The Selkirk College Saints Men’s Hockey program will look to exit the month of October with a perfect record and eclipse last season’s wins total in the process when they host the University of Victoria on Saturday at the Castlegar Recreation Complex. Faceoff is set for 7:30 PM.
The Saints currently sit atop the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League standings with a 5-0 record, tying them for the most regular season victories by a Selkirk hockey team since they joined the league for the 2007/08 season. And the squad has been dominant on home ice to open the year, outscoring opponents by a 25-2 margin over three games.
But the Vikes have provided Selkirk’s toughest test to date, as the Saints opened the regular season with back-to-back one-goal wins, including an overtime victory, in Victoria at the beginning of October.
"UVic are the defending league champions and they’re going to come in hungry on Saturday night after a slow start to their season," says Saints head coach Jeff Dubois.
"Our group has been playing very well and putting forward the types of efforts that you need to be successful, but Saturday’s game will challenge our guys to maintain their high level of play and not let our record affect their preparation or focus."
The Saints have been scoring early and often to start the season with an average of 6.8 goals per game. And the BCIHL’s Scoring Leaders includes eight Saints in the Top 10, including defencemen Dylan Smith and Kam Crawford and forwards Jordan Wood, Logan Proulx, Cody Fidgett and Thomas Hardy occupying the top six spots.
The Vikes, meanwhile, feature former League MVP Matthew Bell, who is currently tied for the team’s points lead with four in as many games. BCHL grads Shawn Mueller and Brad Robinson and former AJHL captain Evan Warner also highlight UVic’s forward corps, while 2012 BCIHL all-star goaltender Sunny Gill has started three of the team’s four games.
Tickets for Saturday’s games will be available at the door for $8 (Adults) and $5 (Selkirk students & staff, seniors, children 6 & older). Season passes are also still available at special rates on game nights. For more information on Saints single game tickets and passes, visit GoSaints.ca.
SAINTS NOTES: The Saints’ beer garden will be back up and running on Saturday night following a one-week hiatus.
This weekend’s game marks Selkirk’s final appearance on home ice until November 24th when Eastern Washington visits Castlegar. The Saints will travel to face Thompson Rivers and Simon Fraser on November 2nd and 3rd and Trinity Western in Langley, B.C. for a Friday/Saturday doubleheader on November 9th and 10th before a rare weekend off on the 16th/17th.
Defenceman Dylan Smith is the BCIHL’s reigning Player of the Week following a nine-point weekend against TRU. Smith now leads all BCIHL scorers with 12 points in five games. Saints captain Jordan Wood was named an Honourable Mention for the weekly award after picking up a hat trick and four points on Friday and two assists on Saturday.
VICTORIA
SIMON FRASER
OKANAGAN
LOGAN LAKE
VANCOUVER ISLAN.
