Trojans on a roll as they get set for the Vikings
The quest for Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) supremacy begins Friday night for the SAIT Trojans men’s hockey team.
The No. 4 seed Trojans will host the fifth-seeded University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings in Game 1 of their ACAC best-of-three quarter-final at SAIT Arena on Friday beginning at 7 p.m. In the season series, it was the Vikings who had the upper hand, winning 3-1.
“They had our number in the regular season, and they are a fairly comparable team,” said Trojans coach Dan Olsen. “They run four lines which are similar in the sense they are hardworking, so we have to make sure we’re ready to go to work and we are able to match their work ethic.”
Game 2 will be played in Camrose Saturday night at 6 p.m. Game 3, if needed, will be played back at SAIT on Sunday at 7.
The Trojans finished the regular season with an 186-3-1 record, good enough for 40 points. The Vikings finished three points behind the Trojans with a 178-3 mark.
The old cliché of peaking come playoff time may have actually come true for the Trojans. After an inconsistent, and at times frustrating, first half, SAIT finished the year with seven wins in their last nine games, the only losses coming in overtime to first-place NAIT and third place Red Deer College.
“It was one of those things where in the first semester your mixing and matching lines, and you’re trying to find some chemistry,” said Trojans alternate captain Dave Nippard. “Then you come back after Christmas excited, and knowing the team that you have and what you can do. We found our stride at the perfect time, and we have all lines clicking going into the playoffs.”
Leading the Trojans offensively is forward Patrick Martens. In his fifth and final season of eligibility, Martens has nine goals and 13 points in his last nine games. His 18 goals this season led the ACAC.
Martens may be relied on a touch more than usual, as the Trojans will be without captain Dean Allison. The third-year winger took a slap shot to the face in the team’s penultimate game of the season against Portage College on Feb. 23. He suffered a broken jaw that required surgery earlier this week.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” Nippard added. “You don’t come across a leader like him too often, where if the team’s down, he’s able to say the right thing at the right time. He had a hot second half. When you lose a key component like that, it makes everyone pull together that much more.”