the day. Towards the evening where the nightlife was in full swing, it acted as the average downtown experience. Supposedly St. Patrick’s Day is one where everyone is Irish. While technically untrue, what’s important is the message behind the notion. Even if the religious significance isn’t wholly emphasized, it’s one of family, friendship, and kindness; things which can be spared for at least one day.
St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated throughout the city of Windsor with spirits of all kinds Mar. 17. The following photos are a collection from The Lance Editors Hani Yassine and Samantha Fernandez.
MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA //
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MARCH 19 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Express Cut the Power to Close Out Central Semifinals With a Win
BRETTHEDGES
Sports Editor __________________________ The Windsor Express have eliminated the Mississauga Power from the National Basketball League of Canada playoffs with a 3-1 series victory. Windsor closed out the Central division semifinal series with a 107-102 road win in game four of the bestof-five series Mar. 17 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. “It was a big win for us,” said Express head coach Bill Jones. “We definitely didn’t want to come back for a game five. Mississauga was a tough team, they didn’t want their season to end and they didn’t quit.” Chris Commons led the Express in scoring with 28 points. Quinnel Brown followed with 26 points, including an individual 10-0 run in the third quarter. Point guard Tony Bennett scored 22 points and had a team-high seven assists while Kevin Loiselle scored nine points and had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Express. Without the services of centre DeAndre Thomas due to a bout with acute pneumonia and Windsor native Gary Gibson out with a reoccurring groin injury, Jones relied on Commons, Bennett and Brown who he called “the three amigos”. “Those three amigos came to play not only in this game but throughout the series,” said Jones. “Our motto since we started in this organization is ‘next-man-up’. With two of our initial starters out of the lineup we needed those guys to play well and for guys to come off of the bench to play well and they did.” Windsor led Mississauga 58-45 and built a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter on the strength of a 10-0 run by the Express, with all of
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Tony Bennett of the Windsor Express drives to the basket against the Mississauga Power in NBL Canada playoff action at WFCU Centre. [Photo provided by Alfredo Salituro special to the Lance] those points coming from the hands of potential NBL Canada MVP candidate, Brown.
it came to game four.
tained previously in the series.
needed to.”
After three quarters the Power trailed 81-71 but saved their best effort for the final frame. On the strength of three-point shooting from Tut Ruach and Omar Strong, Mississauga tied the game at 100 heading into the final minute of regulation and Windsor holding possession.
“It was a mutual understanding of just getting rid of these guys,” said Commons. “This was a tough series. We knew they had their backs against the wall and they put their past behind them just like we do. We capitalized better tonight by countering their runs by making runs of our own. Hats off to all of the guys on our team, it took a total team effort.”
“Anderson wasn’t’ scheduled to play, he had a very deep bone bruise,” said Jones. “We didn’t know he would be able to play but he went to the therapist that morning and was able to get a full range of motion. That just lets you know the kind of determination these guys have to play.”
Jones said Windsor will use the time off to get Thomas, Gibson and Anderson back to full health and gameplan for their next opponent.
Commons received a pass in the low post and shot the ball but missed in tight. The ever-determined Commons then fought for the offensive rebound, ripped the ball away from the defender and scored off of the backboard for his game-high 28th point.
Windsor shooting guard Ryan Anderson would choose the perfect moment for a game-changing steal when he picked the pocket of Mississauga’s Jordan Weidner and went the other way for an uncontested layup and and pushed the Express lead to 104-100.
Commons said it always feel good to play well for your team but the Express had a singular mentality when
Jones said it was a game-time decision whether or not Anderson would play in the game due to an injury sus-
Hockey
off a blast from Daulton Siwak, Blake Blondeel notched the other assist. Pommells led the entire country in scoring during the regular season and was named CIS Player of the Year at an awards banquet Mar. 11. Pommells said it was nice to win the award but added losing to New Brunwick was a tough way to end the season. “We had played a pretty solid game
all the way through,” said Pommells. “They have so many weapons up front, so anytime you can be down by one goal in the third, you’re happy. Unfortunately we didn’t execute to our ability and it cost us.” Special teams were a key part of the result, with the Varsity Reds scoring on three of eight chances with the man-advantage. The Lancers had the third-best ranked power play in the
country prior to the University Cup tournament but could only score one goal in seven opportunities. Windsor held a five-on-three man advantage during the third period with a chance to change the outcome of the game. which Lancer captain and player of the game Drew Palmer said was a key moment of the game Windsor didn’t capitalize on. “It kind of changed the momentum it hurt a lot,” said Palmer. “[But] there is no giving up with this team.” At 7:29 of the third period, Braes scored his second of the game, on an assist from Tyler Carroll, to restore a two-goal advantage for UNB.
Windsor added three more free throws to round out their scoring and took game four of the Central division semifinals to win the series 3-1. Bennett said the depth of the Express speaks for itself with the series victory as evidence. “We’re very deep on this team, the organization did a great job by picking these players,” said Bennett. “Coach always says you never know when your number is going to be called and everyone has stepped up when they
CIS player of the year Pommells cut the lead to 3-2 on the power play a little over a minute later. Pommells ripped a blast behind Shantz at the 8:40 mark with assists going to Palmer for his second point of the night and defenseman Julian Luciani. Braes scored back-to-back powerplay goals in a one-minute span for his third and fourth goals of the game as he stretched the Varsity Reds lead to 5-2. Chris Caissy wrapped up the scoring with an empty-net goal in the final moments of regulation. Pommells said winning the CIS player of the year award was exciting but said now that his university career
“We just need to prepare to be ready and get everyone healthy,” said Jones. “No matter who we play, we’ll have a game-plan.” The Express will now face the winner of the other Central division semifinal series between the Brampton A’s and London Lightning. That series is tied 2-2 with the series-deciding game five to be played Mar. 21 at the Powerade Centre in Brampton. Regardless of the opponent, Windsor will host game one and two of the best-of-seven NBL Canada Central division final at the WFCU Centre Mar. 26 and Mar. 28.
is over he and his family will look at his options in pursuing a professional hockey career. Pommells added it was a bitter sweet time for him, as the Grand Prairie, Alta. native has grown to love Windsor as his home. “When I came to Windsor four years ago I couldn’t of imagined winning the award. At the same time it is the most humbling experience of my life, all the effort from everyone within the program has been extraordinary since day one,” said Pommells. “I can’t say enough things regarding the university and the athletics program. I’m truly thankful.”