After a disappointing 5–1 loss to the University of Victoria (UVIC) last weekend, SFU hockey got their season back on track with wins on Thursday and Friday night. The first came against a strong Trinity Western team (the same team that defeated UVIC 11–1 last weekend) in Langley, BC on Thursday, while the second came at home against Eastern Washington the following night.
In the first game, Eric Callegari was the hero for the Clan, getting two goals and one assist, for which he was named the game’s first star. “Honestly, it’s a lot faster than what I’m used to, but I’m playing with faster guys as well, great linemates [like] Lamont and Tidy. I just try and get them the puck and work my butt off,” Callegari told SFU Hockey after the game on the switch to the BCIHL. It was his first career multiple-point night.
After the game, head coach Mark Coletta had this to say about Callegari: “He’s got all the skills and all the tools in the world [. . .] Tonight was one of those games you could see he had a feistiness about him, his feet were moving, [and] he was strong on the puck.”
The Clan won this game 4–2, although they gave up the first goal of the game to the Trinity Western side when Jordan Rendle capitalized on a breakaway opportunity. Callegari would then score with 3:52 left in the first period, and again on the powerplay halfway through the second period. Trinity answered back in the third period, tying the game, before goals from Austin Adam (assisted by Callegari and Brendan Lamont) and Daniell Lange gave the Clan the 4–2 victory. Lamont was named the second star of the game, finishing the night with two assists.
Friday night’s game also went down to the wire, as Simon Fraser narrowly escaped the Bill Copeland Sports Centre with a 5–4 win over Eastern Washington. Callegari played a pivotal role in this one as well, scoring the game’s winning goal with 2:06 left in the third period to give the Clan a 5–3 lead.
The tension grew after Eastern Washington’s Will Mix (a fantastic sports name) scored a powerplay goal with 24 seconds left in the game. The Clan, however, escaped with the win, getting their record up to 3–2 on the season. Brandon Tidy, Tyler Basham, Jaret Babych, and Ian Mackey scored the other four goals for SFU in this one, with Mackey being named the game’s first star.
SFU will get a bye next week before travelling to Victoria to try to avenge last week’s loss to UVIC. The game will be played on Friday, November 10 at the Ian Stewart Complex. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
