Potomak, Mills combine to lead Spartans to road win over SFU in Burnaby

Trinity Western University won its third straight game to start the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League regular season, beating Simon Fraser by a 4-1 score on Saturday at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

Lucas Mills was instrumental in helping the Spartans (3-0) to the win, as he stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced to earn his third victory of the season.

Travis Verveda opened the scoring with 1:08 left in the first period before Brandon Potomak doubled TWU’s lead with what would stand up as the game-winner midway through the second period.

A power play marker from SFU’s Darnel St. Pierre made it a one-goal game midway through the third period, but the Spartans responded 18 seconds later, with Logan Casavant restoring TWU’s two-goal margin. A late goal from Evan Last sealed the win.

TWU had 12 different point-getters on the night, with no single player earning more than a single point. Michael Lenko made 22 saves for SFU (1-2) in a losing effort.

The Spartans were 0 for 1 on the power play, while SFU was 1 for 2 with the man-advantage.

“It was a typical rivalry game, where it was tight right until the end," says TWU head coach Barret Kropf. "There was great goaltending from both sides and I just think Junior (Mills) really gave us a chance to win the hockey game tonight with some key saves. It was a team effort all around. We did the little things well tonight and that’s a good sign this early in the season.”

The Clan has topped TWU in a preseason meeting, beating the Spartans 4-3 in overtime as part of the Captains Cup. The Spartans were 3-2 against SFU during last year’s regular season. Over their last 24 games dating back to last year, including the regular season and playoffs, TWU is 22-2.

NEXT UP: The Spartans will now travel to Minnesota for a pair of exhibition games against NCAA opponents, including the University of Minnesota Gophers (Div. I) on Oct. 20 and Hamline University (Div. III) on Oct. 19.