UPDATED: Saints sweep defending champs right out of the playoffs
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Selkirk College continued to add to their list of ‘firsts’ accomplished during the 2012-13 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season, as the Saints advanced to the league finals for the first time by beating the University of Victoria by a 4-1 score on Saturday night.
The win capped a two-game series sweep of the defending BCIHL champion Vikes at the Castlegar Recreation Complex, as Selkirk had taken Game one by a 3-0 score Friday.
With the win, Selkirk will now host Simon Fraser University in a best-of-three series for the BCIHL championship beginning March 15 in either Castlegar or Nelson.
The site location depends on the succes of the Castlegar Rebels in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League series against Beaver Valley.
Should the Rebels prevail in the best-o-seven Murdoch Division Final, Selkirk’s playoff series would be move to the NDCC Arena in Nelson.
If Beaver Valley wins, the games would be played in Castlegar.
The Saints came bursting out of the gates in the first period and built a four-goal lead before intermission.
The rally started when Jackson Garrett beat UVic starter Sunny Gill with a wrist shot from the low slot to give Selkirk a 1-0 lead.
Team captain Jordan Wood added a pair of power-play goals to triple the lead and Cody Fidgett struck for his second goal of the series with 51 seconds remaining in the frame.
That was all the offence the Saints would need as Victoria got on the board on a second period man-advantage but otherwise couldn’t beat Selkirk netminder Alex Sirard.
The 21-year old continued his strong play on the heels of a shutout on Friday by turning aside 26 shots and helping his team kill 10 power-play opportunities, including a pair of lengthy two-man advantages.
“We had an excellent first period tonight and fought through some penalty troubles the rest of the way to grind out a win,” said Saints head coach Jeff Dubois.
“UVic is a hard-working team that never gave up tonight and made us earn the victory. Alex (Sirard) came up with some big saves when he had to and our top offensive guys got the job done.”
Wood, Logan Proulx and Kam Crawford combined for six points on the night, though Proulx’s evening was cut short when he was ejected from the game for a hit from behind late in the first period.
Friday’s series-opener is set for a 7:30 p.m start time.
Saints win! Saints win! Game two Saturday in Castlegar
Selkirk College opened their 2013 postseason with a win on Friday night, topping the defending B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League champions from the University of Victoria by a 3-0 score at the Castlegar Recreation Complex.
With the victory the Saints take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three first round series and will look to eliminate the Vikes and move on the league championships with another win on Saturday night.
“We had some trouble finishing plays tonight but overall it was a good start to our playoffs against a very hard-working team,” said Saints head coach Jeff Dubois.
“UVic has nine players back from the team that won a league championship last season, so there’s a lot of playoff experience on that bench.”
“We did a great job limiting their shots and scoring opportunities, and when you play tight defensively it allows some time to get the offence clicking,” Dubois added.
Mason Spear opened the scoring for the hosts just under five minutes in to the first period when a centering pass from linemate Cody Fidgett deflected off his skate and past UVic starter Sunny Gill.
And that 1-0 margin stayed intact for most of the night, as Gill turned aside numerous Saints scoring opportunities and Selkirk held their visitors to only a handful of shots on goal through two periods.
Selkirk finally extended their lead with 9:08 remaining in the third when Logan Proulx banged home the rebound from a Kam Crawford point shot on a Saints power-play.
Minutes later, Fidgett iced the game with his team’s third goal, taking a pass from defenceman Dylan Smith and deking around Gill for his second point of the night.
The Saints held a 27-12 edge in shots on goals through two periods and limited the Vikes to just one shot on goal in the third.
Alex Sirard picked up the shut out in his BCIHL playoff debut with 13 saves, while Sunny Gill took the loss after allowing three goals on 37 shots.
Saturday’s game is set for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff.
Should the Vikes win, a third and deciding game would take place on Sunday at 6 p.m.
SAINTS NOTES: In the BCIHL’s other first round series, second-ranked SFU took a 1-0 lead over third-seeded Thompson Rivers University with a 6-1 home ice win. Game 2 in the series is set for Saturday night in Kamloops.
