Fresh off one of their best performances of the season, the Simon Fraser University Clan looked to recapture some of the magic from their Valentine’s Day clash with the Trinity Western Spartans as the Langley team made its way back to the Bill Copeland Arena for a rematch Saturday night. SFU picked up right where they left off from a week ago as the Clan out lasted TWU for a 4-1 victory.

The Clan’s momentum from their previous win against TWU carried over into the first period of Saturday’s game. SFU used their speed to gain entry into TWU’s zone on multiple occasions and Matthew Luongo eventually opened the scoring off a quick rush just 1:31 into the contest. Trent Murdoch doubled SFU’s lead five minutes after Luongo’s tally on the power play when Murdoch fired home a shot from the high slot. Trinity Western did, however, get one goal back when captain Blair Murphy walked in off the left point to snap a shot past SFU netminder Jordan Liem. Trinity Western, despite starting a bit slow, did manage to control the last ten minutes of the first.

Head Coach Mark Coletta’s intermission speech seemed to spark SFU because the Clan heavily outshot TWU 20-3 in the second frame. Despite the control of play and possession, SFU was unable to crack TWU goalie Silas Matthys. To make up for the lack of scoring in the second period both teams combined for eight penalties. On two occasions, multiple penalties were divvied out when Jesse Williamson and Saylor Preston both, respectively, drove hard to the net and made contact with Matthys. The Spartans’ players were none too pleased and ended up retaliating, which resulted in some after the whistle fisticuffs. Both teams managed to keep their cool to see the second period out with SFU still leading 2-1.

Simon Fraser sealed the game by adding two goals in the third. The top line of Jono Ceci, Nick Sandor, and Graham Smerek combined for six points in the contest. Ceci and Smerek were the two goal scorers in the third when Ceci outwaited everyone in the building to cheekily lift the puck over Matthys at the side of the net, and Smerek was Johnny on the spot to fire home a loose puck in the slot.

With the win, SFU moved into third place in the BCIHL. Next week’s game against Victoria will be a battle for third place as the winner will walk away with the coveted spot in the standings. As well as third place being on the line, SFU will be playing for its first three game winning streak of the season. With the post season rolling around, a hot streak is exactly what the Clan needs to make a deep run in the BCIHL playoffs.