Saints, Spartans face preseason test at BCIHL-ACAC Showcase in Castlegar

Selkirk College and Trinity Western University will each take on a pair of Alberta Collegiate opponents this weekend when Portage College and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology hit the Kootenays for a four-team preseason tournament in Castlegar.

The event is the first of its kind to be hosted by a B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League team, and the Saints are eager to impress under new head coach Dave Hnatiuk.

"This is an exciting weekend for us as we look forward to hosting some highly competitive games against teams from the ACAC," says Hnatiuk. "It also provides us an opportunity to show off our community, our tremendous fan support, our game day presentation, and of course the beautiful Kootenays."

The event kicks off on Friday afternoon when Trinity Western takes on Portage College at 4:00 PM, followed the Selkirk and SAIT facing off at 7:15 PM. The ACAC opponents will flip on Saturday, with TWU meeting SAIT and Selkirk hosting Portage.

While the showcase is a fun opportunity for local fans to see a pair of unfamiliar opponents, the Saints will be looking to tackle some serious business in their final two exhibition games before the BCIHL season begins on October 5th against UVic.

"I'm looking to see us take another step forward in our process," says Hnatiuk of his expectations for the weekend. "We're excited to play some fast-paced games which will help us prepare for our first weekend. I'm also looking to solidify some lines, our special teams and ultimately our opening night line-up."

Meanwhile, as a new bench boss in the BCIHL, Hnatiuk is also curious to see how his team stacks up against some strong out-of-province competition.

"I think it's almost impossible not to think about that," he says. "This showcase provides us and the league in general the opportunity to see how we can match up against a few of the ACAC teams. Hopefully it can provide somewhat of a platform to raise awareness of the calibre of our league and draw some attention to future players who our looking to play college hockey."

All four games will be broadcast live on Hockey TV.