BURNABY, B.C. – Trinity Western's men's hockey team won its third straight game to start the season, beating Simon Fraser 4-1 Saturday at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

Lucas Mills (Burnaby, B.C.) was instrumental in helping the Spartans (3-0) to the win, as he stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced to earn his third victory of the season.

Travis Verveda (Alix, Alta.) opened the scoring with 1:08 left in the first period before Brandon Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.) doubled TWU's lead with what would stand up as the game-winner midway through the second period.

A power play marker from SFU's Darnel St. Pierre made it a one-goal game midway through the third period, but the Spartans responded 18 seconds later, with Logan Casavant (Melfort, Sask.) restoring TWU's two-goal margin.

A late goal from Evan Last (Surrey, B.C.) sealed the win.

TWU had 12 different point-getters on the night, with not only player earning more than a single point.

Michael Lenko made 22 saves for SFU (1-2) in a losing effort.

The Spartans were 0 for 1 on the power play, while SFU was 1 for 2 with the man-advantage.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Barret Kropf
"It was a typical rivalry game, where it was tight right until the end. There was lots of great goaltending from both sides and I just think Junior (Mills) really gave us a chance to win the hockey game tonight with some key saves. It was a team effort all around. We did the little things well tonight and that's a good sign this early in the season."

NOTABLE
• The Clan beat TWU in a preseason meeting beating the Spartans 4-3 in overtime as part of the Captains Cup.
• The Spartans were 3-2 against SFU during last year's regular season.
• Over their last 24 games dating back to last year, including the regular season and playoffs, TWU is 22-2.

NEXT UP
The Spartans will now travel to Minnesota for a pair of exhibition games against NCAA opponents, including the University of Minnesota Gophers (Div. I) Oct. 20 and Hamline University (Div. III) Oct. 19.

About TWU
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 10 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 11 U SPORTS team championships and 25 Canada West team championships.

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