Dunlop lifts VIU past Selkirk, solidifies Mariners in second place

Vancouver Island University forward Garrett Dunlop provided all the scoring the Mariners would need on Saturday night, netting a hat trick in a 3-2 home ice victory over Selkirk College to close out the 2019 portion of his team's B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League schedule with a win.

Dunlop slotted home his first of the night just four minutes after puck drop, but Selkirk's Tristen Cross brought the Saints level before intermission when he converted on a Kadrian Klimchuk set-up.

The game remained knotted at 1-1 until early in the third period, when Dunlop scored his second of the night on a power-play. He completed the hat trick into an empty net, with Gage Colpron picking up his second assist of the period in the process. Dallas Goodwin put the Saints back within a goal with 13 seconds left, but the visitors couldn't find an equalizer in the game's waning moments.

Matt Huber picked up his first win of the season, stopping 44 shots while earning third star honours. Tallon Kramer faced 29 shots in the loss.

With the win, VIU moves to 7-4-0-2 on the season and has built up a six-point lead on SFU and Selkirk for second place in the league standings. They have played a BCIHL-high 13 games, however, leaving the Saints and Clan with three and two games in hand respectively.

The Mariners are now off until January while Selkirk will look to snap a four-game losing streak next weekend when SFU visits Castlegar for a pair of weekend games.