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Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Lions: Nathan Rourke aces first exam, bigger test awaits against Blue Bombers
Nathan Rourke is a studious student of the game and consumed by cramming for exams. The B.C. Lions quarterback did exhaustive work in the off-season — even shovelling snow off the artificial turf at the club's practice facility in February to get in a throw day — to prepare for the club's CFL season opener Saturday at B.C. Pace. It was evident on the first methodical drive against the Edmonton Elks — and his touchdown explosion in second half of an impressive 31-14 rout — that Rourke's agility and ability to escape pressure to find an array of receivers with pinpoint accuracy is a weapon. He has bullets in the chamber and knows when to pull the trigger. However, the first completion of the night came from iconic rapper Snoop Dogg. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. He signed footballs and unloaded one in a perfect spiral for an upper-deck completion after his 35-minute edgy performance to rev up a crowd of 52,837. They were already heated over long stadium entry delays, which put the Snoop Dogg show on hold. But he eventually delivered and so did Rourke. He went 27-for-36 against the Elks for 324 yards, threw three touchdowns, wasn't picked off and wasn't sacked. Rourke also rushed for 54 yards and even took a hard third-quarter hit while dividing for a first down to extend a drive. Again, impressive. A real gamer. The timing of this couldn't be better. Even before he took a snap Saturday, Rourke was aware of Thursday. The Lions face the perennial powerhouse Blue Bombers in Winnipeg before hosting the defending Western Division champions on June 21. The double-dip will go a long way to gauge readiness and willingness be a Grey Cup contender. Last season, the Lions were blanked 25-0 in Winnipeg on Aug. 1 after a 26-24 win at home on June 21. In the road loss, running back Brady Oliveira had 100 yards on 17 carries and caught four passes for 42 yards. He was named the league's top Canadian and most valuable player, and after starting 0-4, the Bombers advanced to the Grey Cup but were stunned 41-24 by the upstart Toronto Argonauts. 'What Winnipeg did really well in the last five years when Buck (Lions head coach Pierce) was there is they embraced the growth over a season,' said Rourke. 'That's something I'm trying to do this year and take every game as a learning experience. It will be a process throughout the year. 'I'm committed to the approach. The last couple of years as an organization we've started really well but not afterwards. Obviously, you want to play well twice against Winnipeg, but I really want to focus on peaking later on. And there's a lot of want around here, which is good.' It was evident Saturday after a slugging start and encouraging finish. The Lions trailed 7-3 at the half and wide receiver Justin McInnis, who led the CFL in yards last season, was only targeted once. However, he finished with five catches and a touchdown as Rourke worked six receivers into rotations to keep the Elks off balance. And, for course, McInnis as an obvious decoy option. Rourke went to four different receivers on the opening march in a methodical 58-yard drive. However, with backup pivot Chase Brice in on a short-yardage situation, he couldn't break the goal-line on a third-down plunge. Upon review, his knee touched the turf first to kill the Lions' drive buzz. It's common for teams to protect starters in that situation because nobody wants their top pivot to get pummelled in quarterback sneaks, or be on bottom of a mosh-pit. But upon review, the Lions may want to call another play if Brice is going to remain a goal-line, or short-yardage option. They can't squander first downs or points. Saturday also marked the first opening week since 1968 featuring two Canadian starting quarterbacks — Rourke and the Eskimos' Tre Ford — and the first time it occurred in the same game. Ford also put on a show with some dazzling scramble to find his receivers, including a wild sequence on final play of the third quarter. It came after Stanley Berryhill got open behind the secondary to extend the Lions' lead to 17-7. He had six catches for 105 yards and two majors. Ford used his speed, agility and swagger to make most out of a broken play and hitting Justin Rankin with a deep pass. He got to the three-yard line before backup quarterback Cody Fajardo scored his second touchdown to cut the lead back to three points. Ford went 18-for-27 for 178 yard and was intercepted by Vernon native and UBC product linebacker Ben Hladik. He then rambled 61 yards to the Elks's four hardline. The Lions need to improve special-teams coverage and establishing a better run to keep opposition defences honest. James Butler had 68 yards on 10 carries in his return, but his career average against the Elks is 104 yards. 'When we look at certain phases of the game, we've got to improve,' said Pierce. 'I thought mentally, the players were able to pull themselves up a bit when adversity hit. Those are the kind of things you're looking for as a coach. It's your response and it went well.' bkuzma@
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
B.C. Lions: Nathan Rourke aces first exam, bigger test awaits against Blue Bombers
Nathan Rourke is a studious student of the game and consumed by cramming for exams. Article content The B.C. Lions quarterback did exhaustive work in the off-season — even shovelling snow off the artificial turf at the club's practice facility in February to get in a throw day — to prepare for the club's CFL season opener Saturday at B.C. Pace. Article content It was evident on the first methodical drive against the Edmonton Elks — and his touchdown explosion in second half of an impressive 31-14 rout — that Rourke's agility and ability to escape pressure to find an array of receivers with pinpoint accuracy is a weapon. He has bullets in the chamber and knows when to pull the trigger. Article content He signed footballs and unloaded one in a perfect spiral for an upper-deck completion after his 35-minute edgy performance to rev up a crowd of 52,837. They were already heated over long stadium entry delays, which put the Snoop Dogg show on hold. But he eventually delivered and so did Rourke. Article content He went 27-for-36 against the Elks for 324 yards, threw three touchdowns, wasn't picked off and wasn't sacked. Rourke also rushed for 54 yards and even took a hard third-quarter hit while dividing for a first down to extend a drive. Again, impressive. A real gamer. Article content Article content The timing of this couldn't be better. Even before he took a snap Saturday, Rourke was aware of Thursday. Article content The Lions face the perennial powerhouse Blue Bombers in Winnipeg before hosting the defending Western Division champions on June 21. The double-dip will go a long way to gauge readiness and willingness be a Grey Cup contender. Article content Article content Last season, the Lions were blanked 25-0 in Winnipeg on Aug. 1 after a 26-24 win at home on June 21. Article content Article content In the road loss, running back Brady Oliveira had 100 yards on 17 carries and caught four passes for 42 yards. He was named the league's top Canadian and most valuable player, and after starting 0-4, the Bombers advanced to the Grey Cup but were stunned 41-24 by the upstart Toronto Argonauts. Article content 'What Winnipeg did really well in the last five years when Buck (Lions head coach Pierce) was there is they embraced the growth over a season,' said Rourke. 'That's something I'm trying to do this year and take every game as a learning experience. It will be a process throughout the year. Article content 'I'm committed to the approach. The last couple of years as an organization we've started really well but not afterwards. Obviously, you want to play well twice against Winnipeg, but I really want to focus on peaking later on. And there's a lot of want around here, which is good.'
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
B.C. Lions: Nathan Rourke aces first exam, bigger test awaits against Blue Bombers
Nathan Rourke is a studious student of the game and consumed by cramming for exams. Article content The B.C. Lions quarterback did exhaustive work in the off-season — even shovelling snow off the artificial turf at the club's practice facility in February to get in a throw day — to prepare for the club's CFL season opener Saturday at B.C. Pace. Article content It was evident on the first methodical drive against the Edmonton Elks — and his touchdown explosion in second half of an impressive 31-14 rout — that Rourke's agility and ability to escape pressure to find an array of receivers with pinpoint accuracy is a weapon. He has bullets in the chamber and knows when to pull the trigger. Article content He signed footballs and unloaded one in a perfect spiral for an upper-deck completion after his 35-minute edgy performance to rev up a crowd of 52,837. They were already heated over long stadium entry delays, which put the Snoop Dogg show on hold. But he eventually delivered and so did Rourke. Article content He went 27-for-36 against the Elks for 324 yards, threw three touchdowns, wasn't picked off and wasn't sacked. Rourke also rushed for 54 yards and even took a hard third-quarter hit while dividing for a first down to extend a drive. Again, impressive. A real gamer. Article content Article content The timing of this couldn't be better. Even before he took a snap Saturday, Rourke was aware of Thursday. Article content The Lions face the perennial powerhouse Blue Bombers in Winnipeg before hosting the defending Western Division champions on June 21. The double-dip will go a long way to gauge readiness and willingness be a Grey Cup contender. Article content Article content Last season, the Lions were blanked 25-0 in Winnipeg on Aug. 1 after a 26-24 win at home on June 21. Article content Article content In the road loss, running back Brady Oliveira had 100 yards on 17 carries and caught four passes for 42 yards. He was named the league's top Canadian and most valuable player, and after starting 0-4, the Bombers advanced to the Grey Cup but were stunned 41-24 by the upstart Toronto Argonauts. Article content 'What Winnipeg did really well in the last five years when Buck (Lions head coach Pierce) was there is they embraced the growth over a season,' said Rourke. 'That's something I'm trying to do this year and take every game as a learning experience. It will be a process throughout the year. Article content 'I'm committed to the approach. The last couple of years as an organization we've started really well but not afterwards. Obviously, you want to play well twice against Winnipeg, but I really want to focus on peaking later on. And there's a lot of want around here, which is good.'
Ottawa Citizen
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Abbotsford Canucks Live: Follow the updates from Game 2 of the AHL West finals
Article content The Abbotsford Canucks play Game 2 of their AHL Western Conference final series tonight at the Abbotsford Centre, and recent history is on their side. Article content The Vancouver Canucks ' farmhands take a 1-0 lead on the Texas Stars into the night, thanks to a 3-2 overtime triumph over the Stars on Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre. In the last three Western Division finals, the team that won Game 1 has also been victorious in Game 2, and each time that team has also gone on to win the series. Article content Article content Abbotsford (44-24-2-2) were three points better than Texas (42-26-3-0) in the regular season. The teams didn't meet at all in league play. Article content This is the fourth season that Vancouver has had its farm team in Abbotsford. Coach Manny Malhotra's crew has won three playoff rounds already this year. The club won two rounds combined in the previous three years. Article content Article content 5:22 p.m. Article content Dressed in our best to impress! 👔 — X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) June 1, 2025 Article content Article content 6:23 p.m. Article content Pregame prep from the Stars side.
Calgary Herald
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Abbotsford Canucks Live: Follow the updates from Game 2 of the AHL semifinals
Article content The Abbotsford Canucks play game 2 of their AHL Western Division final tonight at the Abbotsford Centre, and recent history is on their side. Article content The Vancouver Canucks ' farmhands take a 1-0 lead on the Texas Stars into the night, thanks to a 3-2 overtime triumph over the Stars on Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre. In the last three Western Division finals, the team that won Game 1 has also been victorious in Game 2, and each time that team has also gone on to win the series. Article content Article content This is the fourth season that Vancouver has had its farm team in Abbotsford. Coach Manny Malhotra's crew has won three playoff rounds already this year. The club won two rounds combined in the previous three years. Article content Article content Dressed in our best to impress! 👔 — X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) June 1, 2025 Article content Article content 6:23 p.m. Article content Pregame prep from the Stars side. Article content Dialed. #TEXvsABB — x - Texas Stars (@TexasStars) June 1, 2025
