Spartans topple SFU in Captains Cup to set up winner-take-all game at UBC

Trinity Western University earned a 2-1 win over Simon Fraser in the Spartans' first game of the inaugural Captains Cup, presented by the Vancouver Giants, on Saturday at the Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex.

Elijah Vilio and Florian Niedermaier scored for the Spartans, while Daniell Lange responded for SFU.

After Vilio put TWU up 1-0 in the first period, Lange put the game back on even terms when he converted a breakaway, beating Spartans veteran goalie Silas Matthys. However, shortly after, Niedermaier tallied TWU’s second goal and that would stand up as the game-winner.

The Spartans outshot SFU 34-23.

“For the first game of the season, the guys played really well,” said Spartans coach Barret Kropf. “There was some rust and some of the line combinations need to get worked out, but it was great to see that the compete level was there."

"Our PK was great. Kirchner and his crew of penalty killers really owned it tonight. Offensively, we had some good opportunities and with a little bit more chemistry, those things will start to click. Jarrett Fontaine played his typical, relentless game and battled hard. Overall, we’re happy with the game.”

With the victory, the Spartans will now play UBC on Sept. 30 with the winner earning the Captains Cup. Puck drop is at 2:00 PM at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The Thunderbirds beat the Clan 8-3 in the opening contest of the Captains Cup Friday.

Captains Cup Schedule

September 15 – UBC 8 SFU 3 (Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre) UBC
September 16 – TWU 2 SFU 1 (Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex)
September 30 – TWU @ UBC – 2 p.m. (Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre)

The Spartans open their BCIHL regular season schedule Oct. 6th in Victoria in a rematch of last year’s league championship series.

The goal of the Captains Cup is to promote university hockey in the Lower Mainland, while also raising awareness for the WHL’s Scholarship Program, which is available for players entering into post-secondary hockey.

Between the three teams competing in the Captains Cup, they have a combined 28 players with WHL experience. This includes 22 players with UBC, four with TWU and two with SFU.

The tournament champion will be awarded an historic trophy – the Canada Pacific Exhibition President’s Trophy – that has been in the BC Sports Hall of Fame since 2010. The trophy was previously awarded to the MVP of the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey League from 1941 to 1947.

The final winner of the trophy was Roy Worrall, who was a goaltender for the Vancouver White Spots, which was a local senior men’s amateur team. After Worrall passed away in 2010, his family donated the trophy to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.