After a lengthy break over the holidays, the Simon Fraser University men’s hockey team welcomed the University of Princeton, University of North Dakota and cross town rivals University of British Columbia to Bill Copeland Arena for the second annual Great Northwest Showcase (GNS). SFU had an up and down weekend as they were trounced by Princeton 8-1, but narrowly lost to powerhouse North Dakota, 4-3.
Princeton and North Dakota, two NCAA Division I schools, are premier colleges for developing NHL talent. Princeton has had 23 players since 1963 drafted by NHL teams, while this year’s North Dakota squad boasts 15 NHL draft picks, highlighted by USA’s 2012-13 World Juniors hero Rocco Grimaldi and St. Louis Blues’ first rounder Jordan Schmaltz.
Simon Fraser played Princeton for their opening game of the GNS. In the first period, Princeton’s Andrew Calof, the eventual player of the game, put the visitors ahead early. Despite being heavily outshot, SFU found itself level when Graham Smerek forced a turnover in Princeton’s zone and found Clan leading scorer Nick Sandor, who buried the equalizer.
Sandor’s goal was SFU’s lone bright spot of the night. Calof led the Princeton onslaught with four points over the course of the game, which featured six third-period Princeton goals. The Clan was no match for Princeton’s obvious talent level.
SFU’s strategy in the second game of the showcase, against North Dakota, was to play a five man neutral zone trap: keep five men in front of the puck, absorb as much heat as North Dakota could bring, and capitalize on chances in transition. For most of the night, the strategy worked perfectly.
The first period came and went without any scoring, but North Dakota carried the play, peppering Clan netminder Graham Gordon with a multitude of shots.
North Dakota’s relentless fore-check finally paid off, as in the second, they drew a Clan penalty, and on the ensuing powerplay Grimaldi put his team ahead 1-0. SFU’s newest member Scott Brkich answered with a power play blast of his own, leveling the game at one goal apiece.
The third period featured as much drama as a hockey game could provide. SFU took a surprising one from a great individual effort by Trevor Piller, whose cross-ice pass hit a ND defenseman and went in. After the go ahead goal, North Dakota did what great teams do and picked up their game, eventually replying to SFU’s goal with two of their own, taking a 3–2 lead.
The seesaw period continued when Jono Ceci found Sandor cross-crease for the tap-in equalizer. North Dakota’s Dillon Simpson eventually put the Fighting Sioux ahead for good off of a mad scramble in the SFU crease. Ceci later had a glorious opportunity all alone at the side of the net, but was denied by Sioux netminder Zane Gothberg, securing North Dakota’s 4–3 victory.
SFU only had 17 shots in the game compared to North Dakota’s 51, but despite what the stat sheet may say, SFU did a great job of limiting North Dakota’s chances, as most of the 51 shots were from low percentage areas on the ice.
UBC eventually went on to win the GNS, with two victories out of two games played, but SFU’s valiant effort against North Dakota wrapped up a great weekend of high-level hockey.
