Box Score
CALGARY – In a night that saw a 43-minute delay, one team forgetting their jerseys at home and 16 combined minor penalties, a hockey game somehow broke out and the Mount Royal University Cougars men's hockey team downed the University of Alberta Golden Bears by a score of 5-3 on Friday evening.

Before the game had even started the Golden Bears were forced to scramble for some yellow practice jerseys in a closet deep in Flames Community Arenas. They dawned bright yellow sweaters that read "Western Elite Hockey" across the central emblem. Good enough for a game against the navy-wearing Mount Royal Cougars.

The Cougars got the start they wanted with a goal just over five minutes into the game

Bowden Singleton continued his hot streak, opening the scoring on MRU's first powerplay opportunity. 

Mount Royal doubled up on Alberta three minutes later with a sharp wrister from third-year tough guy Vaughn Watterodt, who scored his second goal in as many games.

Shortly after Watterodt's goal and partway through an Alberta man advantage, a hard collision on the halfwall between Dawson Milliken and Jayden Joly left a two-foot circular dent in the boards.

The officials deemed it to be unsafe to continue playing until it was repaired and the FCA staff got quick to work on repairing the white panel. It turned out to be a tougher job than expected, with 43 minutes elapsing between the collision and the final screw being inserted, but finally, we were ready to drop the puck again.

Still on the powerplay, the Golden Bears came out flying. Veteran forward Alex Thacker scored to cut the deficit to just one. Just over a minute later, Alberta tied it up at two. Harper Lolacher notched his first career Canada West goal, driving to the net and tucking a backhand past the outstretched leg of MRU netminder Zach Zahara. It was a spectacular way for Lolacher to get his first as a Golden Bear.

"It was just weird. I don't even know what to really say," said MRU captain Connor Bouchard after the long delay that led to Alberta equalizing. "Tough situation but still no excuse. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot coming out of that break."

Coming out of the actual first intermission, the Golden Bears continued their offensive barrage and took their first lead of the contest.

Aidyn Hutchinson was the second Alberta rookie to score his first career goal and this one was massive, just one minute into the second period.

At the halfway point of the game, the parade to the penalty box began. The Golden Bears took three minor penalties and Bouchard was able to capitalize on one of them with a redirection from a slick pass from Ruslan Jamaldinov.

In the third, it was the Cougars' turn to take all the penalties. MRU was penalized four times in the final twenty minutes but their penalty kill stifled the Golden Bears.

Mount Royal found themselves on a two-man advantage in the third and Harry Ahlberg sniped one past Alberta goalie Beckett Langkow to get the Cougars back ahead. 

Caden Kemkaran-Humble iced the game away with an empty net goal.

After a tough loss on home ice last Friday against Calgary, the Cougars were able to rebound with an overtime victory at Father David Bauer the following night. After a spirited victory against Alberta, the Cougars feel they've learned a lot about themselves and are headed in the right direction.

"Early in the year everyone is going through the same thing: you're trying to find an identity, what works for you, where your success is going to come from and maybe even what your Achilles' heel might be," said Connor Bouchard. "Going through tough times is only going to make us better and I've liked how we've responded so far."

The 28th-ranked team in the nation Golden Bears, fall to 2-3-0 while the sixth-ranked Cougars improve to 4-1-0.

Alberta gets another shot against Mount Royal on Saturday, this time at Silent Ice Centre in Nisku. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MDT.