SIMPLY GOLDEN!
U of A takes national hockey crown
Wil Tomchuk FREDERICTON, N.B. remembers his first goal — it was the only one he scored in three years with the University of Alberta Golden Bears before this weekend.
But his second goal with the Bears will be the one he remembers for the rest of his life.
Tomchuk’s goal at the 4:18 mark of the second period was the gamewinning goal in a 4-2 victory over the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men of Antigonish, N.S. in the U Sports national final Sunday afternoon at the Aitken Centre.
Tomchuk had only played 21 regular season games and one playoff game with the Bears, but he got the chance to play in this tournament and found a way to make his impact felt by helping Alberta capture its 16th national championship in school history and first since 2015.
The host UNB Varsity Reds, who lost 5-4 in OT to St. FX on Saturday, won bronze with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies earlier Sunday.
“The coaches gave me an opportunity, and I was the lucky one to score. There’s 26 other guys that got us here. Without them, I wouldn’t have scored that goal,” said Tomchuk, who played just six regular season games this year. “It was just hard work. I just remember being out in front and hammering it home and the boys pulled through for the rest of the game.”
For the second consecutive game, Alberta rallied from a 2-0 deficit — although this time they didn’t wait until overtime to finish the comeback.
After the X-Men jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 8:52 into the game on goals from Daniel Robertson and Michael Clarke, tournament MVP Stephane Legault cut St. FX’s lead in half, beating goalie Chase Marchand at the 13:22 mark of the opening frame.
Just 39 seconds later, Luke Philp tied the game, with Alberta taking control from that point forward.
Tomchuk gave them the lead and Jamie Crooks, the only fifthyear player on the team, clinched it with an empty-netter with 1:28 remaining.
Alberta is known for its elite skill and talent, but to clinch this national championship, they put their work boots on.
After taking the lead, they had to kill off a two-man advantage twice in six minutes in the second period, and with the X-Men pressing for the tying marker in the third, they didn’t allow many good scoring chances.
When they did, Bears rookie goaltender Zach Sawchenko, who left the Western Hockey League one year early, stood tall while making 24 saves, including two point-blank saves on Adam Stevens in the final minutes.
“They were pressing hard,” Sawchenko said. “I had to take a few deep breaths and just tried to get through the last five minutes. Nobody wanted this game to go to overtime, and we had guys doing everything they could to hold on tight.”
Alberta didn’t face a lot of adversity through the regular season, but had to in order to win this championship with three games in a 49-hour span. They faced two Atlantic teams (Acadia and St. FX) that had knocked them out of the tournament early the past two years, while perennial rival Saskatchewan took them to overtime in Saturday’s semifinal.
It took back-to-back come-frombehind victories to clinch the title.
“We just stick with it,” said Bears head coach Serge Lajoie. “Guys really fight for each other and I got to see another side to this team. When push come to shove and they were required to play a different style, they did it and took pride in it. They blocked shots, they made simple plays and, for such a highly skilled team, that speaks to their character.”
This was Lajoie’s fourth national championship with the Bears, and his first as a head coach.
“I’ve raised this trophy once as a player and it’s now three times as a coach and my first time as a head coach. I told the guys between the second and third period that Clare Drake would be very proud of us,” Lajoie said of the program’s legendary coach, the most successful in U Sports history.
“You feel it’s your duty. There are lofty expectations at the U of A, but this is what we come for when we come to a national championship. We don’t want silver, we don’t want bronze. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but that’s our objective.
“Coaches before you, Ian Herbers wins two, Bill Moores, Clare Drake, Rob Daum, Eric Thurston and you don’t want to be the guy who lets down the program. Our success is measured by national championships and to put No. 16 up there and know I played a small part in it is special.”