Trojans end regular season on a high note

By Colton Pankiw
SAIT Trojans Student Writer

CALGARY, ALTA., (February 26, 2022) - The SAIT Trojans men's hockey team came out flying once again on Saturday afternoon, as they quickly went up 2-0 against the Portage Voyageurs thanks to goals mere seconds apart from Taden Rattie and Zachary Huber. Both were scored in nearly identical fashion on great setups from Rock Ruschkowski and Cam McAdam.

Later in the frame, the Voyageurs, similar to last night, found themselves in penalty trouble as Isaac Barr was sent to the box for slashing. It proved costly, as Kaden Hanas was able to beat Jacob Gnidziejko to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Voyageurs were able to get one themselves as the period winded down, as Barr picked up his own rebound and fired it home. The first came to an end shortly afterward, with the Trojans holding a 3-1 lead.

The Trojans came out flying once again to start the second, and were rewarded early as Huber was able to walk right in on Gnidziejko and made no mistake. The three-goal lead didn't last long however, as Barr deposited his second of the afternoon to bring his team back to within two.

Both Gnidziejko and Trevor Martin were able to stop everything they faced for the remainder of the second, as their teams headed into the intermission with a 4-2 score. Similar to Friday night, the Trojans controlled the play as they held a massive 35-19 lead in shots.

The third period started out slower in terms of offence, as the score remained the same through the first 10 minutes. That changed shortly afterward, as Brendon Borbely was able to score his first of the season on a great shot from the top of the circle. Braydon Jenkins got in on the fun as well, as he buried one on the power play to increase the lead to 6-2 on what turned out to be the final goal of the game.

The successful weekend was capped off with Kurtis Rutledge being named the Trojans Player of the Game, while Voyageurs captain Brayden Dale received the honour for his team. Saturday's game marked the final regular season contest for the Trojans, who ended the campaign with an 8-6-1-1.

They will now prepare for their playoff series next weekend against the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings. Game 1 will go Friday night at SAIT, with Game 2 being played the next day back in Camrose. Game 3, if needed, will be played Sunday back at SAIT.