Call it a weekend whiteout wipeout.
As a result, there will be no more university soccer played this year in Prince George.
Friday's snowstorm buried the city and left the grass at Rotary Soccer Field unplayable for four CIS Canada West Conference games scheduled this weekend.
The UNBC Timberwolves were supposed to play the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack of Kamloops Friday at 3:15 p.m. That game has been postponed, with no makeup date determined. Both the T-wolves (1-10-0) and WolfPack (1-9-0) are out of the playoff picture with four games left on their schedules and it's doubtful that game will be played at a later date.
The UNBC women were also planning to host the UBC-Okanagan Heat of Kelowna in a Sunday game at noon but with wet fields expected the game has been moved to Kelowna, which has an all-weather field. That game is scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
The snow also wiped out the final two home games Saturday and Sunday for the UNBC men against the University of Victoria Vikes. The T-wolves instead will travel to Victoria to play the Vikes Sunday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 3:15 p.m. The Vikes had already arrived in Prince George when the shift in venue was announced.
After consulting with city parks and recreation department personnel, UNBC athletics director Loralyn Murdoch said the call was made at about 1:30 p.m. Friday to postpone and move the games to alternate cities.
"The fields are so saturated it's unsafe to play," said Murdoch. "The fields are closed. It's not our facility, the city of Prince George closed the fields. They are unsafe for CIS athletes.
"It's just another reason why the turf field (to be built next spring at Masich Place Stadium) is so important for our city and we're looking forward to getting that here."
Murdoch said it is much easier to use snow-clearing equipment to clear an artificial turf field without damaging the surface than it would be to attempt that on a natural grass field.
Both of the men's teams will travel by plane back to Victoria. The T-wolves women will ride a bus to Kelowna. Murdoch said UNBC's athletics department will have to cover the additional travel costs for its teams.
"It's really unfortunate but we're getting three of the four games in still," said Murdoch. "Hopefully our teams will be traveling safely to their destinations and everything's being worked out."
Dating back to 2003, when the two UNBC soccer teams played their first exhibition season in the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association, there has never been a T-wolves soccer game canceled or postponed due to unsafe field conditions. After one more exhibition season in 2006, UNBC joined the BCCAA as a member in 2007 and played five seasons in the college league (which was renamed the Pacific Western Athletic Association or PACWEST in 2011).
In 2012, UNBC's two soccer teams and two basketball teams were welcomed into the fold as members of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
