Sports

Hockey : SFU caps off season with provincial championship

By Jeff Dubois

When it mattered most, the SFU men’s hockey team transformed from a good team that couldn’t win the big game to a great team that won a championship.

Entering the 2008 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League Championships, SFU wasn’t the smart bet to end up on top. The University of Victoria and the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) appeared to be the class of the league, with a collective 26-4-2 regular season record.

After starting the tournament with a win and a loss, the Clan was a long shot to reach the finals.

In their final round-robin game against Victoria, needing to win by four goals to advance, SFU found the clutch performance they needed. Down 3-2 in the second period, an offensive explosion led by forwards John Bressette and Jason Pagliaro — who both recorded hat tricks — clinched an 8-2 win and a spot in Sunday’s final.

“Being successful against Victoria was a long time coming,” said head coach Adam Hayduk. “Our guys had the skill set to do it all along, but they had to believe they could. Once we scored a few goals and got some momentum, the guys realized they were the best team.”

In the championship game versus UCFV, SFU scored early and never looked back in a 3-0 win. Blair Driedger led the way offensively with two goals, including the winner on a first-period power play, and netminder Joseph Demare posted the first shutout of the BCIHL season.

“Some teams might [have] a letdown coming off a high like the win over UVic, but the guys took that energy and played just as well in the final,” Hayduk explained. “All the guys shared the same vision of what we needed to accomplish.”

The lasting impression left by SFU on their opponents was likely their deep, balanced offensive attack. Winger Jamie Laprise tied for the tournament scoring lead, while regular-season points leader Paul Moscone wasn’t far behind. For captain Shawn Murracas, the championship more than made up for past disappointments at the tournament.

“Ever since we lost in the final two years ago, we’ve had extra incentive to win,” he said. “And we were feeling really confident going into the finals. We knew if we played against UCFV . . . they couldn’t stop us.”