Saints looking to close out fall semester with a win as Spartans pay visit

The Selkirk College Saints wrap up the opening half of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season this Friday night with a showdown against the Trinity Western University Spartans and a shot at entering the break in first place.

The student athletes on the four-time defending champion Saints are currently busy preparing for Fall Semester finals and a well-deserved holiday season pause in the hockey schedule.

With the league’s three top teams—Simon Fraser University, Selkirk College and Trinity Western University—all staying tight in the standings, Friday night’s home game at the Castlegar & District Recreation Complex promises to be a hard fought contest.

“We want to enter the break with a win,” says Saints head coach Brent Heaven. “We’ve played pretty well over the last couple of months, but there is room for improvement. The league is strong this year and we will need to be very focused down the stretch.”

The Saints are back home from a weekend in the Lower Mainland where they returned to the West Kootenay with a 1-1 split after beating Trinity Western 4-1 on Friday night in Langley and then dropping a tough 5-1 decision to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. The weekend results catapulted Simon Fraser into first place, with a one-point lead over both the Saints and the Spartans.

“As the season progresses, every game takes on even more importance,” says Heaven. “The Christmas break will be that much more enjoyable for the guys if they can come up with a win on Friday night against Trinity Western.”

One of the highlights during the game will be the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Hockey fans and community supporters are asked to bring new stuffies that will be tossed on the ice when the Saints score their first goal. Other toy donations will be accepted in the lobby and will be gathered up by Castlegar firefighters as part of their Annual Toy Drive. This will be the 35th year the drive provides assistance to families during the Christmas season.

Friday night’s game at the Castlegar & District Recreation starts at 7:00 PM.