It took just one week for SFU to find the goals that they were looking for. After scoring only one goal last week against Trinity Western despite having 35 shots, the Clan got five against Selkirk College in a penalty-filled game.
“It was kind of a tale of three periods,” said head coach Mark Coletta after the game. “I thought the first period we were good. Second was [. . .] I think it was indicative of everything. Poor officiating, poor play by us, and the third period was outstanding, especially when guys are hurt and guys are filling different roles and we did a good job.”
The first period was controlled by SFU, who ended it with a 2–0 lead. Tyler Basham opened the scoring at 9:31, with Sam Chatterley scoring just over a minute later. It was the second straight game Basham scored in after returning from a shoulder injury.
“Basham puts a lot of pressure on himself to score goals” Coletta commented. “[. . .] I think guys just have to realise, look, you’re going to play, you’re going to get opportunities to score goals, and when you do, score them. Especially when you’re a goal scorer. Tyler is, and that’s what he is doing.”
However, the second period was marked by a flood of penalties, 68 minutes of them in total. Coletta was honest on his thoughts of the officiating afterward.
“Refs are human, no different than us,” he said. “We all make mistakes. I just think he was not in control of the game and some of the calls he made, I think, were just not well thought out in my opinion.
Perhaps the strangest call came on Jaret Babych. The forward appeared to say something to the officials and was promptly given 30 minutes of penalties and tossed from the game.
“All I know is that at the NHL, NCAA, CIS, Junior, WHL, whatever it is, officials have to have thick skin,” said Coletta on what happened in that instance. “Didn’t look like anything was said. I would imagine Selkirk would have the same things to say about the refereeing tonight.”
In the third, SFU was able to buckle down and kill the game off with a three-goal effort. Newcomer Daniell Lange got two of them, after being bumped up to the top line with Adam Callegari and Brendan Lamont.
“Wherever he’s playing, he’s playing with a skilled guy,” said Coletta on what’s working for Lange. “We know what his attributes are, his nice hands, his ability to score goals. We have to feed off that and that we are putting him in positions to succeed.”
“You always play hunches as a coach, and sometimes it works.”
Next up for SFU is the University of Victoria in a back to back situation next Friday and Saturday. Two wins by the Vikes and they are back in the first place conversation, while two wins for SFU will give them some much-needed breathing room entering the holiday break.
Coletta remarked on the keys to get two wins: “Team speed and we can’t have an emotional letdown.”
“This was an emotional game, and it’s going to take six days to get back at it. But we have to keep that intensity for the week and end the semester on a high note. Two wins is important, and like I told the guys, anything less than that is not successful. We have to finish off with two.”
