Holowko scores twice as Clan top UVic in final regular season game

Simon Fraser University headed into their final regular season contest knowing that a spot in the 2018 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League playoff was beyond their grasp, but they finished strong nonetheless with a 5-2 victory over the University of Victoria at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

Jordan Evans opened the scoring for the Vikes less than two minutes into regulation, but Nicholas Holowkoscored his fifth of the season minutes later to pull the Clan even heading into intermission. 

Holowko struck again early in the second, and graduating senior Pavlo Zerebecky scored shorthanded in his final BCIHL game to put the Clan up two. That goal came while SFU was killing a power play that resulted from a massive line brawl midway through the frame that saw five Clan players and four of their UVic counterparts ejected from the game.

Jack Palmer drew the Vikes within a goal with 13:36 remaining in the third period but Ryker Moreau and Austin Adam scored as time wound down to put this finishing touches on a three-goal win.

Simon Fraser outshot Victoria by a 39-15 margin and kept Vikes netminder Zack Wear busy through 40 minutes. Wear gave way to Alec Dillon, who made 17 saves in the third period.

Clan netminder Lyndon Stanwood picked up the victory in his final BCIHL contest, making 10 saves before Ryan Sandrin closed things out in the third.

SFU will miss out on the BCIHL postseason for the first time ever following a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player in 11 games during January and February. UVic, who had been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention prior to the ruling, moved into fourth place as a result and will face Trinity Western in a best-of-three first round series next weekend.