The UVic Vikes may be cultivating a new nickname for themselves after Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Victoria League Selects: The Magnificent Seven.
Down several players for the entirety of their Oct. 29 contest in Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association play at UVic, the Vikes (4-2-0) managed to generate a full squad’s worth of offence and maintain their lead atop the competitive division table.
Phillip Steeves scored twice and Ryan Knight and Grant Simpson once each in the win over a Selects team that looked suspiciously like the old Mutineers – right down to the green jerseys – with a handful of Marauders rec players bringing the numbers up and contributing significantly.
Callups Tom Vincent, Mark Baggott and Iosvani Marrero scored for the Selects (1-3-1) in an impressive show of support for their team’s competitive affiliate.
The day’s late game saw Rebels 1 (3-1-1) keep pace with the Vikes with a 3-1 victory over Tigers. Gavin O’Halloran scored twice to lead the Rebels attack, while Dale Kirk added a single. Javier Virk tallied for Tigers (1-3-0).
The Sunday opener saw Rebels 2 erase a 2-0 deficit to Marauders and come back to post a 2-2 tie in rec division action. It was the first point of the season earned by both teams.
Solid pressure around the Rebels net yielded tap-in goals by Marauders forwards Don Descoteau and Jay Flye to make it 2-0. But the Rebels mounted a sustained attack of their own and got second-half goals from Clive Wheatley and Simon Lightbody. Rebels continued to press in the game’s final stages, but some timely defensive clears allowed Marauders to preserve the tie.
Next weekend opens at 10:30 a.m. with the second rec division jamboree of the season, followed by competitive games at noon (Selects vs. Rebels 1) and 1:30 p.m. (Vikes vs. Tigers).
Photos from today’s action can be found on the VIFHA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GVmensFhockey

Photo insert: Rebels’ Ray Bailey looks to send a ball into the D, where teammate Clive Wheatley waits for a tip-in opportunity, while Marauders defender Thomas White (right) prepares to help out keeper Kelvin Kum. (Photo by Don Descoteau)

As they lined up to face the Rebels in Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association play Sunday on the newly renamed Lynn Beecroft Field at UVic, the Vikes men hoped to keep the celebrations going.
The top two competitive division teams faced off a short time after the Vikes women captured their fifth straight Canada West conference banner with a 1-0 victory over UBC.
Unlike their female counterparts on the day, the Vikes men were unable to get on the scoresheet
in dropping a 2-0 decision to Rebels (2-1-1) , who moved within two points of UVic (3-2-0) with the win.
Johnny Jacoby and Dale Kirk tallied for the winners while Felix Randall picked up the shutout in goal.
The league returns to a full slate of games next weekend, with Marauders taking on Rebels 2 in rec division play at 10:30 a.m., followed by Victoria League Selects vs. the Vikes at noon and Rebels 1 vs. Tiger at 1:30 p.m.

Rebels 1 put themselves into the win column in convincing style Sunday at UVic, roaring to a 5-0 victory over Victoria League Selects in Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association competitive division play.
Mike Cleverly led the way scoring two goals in the win, while Johnny Jacoby, Owen Dahl and Alex Moore added singles. Felix Randall recorded the shutout in net for Rebels, who improved to 1-1-1. The Selects fell to 1-2-1.
Earlier, the previously undefeated Vikes were forced to forfeit their scheduled game against the Tigers, after failing to have enough players to contest the game. As insufficient notice was given of the player shortage, the score goes into the books as a 5-0 defeat.
Vikes fell to 3-1 for the season while Tigers improved to 1-2.
The morning’s recreational division match saw Hawks use a strong second half to outlast the Marauders in recording a 4-1 win.
Vardeep Gill used his long reach to good advantage, bagging two goals to lead the Hawks attack, while Gurcharn Athwal and Amar Bajwa tallied once each.
The Hawks sturdy defence allowed few good scoring chances by the Marauders, but Jay Flye managed to beat Sudershan Virk for his team’s lone goal, one-timing a perfect upside-down-stick pass from fellow lefty Kirn Khaira.
With the women’s Vikes hosting Canada West play again this Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the lone VIFHA game on the schedule Oct. 22 is the Vikes men against Rebels 1 starting at 1:30 p.m.
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Photo: In action during their Oct. 15 game at UVic, Hawks’ Shawn Kalar winds up for a shot on goal against Marauders keeper Kelvin Kum, with defender Mark Baggott standing at the ready at the post. Find more photos from the game at: https://www.facebook.com/GVmensFhockey

Grant Simpson (pictured in centre) led the UVic attack with three goals as his Vikes added to their lead atop the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association competitive division Sunday.
In the only game on the slate Oct. 1, the Vikes edged the Victoria League Selects 5-4 to push their mark to 3-0 to open the season. The Selects, who also came into the game unbeaten in their previous outings, fell to 1-1-1 on the year.
Vikes newcomer Chase Martin continued his goal-scoring streak, notching a single, while fellow UVic rookie Brady Chen added the other goal in the win.
Sunny Kahlon pushed his season goal total to three in two games, scoring twice for Selects, while Brayden Chatlain, with his third in three games, and Mark Baggott added singles.
October features a rather sparse schedule for the VIFHA, with a busy Canada West schedule on the books for the women’s Vikes, and the annual Bridgman Cup high school girls tournament happening over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Rebels 2 and Marauders are playing an exhibition game this Monday (October 9) at 11 a.m., however, to keep their skills sharp. Otherwise, the next scheduled matches go Oct. 15, with Hawks taking on Marauders in rec division play at 10:30 a.m., Tigers vs. Vikes at noon and Rebels vs. Selects at 1:30 p.m.

The UVic Vikes continue to impress early in the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association season.
The Vikes pushed their competitive division record to 2-0 on the turf at UVic with a convincing 4-2 win Sunday over Rebels 1.
Chase Martin and Grant Simpson each scored their second goals in as many games for the Vikes, while Thomas Davey and Ryan Knight added the other UVic markers.
Ben Wheatley, with his second of the campaign, and Bevan Van der Berg tallied for the Rebels, who fell to 0-1-1 on the year.
In the second competitive game of the day, the Victoria League Selects notched their first victory, downing Tigers 4-2.
The Selects (1-0-1) continued to spread the scoring around, with Brayden Chatlain and Sanjiv Kalhon each scoring their second of the season, to add to goals by T.J. Parhar and Sunny Kahlon.
The Tigers, who have begun the season an uncharacteristic 0-2 after winning the past two regular season and playoff crowns, got goals from Josh Brown and Javier Virk.
In the season’s first head-to-head matchup in the recreational division, Hawks got a pair of goals from Vardeep Gill and singles from Gursharan Kalar, Gurcharn Athwal and Devin Virk in a 5-2 win over Rebels 2.
Ray Bailey scored both goals for the Rebels in a losing cause.
The day also saw a moment of silence observed to honour the memory of Pat Hall, a pioneer in the sport of field hockey in Greater Victoria as a player, coach, umpire and administrator. Hall, who was longtime administrator of the VIFHA among her many support and leadership roles in the sport volunteer who passed away Sept. 19. Among her many roles in the sport was as a longtime administrator for the VIFHA.