Spartans extend win streak to five, close gap on first with win over SFU

Trinity Western University will go into the Christmas break riding a five-game winning streak after knocking off Simon Fraser by a 3-2 score on Saturday evening at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

The Spartans went up by three goals early in the second period before a pair of quick tallies from the Clan made it a one-goal contest before the midway point of the game. From there, the Spartans held the fort with goalie Silas Matthys ensuring the win with a 13-save effort in the third period.

"From our fourth line to our first line and our special teams, it was a team effort," says TWU head coach Barret Kropf. "It was a wonderful way to end the semester by getting a road win. Full credit to SFU. They competed hard and it was another game where we continued to build that cross-town rivalry."

The victory sees TWU complete the fall semester with a 10-3-0-0 record. The Spartans are now 2-1 against the Clan (6-5-0-0) this year, having won each of their last two meetings.

Jordan Rendle, Evan Last and Brandon Potomak scored for the Spartans, while Spencer Unger and Brendan Lamont replied for SFU.

Matthys stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced, while Clan goalie Lyndon Stanwood finished with 24 saves in the loss.

"Silas did a good job of shutting things down in net and down the stretch SFU was pressing hard and our guys were blocking shots and shutting lanes down," Kropf noted.

Less than five minutes into the game, Rendle scored an unassisted marker on the power play. Last doubled TWU’s lead at 12:51 of the opening frame, converting on a breakaway after a brilliant stretch pass from Karsten Seidel sprung the Spartans forward in alone on Stanwood.

"Seidel continues to play at an all-star level this year," says Kropf. "He’s playing solid minutes and has a been a shutdown defenceman while also chipping in offensively. He’s really become an anchor for us back there. And up front, Potomak was very good leading our forward unit, driving the net and doing the things that we need to be done."

Just over three minutes into the second period, Potomak put TWU up by three. However, the Clan’s Unger scored 42 seconds later and just over three minutes after that, Lamont made it a one-goal game.

The Spartans are now only three points behind first-place Selkirk, but TWU has played one less game than the Saints. The Clan are eight points behind TWU, but have played two fewer games than the Spartans.

"Finishing the semester at 10-3, we’re pretty happy with that," Kropf explains. "There are some games, we might want back but being able to go on a run here at the end gives us a lot of confidence."

TWU will now enjoy an extended exam and holiday break before returning to the ice Jan. 5-6 when they travel to play Eastern Washington University.