Saints look to keep perfect start alive on road trip to face UVic and VIU

Selkirk College will put their B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League-best 4-0-0-0 record on the line this weekend when they hit Vancouver Island to face the University of Victoria on Friday and Vancouver Island University on Saturday.

Selkirk's early season success has been fueled by the return of star forward Dallas Calvin, who missed most of the 2016/17 campaign following a season-ending injury. But he's shown no signs of rust as his 11 points lead all BCIHL scorers.

Calvin has been joined on the Saints' top line by rookie forward Derek McPhail, whose six goals also lead the league, and NCJAA transfer Park Sharp. The trio have combined to net 24 points in four games.

But it's unlikely to be an easy four-point road trip for Selkirk, who have a long way to travel to Vancouver Island. And once they arrive they'll begin by visiting the reigning league champions at UVic, who are coming off a commanding 5-1 road victory over SFU.

The biggest BCIHL news last weekend may have been the debut start for former LA Kings draft pick Alec Dillon, who backstopped the Vikes with 31 saves against SFU and was named the game's first star.

Meanwhile, UVic will look to go back to the 1-2 punch of Patrick Holland and Jack Palmer after the former missed last weekend's Lower Mainland road swing. The two have proven to be a deadly offensive pair when together, as illustrated by their five point night against TWU in the Vikes' home opener.

On Saturday, Selkirk will make their first visit to Nanaimo for a rematch with VIU after the Mariners traveled to Castlegar last weekend. That game ended with a 5-3 victory for the Saints.

VIU will be looking for revenge as well as for their first home victory after dropping their home opener to TWU by a 5-1 score.

Garrett Dunlop and Josh Cook have led the Mariners offence with five points each through four games, but the real story has been the scoring the Mariners have received from their blueline. Ryan Coghlan and Garrett Halls sit third and fourth in team scoring with three points while Jordan Rauser and Turner Popoff sit tied for fifth with two each.

In net, the tandem of Junior A veterans Carson Schammerhorn and Brett Clark has split games so far this season and each has posted a 1-1-0-0 record. Schammerhorn is currently the BCIHL leader in save-percentage, sitting at .932.

Friday's game is set for a 7:30 PM faceoff in Victoria while Saturday's match-up in Nanaimo begins at 8:00 PM. Both games can be viewed live on Hockey TV.