Simon Fraser University kicked off a two-game road trip in Cheney, WA on Friday night, dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to Eastern Washington University.
After three scoreless shootout rounds, defenceman Chase Wharton beat SFU netminder Andrew Parent on a forehand deke, setting up a game-winning stop at the other end from EWU's Jason Greenwell.
The fourth-year goaltender stopped 45 shots over three-plus periods before turning away all four Clan players he faced in securing the extra point for the hosts.
"I thought the effort was really average for 40 minutes, if not below average," said head coach Mark Coletta. "Then in the third period we actually dominated, I thought."
"It was a weird game in that sense, when you dominate a team for a whole period and you don’t get rewarded for it. But that’s the case when you don’t play the first 40 minutes. That’s karma."
The game was scoreless at the conclusion of a hard-hitting first period, with the Eagles leading in shots 9-5.
Paxton Bell would give EWU their first lead of the night when he pounced on a loose puck in front of the net early in the second, and a Nick Redding goal eight minutes later doubled the Eagles' lead.
But it took SFU just moments to respond, as Graham Smerek beat Greenwell with a laser from the right circle that made it a one-goal game after 40 minutes.
A back-and-forth night continued in the third, as SFU's Jono Ceci tied the game on a goal that was awarded following a lengthy delay by the officials. But any momentum for the Clan was short lived, as EWU quickly regained their lead less than three minutes later when Tyler Mort blasted a rebound past Parent.
With the clock winding down after a litany of close calls and outstanding Greenwell stops, Aaron Enns clutched up when he scored with 1:23 left to tie the score and send the game to overtime.
Five minutes of extra time only served to heighten the dramatics. First, Enns took a boarding penalty that left the Clan shorthanded for two of the final three minutes. A stellar penalty kill resulted in large part due to the work of Parent and a timeout that allowed the Clan to rest and regroup.
And soon after it was the Eagles turn to take a penalty, this one with 31 seconds left to play. But SFU was unable to capitalize despite a number of close calls, setting up Wharton and Greenwell for their shootout heroics.
The result marked SFU's second shootout loss of the season following a similar result against Trinity Western on Febraury 1st.
The Clan will need to find a win against Selkirk College on Saturday night in order to clinch first place in the BCIHL.
"I think we've got to change the mindset," said Coletta when asked about looking forward to Saturday's game. "We've got to be prepared, we have to be ready to go from the time they drop the puck, and anything less is going to end in another similar result to tonight."
"We know Selkirk's a great hockey team, and If we can't do what we did in the third period it's going to be a long night for us."
VICTORIA
SIMON FRASER
OKANAGAN
LOGAN LAKE
VANCOUVER ISLAN.
