Box Score
Saturday, October 13, 2012 - Calgary, AB...It was a historic night at Flames Community Arenas, as the Mount Royal University Cougars picked up their first CIS win 2-1 over the No.2-ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears.
Two first period tallies by
Devin Gannon and
Tyler Eskesen and superb goaltending by
Justin Cote helped pave the way for the Cougs' first win, who improved to 1-3-0 on the year, while loss puts Alberta at 3-1-0 thru four games.
Cote made 36 saves on the night including a number of highlight reel stops in the games big moments, while Real Cyr registered the loss stopping 17 pucks. Sean Ringrose scored the lone goal for the Bears.
Mount Royal continues their home stand, hosting the University of Manitoba for a double-dip on Oct.19-20, while Alberta heads to Saskatchewan to face-off against the fourth-ranked Huskies in a matchup that features two of the country's top teams.
“We're really happy about the win, especially given the circumstances of last night which wasn't a particularly strong outing on our behalf,” said Cougars head coach Jean Laforest.
“Full credit to the guys, they played a full 60 minutes and once again we got great goaltending between the pipes – the guys are pretty excited.”
The scoring started early on Saturday night, as just four minutes into the first period,
Eric Galbraith danced around the Bears 'D' and fed a nifty back-door pass to
Devin Gannon who slotted it into the gaping cage to make it 1-0 Cougars.
The lead wouldn't last long, as just 20 seconds later, the Golden Bears would respond as Ringrose let loose a laser from the point that eluded a screened Cote to even the score at one a piece.
Seven minutes later, the Cougars would restore the lead as
Scott McKay ripped a shot that handcuffed Cyr. Unable to control the rebound, Eskesen picked up the puck uncontested in the slot and went top shelf glove-side on Cyr who was left helpless, 2-1 Cougars.
The second period was a special team's extravaganza as nine penalties were called in the stanza. Alberta found themselves with a number of power-play opportunities including a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage.
A scary moment occurred mid-way through the period, as Cougars forward
Mike Brown caught Golden Bears Greg Gardner with a late hit across the middle that left the fifth-year centre dazed and disorientated. Brown received a five minute elbowing call and game misconduct on the play.
Despite the advantage, Alberta was still unable to capitalize as
Justin Cote stonewalled a number of chances in tight to preserve the lead.
Cote would continue to shine throughout the third, turning aside all 11 shots faced in the final 20 minutes as the Cougars skated away with the 2-1 win, their first in the Canada West and CIS.
“Special teams and goaltending were huge for us tonight,” commented Laforest. “Big saves and big kills helped stave off any momentum they had. It's a real difference maker and gives the guys momentum. It raises that energy level and keeps you in the game.”
