Selkirk nabs second place with decisive home ice win over Mariners

Selkirk College earned second spot in the final B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League standings as well as home-ice advantage in the first round of the league playoffs on Saturday night with a 5-1 home win over Vancouver Island University.

The Mariners entered the final game of the regular season two points behind the Saints and knowing that a regulation win would earn them the second seed in the postseason based on finishing with more wins.

But Selkirk controlled the game early, with Seth Schmidt scoring on a Saints power play just six minutes into the first period. Tyler Hartman doubled the lead just 1:13 later and Dallas Calvin out the hosts up by three before intermission.

Kobe Oishi brought VIU within a pair on a late second period man-advantage but Calvin struck twice more in the third to complete the hat trick with all three goals coming on the power-play. With three points on the night, Calvin finished comfortably atop the league scoring race with 41 points. His 25 assists were also a league-high, while his 16 goals trailed only EWU forward Beau Walker.

Patrick Zubick turned aside 22 shots for his eighth victory of the season for Selkirk, while Mariners starter Brett Clark allowed five goals on 44 shots in the loss.

VIU will return to Castlegar on Friday for the first game of a best-of-three playoff series with the Saints. The full series schedule will be released Monday.