By: Michael Lenko, Peak Associate
After a scheduling conflict prevented the Captain’s Cup tournament from taking place, the Clan opened the 2019–20 pre-season on the right foot with a 5–3 win over the defending BCIHL (British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League) champion Trinity Western University Spartans.
The Spartans opened up the scoring less than four minutes into the game on a redirected point shot that was pounced on by Josh Bruce, who was all alone in front of the net. They would continue to pour on the pressure throughout the first period, but new goaltender Patrick Zubick remained strong and turned away 16 of 17 first period shots, keeping the Clan within striking distance. This would prove vital as Christian Bosa would tap in a rebound off Jordan Dawson’s point shot to level the game with less than four minutes left in the frame.
The start of the second period was dominant for the Clan as they scored three goals before less than five minutes into the frame. Tallies from new recruits Ty Westgard, Jake Keremidschieff and Jordan Dawson would propel the Clan to a 4–1 lead after two periods. Halfway through the second marked the end of Zubick’s night in a scheduled swap for returning goaltender Michael Lenko. Neither team would be able to find the back of the net after the flurry of Clan goals at the start of the period.
The third period didn’t have any scoring until the midpoint mark of the period when Josh Bruce would collect two more goals to complete the hat-trick. That would be as close as the Spartans would get though, with Lenko shutting the door the rest of the way. Arjun Bahd would add an empty net goal to round out the scoring for the Clan on the night.
For the first game of the pre-season, and first together as a team with many new recruits, the Clan delivered an impressive performance. The Clan’s newest recruits delivered some of the most impressive play, accounting for four of five goals in the win. Despite their newness, the rookies’ seamless fit into the BCIHL thus far bodes well for the Clan.
The Clan will look to build off this impressive initial showing when they travel to Boston, in two weeks, for two pre-season matchups against NCAA Division 1 opponents College of the Holy Cross and Scared Heart University. Following these two out of conference matchups, the Clan will host Vancouver Island University on October 11 to open the 2019–20 BCIHL season.
