By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer
Green lights streaking from the inside of the player’s tunnel flash across the rink as the sound of skates slash against the ice. Red jerseys square off against black and orange, battling for the puck against the boards. Fans cheer from the stands as goals are scored back and forth. Family, friends, and students alike have all gathered for one reason — to watch the SFU Red Leafs take on the Okanagan Lakers.
The Red Leafs have two hockey rosters: the roster that plays against the rest of the teams within the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL), and the non-conference roster that travels to take on National Collegiate Athletic Association teams. Previously, the non-conference team made stops at the University of Michigan and Colorado College to play the Wolverines and the Tigers.
Coming off a 4–2 win against the Lakers on the road, the BCHIL Red Leafs returned to Bill Copeland Sports Centre to hold their regular-season home opener against the Lakers on October 14.
For a university hockey game, there were quite a few young kids. Most of the crowd was made up of groups of students, who can get into any SFU games for free with a school ID. A few families brought homemade signs and stood by the tunnel, waiting to get high-fives from players as they walked out to start their season at home.
In traditional opening game fashion, SFU players were introduced one-by-one, emerging on the ice to the cheers of fans welcoming a new season. As the Canadian national anthem began to play, fans and players stood looking toward the banners hanging from the rafters. Another championship this year would make it the third-straight title for SFU.
The puck dropped, and the game began. Okanagan opened the scoring with a goal five minutes into the period and one with 21 seconds left, making the score 2–0 before the end of the first period. Fans left during the first intermission to grab snacks from the concession stand on the lower level, but came back when a girls minor team took to the ice. The girls played a small scrimmage game for about five minutes, with the crowd cheering each team on after they scored against one another.
A slew of goals and penalties took place in the second period. SFU started the middle frame with a goal by forward Nick Wagner, 30 seconds into the period. However, the two-goal deficit was quickly re-established when the Lakers scored off of a power play caused by a tripping penalty. The Red Leafs scored again with three minutes left in the period to bring the score to 3–2 for the second intermission.
12-minutes into the final period, Red Leafs forward Max Lightfoot scored, tying the game up at three apiece. “Sweet Caroline” — a hockey game karaoke classic — blared throughout the rink as the team eagerly tried to finish their opening-night comeback. But after peppering goaltender Cooper Giesbrecht with a grand total of 44 shots throughout the game, the Lakers scored to make it 4–3 with eight minutes left in the period.
The final few minutes were intense as SFU attempted to claw back and tie the game yet again. However, the siren signalling the end of the game came too soon, and the Red Leafs finished the game with a 5–3 loss after the Lakers scored a goal with seconds left to seal the deal. Despite the score, the players showed grit and determination — two traits that any fan can rally around.
The Red Leafs BCIHL roster is 1–1 to start the year. They’ll take on the UVIC Vikes in game one of a two-game road trip on Friday, October 27.
