Smoky skies and the likelihood of poor air quality continuing in Prince George this weekend forced Canada West conference officials to postpone the two men's soccer matches scheduled for Masich Place Stadium tonight and Saturday.
The UNBC Timberwolves were set to open their 2018 U Sports season at home on their new all-weather field at Masich against the Victoria Vikes. But with the air quality health index hovering around 10 for most of the day Thursday and the continued threat of smoke from wildfires raging west of the city, organizers of the games were left with no choice but to postpone to dates yet to be determined.
"Based on everything we've looked at from Environment Canada, it's not looking that good," said UNBC athletics director Loralyn Murdoch. "Because Victoria was flying here, it's a $25,000 or $30,000 trip for flights and hotels and we made that call today so they could cancel their flights and hotels without penalty. They will lose their deposit, but WestJet has a thing right now where anybody canceling flights from Prince George won't be penalized due to the wildfires.
"We have to be reasonable and absolutely put the health and safety of our athletes first. When we're dealing with a team that's flying in, it's very tight in the timeline where we could get the games in. We didn't think, based on the forecast, we could do it."
Canada West men's soccer games scheduled for Kamloops and Kelowna this weekend were also postponed until Sunday and Monday. In both cases, the visiting teams are traveling by chartered bus from the Lower Mainland, which allowed more flexibility to change the schedules.
Murdoch said the Canada West board will decide if and when the games will be rescheduled.
"It just happens that we have a bye next weekend so our guys don't get a game (for the next two weeks)," said Murdoch.
There's a chance the T-wolves might go down a day early for a two-game road trip to the Vancouver area later this season and arrange to meet Victoria at a neutral site to play one of the postponed games. Murdoch said the Canada West board will also consider a proposal to play the games at the end of the season and push the quarterfinal playoffs back by one week.
Friday's T-wolves-Vikes game was going to follow the city's grand reopening ceremony at Masich. That has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 21, when the UNBC men host the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
