~ SIDELINES | LACROSSE... The North Shore Indians have signed two highly-skilled Albertan players to help the team’s tran- sition from Senior-B to Senior-A. in the Western Lacrosse League. Marwan jJohma and Jamie Bowen ‘both played for the Edmonton Miners last season and both made their mark at last September’s President’s hosted by the Indians. Johma was the tournament MVP while Bowen was the tourna- inent’s leading scorer. The. Indians begin training camp _ next month for their first sea- son of WLA senior-A action in over 30 years. The team plays their home games at Lonsdale Arena. FOOTBALL... Windsor grad- uate Chris Harris was drafted by the’ Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the fourth round (32nd /overall) of the Canadian Football: League’s non-import CHRIS HARRIS ; entry- level draft. ‘The SUP, “120, Ibs. ‘defensive back, -kKnown for his agility and speed, had an outstanding ; career at SFU. RUGBY... The Capilanos’- first-division team is coming off a 57-3 win (over Trojan) as they prepare for one of the ".club’s biggest games in sever- _al years. The All-Blacks take on the Meralomas .this ‘Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park in the final of the Knockout Cup. The firsts have defeated . teams from Washington State. : Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley on their march to the final. Following Saturday’s game, afl Cap club teams will begin preparing for Vancouver league playoffs to begin. SWIMMING... Two mem- “ bers of the Chena swim club captured medals at the triple-A provincials last weekend in Kamloops. Ten-year-old Alexandra Oosterom won _Silver in the 100m breastroke, and je Park, J0, swam toa bronze medal in the 100m fly. _At the double-A provincials last month, Chena athletes medalled (age ‘in brackets): Melanie Patina, 100m butterfly gold and 100m breaststroke bronze (13); Chelsea Thompson-Toth. 100m backstroke gold (10); Hidemitsu Hori, 100m back- stroke silver (10); Liisa McQuitty, 200m butterfly sil- ver (13); Andrea Donohae, 800m freestyle silver (14); Kristina Lowrie, 806m free- style bronze (12): Kathleen Stoody, 100m breaststroke bronze (11); two Chena relay teams won bronze medals. Cup,: the following . ' VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS PROFESSIONAL INDOOR soccer in the Lower ‘Mainland is back. Well, at least for one night. me This Saturday night the Capilano - College Sportsplex is hosting the Pro-Am Challenge, pitting the Vancouver 86ers against Croatia Soccer Club, the reigning Canadian ‘amateur indoor champions. Proceeds from the exhibition ‘match ($5 for adults, $2 for under- 18s) will go to the Croatia Children’s Relief Fund and the B.C. Futsal Association. The high-calibre futsal game is just the latest in a string of high- profile games the college has hosted in the past year. This is due in no small part to the efforts of the school's athletic director, Joe lacobellis. _ The personable soccer man has helped take futsal to higher and higher levels. Saturday nights game culmi- nates that climb. Not since the Major Indoor Soccer League days of the Vancouver Whitecaps have professionals strapped on their . boots for an indoor game in Vancouver. 86ers vs. Croatia Pro team taking on Canadian indoor amateur champions in benefit game And the game the Whitecaps played was quite different than its heir apparent — futsal. Unlike the hockey arena settings of the now-defunct Major Indoor League (complete with boards), fut- sal is played in a gym. Another major supporter of the game is the co-organizer of Saturday night’s game, Futsal B.C. The emerging game also fea- tures five-a-side play with a heavy, non-bouncing ball. “To watch the sport you don’t have to know a lot about the mules.” 86ers’ coach Carl Valentine said of futsal during a recent visit to the Sportsplex. During the past 10 years, futsal has grown to the point of having its own intemational cirenit. The game is also played at the college level, in which Capilano men have played two scasons. Saturday night's match between Croatia and the 86ers is sure to be an exciting, high-skilled game. Given the skills of 86ers’ Jim Easton and Dominic Mobilio (both - playing Saturday), Valentine's promise of an “extremely entertain- ing” contest shouldn't ring hollow. Prior to the 7 p.m. kick-off of the Pro-Am Challenge, a futsal youth tournament will feature local players aspiring to the professional level. Three teams — the Lynn Valley Falcons. West Vancouver Bladerunners, and the Kerrisdale Forerunners — will play a rcund- robin from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The boys’ teams play in the under-13 pold division. Tickets are available by cailing 984-1737. WEST VANCOUVER'S Travis Williams has earned the honor of being the youngest-ever skier to compete at the J2 Nationals, taking place in Newfoundland this month. The 13-year-old Hillside middle school student skis with the Whistler Ski Club. | ' NEWS photo Terry Peters - VANCOUVER 86ERS coach Bobby Valentine (left) is bringing his boys inside this Saturday night as the professional team takes on Canadian amateur indoor champs, the Croatia soccer club, at the Capilano College Sportsplex. College athletic direc- . tor Joe lacabellis (right) is a major supporter of futsal, an inter- . .. nationally up-and-coming indoor soccer game. North Shore men’s teams head for semis AND THEN there were eight. By Kevin Gillies Contributing Writer League Cup play for the North Shore Intermediate Soccer Association has reached the quar- ter-finals following seven play-off - elimination games last Saturday. The 24-team. three-division league for men 19-years and older will be entering the third round of play-offs on Saturday, March 19, with games at McCartney, Eldon, Loutet and Ambleside parks. At McCartney Park. the Jersey’s Bulls take on the Brewers in the only game that will pit two first- division teams against one another. The Bulls advanced by knocking off West Van United 4-{ fast Saturday at Ambleside. Bull defender Jim Charlie wiil most likely sit out the game against the Brewers (and possibly more) after an altercation with two United players. The Brewers advanced by blank- ing Celtic 3-nil. The 3rd-division Wanderers will take on DSC. also third division, at Eldon Park. DSC advanced when last week- end’s opponents. the Brewmasters, were disqualified for using illegal players. The Brewmasters won the game 4-2, but DSC advanced on the disqualification. Queen’s Cross’ LEI (first divi- sion) will take on Sailor Hagars (2nd division) at Ambleside after beating Courthouse Rangers 3-0 in a game that saw many players carded. LEI player/coach Steve Lisle was ejected at approximately the 25th minute for kicking another player. Sailor Hagars defeated Queen’s Cross’ GBH 3-0 at Ambleside. At Loutet Park, defending league champions, Skyline. of the first division will take on the 3rd- division Faleons, who posted last weekend's biggest upset when they knocked off the Spurs, also of the first division, 2-0. Skyline handled the Deep Cove Beavers 2-1 to advance. While teams play only in their respective divisions during the reg- ular season, al} 24 teams play in the play-offs, regardless of division. The ard-division Shysters (present- ly second division) made it all the way to the finals last year before being blown out by Skyline. The semi-finals take place on Saturday, March 26 at yet-undeter- mined fields. The final is scheduled for Saturday, Apri] 2 at Kinsmen Stadium, Regular season wake-up games will be played after the finals to determine which teams move up a division and which teams fall back a division. THROW-INS... The North Shore Coaches’ Soccer League for men over 30 held its semi-finals for the Olympia Gold Cup last Sunday. Don Currie’s last-minute goal lifted the Rangers Football Club to a 3-2 victory over the North Shore Athletics in a game that saw four players carded: two of them red. In the other semi-fi nal game, the Avalon Canadians posted a 2-1 victory over the Seymour Football Club to advance to the final, set for 12 noon at McCartney Park. The consolation game will be played at 10a.m, On Sunday. March 27 the league’s division one, regular sea- son champion Rangers will take on the second division champion North Shore Athletic (again) for the Joe Kilpy Cup at a yet-undetermined park. Kilpy founded the league in 1966 and passed away last year. Dribbling monikers OUR SCENIC seascape is proving popular with those contributing in our “Name that team” survey, in which we've asked readers to find a better name than the Mounties for Vancouver's new NBA team. Recent arrivals include: Vancouver Breakers, Vancouver Orcas, Vancouver Waves, Vancouver Downpour, Vancouver Spirit. Debbie Sydlo, a Grade 12 Argyte student, offered Vancouver Breakers, and wrote of the Mountie moniker, “T mean, what kid would wear a hat, or any type of clothing for that matter. that had a policeman as the logo?” We're still compiling a list to send to the team’s head office so keep ‘em coming (fax to 985-2104 ur drop off at the North Shore News at 12th and Lonsdale in North Vancouver).