The Gemstone Gridiron Deck offers fans the ultimate football experience with an all-in price of $30 per ticket which includes access to a unique concourse patio featuring live entertainment along with special food and beverage options. It provides a social atmosphere and great meeting place for the young crowd within the stadium, while catching all the great BC Lions game action.

The Family Zone features an all-in price of $25 per ticket and includes a kid-friendly, alcohol-free seating area and access to a family-oriented concourse featuring inflatable games, face painting, mascot visits and more.

“We’re excited to offer these new pricing options to our fans for the 2013 season,” said president and CEO Dennis Skulsky. “This year marks our 60^th season and we’re proud to lead the way with unique game experiences for fans of all ages that will help continue the home field advantage at BC Place.”

Moving forward, single game tickets for the Gemstone Gridiron Deck and Family Zone go on sale following each Lions home game. Tickets in both sections for the Lions regular season home opener versus the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday, July 4^th become available online Saturday, June 22 via ticketmaster.ca.

All other single game tickets for the entire BC Lions home schedule are available now at ticketmaster.ca.

The Lions close the preseason this Friday against Edmonton. TEAM1040 has the call at 7:00

The first 10,000 fans through the gates receive the first in a series of four commemorative mini-helmets courtesy of Save-On-Foods.

The BC Lions begin their regular season home schedule on Thursday, July 4 at 7:00 pm versus the reigning Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts .

The big news of the day was Kenny Miller being named MLS Player of the Week. He also picked up two MLS Goal of the Week nominations for his goals vs. New England.

The starters from the weekend had a shortened 1-hour session today.

In injury update news, Nigel Reo-Coker is fine after suffering from a cramp and a little tightness over the weekend. He will be available for Wednesday’s match. Carlyle Mitchell is also fully fit and was back at full training today after carrying a visible limp following last match.

Meanwhile, Coach Martin Rennie gave an update on some of his other injured players. Brad Rusin, Andy O’Brien & Gershon Koffie are all doubtful for Wednesday’s mach vs Chivas USA, but may be available for the upcoming match vs DC United.

Hear the call of Wednesday’s match vs Chivas USA on TEAM 1410. You can also stream the game live at TEAMRadio.ca. Pre-match show at 5pm. Kick off at 7pm.

Having recently recovered from a hamstring strain, which saw him miss two months of action, the ‘Caps Designated Player was the driving force behind Vancouver’s 4-3 comeback victory over New England Revolution this past Saturday.

Trailing 2-0 at home after only 20 minutes, Miller turned the match around three minutes later. Young Canadian international Russell Teibert found the Scotsman in behind New England’s defence on a brilliant run from the left. Before Miller was able to get a shot off, he was tripped up by Revs rookie defender Andrew Farrell in the box. The result was a red card for Farrell and penalty kick confidently converted by Miller’s strike partner Camilo.

Miller, wearing the captain’s armband, continued his outstanding play on 39 minutes with a fine individual effort. Upon receiving the ball some 40 yards from goal, the experienced striker flicked it over the head of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, headed it down to himself, and then finished with a slick left-footed strike to tie the match at 2-2.

Finally, to cap off his performance, the ‘Caps in-form goalscorer put the match to bed in the 68th minute. After a long ball up field from Camilo, Miller let the ball bounce, took a touch off his chest, then struck a sweet half-volley from outside the box over the head of goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for his second goal of the match and the eventual winner in a 4-3 victory for Vancouver.

At 0.93, Miller now leads MLS in goals per 90 minutes among players who have played at least 100 minutes this season. Miller is also tied for second in the league with three game-winning goals.

Prior to Saturday, New England had conceded the least goals against in MLS, having only surrendered a stingy nine goals in 14 games.

Miller becomes the second Whitecaps FC player to win the honour, as Camilo was previously named Player of the Week following his two goal, one assist performance against Sporting Kansas City at Empire Field during Week 3 in Vancouver’s inaugural season in 2011.

Whitecaps FC are back in action this coming Wednesday, June 19, when they host fellow Western Conference side Chivas USA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at BC Place

The 6’1”, 189-pound goalie posted a record of 21-9-0, a 1.67 GAA, a save percentage of .931 and 5 shutouts through 30 games, guiding Skelleftea to the top of Sweden’s Elitserien in the 2012.13 season. In 10 playoff appearances, Eriksson recorded a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage helping Skelleftea capture the 2012.13 Elitserien Championship.

The Gavle, Sweden native was originally selected by Philadelphia in the seventh round, 196^th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

JOACIM ERIKSSON’S CAREER STATISTICS

                                          --- Regular Season ---

Season   Team                        Lge    GP   Min   GA  EN SO   GAA   W   L   T   Svs    Pct

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010-11  Skelleftea HC               SEL    17   939   40   0  1  2.56   0   0   0   388  0.906

2011-12  Skelleftea HC               SEL    33  2016   61   0  3  1.82   0   0   0   837  0.932

2012-13  Skelleftea HC               SEL    30  1726   48   0  5  1.67  21   9   0   652  0.931

                                            ---- Playoffs ----

Season   Team                        Lge    GP   G   A Pts PIM

---------------------------------------------------------------

2010-11  Skelleftea HC               SEL    18   0   0   0   0

2011-12  Skelleftea HC               SEL

2012-13  Skelleftea HC               SEL    13   0   0   0   0

---------------------------------------------------------------

Canadian international Russell Teibert registered an assist in his third straight game and Kenny Miller had his first two-goal performance as a member of the ‘Caps in Vancouver’s highest scoring MLS match to date.

Head coach Martin Rennie made two changes from last week’s starting lineup against Seattle Sounders FC, with Carlyle Mitchell drawing in for the injured Andy O’Brien at centre back and Daigo Kobayashi coming in for Jun Marques Davidson in midfield.

On eight minutes, the first opportunity for the ‘Caps presented itself when Young-Pyo Lee fired a shot from the right side of the 18-yard box, but his shot narrowly missed the left side of the net.

Two minutes later, on 10 minutes, the visitors put a hush to the BC Place crowd. Left back Chris Tierney lofted a long ball upfield to Juan Agudelo, who then one-timed a shot just past Brad Knighton and into the net to give the Revs the early one-goal lead.

In the 19th minute, New England nearly netted another when Saer Sene found Kelyn Rowe in the centre of the box, but the midfielder fired the ball high. However, just a minute later, on 20 minutes, the Revs’ capitalized as Sene connected with Diego Fagundez, who in turn found Rowe for a low finish and a 2-0 lead.

On 23 minutes, the tides turned as Andrew Farrell took down Kenny Miller in the box just after the Scottish striker picked up a pass from Russell Teibert. The result was a red card to the Revs rookie and a penalty kick awarded to the ‘Caps, who donned their arbutus brown kits for tonight’s match. Camilo stepped up to the spot and converted, bringing the home side to their feet as Vancouver drew back within a goal.

With a man advantage, Vancouver found an equalizer on 39 minutes when Mitchell headed the ball forward to Miller. The Scotsman then flicked it over the head of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, headed to himself, and slid a left-footer past Bobby Shuttleworth to make it 2-2.

Less than five minutes later the boys in Brown were in front. After a strong run from Nigel Reo-Coker, Teibert received the ball out right and crossed into Jordan Harvey who made no mistake from in close, scoring a third unanswered goal for the ‘Caps as they went into the break up 3-2.

With the home side up a goal and a man, an interesting second 45 minutes awaited.

On 58 minutes, the Revs had a chance to equalize as Darius Barnes threw the ball in to McCarthy, who headed the ball on to Fagundez, who himself sent a header towards goal that was easily grabbed by Knighton.

10 minutes later Miller provided some comfort for ‘Caps fans with another beauty. After collecting a long ball forward from Camilo, Miller let the ball take a bounce, then fired a looping shot outside the box over the head of Shuttleworth for a 4-2 lead.

The Revs’ had a chance to get a goal back on 73 minutes, when Tierney broke in on the left flank and fired a laser then flew just wide of the near post.

However, on 84 minutes, the visitors again got within a goal as second half substitute Dimitry Imbongo was sent in by Barnes andfired a shot past Knighton from the middle of the box, giving the Revs’ something to fight for in the final five minutes of the match.

With nerves high in stoppage time, Rowe had a great chance to level the match late as a free kick taken by Shuttleworth ended up in the box, where the ball bounced off of Knighton to Rowe, but with an open goal in front of him he couldn’t keep it on frame and sent a shot high.

On 95 minutes, the Revs’ had a final chance on a free kick taken by Lee Nguyen, but a sprawling Knighton saved the day with a terrific tip over the net to preserve the lead.

Despite a few tense moments, the ‘Caps maintained their composure and rode out the storm to claim a 4-3 win and continue their seven-match unbeaten streak at home.

Next up, Whitecaps FC host Western Conference side Chivas USA this coming Wednesday, June 19 at BC Place. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT.

Hugh O’Neill FG 29-27 Lions

Receiver Korey Williams, who’s been turning heads at training camp, was also impressive for the Lions. Williams had a 105 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter and had 182 total return yards in four returns. He also added a 26 yard reception, putting him at 208 total yards for the night.

Korey Williams 105yd kickoff return

Travis Lulay only played the first two series for the Lions, completing two of five passes. He left early in the first quarter. Lulay took a heavy hit on his final play, but will be fine.

Thomas DeMarco, who’s the likely backup for Lulay, went six for 12 for 68 yards along with a touchdown pass to Nick Moore.  Joey Elliott was three for four for 25 yards.

Mike Benevides with Rick and Giulio

Korey Williams with Rick and Giulio

The Lions return to Kamloops for another few days of training camp, and close the preseason next Friday (June 21st) at home against Edmonton.

The organization will be known as the Utica Comets and will play at the Utica Memorial Auditorium under the management of Mohawk Valley Garden (MVG), beginning in the 2013.14 season.

MVG is led by former NHL goaltender Robert Esche and long-time AHL owner and executive Frank DuRoss.

“We look forward to a new AHL affiliation and the development of our prospects in Utica, New York,” said Canucks President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis. “There was a strong interest in bringing an AHL team back to Utica and a real commitment to provide a positive environment for the growth and success of players in the Canucks system.”
“Vancouver is a first class organization, and we are proud to partner with them here in Utica to develop their future NHL talent,” DuRoss said.

“As someone who benefitted greatly from playing in the AHL on the way to the NHL, I know how important the AHL experience is to player development. We will make this a top notch experience for both the Canucks, and their prospects,” added Esche, who played in the NHL for both the Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes.

The city of Utica has a history with the American Hockey League. From 1987 to 1993, they housed the Utica Devils, the affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. It is also the former home of the Mohawk Valley Stars (Atlantic Coast Hockey League), the Utica Bulldogs (United Hockey League), Utica Blizzard (United Hockey League), Mohawk Valley Prowlers (United Hockey League) and the Mohawk Valley IceCats (North Eastern Hockey League).
CANUCKS MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATION HISTORY

2011-2013 Chicago Wolves         AHL

Vancouver would grab four runs in the top of the 4^th inning off of RHP Peter Tago who walked seven over his 4 2/3 innings of work.  Tago was chased in the top of the 5^th inning shortly after Canadians 3B Jason Leblebijian smacked a triple to deep center field scoring 2B Jorge Vega-Rosado.  The Canadians would score four more in the top of the 5^th inning off of Tago and reliever RHP Shaun Stewart to build an 8-1 lead.

While Vancouver was patiently taking advantage of the suspect Dust Devils pitching, RHP Eric Brown was quietly putting together a solid debut for the Canadians.  The third-year C’s arm went five innings scattering just two hits while allowing just one run as he improved to 1-0 on the young Northwest League season.

Tri-City would pull to within four runs heading to the 9^th inning, but DH Jordan Leyland would reach base on a passed ball after striking out and later scored on a wild pitch to extend the Vancouver lead to 9-4, it was ‘that’ kind of night for Tri-City.

With the victory, Vancouver improves to 1-0 on the season, while Tri-City falls to 0-1.  These two teams will play game two of this three-game series on Saturday, June 15^th at 7:15pm.  The Canadians will send LHP Kyle Anderson (0-0 0.00) to the mound in hopes of a second straight victory.

Line Score:

Canadians        0 0 0     4 4 0     0 0 1        9 4 0

Tri-City                0 0 0     1 0 2       1 0 1         5 8 1

WP:       E. Brown (1-0)

LP:         P. Tago (0-1)

Time:    2 Hours 59 Minutes

Attn:      3,272

Ousted, 28, played at Randers FC of the Danish Superliga.

Whitecaps manager Martin Rennie told TEAM 1040’s morning show on Thursday that the ‘Caps had new signings but were not ready to make an announcement, “They may have happened already, but nothing’s been announced yet”.

The reports about the 6’3” Ousted look like they confirm Rennie’s comments.

The Whitecaps “do not comment on speculation about players” when asked about Ousted.

It’s reported that Vancouver and Ousted are currently in contract negotiations and a deal could be finalized in the next few days.

The ‘Caps reported had contacted Ousted’s teammate, American Charlie Davies, who recommended the goalkeeper. The Danish goalkeepers contract expires with Randers this summer.

The 28-year-old ‘keeper had 14 clean sheets in 39 appearances for Randers FC.

Ousted would be available to play for the Whitecaps on July 3rd against fellow Danish goalkeepr Jimmy Nielsen and Sporting Kansas City.

Vancouver meanwhile looks to rebound from a loss to Seattle last weekend as the ‘Caps host New England Revolution on Saturday.

For all the latest of Whitecaps FC news, follow ‘Caps reporter Tyler Green on Twitter.

Harris also revealed that he won’t be going to the pre-season game in Calgary.

Take a listen to the interview below:

Andrew Harris June 13

Follow Brendan Batchelor on Twitter @Batchelor1040.