Photo Credit: Garrett James

In the third period alone, goaltender Lyndon Stanwood saw 15 shots against. As the last seconds of the game clock ticked, and as Trinity Western furiously worked to put up a goal, Stanwood was feeling the pressure.

“It’s a little bit nerve wracking, for sure,” said the third-year goalie. “But you just get into a groove.”

And as the final buzzer went off, Stanwood’s shutout was preserved — SFU had won 2-0 against their crosstown rivals. It was the first time all season that Trinity Western had been shutout.

Stanwood, however, was humble about the accomplishment — SFU’s first shutout this season, and Stanwood’s first BCIHL shutout.

“It really comes down to the whole team, I can’t really take the whole credit,” he explained. “Our defensive zone [play] was stellar, I mean they didn’t really have any glorious scoring opportunities, and when they did, the defence took the puck away.”

SFU had started the started the game with energy, controlling the pace of play for much of the first period.

“The first period we were really physical — we sent a message quick,” said head coach Mark Coletta.

This determined play caused the Clan to draw two consecutive penalties, amassing 3:59 of power play time. They did not score during the extended man advantage, but in the midst of the sustained pressure right after the power plays, Ryker Moreau opened up the scoring with his second of the season nearly nine minutes in.

The Clan outshot Trinity Western 14-5 in the first.

The second period saw a similar pace. Adam Callegari put up an insurance goal when jammed one in after a set of great passes by Daniell Lange and Brendan Lamont.

In the third period, Trinity Western took over much of the pace of play, outshooting SFU 15-6.

“There was ebbs and flows in the game, and I think we did a good job to weather the storm,” said Coletta. “It was one of those games where it was back and forth most of the night. There were some spells where we had pressure, and they had a bunch of pressure too. It was one of those games that we needed good goaltending.”

SFU outshot Trinity Western 32-7. The Clan went 0-for-6 on the man advantage. Forward Scott Patterson was ejected from the game for a check from behind. The game marked Stanwood’s eighth win of the season, and he is undefeated with a .931 SV% and 1.88 GAA.

With the victory, SFU maintains their first place spot and creates a bit of a gap in the race. Though with a game in hand, Trinity Western now sits five points behind the Clan.

Tonight, SFU will look to build that gap further against Eastern Washington in the first game of a back-to-back at home.

Two weeks ago, Eastern Washington put up their first victory — a dominant 8-0 showing — but are coming off back-to-back losses against the University of Victoria last weekend, With 2015 and 2016 BCIHL leading scorer Beau Walker back from an injury that held him out of most of the first semester, the Eagles have some serious firepower. In his last four games, goaltender Austin Brihn has put up a .937 SV%, and posted a 23-save shutout.

Jordan Liem will start in net.

At the Bill Copeland Sports Centre, tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for children under 6 or for SFU students with valid ID. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV. Puck drop is at 7 pm.

Three Stars:
1st Star: SFU #1 Lyndon Stanwood (27 Saves, Shutout)
2nd Star: SFU #16 Ryker Moreau (1G, 0A)
3rd Star: SFU #36 Adam Callegari (1G, 0A)