Kenny Batke was back to reality as he worked through a chemistry lab Friday afternoon at Trinity Western University (TWU) in Langley.
A week ago, the Vernon 22-year-old was celebrating a record-breaking season by the Spartans, who swept former Viper Dallas Calvin and the Selkirk College Saints 5-1 and 4-1 in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League best-of-three final series.
Playoff MVP Jarrett Fontaine, a former Humboldt Bronco sniper in the Saskatchewan Junior A League, scored twice and assisted on Florian Niedermaier’s winner to lead the Spartans, who lost the two previous playoff finals.
“We finished first and set a league and program record for most wins (23) so it was a pretty unique season,” said Batke, a sophomore defenceman. “I got in three of the four playoff games and it was a lot of fun. I played mainly with Dustin Deugau, who was D-Man of the Year. I’m a stay-at-home d-man and I’ve always been that way. Dustin always knows where to go and when he takes off, I’m usually the first one back in support.”
Batke, who wore No. 22, entered the TWU program after three stellar Junior B seasons with the Revelstoke Grizzlies, where he amassed 10 goals, 39 points and 203 penalty minutes. He was captain the final two years in Revy, taking the Fan Favourite award and being inducted into the Grizzlies’ Hall of Fame. He took Most Dedicated Player his first two years while also capturing Top Rookie props.
“This league is so much faster and smarter,” said Batke, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder. We have four guys on our team who played in the WHL. All the guys know the game. Systematically, it’s a lot more organized which picks the speed up. The hits are harder and it’s way more fun.
“Coming out of Junior B, I felt so out of place. My first year was shaky with such a radical transition of balancing hockey with school. I felt more comfortable this year.”
Batke, who shares a Langley apartment with two others, has made the Dean’s List every semester. He will be home for Easter and plans to take summer school at UBCO in Kelowna while working as a server.
He played in 19 games last year, but only 11 this year, ringing up three goals, eight points and 18 penalty minutes.
“I was injured for most of the second semester. I separated my shoulder first practice after the Christmas break on a 2-on-2 drill.”
In Game 2 of the B.C. final series, Calvin put the Saints within one on a second-period powerplay and the four-time champions went into the third needing one goal to tie the game. But Fontaine restored Trinity’s two-goal advantage just 2:40 into the period and Evan Last netted an insurance marker soon after. Selkirk directed 14 shots on TWU starter Silas Matthys in the final 20 minutes but couldn’t close the gap, and the Spartans poured off the bench to mob the Swiss netminder after the clock ticked down to zero.
The BCIHL’s Top Goaltender award winner stopped 41 shots to pick up his fourth postseason win, while Saints starter Patrick Zubick made 38 saves.
Fontaine and Last finished the game with three points each while Jordan Rendle added a pair of assists. The trio combined for 28 points in TWU’s four playoff contests. Matthys was able to hoist the BCIHL championship trophy in his final university game following five highly successful seasons.
