Dustin Munroe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Monday, January 07, 2008
What do you get if you bring a fooseball table to life, replacing the rows of expressionless plastic men in a small box with swift-footed soccer players in a bigger box?
The Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League is what.
Described by league president Mel Kowlachuk as both human pinball and a hybrid of hockey and outdoor soccer, the game features a soccer ball that bounces around the field like Spiderman slinging his way through the skyscrapers of New York.
Changes on the fly, minor penalties, smaller nets, tight physical battles along the boards and plenty of scoring give the game a fast-paced hockey feel. More than 2,000 fans were treated to the action during the weekend in a two-game exhibition at Credit Union Centre between the Saskatoon Accelerators and the Edmonton Drillers.
The series began Friday in Edmonton with the Drillers winning 9-8.
Saturday's match was even tighter as the game went to overtime, the Drillers winning 10-9. Chris Lemire scored two goals, including the winner for the Drillers. Sean Riggs was Saskatoon's top scorer, netting a hat trick.
The Accelerators went from zero to one in 17 seconds to open Sunday's match. The early lead vanished a few minutes later when the Drillers made good on a 5-on-3 man advantage.
Each team added a pair of goals by the end of the second quarter for a 3-3 score.
The Accelerators, who showed flashes of brilliance on offence earlier in the game, appeared sluggish in the third quarter. They took a string of undisciplined penalties and spent the rest of the game trying to keep the Drillers' offence at bay.
"We have a lack of concentration," said Accelerators coach Kevin Holness. "We did not bad during the first half, but we're still having problems with a lot of the small details of the game."
Mark Korthuis, who scored the early opening goal, netted the last Accelerators goal on a penalty shot. The Drillers had already added two goals to their tally by that time and added two more to win 8-4.
"What separates us from being a great soccer team is our lack of focus and discipline," said Holness. "It's a matter of time. I've chosen the right 22 players and we will be a successful squad this season."
Holness is looking forward to the opening of the regular season this weekend.
"It's a step up from the level a lot of guys are used to playing, so this weekend was a learning experience," he said. "We couldn't have picked a better team to play against."
Holness, a native of Regina, hopes the people of Saskatchewan recognize a good thing.
"Living in Saskatchewan, I've found that when you start something new here you have more naysayers than supporters," he said. "For anything to move forward in this province it has to be the other way around."
The Accelerators open a 10-game regular-season schedule by playing host to the Calgary United FC on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Credit Union Centre.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008
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thanks for posting this
thanks for posting this story, the drillers weekend was some good soccer, Although the accelerators were not victorious it sure showed we will be a force this year, exciting games.. no doubt about it.
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