LANGLEY, B.C. – Two goals from Tanner Hopps (North Delta, B.C.) led Trinity Western to their first victory of the 2022-23 season, defeating MacEwan 5-2 at the George Preston Arena on Friday night.
Hopps was joined by
Jordan Bogress (Ladner, B.C.),
Michael Spafford (Saskatoon), and
Luke Spadafora (Calgary) on the scoresheet.
The Spartans (1-7-1) were able to make their way to a 4-1 lead early in the third period while the Griffins (4-5-0) couldn't string two unanswered goals together throughout the night.
Raphael Audet (Rimouski, Que.) dazzled in his first career victory, stopping 35 of the 37 shots he saw on the night. For GMU, it was Ashton Abel who got tagged with the loss, stopping 20 of 25 TWU shots for his fourth loss of the season.
AS IT HAPPENED
Bogress earned his first goal of the season 5:55 into the first period, rifling a shot into the back of the GMU net off a feed from
Travis Verveda (Alix, Alta.). GMU's Neithan Salame found his fourth of the season only 1:07 later to wrap up the period at a 1-1 line.
The Spartans found two quick markers from Spafford (5:37) and Hopps (5:58) while shutting out the Griffins in the period. TWU headed into the third frame holding a 3-0 lead.
Spadafora moved TWU's tally of unanswered goals to three 4:53 into the third, parlaying with linemates Spafford and
Jarrett Penner (Saskatoon) to move the game to a 4-1 Spartans lead. The Griffins found the back of the net on a power play opportunity with less than five minutes remaining, but Hopps made TWU's first win of the season official 18:48 into the final frame, ending the game at a 5-2 line.
QUOTABLE
Ben Walter – TWU Head Coach
"We've shown that we are capable in spurts, but we haven't been able to put it all together for a game until tonight. I'm really proud of the group – they worked and held onto the lead even when we were on our heels. When we get on the forecheck and make teams defend us down low we become harder to play against.
On his first career win, and TWU's first win on home ice
"This is really special, more so because of the group that we have. It means a lot to be able to go through what we have with them and experience this win. I'm really happy with the direction we're going in, so this was some validation for us. It's up to us to keep going and make this a common occurrence."
Travis Verveda – Team Captain
"'It's a great feeling getting the first win of the season and our first win at home. The boys have been working hard all year and it's great to see the results paying off.
"Great team effort by everyone tonight. We had some great performances from our top end guys with Tanner [Hopps] getting two goals and our depth guys blocking shots all night. Aidan [Steinke], Jake [Jurgeneit], and Landon [Fuller] were standouts tonight on the penalty kill by blocking a ton of shots. Raphael [Audet] also played a great game for us in net. Jordan [Bogress] deserves a shout-out too, he's been playing great the last few games and scored his first of the year tonight – that was a huge first goal for us. Overall, solid game from the whole team."
NOTABLE
- TWU head coach Ben Walter – who only jumped into the position in July, 2022, earned his first win at the helm on Friday.
- This was TWU's first home victory in Canada West play.
- Audet has now earned TWU's last two starts, combining for a save percentage .925.
- Spafford and Spadafora are tied for TWU's lead in scoring with seven points each.
UP NEXT
The Spartans rematch the Griffins at the George Preston Arena at 2:15 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.
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. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.
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