SFU visits VIU on Friday needing win to keep hopes of third place alive

Simon Fraser University will look to cut the deficit between them and third place Vancouver Island University on Friday night when they visit Nanaimo for their final road contest of the season.

The Clan currently trail VIU by eight points, so a win on Friday night is crucial to their hopes of catching the Mariners. SFU does have four games in hand, but a loss would mean needing to win their five remaining contests along with a VIU loss.

VIU is coming off back-to-back defeats to Selkirk College in Castlegar and continue to be without Dallas Calvin, who last played on January 19th. Brett Witala, who leads all BCIHL scorers with 14 goals and 31 points, and Gage Colpron, who sits third in goals and sixth in points, have picked up the slack and VIU is 2-2 in Calvin;s absence.

The Mariners will be looking to clamp down defensively on a Clan team they beat by a 5-2 score back in their last meeting on February 2nd. That marked the only time in VIU's last six games that they allowed fewer than four goals.

SFU is back in action for the first time since that loss earlier in the month, and are searching for consistency after a win-one, lose-one start to 2019. The Clan opened the year with a big road win at Trinity Western, and beat the top-ranked Spartans again on home ice to close out January, but have also dropped a pair of games to VIU and singles to Victoria and Selkirk.

The Clan have done a great job keeping the puck out of their net with just 61 goals allowed through 18 games, good for a second-best 3.39 GAA. But their offence has been hot and cold, having produced at a 3.44 goals-for rate per game that sits just ahead of UVic for fourth.

SFU's points leader, Mac Colasimone, sits 22nd in league scoring, while Mitch Newsome (10) and Jaret Babych (8) are the team's only skaters with more than five goals. The Clan offense has had it's big nights, like five-goal outings in recent wins over Victoria and TWU, but will need to find the back of the net more consistently down the stretch.

After giving rookie Michael Lenko the lion's share of the net in the fall semester, Simon Fraser has turned to Ryan Sandrin in four of their last five games. The 24-year old has fared well with increased opportunity, posting a .920+ save-percentage in his last three appearances including a 36-save effort the last time the Clan visited Nanaimo.

Friday's game is set for a 7:15 PM faceoff at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. VIU plays a second home game the following night against TWU, while the Clan return home to Burnaby to host the Spartans on Monday afternoon.