Simon Fraser prepares for unbeaten Vikes as Saturday showdown approaches

It may be early in the season, but Simon Fraser University Men’s Hockey team is facing a crucial affair on Saturday night when the University of Victoria invades the Bill Copeland Sports Centre for an 8:10 PM faceoff.

With Thompson Rivers University and Okanagan College locked in a first-place tie with three wins each, the Clan need two points against the visiting Vikes if they want to stay close in the race for top spot in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League.

"It’s a league game and these are wins you need," says SFU head coach Coletta. "You’re not going to go anywhere until you take care of your league games, especially at home. UVic has rebuilt their program after missing the playoffs last year and they look strong thus far."

The Vikes have bounced back nicely after the disappointing 2009/10 campaign, beginning the season 2-0 out of the gates. Victoria comes into the weekend fresh off back-to-back home victories over the University of the Fraser Valley.

Meanwhile, it’s the first league action for SFU since dropping a 4-1 road contest to Okanagan College on October 1st.

But the Clan are undefeated (3-0) at Bill Copeland this season, including the 9-3 exhibition win last Saturday against Eastern Washington University. They were perfect a year ago against Victoria on home ice, beating up on their Island rivals by a combined score of 16-2 between two meetings in Burnaby.

Yet, it’s a whole different campaign for Victoria, who’s added scoring up front after finishing third in the league last season in goals (106).

Matthew Bell has returned to the line-up and proven to be the breakout player that Victoria needed after failing to qualify for the 2010 playoffs. The 21-year-old suited up for the Vikes in the fall semester a season ago, but his absence hampered the team's performance over the second half of the season. Bell leads the entire BCIHL in scoring with five goals and four assists in just two games.

Veteran Brett Campbell, who finished second in Vikes scoring last year with 16 goals and 33 points, makes his 2010/11 debut on Saturday after serving a two-game suspension that carried over from the conclusion of the last regular season.

For SFU, four players are locked in an early-season tie for the team scoring lead with three points each. Ben Van Lare led the charge in the opening victory over the Cascades with a hat-trick, but the dynamic scorer – along with the rest of the Clan – was quieted two weekends ago in Kelowna.