The Simon Fraser University men’s hockey team captured sole position of first place in the BCIHL with wins over the Trinity Western Spartans and bitter rivals Selkirk Saints.
Each victory, especially the nail biter against Selkirk, gave SFU the inside track on home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs as the season begins to head down the final stretch.
Before the marquee matchup against the Saints, SFU had a tough matchup with TWU. After their hot start to the season, TWU has hit a bit of a rough patch, seeing their lead atop of the league vanish into a fourth place seed. Simon Fraser did not take their opponent lightly as they staved off a furious Spartan rally to win 5–2.
Simon Fraser got off to a perfect start, as 35 seconds into the contest Trent Murdoch gave the visiting Clan a 1–0 lead on a wraparound attempt. The Clan continued to pepper TWU goaltender Silas Matthys’ net for 12 shots in the first, but were unable to add another goal.
The Clan’s furious offensive pace and control of the puck paid off with two second period goals from Jared Eng and Aaron Enns, giving the Clan a commanding 3–0 lead.
SFU was heading towards a decisive victory when TWU’s Jamey Kreller and Brett Wur both scored just 3:17 into the third period. However, SFU didn’t panic and elevated their play, potting two more insurance goals late in the frame in order to set up a game for first place with Selkirk on Saturday evening.
Continuous back and forth action was the theme of the game against Selkirk, as the BCIHL’s top two teams displayed all kinds of skill. The period was not SFU’s most cohesive effort, as sloppy play in their defensive zone led to Stefan Gonzales and Logan Proulx finding the back of the net giving the visiting Saints a 2–0 lead.
Head coach Mark Coletta finally woke his team up in the first intermission as from the second period on, SFU controlled the play. Nick Sandor finally put his team on the board, finishing a two-on-one rush with Jono Ceci. Defenceman Eng then joined a rush, was given a partial break, and finished the play with a smooth forehand-to-backhand goal, tying the affair at two.
SFU eventually took a 3–2 lead late in the third after Sandor found Trevor Milner all alone in front. Despite being outplayed in the final two periods, the Saints showed their championship mettle as Proulx roofed his second of the night, with only 2:06 left, to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Although playing much of the extra frame in the opposition’s own end, SFU could not beat Saints’ netminder Chris Hurry, which meant the game would be decided by a shootout. Milner scored the winning tally in the shootout and Clan goaltender Andrew Parent only surrendered one goal to give the home side the victory and, for the time being, top spot in the BCIHL.
SFU hits the road for three straight away games which will test their spot at the top of the standings, a test the Burnaby side should be well prepared for.
