The Martlet

LANGLEY, B.C. — It was a disappointing end to a stellar season for the UVic men’s hockey team.

The squad traveled to Langley on March 14, 15 and 16 for the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) championship tournament. UVic was the clear favourite to clinch the title, going into the tournament ranked first with a 14-1-1 record.

But the expected outcome never came. In the biggest upset in the league’s short history, UVic was eliminated after the third game.

The tournament, which included the top four teams of the five-team BCIHL, was a round-robin, with the top two teams meeting in the final.

The first game of the tournament took place on March 14, where UVic beat Trinity Western 4-2. Despite entering the playoffs with a 3-12-1 record, Trinity Western provided some solid competition.

UVic was served with more than twice as many penalties as Trinity Western, forcing them to overcome not only their opponents, but the referees as well.

“It’s frustrating to have the players be of such a high calibre, and the refs not on the same level,” said UVic coach Harry Schamhart. “Refs are supposed to be invisible, not front and centre.”

UVic has long faced challenges with officiating. Whenever the team plays in Vancouver, they find themselves having to adjust to a different level of play as dictated by the referees. Schamhart chalks this up to the fact that in Vancouver, Junior A and B hockey is given priority over the BCIHL for referee selection.

Fans and players were shocked to have the second period interrupted to clean the ice. The BCIHL teams were shortchanged on their ice times throughout the tournament, which resulted in bizarre stoppages in play and impromptu reductions of the third period to fit the schedule. UVic’s first game saw its third period cut in half, despite no one having the ice reserved afterwards.

“This is a provincial championship.… Cutting the game short in the third period is a disgrace. This make us look like bush league hockey,” said Steve Foster, UVic’s assistant coach.

But UVic fought through the obstacles, coming out on top 4-2.

“We need to focus on holding our intensity throughout the game,” said UVic forward Reid Darling. “Other than that, all four lines for us are solid and have great scoring ability. We work really well together and support each other.”

By the time their second game rolled around, UVic had clearly gotten used to the reffing and ice-time challenges. UVic faced the UCFV Cascades (12-3-1), the only team to beat UVic in two years. It was a gritty matchup that resulted in three serious injuries, including a concussion to Darling after a brutal unpenalized hit from behind. UVic forward Chris McKague also left the ice for the hospital after taking a puck in the face.

Near the end of the third period, UVic was up by four goals, leading to frustration by the Cascades. The second-place team took offense when their star forward Rob Vos, league MVP and top scorer, was speared and hurt his knee falling into the boards near the end of the third period. The scrum that ensued sent five players to the box with misconducts, but UVic held on to win 5-1.

UVic faced Simon Fraser (7-6-3) in their third game late on March 15. Simon Fraser came out blazing, despite all odds pointing to their elimination. The teams fought hard in a competitive and exciting game until the Zamboni break at the mid-point of the 18-minute second period. UVic had been leading 3-2, but Simon Fraser snuck in to score three goals in four minutes, and then another two to end the second period at 7-3.

Panic set in as everyone realized that if Simon Fraser, who lost their previous game to Fraser Valley, won by three goals or more, they would upset the season champions and go on to the final. With the third period shortened to 11 minutes, UVic could not regain momentum and ended by losing 8-3 to Simon Fraser.

“It was a disappointing outcome. We didn’t expect it,” said UVic forward Matt Veniot after the game. He added that despite the final loss, the team could at least be satisfied with how they finished the regular season.

Veniot also acknowledged the work of Schamhart and Foster, coaches who volunteer their time for the team. “We really appreciate the effort they put in,” he said. “We still had a great season, and they’re a big part of that.”