Simon Fraser University swept a recent two-game set from Eastern Washington to finish the first half of the B.C. Intercollegieate Hockey League season in top spot.
The Clan hockey club posted back-to-back 5-2 and 7-0 wins over the U.S. program at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre on Dec. 6 and 7, respectively.
Aaron Enns tallied the game-winning goal in the Friday win on the power play midway through the second period.
Nick Sandor led all scorers with a goal and three assists.
SFU also scored big in its Weekend of Giving, raising more than $400 for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
The following night, hundreds of plush toys were later donated to the Burnaby and Surrey Christmas Bureaus following the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss.
Enns was the first to turn on the red light that started the rain of teddys to the ice late in the opening period.
After that, it was all SFU as the Clan scored three times in both the second and third periods, while outshooting the visitors 55-19 in the matchup.
Team captain Tyler Mah of Burnaby picked up his fifth assist and sixth point of the year on a slapper from the point that Pavlo Zerebecky got his stick on.
“Overall, we’re really happy with the performance of our players,” said Mah, a strapping 6-3 stay-at-home D-man, who played three seasons in the B.C. Hockey League with Nanaimo before finishing his junior A career in Saskatchewan with Flinn Flon. “As a group, I’m very happy finishing in first place before the break.”
The biggest improvement to the Clan this season is the size of its blue-line, said Mah. “We’re very big in the back end, and we’re fast. We can buzz around the ice.”
SFU’s size and speed could come in very handy, when the Clan hosts its second annual Great Northwest Hockey Showcase at the Copeland centre in the new year.
Last year, SFU split a pair of games at the 2013 showcase with Division III schools.
This season, SFU will play host to a couple of NCAA Div. I schools – Princeton and seven-time national champion University of North Dakota.
“It’s an exhibition, but we take it as one of the biggest games in our careers,” said Mah. “We want to put up a performance to show we are competitive with teams like that.”
The showcase gets underway Jan. 3 with SFU taking on Princeton at 4 p.m. The Clan closes out the event on Jan. 4, playing the late 7 p.m. game against North Dakota.
For tickets go to www.greatnorthwestshowcase.com.
