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)