SFU takes exhibition opener in first leg of home-and-home with Wolf Pack

It was a night for the newcomers at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre on Friday evening as offseason recruit Ben Van Lare's first-period power play goal stood up as the game winner in an eventual 4-1 home victory for Simon Fraser University over the Thompson Rivers Wolf Pack.

Van Lare scored his first SFU goal on the power-play with two minutes left in the first period, beating TRU goaltender Anthony Manfredi to give the Clan a 2-1 lead after 20 mintues. After a scoreless second frame, the Texas native made an impact on the scoresheet once again when his hard work along the boards led to a shot deflected by Jaime Laprise's for an insurance goal with 9:25 remaining in regulation.

Laprise, a four-year veteran, now has four goals in the preseason after his hat-trick performance against the BCHL's Coquitlam Express. Centre Kyle Leung, another top recruit, tallied SFU's fourth of the game to seal the victory in front of a healthy contingent of supporters.

"He was great for us tonight," said SFU head coach Mark Coletta of Van Lare following his two-point performance. "When he showed up a training camp, we knew exactly what we were getting. He's a big powerful guy with some speed and it's fun to watch."

In their first meeting since the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League Finals in March, SFU and the Wolfpack picked up right where they left off last spring by engaging in an edgy, energy-filled contest.

SFU opened the scoring eight minutes into the testy affair, as rookie defenseman Voldy Dashko pinched in from the blueline to shovel a puck past Manfredi. He also made his presence felt in the physical department with a number of thundering checks. Meanwhile, one of the Wolfpack's top pickups, Anthony Collins, evened the score with TRU's only goal at the 11:02 mark of the opening period when he snapped a shot past  Justin Mulholland on the glove side.

"Things got a little heated towards the end and we were ready for that," says assistant captain Kyle Boyko, who assisted on the game's opening goal. "But we really showed our speed and it was a good way to start things off."

The teams will face off once again at 7:00 PM on Saturday at Kamloops Memorial Arena in what will be SFU's final preseason tune-up. Simon Fraser hosts the University of the Fraser Valley in their BCIHL opener on September 25th.