Breaks sometimes signal a chance for a refresh.
The Simon Fraser University men’s hockey team will be doing just that when they hit the ice for the first game since the holiday break.
A handful of roster moves will put a fresh start for the squad in 2020, with two new faces joining the squad and a trio of players choosing to not play in the second half of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League, which begins for SFU tomorrow (Friday, 7 p.m. against the University of Victoria at Bill Copeland Arena).
Mateo Coltellaro, a Burnaby native who spent three seasons with the hometown Grandview Steelers, has signed up and entered the lineup. The Burnaby Winter Club product counted 62 goals over 113 junior B hockey league games, and will be a welcomed addition to the third-place Clan.
Another BWC player, Jacob Lacasse, will add to the team’s depth up front. Lacasse played the previous three seasons for the Winkler Flyers of Manitoba’s junior A league, as well as a stint last season with the North Van Wolf Pack.
The trio – Trevor Ayre, Colton Gerlib and Cole Plotnikoff have individually chosen different routes for the next few months. Forwards Ayre, a freshman, and Plotnikoff, a sophomore, have chosen to put their on-ice careers on hold to focus on achieving their academic goals. Both leave as members in good standing with the support of the club.
Gerlib, meanwhile, has opted to return to junior A and play for Alberta’s Olds Grizzlies. The 20-year-old former BWC prospect was in his first season with SFU, but in the past month has skates with the Grizzlies in eight games, recording three assists.
On Saturday, SFU takes on first-place Trinity Western (7 p.m.) at Copeland.
