Matthys records first BCIHL shutout in Spartans' 4-0 win over Selkirk

Trinity Western University goaltender Silas Matthys (Wollerau, Switzerland) earned his first BCIHL shutout and the Spartans blanked Selkirk for the first time ever, as TWU secured up a 4-0 win over the Saints on Friday at the Langley Events Centre.

Matthys made 39 saves to earn the shutout win and, with the victory, helped the Spartans take sole possession of first place in the BCIHL with a record of 6-2-0-1. The Saints dropped to 5-4-0-1 and sit in a tie for second with Victoria.

JP Villeneuve (Georgetown, Ont.), who missed TWU’s last three games due to injury, opened the scoring less than six minutes into the first period and, as it turned out, that was all Matthys would need to pick up his sixth win of the season.

PJ Buys (Newmarket, Ont.) scored late in the first period before Cody Fidgett (Richmond, B.C.) put TWU up 3-0 with a second period tally. Grange Gordon (Ladner, B.C.) rounded out the scoring with a power play goal with just under a minute to play in the third period.

Defenceman Blair Murphy (Surrey, B.C.), who returned to action after being out with an injury for the Spartans last four games, had two assists while forward Dawson Sawatzky (Calgary), who was promoted to TWU’s top line, also collected a pair of helpers.

Selkirk goalie James Prigione made 24 saves in a losing effort.

The Spartans got off to a hot start as Villeneuve sparked the offence by scoring off the rush with a clapper from the left circle that beat Prigione five hole at 5:07 of the first. Sawatzky earned the first assist as he dished the puck off to Villeneuve while Murphy nabbed the second assist as he started the play with a pass to Sawatzky.

With just over two minutes left in the first period, TWU doubled its lead when Buys finished a nifty passing play between him, Sawatzky, and Florian Niedermaier (Davos, Switzerland). Buys tucked the puck home from in tight, deking past Prigione and sliding it into a gaping cage.

Less than five minutes into the second period, the Spartans offence continued to roll as Fidgett tallied his 12th goal of the season. Mattias Schmitt (Surrey, B.C.) wheeled in from the right wing to the front of the net and, after his initial attempt was stopped, Fidgett banged in the rebound.

Down by three, the Saints came out flying in the third period and fired 25 shots on Matthys. The Spartans goalie had to come up large on a number of occasions to preserve the shutout win. With 54 seconds left in the period, Gordon capitalized on a power play, scoring his first goal as a Spartans to give TWU its fourth marker of the night. Wur and Murphy nabbed assists.

The Spartans are on the road next weekend as they travel to play Eastern Washington Nov. 21-22. Selkirk is back on the ice Saturday when they will play Simon Fraser at Burnaby’s Bill Copeland Sports Centre at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: TWU’s sixth win of the fall semester marks the Spartans most wins before Christmas in its five year history…with his goal, Fidgett moved into the league lead for goals and he has now scored in eight of the Spartans nine games this year…for the first time all year, defenceman Jake Harcoff (Surrey, B.C.) was held off the score sheet as he had tallied at least a point in each of TWU’s first eight games.