The University of Victoria Vikes will enter the 2012 BCIHL Championships on a high after capturing three of four points against Trinity Western in their final weekend of regular season play.
On Saturday, the team combined for 12 goals as the Vikes held on for a narrow 7-6 win.
Despite heavily out shooting the Spartans early in the first and controlling the play, UVic found themselves struggling to find the back of the net to start the game until Matt Bell found a loose puck in a goal mouth scramble and slotted it behind Tim Zwiers with just 25 seconds remaining in the period.
The second period would prove to be a much more eventful twenty minutes, as UVic extended their lead before watching the Spartans storm back with four goals of their own.
The third period saw the back-and-forth battle continue between the two sides, with UVic’s Mark Prest and Brett Orser trading goals with Chris Stew and Sam Gemmell of the Spartans. But as time wound down, Justin Ferreira corralled a loose puck in the slot and squeaked it through a sprawling Tim Zwiers with just 16 seconds remaining in the game to grant an exhausted UVic team the victory.
Prest and Eli Wiebe turned in three point performances for UVic while Brandon Long and Josh Gordon also turned in three point nights for the visitors.
On Sunday, the first period began for UVic much the same way as Saturday night's opening frame with the home side dominating possession and getting the majority of scoring chances. UVic would be unable to capitalize on their solid play, however, and the first twenty minutes would remain scoreless with each goaltender making 10 saves.
The middle frame would prove to be a shooting gallery on TWU goaltender Kevin Currie. UVic threw 27 shots on goal and although Currie would make some timely saves, the majority of the UVic shots came from low risk areas. Jason Margolus also provided key saves when called upon as a disallowed goal would be all the home side could muster through forty minutes.
It looked like the flood gates were about to open early in the third when the puck deflected off the glass and into the slot for Dustin Taylor who promptly buried his sixth of the season with Currie caught out of the net. However, the Spartans would answer back less than one minute later to level the score. Again, UVic could find no answer for TWU goaltender Kevin Currie as the Vikes put another 14 shots on net in the final stanza but could not capitalize to break the 1-1 deadlock.
UVic will now look ahead to the BCIHL Championship Tournament in Kamloops, B.C. taking place from March 14th to 18th. Coming into the tourney as the fourth seed, UVic will see its first action this Wednesday against the Eastern Washington University Eagles with puck drop scheduled for 4:00 PM at Kamloops Memorial Arena.
Notes: UVic recognized three players before Sunday’s game, all of whom will be graduating this summer. Jason Margolus, Adam Courtnall and Brent Sutherland all will be receiving their degrees from their respective faculties in the upcoming months and played their last game on home ice Sunday afternoon.
Courtnall spent four years with UVic, winning one BCIHL Championship in 2009. Sutherland will be dearly missed next season. The Vancouver native amassed 104 points (44G-60A) in 100 career games and will leave UVic as the team’s all-time leading scorer. UVic Hockey would like to thank all three players for their contributions to our school, organization, and community.
VICTORIA
SIMON FRASER
OKANAGAN
LOGAN LAKE
VANCOUVER ISLAN.
