It may only be November, but in a five-team league, every game is important. Over the weekend, the Clan travelled to Victoria to play a back-to-back series against the Vikes. SFU lost in overtime on Friday but came back to win on Saturday, earning three out of a possible four points.
“It’s tough rink to play [in],” said head coach Mark Coletta on going away to UVic. “Everything is magnified because everything is so close. There’s always goal scoring chances off of every turnover, especially from the blue lines in. It was definitely a counter punch style of hockey, we carried a lot of the play and we took advantage of some breaks.”
In the first game, SFU forced overtime with a goal from Mathew Berry-Lamontagna with less than a minute to go. However, leading scorer Shawn Mueller scored in overtime to give the Vikes the win. The game was the first for SFU played with the new 3 on 3 overtime rules.
The game also marked the return of forward Adam Callegari to the lineup. He didn’t disappoint in his first game back, notching two assists on the first line alongside Brendan Lamont and Scott Patterson.
“You can never bank on chemistry happening with three guys or a line-up,” said Coletta. “But with him, Lamont, and Patterson, the chemistry is just there. There’s something that you try to manufacture as a coaching staff, but it’s a natural process, it just happens. Those three guys have it, and with [him] back, it’s definitely a good line.”
The second game saw SFU down 2–1 after two periods. In the third, the Clan decided to mount a comeback, scoring four unanswered goals to win the game 5–2.
“Coach Spencer and Camazzola knew that we were definitely carrying the play, but the pucks just weren’t going in the net,” said Coletta on the difference between the first two periods and the last. “So we just wanted to come out in the second period with a win and go into the third knowing that we had a chance. That’s all we focused on, one period at a time.”
Both Jordan Liem and Lyndon Stanwood played over the weekend, with Liem in net for Friday’s game and Stanwood Saturday. It’s a rotation that Coletta says will continue in the future.
“I think knowing that we had two weeks with back-to-back games and Stanwood coming off an injury, we want to get him some action,” said Coletta on the decision to split the starts. “Liem could use a little bit of a break, but at the same time, I think them both playing and splitting some games here is a good thing.”
Brandon Tidy played both games on defence once again, and is expected to be there for the near future. Tyler Basham is “a couple weeks away” from returning, while Robson Cramer is “out until after Christmas” and Pavlo Zerebecky is still recovering from offseason surgery.
SFU’s next home game is against Selkirk College on November 26. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
