While the Yukon doesn't have a competitive college soccer team of its own, the Grant MacEwan Griffins could certainly make their case for adoption this season.

The Edmonton college boasts four Yukoners on this year's men's soccer roster, including the team's captain, Ash Jordan. Jordan is making his return to the Griffins after skipping last season and training at home in Whitehorse he also captained them in 2003.

'It's my second year as captain and it's a totally different feel this year,' said Jordan in an interview from Edmonton. 'I'm the old guy on the team now (in his third season). But I like it. They've given me a lot of responsibility.'

Jordan didn't end up playing much soccer this past year, after he broke his ankle in December. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to go back to Grant MacEwan until head coach Paul Kelly, who has been running soccer camps in the Yukon for the past few years, convinced him a couple of months ago.

So Jordan started running and working out more often, hoping to get back to the player he was two years ago. Now, he said, he's 'pretty much up to snuff.

'I'm feeling pretty good, actually. It's like riding a bike.'

Asked whether he's the type of captain who rallies the troops with words or leads by example on the field, he said he tries to do both.

'Originally, they were going to put me at centre-mid(field) this year, but they decided to try me out at sweeper, so I have to talk a lot back there already. I always try to play my best too, to stand out and be a leader.'

Fellow Yukoner and teammate Ammon Hoefs will also be counted on for leadership this season. Hoefs is one of just three returning players from last year's squad and will serve as alternate captain.

'Ammon is doing amazing,' said Jordan. 'Last year, he blew everybody's socks off and he's doing it again. And he's assistant captain.

'It's pretty cool having both of us Yukon boys holding it together.'

Joining the two veterans on the Griffins as rookies will be Hoefs' younger brother Boris and Paul Fraughton, both of whom represented the territory at last month's Canada Summer Games in Regina.

'The Yukon players are a very big part of this team,' said Kelly. 'Paul and Boris, they play up front and there's a third guy, so they'll be in and out as starting players, but both of them could be the starting players all the time by the end of the season.'

Kelly said the coaching staff knew they were getting 'a solid, dependable player' in Jordan and a quick, strong midfielder with a great attitude in Ammon. But he wasn't as sure about the two rookies, even though he'd seen them a few times in Whitehorse.

'I didn't know a lot about Paul coming in, but he's a very tough and very quick, skilled player. The one player that has really surprised me, though, is Boris. I was a little concerned about him at first, but he's very quick, like his brother, and he's going to do very well for us.'

It's been an interesting start to the season for the Yukoners, especially Ammon and Boris, who arrived in Edmonton a couple weeks prior to the date they were allowed to move into their dorms at the college.

They spent the first week living in a campground before moving in with Jordan for a week, once he arrived in town.

'We were living out of a tent for the first couple of days of tryouts,' laughed Boris. 'We were getting crap sleep, so it was a little rough. It pretty much rained the whole time.'

The Griffins played three pre-season games before the coaches made their final cuts, but Boris said it only took a couple of practices before the nerves went away.

'After the Canada Summer Games, tryouts were so much easier than that. It was pretty much scrimmages and after the second practice, I knew I was going to be one of the better players, so I wasn't too nervous (about getting cut).'

Ammon said training camp was fun and he's excited about the group of guys that were selected for this season.

'I think we have a better team than we had last year,' he said. 'And the coaches say this is one of the better teams they've had here.'

'The team's coming together so well,' added Boris. 'Ammon says the unity is 10 times what it was last year. There's a lot of funny guys and guys who have won club nationals years that (the Yukon) went, or were at other tournaments we were at. You start to realize after a while that you've seen some of them before.'

Jordan admitted there have been issues with separation on the team in the past, but he also believes that's changing this year perhaps in part because of the four Yukoners.

'I think it makes a big difference having us four on the team. The bunch of us are really close and we hang out together a lot. I think all the other guys see that, they see our bond and now we're all really coming together.

'(The team is) really close already and we've barely even known each other that long.'

The college soccer season lasts about six weeks, with 10 regular season games leading into the playoffs. On Wednesday, the Griffins opened their season against the team they expect will be the toughest in their pool, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks, also from Edmonton.

The game was played on what's considered the Griffins' home turf, the Victoria Soccer Field, which is at least a 15 minutes drive from campus. The team also trains at Victoria, since there is no soccer field at Grant MacEwan.

After dominating much of the game, the Griffins fell to the Ooks 1-0.

'We had a lot more chances than they did, but they just capitalized on the chances they had,' said Ammon. 'It wasn't an ideal opening, but still, it wasn't too horrible either.'

Boris got the start up front against NAIT and played until the final 15 minutes of the matchup, garnering numerous chances but failing to put it away.

'Boris and Paul up front, they destroyed those guys,' Jordan stated. 'Boris was running circles around them in the first half. Paul scored a beautiful goal that would have tied the game, but it was called back on the offside.'

'I thought I played pretty well,' added Boris. 'I had plenty of chances, I just could not score. The coach told me after the game that he was really impressed with me, so I'm happy I could start off like that.

'(Wednesday) night showed me that I won't have trouble playing at this level. I don't have to worry anymore.'

Kelly said the opening game showed him that the Griffins can compete with the Ooks, who look like the strongest team in their pool on paper. Concordia, Grande Prairie and Ft. MacMurray are also in the Alberta North pool.

The South pool is made up of Mount Royal, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

'You have to qualify for the playoffs out of your own division,' explained Kelly. 'There are three strong teams in the North us, NAIT and Concordia. In the South, Mount Royal is a really strong team, but after that it's up in the air. So it's a lot tougher out of the North to qualify.'

Two teams from each pool make it to the playoffs. The Griffins don't often miss out on the post-season, said Kelly, so making them once again this year will be the number one goal for the squad.

After that, a possible win at provincials and appearance at the national championships would certainly be icing on the cake.

'This is the most skilled team I've played on at Grant MacEwan,' said Jordan. 'I think we have a good shot at nationals for sure.'

'We realistically could definitely win provincials,' added Ammon. 'And that's our goal. From what I hear, it's NAIT that we have to beat in our own pool. From what I saw last night, I think next time we play them, we'll win. It's looking really positive right now.'

The future beyond this season is looking bright for Yukoners, too. Boris admitted they get a few jokes about being from the north, but said they're earning the respect they deserve.

'Ash pretty much runs this team. He'll play anywhere they tell him to. Ammon got player of the game last night. They like Yukoners down here.

'Besides, they're all too scared of Ash to joke about it too much,' he laughed, paying tribute to Jordan's physical play.

Jordan said whenever teammates tease him about what we'll call the Yukon connection, he tells them there may be six or seven players from the territory trying out next season, so everyone had better start looking over their shoulder.