The league’s top two teams fought tooth and nail for three periods.
The Vancouver Island University Mariners played their final home game of the fall in B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League action Saturday at the Nanaimo Ice Centre, falling 3-2 to the first-place Trinity Western University Spartans.
TWU scored the go-ahead goal five minutes into the third and held on even though VIU pressed the rest of the game and finished with 42 shots.
“We battled right to the end…” said Steve Paul, Mariners coach. “They’re a good team, nothing to take from them; we’ve just got to work harder, that’s all … They can have this one I guess, but it’s the final one we’re looking for.”
Michael Olson-Eyre and Alex Milligan scored for VIU.
The Mariners have one more road trip to the Kootenays, then get a month off.
“We’ve still got lots of work to do, but we’ve still got half a season left to go,” Paul said. “Absolutely, we’ve done really well for a second-year team, to be battling for first back and forth is pretty good.”
GAME ON … VIU visits Selkirk for games Dec. 1-2 in Fruitvale and Nelson, respectively.
t
Stopped by the NIC for the final home game of the fall semester for the VIU Mariners hockey club. Mariners had the pressure on to try for a tying goal but ended up getting edged 3-2 by the TWU Spartans… pic.twitter.com/c3ZERAqej1
— Greg Sakaki (@BulletinSports) November 25, 2018
editor@nanaimobulletin.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter