EDMONTON – Trinity Western's Isaac LaBelle (Saskatoon) made 36 saves in a 4-1 defeat to No. 1 Alberta on Friday at Clare Drake Arena.

TWU's (0-4-1) lone goal was scored by Jarrett Penner (Saskatoon) as the Golden Bears (4-0-1) got goals from Matt Fonteyne, Ryan Hughes, Tyler Preziuso, and Josh Prokop.
 
While LaBelle had a busy night in front of TWU's net, Alberta's Nick Schneider only faced 18 shots, stopping all but one.
 
Travis Verveda (Alix, Alta.) and Michael Spafford (Saskatoon) got the assists on Penner's goal.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Golden Bears moved to an early lead in the first period as Fonteyne scored 5:14 into the first period. Alberta improved on their lead in the final seconds of the first period courtesy of a Ryan Hughes power play marker.
 
Preziuso opened the second period with a goal at the 1:38 mark, but the Spartans were able to find their answer by the end of the period as Penner potted his first of the season (18:15).
 
Prokop sealed the victory for the Golden Bears 10:25 into the final frame of play, earning Dawson Davidson his second assist for a game-high in points (2).

QUOTABLE
Ben Walter – Head Coach
"I thought we did a lot of good things. We showed how we can play, but we're still working on putting things together for a full 60 minutes. Alberta is a good team, and we're in a position where we can compete with a team like that – we just need to be more consistent.
 
"I thought Isaac LaBelle played great in net. He made some big saves, stood tall, and gave us a chance to be in the game. He grinded for us tonight. Otherwise, our line of [Jarrett] Penner, [Luke] Spadafora (Calgary), and [Michael] Spafford (Saskatoon) gave us some sparks at times in the game. Still, we need to get more consistent without play.
 
"Looking forward to another great game tomorrow."

NOTABLE
·       Jarrett Penner leads TWU in points all-time at the U SPORTS level with 11. Penner's 2021-22 totals of two goals and seven assists tied him for second on the roster. Penner has a goal and two assists so far in the 2022-23 season.
·       TWU has kicked their season off with a difficult stretch, taking on No. 1 Alberta, No. 6 Saskatchewan, and No. 7 Mount Royal.
 
UP NEXT 
The Spartans rematch the Golden Bears at Clare Drake Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. MT). 
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby, as well as women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 31 Canada West team championships.
 
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