The Bears managed to acquire three of the six points needed in their remaining games to ensure a second place finish in the Canada West with a split with the University of Lethbridge last weekend. They currently sit three points ahead of the dastardly Calgary Dinos with both teams having two games left to play. Nationally, the split with the Pronghorns left Alberta unchanged and still claiming the #6 spot in the U Sports National Rankings. The Bears final, and pivotal, regular season series will be played on the road in Winnipeg this weekend against the University of Manitoba Bisons.
Rookie Brendan Burke got the call in net from coach Serge Lajoie to start the Friday night game but he was relieved by another rookie, Kenny Cameron, after leaving the game with an illness. Burke made eight saves on eight shots and Cameron allowed 1 goal on 17. Cole Linaker, who some may remember as he was an Oiler rookie camp invite in 2015, opened the scoring for Alberta at 18:25 of the first period. Jayden Hart put the Bears up 2-0 at 4:10 of the third period. The Horns answered with a power play goal at 9:54, but it was too little, too late. 2-1 win for Alberta. The shots also favoured the Bears 30-25.
The Saturday night affair was strange from start to finish. Strange calls, strange plays, and a weird flow. Cameron was again called to protect the crease for Alberta as Burke was unavailable. He made 33 stops on 37 shots. For the second straight night Cole Linaker opened the scoring for the Golden Bears. Mitchell Maxwell scored first and second period goals (one of them short handed) to put Lethbridge up 2-1. Cox responded for the Bears on the power play only to see Maxwell complete the hat-tick in the third. Golden Bears blue-liner Jason Fram tied the game halfway through the final frame and the game went to overtime. There was no scoring in the first 4 on 4 OT period. In the second 3 on 3 OT period Jay Merkley‘s power play marker gave the 4-3 victory to Lethbridge. The shots were 50-37 in favour of the Alberta.
Notes
- Jason Fram now has 6 points (3-3) in the 10 games he has played since joining the Golden Bears after the Christmas break. He appears to be getting better every game and looks to have solidified himself as a go-to defender for Alberta. He joins other impressive 2016-2017 recruits like Graeme Craig and Ryan Rehil on an almost rebuilt Alberta blue-line.
- Alberta will need forwards Jamie Crooks, Jayden Hart, and Tyson Baillie to find their scoring prowess from he first half of the season heading into Manitoba this weekend and into the playoffs. The trio was absolutely dominant early in the season and now only Crooks (ninth) maintains a position in the top 10 of the Canada West scoring parade.
- It may be a strange statement for the most prolific university hockey program in Canada, but the Golden Bears are truly a dark-horse heading into post season. The talent the team possesses is a cut above in the Canada West, especially with mid-season additions like Sanford and Fram, but 50% of the players on the roster are in their first seasons of U Sports hockey. It will be a challenge for coach Serge Lajoie, but if he can somehow accelerate the learning curve of all the new players a deep playoff run and even a national championship is very possible.
- Rhett Rachinski and Brennan Yadlowski are both graduating this season and played their final regular season home games at the Clare Drake last weekend.
Up Next
Alberta plays a 2 game series at the University of Manitoba this weekend against the 13-11-2 Bisons. The puck drops at 6pm both nights. Both games can be watched online at canadawest.tv.
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