By Mitchell Ferreira

The resilient Briercrest Clippers were unable to fend off the SAIT Trojans in a Saturday afternoon rematch of last night’s contest, losing 12-0.

Briercrest came out swinging in the first period, looking to avenge a 10-1 loss the night prior. The team’s bid for the lead in the game was ultimately denied by the visitors, who scored three goals to end the period. Special teams never made their way onto the ice in the period, in what amounted to a penalty-free frame of the game.

Heading into the second, Coach Lloyd Friesen opted to start goalie Jameson Shortreed, over Christian Mueller, who minded the net for the first period. Shortreed was able to maintain the score for a while, giving the Clippers a chance to rebound after a tough go in the first. Yet Briercrest lacked the energy they had at the start of the game, eventually conceding three more goals over the course of the second. Highlighting the second frame was Shortreed’s denial of a shorthanded bid by the Trojans.

Resulting from a late-period scrum in the second, Briercrest entered the third with four-minutes of time with the man advantage. Being unable to sustain pressure in the offensive zone, Briercrest failed to capitalize on the extended powerplay. The Trojans extended their considerable lead by six over the course of the period. After the fourth goal of the period, Mueller was reinstated in net, giving up two more in the last half of the period.

Injuries remain the storyline for the Clippers, who were missing numerous key players for the weekend, including captain Josh Dufresne, Brennan Gasmo, and Ryan Mueller. Stephen Langford, who played in Friday’s game, did not dress for today’s game. Kendrew Friesen, who has started a couple home games this season, got the call to replace Langford. Briercrest also await the season debuts of still more players out to injury and eligibility issues. Playing a dominant Trojans team, these players were clearly missed by the Clippers.

Players of the game were Mike Vlanich for SAIT (18 saves) and Manuel Schellenberg for Briercrest.

Game notes: Shots were 52-18 for the Trojans, with Shortreed stopping 23 of those and Mueller 17. SAIT went 1-for-1 on the powerplay, while Briercrest went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.

Fortunately for the injured Briercrest, next weekend is a bye-weekend, hopefully giving them a chance to recuperate in advance of their first meeting with the Red Deer Kings, who are new to the league. Briercrest will look to get in the win column against their new rivals, with games being played in Red Deer. 

You will be able to see a live stream of these games at www.sportscanada.tv or find updates on the Briercrest Hockey Facebook page.