EDMONTON (CIS) (Note: The game will be shown Tuesday night at 8:00 pm on TSN) The #1 seeded University of Alberta Golden Bears (24-3-1 Canada West, 37-5-2 overall) overcame a two-goal third period deficit and overtime to defeat the #5 seeded Saskatchewan Huskies (19-6-3 Canada West, 29-11-4 overall) in the final game of the 2005 CIS TELUS University Cup in Edmonton.
Ben Thomson's (Coaldale, AB, 2nd) two goal heroics was the story as the Golden Bears captured their record setting 11th CIS Title and third in the past seven years. Alberta and Saskatchewan took their battle to extra time in front of a crowd of 10, 331 rambunctious fans at Rexall Place, before it was finally settled.
Alberta head coach Rob Daum opted to go with B.J. Boxma (Edson, AB, 3rd) as his goaltender for the final game and the decision paid immediate dividends. Boxma was put to the test just ten seconds into the game when Gavin McLeod (Sherwood Park, AB, 4th) turned the puck over to a pressing Saskatchewan forward who let fly a bullet that the Bears keeper had to be alert to stop.
Alberta turnovers were the order of the first period and Saskatchewan was more than willing to accept the gifts from their host. The Huskies opened the scoring at 5:49 after a Bears powerplay lost puck possession and Saskatchewan was able to break out of their own end in force, as their penalized played stepped back onto the ice. Dean Beuker (Saskatoon, 3rd) dropped a pass to the trailer on the play and Trent Adamus (Saskatoon, 1st) hammered a slapshot between the pads of Boxma.
The Huskies extended their lead at 16:03 when Jon Barkman (Saskatoon, 5th) fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Boxma and just under the crossbar.
The Bears climbed back into the game with a powerplay marker 100 seconds after the Huskies' goal. Defenceman Harlan Anderson (Vernon, BC, 2nd) held onto the puck as he waited for two Saskatchewan forwards to slide by before he unloaded a wrist shot from the point that eluded a well-screened Thomas Vicars (Kelowna, BC, 3rd).
The two conference foes battled hard in the second period but the first opportunity went to Saskatchewan as Adamus nearly notched his second off the game fighting off a Bears defender and beating Boxma only to see his shot glance off the outside of the post.
The Huskies scored the only goal of the middle frame while on the powerplay at 7:45. Keegan McAvoy (Saskatoon, 3rd) accepted a pass in the Bears corner, stepped out to the front of the net, flipped the puck over Boxma's attempted poke check and in to put Saskatchewan up 3-1.
The Bear's best chance of the period came in the dying minutes when Steve Shrum (St. Albert, 5th) was left alone in the slot but he was absolutely robbed by the cat-like reflexes of the Saskatchewan netminder.
The Bears stepped it up in the third period and the Huskies were content to tighten up defensively and try to withstand the Alberta attack. A claustrophobic goalmouth scramble produced the Bear's first goal of the frame as several bodies were jammed into the front of the Saskatchewan net but Richard Hamula (Edmonton, 2nd) spotted the puck and was able to get his stick between his legs and push it across the line.
With the Rexall Place crowd firmly behind them, the Bears held the momentum but could not bury one of their many chances. Coach Daum pulled the Bears' goalie with under a minute to play and with the extra attacker on the ice Thomson was able to pound a slapshot into the top corner of Saskatchewan's goal sending the game into extra time.
"I had a lane to the net and usually I would have probably passed it off but for some reason I shot it and I don't usually go shelf there but I guess it was just destined to go in," said Thomson of the late goal.
The overtime period was played amidst an electric atmosphere as the crowd, still wound up over the late equalizer, kept the decibel level in the building to a raucous roar.