RECAP | SFU Red Leafs fall 4-3 to to UBC in Non-Conference Opener

BURNABY, BC – There are few things in the sport of hockey more exciting than a good rivalry.

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The Simon Fraser University Red Leafs and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds proved that point on September 13th during a fast-paced, hard-hitting and penalty-filled non-conference affair.

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Big hits were aplenty, with multiple scrums developing both before and after the whistles, as the two provincial rivals butted heads. However, a lack of discipline would prove costly for the Red Leafs, as the Thunderbirds would open the scoring as captain Chris Douglas cashed in on an awkward deflection on the power play late in the first period. The first period would end with a 1-0 Thunderbird advantage.

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The UBC lead did not last long, as right off the opening faceoff of the second period, the Red Leafs went on the attack and Walker Erickson scored on a two-on-one a mere 10 seconds into the period to tie the game 1-1.

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But in what would end up being a theme for SFU, the momentum did not last, as at the 18:25 mark of the second period, UBC would score on a odd-man rush of their own to regain their one goal advantage as Josh Williams one-timed a goal past Red Leafs Goalie Jesse Makaj to make the score 2-1.

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But momentum would swing back SFU’s way as the Red Leafs would tie the game up mere minutes later, as Max Potvin wired home a shot off of a give-and-go with Lucas Ceccarelli.

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SFU forward Ben Ward reclaimed the lead for the Red Leafs shortly thereafter with a slick deflection off a Caleb Huffman point shot, making it a 3-2 SFU lead.

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But in what was eerily similar to the first period, the Thunderbirds tied it up less than 30 seconds later as former Kelowna Rocket Liam Kindree tapped in a goal off a broken play following an odd-man rush.

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With just over three minutes to go in the second, Makaj was forced to make a stellar cross-crease save to keep the game tied, one of many such saves he made. But only seconds later the Thunderbirds took a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish as Chris Douglas scored his second of the night on a spinning shot from the high slot.

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The Red Leafs were unable to tie up the game in the third period, coming up empty on all 11 of their shots. Their best chance came just over three minutes into the third when Kiano Robinson’s point shot hit the post, followed by a scramble in front of the net where none of SFU’s attackers could bury the equalizer.

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The Thunderbirds ultimately won the game 4-3 and postgame SFU Head Coach Mark Coletta emphasized a few key mistakes which lead to the loss: “We just have to bear down on a couple things, leaving the zone too early, bearing down on pucks. It’s the little intangibles that make the next level that much harder to play at.”

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The SFU Red Leafs are back in action at 7:00 PM September 20th in Game One of a double header against the Trinity Western University Spartans at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

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