Saints close out exhibition campaign perfect after 6-1 blasting of Eastern Washington
By The Nelson Daily Sports
If this keeps up college staff may want to reserve the marching band for the victory celebrations.
The Selkirk Saints closed out the preseason Sunday undefeated after stopping Eastern Washington Eagles 6-1 in B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League action at the Castlegar Complex.
The Saints dominated possession and established a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal, but only managed to put one puck past Eagles netminder Cash Ulrich during the opening period.
Second-year forward Nick Cecconi was the goal scorer, with Jordan Wood and Justin Sotkowy adding assists.
Selkirk extended its lead in the second period with a pair of shorthanded goals, as Logan Proulx and Dylan Smith each took advantage of neutral zone breakdowns and converted on breakaway opportunities.
Former Spokane Braves forward Uriah Machuga put Eastern Washington on the board with 2:49 remaining in the frame, but Wood quickly restored his team’s three-goal advantage just 12 seconds later.
Linemates Thomas Hardy and Cole Thomson rounded out the scoring for the Saints in the third period, as the home side finished the game with a 53-26 advantage in shots.
“Getting pucks and traffic to the net has been a focus over the past two
weeks, and we followed through with a good performance in the offensive zone,” said Saints head coach Jeff Dubois.
“Certain parts of our game are still a work in progress, but we’ve experienced some success in our exhibition games and we’re focused on carrying that momentum forward into the start of the regular season next weekend.”
Alex Sirard and Stephen Wolff split duties in the Saints’ net on Sunday,
with Sirard earning the win in his first preseason appearance. He stopped all 14 shots he faced in 30 minutes of action before Wolff allowed one goal on 12 shots over the game’s second half.
Selkirk now travels to Vancouver Island to open its regular season with
a games against the University of Victoria next Friday and Saturday.
The Saints’ home opener is set for Friday, September 12th against Trinity Western University from Langley, B.C.
