The Selkirk College Men's Hockey program captured their second consecutive B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League championship on Saturday night with a 5-1 victory over Trinity Western University at the Castlegar Recreation Complex. With the win, the Saints swept the best-of-three series on the heels of a 6-1 decision on Friday.
Just as they had in Game 1 a night earlier, Selkirk managed to build a three-goal first period lead that the Spartans would not be able to overcome.
The Saints proved too much for Trinity Western University from the opening faceoff of the series.
Saints Offense Too Much for Spartans
Markus McCrea scored the game's opening goal just 4:29 into regulation when he tapped home a Mason Spear pass from behind the net past TWU starter Silas Matthys. From there, the Saints powerplay chipped in a pair of goals before intermission as Jackson Garrett converted a cross-crease feed from Darnell Dyck and Logan Proulx beat Matthys five-hole.
TWU's Blair Murphy brought his team within two midway through the second period with a deflection off a Brad Bakken shot, but Connor McLaughlin restored Selkirk's three-goal lead minutes later when he benefited from Scott Swiston's hard work to create an offensive zone turnover before blasting a shot over Matthys' glove for a shorthanded marker.
The Saints caused TWU goaltender Silas Matthys all kinds of problems this past weekend. See a full photo gallery here.
Garrett then put to rest any hopes of a Trinity Western comeback early in the third period when he was sprung on a partial breakaway by linemate Cody Fidgett and scored on a backhand deke.
Selkirk outshot the Spartans in all three periods and finished the game with a 43-16 advantage in shots on goal.
Opponents No Pushovers, Future Bright
Chris Hurry won his fourth consecutive playoff start for the Saints, stopping 15 shots in the championship-clinching victory. Matthys, meanwhile, made 38 saves in the loss.
Selkirk goaltender Chris Hurry was less busy than his opponent at the other end of the rink, but stood tall when needed.
"We knew coming in to this series that Trinity Western would be a tough team to outwork, and even when we got up by a few goals they never made it easy for us," says Saints head coach Jeff Dubois. "They had an outstanding turnaround season under Barett Kropf and it's clear they're going to be a force to be reckoned with moving forward. They play the game the right way and they'll only get better."
"From our perspective, the compete level from our group was phenomenal, and combined with a high skill level right through the line-up I think it made for a difficult combination to stop. Our leaders really stepped up over the second half of the season and that continued right through both playoff series. It's very satisfying to see their hard work rewarded with a championship."
Fifteen Players Claimed Second BCIHL Gold Medal
This year's title-winning roster included 15 players who were also part of Selkirk's BCIHL championship team last season.
It was celebration time on Saturday night at the Castlegar Rec Complex. More celebration photos here.
The Saints finished the season on a 13-game winning streak and last lost in regulation on November 20th in Victoria. Saturday's result also extended the team's home winning streak to 29 games.