After 40 minutes highlighted by close calls and missed opportunities, Selkirk College found themselves down a pair of goals on the road to Thompson Rivers University on the road Friday night. But a third period rally fueled by goals from Ben Starbuck and Cody Fidgett sent the game to overtime, where Kam Crawford pinched in from the point to slam home a rebound and give the Saints a 5-4 victory.
TRU took the first lead of the night just three minutes into regulation when Jarrett Martin took advantage of a poor line change and beat Saints starter Stephen Wolff on a partial breakaway. But Selkirk bounced back minutes later when Jackson Garrett pounced on a rebound and grabbed their first lead of the night late in the first period when Jordan Wood scored shorthanded.
The second period saw a series of defensive letdowns in the Selkirk zone and the WolfPack took full advantage, as Kevin Lourens and Jake Howardson each put home from close range following scrambles around the Saints' crease. And a Colten DeFrias goal 90 seconds into the third period padded the TRU lead before Starbuck, on a power play, and Fidgett, off a nice feed from Jackson Garrett, drew the game level.
"We had good efforts in the first and third periods but got away from working hard in our own zone in the second and paid for that," says Saints head coach Jeff Dubois. "We put ourselves in a hole but battled back and got a big win on the road. We've come from behind late in games a few times this season and there's a real belief with our group that we can get big goals when we need them."
Wolff picked up his fifth win in as many starts, stopping 30 shots on the night. TRU starter Riley Wall was named the game's first star with a 50-save performance.
Saints' captain Jordan Wood scored once and added three assists, while linemates Garrett and Logan Proulx combined for another five points.
Selkirk is back on the ice Saturday night when they host Simon Fraser University is a first vs. second place battle at the Castlegar Rec Complex. Faceoff is set for 7:30 PM.
SAINTS NOTES: With the win on Friday, Selkirk can finish no lower than second in the league standings and is therefore assured of hosting a first round playoff series when the BCIHL postseason begins on March 8th. The top four regular season finishers qualify for the playoffs, with 1st/4th and 2nd/3rd meeting in the first round and winners advancing to the league finals, which will take place from March 15-17. Each playoff series is a best-of-three format.