Late Cody Fidgett goal propels Spartans to home victory over Simon Fraser

Trinity Western University forward Cody Fidgett (Richmond, B.C.) got his second goal of the night with 8.1 seconds remaining in the third period to the lift the Spartans to a 3-2 victory over visiting Simon Fraser University in BCIHL hockey action Friday night at the Langley Events Centre.

The victory improves the Spartans to 3-1, while the loss drops the Clan to 2-2.

“We talked to the guys before the game about playing with courage and not having fear as part of our mindset, so it didn’t really matter to us when they got the first goal as we were flying at the time and were outshooting them. We definitely had the momentum,” said TWU head coach Barret Kropf.

“Our guys didn’t struggle thinking that they were going to out chance us. As soon as we got it knotted at 1-1. Things settled down and we got our power play clicking and we got the second one on a really nice power play effort.”

Special teams were the difference in tonight’s game as TWU’s penalty kill limited the Clan to 1-6 on the power play, while the Spartans went 2-4 with the man advantage. The Spartans were in control for most of the game as they outshot the Clan 32-21.

The first period was a defensive struggle with neither team scoring as TWU finished with a 7-2 edge in shots. In the second SFU opened the scoring at 17:37 when Trent Murdoch found the back of the Spartans net. Fidget tied the game up at 12:23 as the teams ended the second period tied at 1-1.

In the third period the Spartans got a big boost as the killed off a four minute SFU power play and got their own man advantage after Fidgett was tripped in the defensive zone. On the ensuing power play the Spartans JP Villeneuve (Powell River, B.C.) fired a shot from outside the right circle to put TWU up 2-1 at 11:59.

“It was critical for our guys on the bench to see the sacrifices the guys were making. Even guys with injuries were still throwing themselves in front of shots. You are not putting points on the board, but it still carries the same momentum. You could just see how defensive courage gave us offensive opportunities,” commented Kropf on the teams penalty kill.

The Clan tied the game at 8:04 when Jared Eng scored a power play goal off of a screen shot. TWU goalie Silas Matthys (Wollerau, Switzerland), who made 19 saves, had no chance on the shot.

Fidgett got the game winner on the power play after SFU’s Graham Smerek received an interference call with 2:00 remaining in the game. After a time-out by coach Kropf the Spartans were very patient on power play. They worked the puck around the outside and Jamey Kreller (Winfield, B.C.) found Fidgett for the game winner.

“In the time-out we just asked the guys to be patient and wait for the lanes to open,” commented Kropf on the team’s final power play. “Our first unit is playing with lots of confidence, they are experienced guys and they know what they are doing.”

SFU’s Jordan Liem made 29 saves in the loss. The two teams will battle it out again tomorrow evening at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby, B.C. Puck drop at the Clan’s home rink is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

“We look at tomorrow as the continuation of a six period game. Our guys are making the plays that they need to and they are buying into our systems. It’s just a matter of going home and getting some rest and getting back at it. It’s like a long timeout,” added Kropf.

“We will look at film and possibly tweak things or make some adjustments. This is where the two coaches will earn their keep.”

Game notes: Fidgett was named the first star, while Villeneuve earned the games second star. SFU’s Adam Rossi was named third star…