Bannock Burners scorch competition in eight-ball league

The Bannock Burners had a plan at the start of this year's Porter Creek Billiards Club's weekly eight-ball league.

The Bannock Burners had a plan at the start of this year’s Porter Creek Billiards Club’s weekly eight-ball league.

On Thursday, the team saw it come into fruition.

In the final week of playoffs, the Burners held onto the number one position, scoring an impressive 444 points and finishing with an overall total of 1,277.

The team came into the playoffs in third place with a 10-point handicap, not that they needed the additional points. The next closest team was Shoot Happens, which after a three week playoff round, accumulated 1,221 points.

In previous years, the top prizes for winning the eight-ball league have included an eight-hour chartered fishing trip in Haines Alaska, certificates to Mountain View Golf Course and money.

This year, however, the team’s four players, plus a spare, will be given $3,100 for a trip to Calgary for the Western Canadian Eight-ball Championships, beginning April 29. The winning eight-ball team in Calgary will compete at an international competition in Las Vegas.

“It was a good spot to be in in,” said Bannock Burners player Joe MacLellan about starting the playoffs in third place. “It was the best spot.”

The eight-ball league began in mid-October. Individual players shot 12 games each night, earning a point for each ball sunk and 10 points for a win.

Team points were than tallied up for the playoffs to establish handicaps. Handicaps ranged from zero to 65 points and were added onto the final team score in the three week playoff round.

This was the third year the Porter Creek Billiards Club has hosted an eight-ball league, which saw its team membership increase by six from the previous year.

There were a total of 10 teams for the 2008-09 season.

The Eagles came into the year as the defending champions, but ended up dropping to third by the conclusion of the playoffs. The league’s second through fifth spots were separated by fewer than 60 points.

Raelynne Gartner, who was also a player on the Bannock Burners, said it was an awesome year in the league.

“We had quite a few really good teams and I’m hoping maybe next year we will have a couple more.”

Gartner said she is excited about the chance to play in Calgary.

“I have no idea what it’s going to be like down there,” she said. “There’s so much more mass population that there could be that many more good players.”

Fellow teammate Michael Achtymichuk is also looking forward to playing in Calgary and hopes he will learn a few things during the Western Canadian championship.

“I think it’s going to be a good experience, win or lose I don’t mind,” he said. “Whitehorse is a small town, there are not too many pool players, but in Calgary there should be lots. I think I will learn a lot from them.”

Bannock Burners captain Henry Mills said the team’s strategy worked out perfectly this year.

“Right at the beginning of the year I said ‘We are going to be third place (after the regular season) and that’s perfect,’” he said. “It’s strategy, you don’t want to be the first in the league because then you have no handicap, zero.”

Mills said he a had a lot of fun playing in the league.

“It was just a great group of people to compete against,” he said. “I had lots of fun this year.”

Ric Hudson and his Whitehorse Motors Tritons finished on the other end of the spectrum in the league standings. The Tritons ended up coming in last place, but Hudson said they still had a good time.

“We were number one at being dead last, but we would like to challenge other local businesses in the community to bring their own team in next season,” he said.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

Hudson said he thinks the Bannock Burners will do well at the Western Canadian championships, adding he will be rooting for them.

“I think we were all mediocre to begin with and now we have guys that are just totally awesome,” he said. “They stand up to the plate and don’t miss.”