Box Score Brendan Stasiewich, Mount Royal Sports Information
CALGARY- In a Friday night match with enormous playoff implications, the Alberta Golden Bears (15-7-1) took down the Mount Royal Cougars (15-7-1) at the Flames Community Arenas by a score of 5-2.
Jamie Crooks, Tyson Bailie, Rhett Rachinski, Taylor Cooper and Riley Keiser lit the lamp for the visitors while Matthew Brown and Connor Rankin scored for Mount Royal.
Matt Brown opened the scoring just over eight minutes into the game, extending his point streak to five games. After a lengthy game of keep away in the Alberta end, Maddison Smiley took a point shot that got blocked in front by a Golden Bears' defender. Brown managed to find the loose puck at the side of the cage and quickly took the puck around the net, beating Burke for his 12th goal of the season on the wrap around.
While Wyatt Hoflin made a few huge saves in the period, it was the Cougars' defensemen who may find themselves black and blue after the game. Cougars' players, most notably Smiley, unselfishly dropped to the ice to stop more than a few Golden Bears' blasts from the point in the frame.
The Golden Bears knotted up the game early in the second. Jamie Crooks scored his 14th of the year when Tyson Baillie made a beauty of a pass, cross crease, leaving Crooks with an easy tap in past Hoflin.
The Cougars had a powerplay chance midway through the frame when Todd Fiddler interfered with Connor Rankin on an offensive zone draw. While the Cougars' didn't score on the powerplay, they would keep their offensive momentum going afterward when it looked like Devin Gannon put the puck past Hoflin.
The ref near the net signaled that it was a good goal, however after a discussion with the linesmen it was ruled that Gannon pushed Burke into the net, resulting in a sigh of relief from the visiting bench, as the game would remain locked at one.
Alberta would take advantage of a Cougars' mistake minutes later when Brett Zarazun would make a drop pass that got intercepted by a Golden Bears player. The Golden Bears would come in on the three-on-one where Stephane Legault made a picture perfect pass to Bailey who put another no doubter past Hoflin.
With two and a half minutes left in the frame Cam Maclise came into the zone and sent a wrist shot at Burke. While Burke turned Maclise away, Connor Rankin would go bar-down on a perfectly placed shot, tying the game. The assist extended Cam Maclise's point streak to 11 games while Rankin's goal came as his 15th of the season.
The Golden Bears quickly responded just a minute later. Rhett Rachinksi scored his first of the year as his shot found a way to sneak by Hoflin's glove, quieting the Cougars' faithful and putting the visitors up 3-2 going into the third.
Hoflin redeemed himself early in the third. Luke Philp, who had taken a tripping penalty two minutes earlier, came out of the box and took a pass behind the Cougars defense giving him a clear breakaway. Hoflin stayed with Philp the whole way, sprawling to his right to turn aside Philp's attempt.
It looked as if the Golden Bears iced the game with seven and a half minutes remaining when Taylor Cooper was the benefactor of an atrocious mistake by Colton Waltz. Skating backwards, Waltz blew a tire giving the Golden Bears a contested two on one where Fiddler would make a pass to Cooper who would make no mistake to make the game 4-2.
The Golden Bears would score an empty netter late in the game to give Alberta a 5-2 win, tying themselves with Mount Royal at second place in the Canada West standings.
Hoflin (2-1-1) turned aside 25/29 shots in the loss while Burke (6-3-0) stopped 24/26.
The teams will clash again at the Clare Drake Arena tomorrow evening with puck drop slated for 6 P.M.
