‘Twas strange to see the #3 ranked Golden Bears split last weekend’s series with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns. Almost as weird as seeing the contraction, “’twas,” at the beginning of anything other than the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Stranger still is that even though they split their games the Bears actually moved up to #2 in the U Sports (CIS) national rankings. Even more bizarre is the Jekyll-&-Hydian way Alberta played.
The Friday night engagement saw the home Pronghorns out-shoot the Golden Bears 44-34. I can count on one hand the number of times I have witnessed an opponent out-shoot Alberta in Canada West play since I started attending games in 2012. Either the Pronghorns had an out of body experience or it was just one of those nights for the Bears. Alberta scored the opening goal and never trailed in the game despite falling behind on the shot clock. The shots were even at 11 a side in the opening period but the gap grew from there to a point where Lethbridge owned an 17-11 advantage in the third period. The game managed to go to overtime thanks to 41 saves from Luke Siemens. However, at 1:38 of the second overtime period Tim Campbell put the game away and gave Lethbridge a 3-2 victory. Jayden Hart and Riley Kieser were the goal scorers for the Golden Bears.
The rematch on Saturday was a different affair. The shot count managed to right itself and give Alberta a 33-27 edge. The missing offence from Friday showed up in a big way the next night with the Golden Bears sniping their way to a 5-0 shutout victory. Brendan Burke was perfect on the 27 shots he faced. Two defenceman had multiple point games with former Bakersfield Condor Graeme Craig scoring 2 goals and former Oil King Ben Carroll picking up 2 assists. Forwards Tyson Baillie, Luke Philp, and Ryan Rehill picked up the other goals for Alberta.
Notes
- The Golden Bears still have 5 of the top 10 scorers in the Canada West including the top two- Jayden Hart and Jamie Crooks.
- Brendan Burke‘s shutout on Saturday was his second of the season. He is now 3-2 with a 1.46 GAA and a .933 SP.
- Luke Siemens loss on Friday night was his first of the year. However, he is still undefeated in regulation with a 6-0-1 mark. He also owns a 2.48 GAA and a .917 SP.
- Ben Carroll’s two assists were his first points as a Golden Bear. The six-foot rearguard played 4 seasons and won a Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Up Next
The Golden Bears travel to Saskatoon this weekend for a grudge match with the #3 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The Huskies are 6-4 in their last 10 and like the Bears split their games last weekend. Both games can be viewed online at canadawest.tv.
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