Langley – Men’s Hockey
The TWU Spartans men’s hockey team suffered its first loss of the season Friday, falling 6-3 to Simon Fraser at the Langley Events Centre.
Kyle Bergh had a hat-trick for the SFU (8-5-0-2), while Eric Callegari, Mateo Coltellaro and Takato Cox picked up singles.
Spencer Gerth (Langley), Travis Verveda (Alix, Alta.) and Jordan Bogress (Ladner, B.C.) scored for TWU (12-1-0-0), with Lucas Mills (Burnaby) making 21 saves in the loss.
Less than five minutes into the game it was the visitors who struck first, when Callegari beat Mills with a wrister on the powerplay to make it 1-0 SFU.
TWU however quickly responded, with Gerth scoring off a Kade Vilio (Aldergrove, B.C.) deflection just outside the crease to pick up his first goal of the season and tie it 1-1.
The Clan then regained their lead with five minutes remaining in the period, after Spartans goaltender Mills got tied up with Elijah Vilio (Aldergrove, B.C.) before Bergh potted his first of the game to make it 2-1 SFU. Bergh then added another on the powerplay with just 1:12 remaining in the first, receiving a cross ice pass from Cox before deking around the challenging Mills to make it 3-1.
Simon Fraser continued rolling offensively in the second period, with Bergh picking up the hat-trick with a goal line deflection at 6:47 to make it 4-1. Coltellaro then pushed the Clan lead to 5-1 nine minutes later, scoring off a slapshot and beating Mills on the glove side.
The Spartans then got one back late in the third on a 5-on-3 powerplay, when Verveda fired a one-timer past Zubick to make it 5-2.
TWU then cut the lead to two goals in the third period, after Bogress took a Trent Vilio (Aldergrove, B.C.) no-look pass and fired a wrist shot short side past Zubick with just under seven minutes left to make it 5-3.
Despite the late push, the Spartans comeback would fall short, as Cox would add one more in favour of the Clan late as they held on for the win.
Simon Fraser goaltender Patrick Zubick made 32 saves to pick up his fourth win of the season (5-3-0-0).
The Spartans converted on 17% of their powerplays (1 for 6), while Simon Fraser went 20% (2 for 10).
Men’s Basketball
In a battle between local rivals, Fraser Valley bested Trinity Western 96-87 in the first of a home-and-home series Thursday at the Langley Events Centre.
UFV was led by Sukhjot Bains, who had 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Parm Bains added 22 points.
The Spartans Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) had 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead TWU. The TWU star now has registered 30 or more points in seven of his last eight games. It’s also his fourth straight double-double. Jack Nadelhoffer (Tigard, Ore.) had 13 points and eight boards while Daniel Stead (Langley) had 12 points.
UFV moves above .500 to 7-6, while TWU drops to 2-11 on the season.
The Cascades came out flying in the first quarter, shooting 52 per cent from the field and 60 per cent from beyond the arc to stake themselves to a 32-17 lead through 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw TWU push back with Gilbreath putting up nine points in the quarter to close the gap to five points, 50-45, at the break. Both Parm Bains and Jaskam Bajwa, who finished with 15 points on the night, had 10 points through the first half for the visitors, while TWU’s Gilbreath had a team-high 11 points.
UFV turned it up coming out of halftime, outscoring the Spartans 28-20 to build a 13-point lead through 30 minutes. Bains put up another eight points in the quarter to help UFV seemingly take control of the contest.
The Spartans once again pushed back in the fourth quater, getting within seven points, 88-81, with 2:38 left in the quarter, but that was as close as TWU would get.
After trailing by 15 points following the first quarter, TWU outscored the Cascades 70-64 over the final three quarters.
UFV shot 31.6 per cent from 3-point range (12-38), while TWU was 17.6 per cent (6-34). The Cascades had a 60-46 edge in rebounds. TWU had an 11-5 advantage in steals.
Women’s Basketball
In the first game of a home-and-home weekend series, Fraser Valley came away victorious, as the Cascades earned a 72-61 win over Trinity Western Thursday at the Langley Events Centre.
The Cascades Deanna Tuchscherer had a career-high 35 points to go with 11 rebounds, while Taylor Claggett had a game-high 15 boards and 10 points for UFV.
TWU’s Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Kianna Wiens (Regina) had a team-high 16 points and Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) equaled her career high of 15 points.
The rivalry contest saw the Cascades (9-4) snap a five-game losing streak against TWU (3-10).
With just over five minutes to play and the Spartans closing the score line to within two points, 55-53, the Cascades responded with a tidy 4-0 run that put control back in UFV’s corner. The visitors held at least a four-point lead the rest of the way.
The Cascades opened a 20-12 lead through the first quarter only to see TWU respond with a 6-0 run to close the gap at the start of the second quarter. However, from there, it turned into a defensive battle with both teams scoring just eight points each in the frame and UFV holding a 28-20 at the break.
UFV found its rhythm in the third quarter opening up a 10-point lead, 49-39, through 30 minutes. Tuchscherer had 21 points after three quarters, while Franson and Gill had 11 points apiece for the home side.
The fourth quarter saw TWU roar back to make it a game, but the Cascades finished the night outscoring TWU 17-8 over the final five minutes.
Women’s Rugby
Trinity Western’s women’s rugby 7s team will play in its first-ever tournament as the Spartans make their debut in the Canada West Rugby 7s Series this Saturday and Sunday at Foote Field Dome in Edmonton.
The first-year program will be led by former Canadian national sevens player Tausani Levale (Abbotsford, B.C.), who has experience on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and joined the Spartans after helping Canada capture a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. The TWU side will be coached by three-time Women’s Rugby World Cup star for Canada Julia Sugawara.
The Spartans will play their first official contest in program history against the two-time defending Canada West champion Victoria on Saturday at 11:18 a.m. (MT). Along with the Victoria, the Spartans Pool A opponents include Calgary (1:30 p.m. MT) and Alberta (4:04 p.m. MT).
The Edmonton tournament, which runs Saturday and Sunday, is the first of three this season along with tournaments in Vancouver (February 1-2) and Victoria (February 29 – March 1).
After a successful three-year pilot project with partners B2Ten and Rugby Canada, the conference renewed its commitment to the fast-paced Olympic sport last year, meaning another CW rugby 7s champion will be crowned in the coming months, as the Vikes take aim at a three-peat.
This year will see an expanded field as TWU and UBC Okanagan are set to make their debut along with the original six teams of Alberta, Calgary, UBC, Victoria, Lethbridge, and Fraser Valley.
It’s an exciting step in the sport’s development, as the conference and its members continue to pursue a path towards a sanctioned U SPORTS championship event.
A complete look at the tournament schedule can be found below, with daily scores available here.
