LANGLEY, BC — In a rink where it’s hard enough to score more than two goals as a team, it was impressive to see freshman forward Eric Callegari put up two goals himself and an assist in a 4-2 win against Trinity Western at the Langley Events Centre.

“Honestly, it’s a lot faster than what I’m used to, but I’m playing with faster guys as well, great linemates, Lamont and Tidy, I just try and get them the puck and work my butt off,” said Callegari of his transition into the BCIHL.

“That game was fun, we play well when we have fun.”

Trinity Western got on the scoreboard first. Fifteen seconds after getting out of the box for a tripping penalty, Trinity Western’s Brandon Potomak set up Jordan Rendle in all-alone to put the Spartans up 1-0 midway through the first.

SFU evened it up with 3:52 left in the first, when Callegari tipped Brendan Lamont’s shot for his second career goal. Lamont’s assist came after a hard-working shift, in which he kept the play going in the offensive zone.

Goaltender Lyndon Stanwood had to be sharp in the first, denying some up-close chances by the Spartans, amidst some heavy opposition net front presence.

SFU took control of puck possession in the second, outshooting Trinity Western 22-6 in the period after being outshot 10-6 in the first.

Callegari found his second of the night on the power play, with a snipe from the faceoff dot at the midway point of the game to make it 2-1 for SFU. Tyler Basham and Brandon Tidy collected assists. Callegari had nearly had another power play goal earlier, with a hard shot on net with five seconds left in the first, but TWU’s Silas Matthys stopped it cold.

“He’s got all the skills and all the tools in the world,” said head coach Mark Coletta of Callegari. “Tonight was one of those games you could see he had a feistiness about him. His feet were moving, he was strong on the puck.”

Stanwood came up with a big save to preserve the Clan lead in the last minute of the second frame, denying Florian Niedermaier’s shorthanded breakaway opportunity.

On a 2-on-1 breakaway, TWU’s Brayden Brown tied up the game at two 10:07 into the third. However, just 18 seconds later, Austin Adam potted his first career goal to give SFU back the one-goal lead, with helpers from Callegari and Lamont.

Daniell Lange sealed the victory with an empty-netter with 56.2 seconds left in the game. Ian Mackey set up the play with a saucer pass from the defensive zone.

SFU outshot Trinity Western 34-25. Stanwood made 23 saves on 25 shots (.920 SV%). It was a return to form for Stanwood, who won last year’s BCIHL MVP award with a .934 SV% and 10-1 record last season.

In addition to Callegari’s multi-point night, Lamont and Tidy also put up two points. With the win, SFU moves up to .500 with a 2-2, and now sit tied with Vancouver Island University for third place.

Tomorrow night, SFU returns home to the Bill Copeland Sports Centre to face Eastern Washington, who are looking for their first win of the season.

“They’ve got a couple of guys that can hurt us,” said Coletta. “It’s going to be a tough match, they’re coming in fresh and we played tonight, so we’re going to have be ready and on our feet.”

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for students and children. SFU students and Burnaby Minor Hockey players wearing their team jersey receive FREE entry to all 2017/18 games. The game will be streamed live on HockeyTV. Puck drop is at 7 pm.

Three Stars:
1st Star: SFU #92 Eric Callegari (2G, 1A)
2nd Star: SFU #17 Brendan Lamont (0G, 2A)
3rd Star: TWU #17 Jordan Rendle (1G, 0A)

AROUND THE BCIHL: There were no other games tonight . . . While SFU faces off against Eastern Washington tomorrow night, Selkirk College’s storybook 4-0 start will be tested on the road by the UVic Vikes.