Adam pots winner as SFU picks up road win over Spartans at LEC

Less than 20 seconds after the Spartans had tied the game 2-2, Simon Fraser University’s Austin Adam scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal inside the final 10 minutes of the third period, helping the visitors to a 4-2 win Thursday at the Langley Events Centre.

With 8:53 left in the game, the Spartans Brayden Brown put the contest on even terms when he finished a nifty two-on-one feed from Evan Last. However, Adam found his way to a rebound 18 seconds later and muscled the puck past TWU goalie Silas Matthys, who finished with 31 saves.

“It was really hard to get some rhythm going because we were shorthanded six times in the first 40 minutes without a power play ourselves," says TWU head coach Barret Kropf.

"I’m not upset with the refs. I thought it was a fairly well refereed game, but it’s hard to get any momentum when you don’t get any power play time in there as well. From a BCIHL perspective, I thought it was a pretty good game. It was quality hockey out there."

Jordan Rendle had the other goal for TWU (3-2-0), opening the scoring midway through the first period.

SFU’s Eric Callegari tallied two goals for the Clan (2-2-0) while assisting on Adam’s game-winner. Daniell Lange potted an empty-netter.

Clan goalkeeper Lyndon Stanwood made 23 saves, including a breakaway stop on Florian Niedermaier late in the second period. Brandon Potomak assisted on both Spartan goals.

Rendle scored the Spartans first goal of the night at 10:49 of the opening frame, taking a quick feed from Potomak, and breaking in alone, deking to his backhand and sliding it past Stanwood. With 3:52 left in the first period, Callegari tied the game, before scoring again on a power play partway through the second period to put SFU ahead 2-1.

SFU finished one for six on the power play, while the Spartans were unsuccessful on their one and only extra-man opportunity.

“I thought we had some good push back in tying the game in the third, but they came out on the next shift and did the same thing to us to go ahead. I told our guys that they have nothing to hang their heads about. It was a good 60-minute game.”

NOTABLE:

· After putting up five points last weekend and being named the BCIHL Player of the Week, Potomak’s two assists Thursday put him second in league scoring.

· TWU currently has four players in the top six in league scoring.

· Thursday’s game was TWU’s third of a five-game homestand, which has seen TWU post a 1-2-0 record thus far.

NEXT UP:

The Spartans are back on the ice Saturday when they host Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. at the LEC.