By: Dylan Webb
SFU Hockey defeated the University of Victoria Vikes 5–1 on Friday night at the Ian Stewart Complex in Victoria. The Clan exploded with a four-goal first period that crushed the Vikes’ morale early in the game. The Clan is now 2–2 on the year as they look to rise above .500 for the first time this season.
Mac Colasimone opened the scoring five minutes into the first period by shovelling in a loose puck off a scramble to the right of UVic goaltender Zack Wear. The Clan promptly expanded their lead to 2–0 on an embarrassing misplay by the Victoria Vikes. On what should have been an icing call, Wear mistakenly attempted to handle the puck, resulting in an easy tap in for Ryker Moreau. Adding two more goals in the first, with Colasimone tallying his second of the night and Mitch Newsome chipping in with his first BCIHL goal, the Clan established their dominance early in the game.
The second and third periods took on a choppy vibe, as an extraordinary amount of penalty minutes were handed out to both teams. The second and third period were characterized by a lack of flow and a focus on physicality and penalty-taking. The two teams together took 15 minor penalties plus a multitude of majors and game misconducts. The dominance that SFU displayed in the first 20 minutes was disrupted significantly by both teams’ constant parade to the penalty box and the distraction created by all the after-the-whistle physicality.
In this context, the Clan simply had to grind out the final two periods with the lead firmly in hand. The combination of the overpowering first period and the stellar goaltending was enough to earn the two points for the Clan, the win moving them out of the cellar and into second place in the league standings.
In goal, Ryan Sandrin earned his first win of the BCIHL regular season with an outstanding performance, stopping 23 of 24 shots. Making his first start of the season, Sandrin looks to earn himself more opportunities to start if his performance continues to give the team a chance to win on a nightly basis.
“The team was motivated by a less-than-ideal start to the season and definitely needed a bounce-back game to get the squad back on the right track,” stated rookie defenseman Arjan Cheema after the game, speaking to what led to the Clan’s first convincing victory of the season.
Coach Mark Coletta echoed these sentiments as well as emphasizing that the dominant first period the Clan put together demonstrated “the potential the team has to be a powerful force in the BCIHL this season and in future years”.
With the win on Friday, Simon Fraser will now catch an early ferry back to the lower mainland in advance of their home game against the Selkirk Saints the following day. You can catch the Clan in action at Bill Copeland sports centre tonight against the Saints as well as the following weekend for a home and home double header against the visiting VIU Mariners. Puck drop for tonight’s game is at 7 p.m.
