Balyk's 43 saves, Oishi's three points lead VIU to road win in Castlegar

Jeremy Balyk made 43 saves to help Vancouver Island University bounce back from a Friday loss and split their weekend series against Selkirk College with a 3-2 road victory at the Castlegar Recreation Centre.

A scoreless first period led to an action-packed middle frame, as Brett Witala opened the scoring at the 17:13 mark of the period. Jaiden LaPorte evened the score midway through the period, but Gage Colpron put the Mariners back in front with 1:54 left on the clock with a power-play marker.

The Saints knotted the score at 2-2 on a man-advantage opportunity of their own six minutes inot the third, but Colpron netted the game winner less than 90 seconds later. Kobe Oishi made an immediate impact in his return to the VIU lineup, assisting on all three of his team's goals in his second game of the season.

Balyk picked up the win in large part due to his 20 third period saves and improved his season record to 7-3-0. Tallon Kramer surrendered three goals on 26 shots in the loss.

With the victory, VIU jumps two points clear of SFU for second place in the league standings, while Selkirk remains four points up on Victoria for fourth place and a postseason berth. The Mariners will host the Vikes next Friday, while Selkirk has a bye weekend before heading to the Lower Mainland for games against Trinity Western and SFU.