Paul Cartledge, U of Alberta sports information
EDMONTON - On the strength of their fourth-straight win, the No.6 Alberta Golden Bears reclaimed first place in Canada West for the first time since the opening weekend of the season by defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 4-1 at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton on Friday night.
The 7-2-2 Golden Bears had three players grab two points, as both rearguard Colin Joe and forward Jordan Hickmott scored a goal and an assist each while defender Ian Barteaux tallied a pair of helpers. Team-leading scorer Sean Ringrose also notched a goal for the home team, as did rookie Travis Toomey, who salted the game away with a shorthanded empty-netter.
Freshman
Michael Wilgosh potted the lone goal for the 4-3-2 T-birds, the former Winkler Flyer's sixth in nine games.
Alberta got on the board first, however, and only 44 seconds into the opening frame when Joe, aided by a Ringrose screen, threw a puck on net from the boards that eluded netminder
Jordan White for the blueliner's first of the season.
UBC answered back on the power-play at the 8:42 mark of the first when Wilgosh was the recipient of a fortunate bounce, putting it through the five-hole of an unprepared Réal Cyr on the visitors' fourth shot of the game.
The Victoire, SK native would shut the door after that, though, making 26 saves on the night to improve upon his conference-leading 1.22 GAA and .949 save percentage.
At the other end of the ice, Hickmott got the game-winner in the second when he tipped a Drew Nichol point shot through White's five-hole at the 10:17 mark.
Ringrose would follow with a tip-in of his own at 15:31 of the middle frame, deflecting a Joe point shot for his team-leading sixth goal and 12th point. The former Medicine Hat Tiger is also on a four-game goal-scoring streak, besting his previous high of three games in his sophomore season.
The T-Birds finished the night at 1-5 on the man-advantage, going 0-3 in the final frame and allowing Toomey's insurance goal, while the Bears went 1-6.
The two squads will face off again tomorrow in game two of the weekend series, puck drop at 7 PM MT.
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