Courtesy of Alberta Golden Bears Sports Information

EDMONTON - Finding the net early and helping his namesake late in the game, fourth-year defender Niko Saler's two points spearheaded the No.6 University of Alberta Golden Bears to their third-straight win, a 3-0 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars, Saturday afternoon at Foote Field.

On the scoresheet with Saler was third-year midfielder Niko Jankovic as well as rookie midfielder Shamit Shome, extending his point streak to three games.

Resisting the potent offensive attack for Alberta, fourth-year goaltender Kamil Zielinski succeeded for most of the game, making crucial stops to keep the Cougars in the game before the Bears scored two late tallies in two minutes.

Edmonton native Saler opened the scoring early when he sailed what look like a cross near the sidelines, only to have the ball curl in and find the far corner behind Zielinski in the third minute. 

Vitalized by the tally, Saler continued to soar shots or crosses towards the goal, resulting in sophomore forward Tyler Graham having a golden opportunity in front in the 12th minute, but Zielinski stoned him point blank to keep the game at 1-0.

Escaping the early offensive flurry, the Calgary-born netminder made two more saves in the opening 20 minutes, a quick strike by third-year midfielder Tim Hickson and a tricky header by third-year forward Tolu Esan, letting his team end a chippy first half only down by one.

Rain fell on the pitch between halves, however, adding slickness to the field and caution to the teams, aiming to avoid giving their opponent an advantage before the sunlight returned, and even brighter, to heat up the play as well as the ground.

Keeper Zielinski's first-half saves then became extremely significant, fourth-year forward Cody Cook finding rookie midfielder Justin Anderson-Louch in the 18-yard box, deking around an Alberta defender to get in the open and firing his potentially game-tying shot off the right post in the 62nd minute.

Len Vickery, head coach for the Golden Bears who is on the cusp of 200 conference wins, chose to sway the building momentum caused by that near miss by making a substitution, succeeding when senior defender C.J. Gilroy found Shome in the open inside the Mount Royal 18-yard box in the 74th minute, the former Old Strathcona grad pounding the ball far side for his third of the season.

Pouncing on the Cougars, Saler then sent a corner kick towards the opposing goal two minutes later, Jankovic connecting with a header to cement the victory.

Completing their road trip, 3-2-0 Mount Royal remains in Edmonton to face off against the MacEwan Griffins on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. at Jasper Place Bowl while 3-0-0 Alberta hosts the Calgary Dinos at Foote Field at 2:15 p.m.