THUNDERWOLVES AND BEARS MEET FOR THE CUP

By Jim Matheson
The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - The McGill Redmen had to simply grin and Bear it on Saturday in their first crack at the national stage in 130 years of organized university hockey.

The top-seeded University of Alberta Golden Bears overpowered the No. 4-ranked Redmen 5-1 at the Clare Drake Arena to earn a berth into familiar territory -- the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's championship, tonight at 7 p.m. at Rexall Place. This time they face the surprising Lakehead University Thunderwolves, ranked third in the six-team tournament.

Last March, the Bears squeezed past Saskatchewan in overtime to win their 11th University Cup title.

On Saturday, the Bears got goals from Tim Krymusa and Richard Hamula within a span of 36 seconds early in the third period to end McGill's flirtation with a possible championship.

Playing without their captain, Gavin McLeod, who took the pre-game skate but was scratched with a suspected charleyhorse, the Bears poured 30 shots at Redmen goalie Mathieu Poitras in the first two periods but only led 2-1.

Krymusa, on a power play, and Hamula (20-footer off the wing) broke through on Poitras.
Scott Henkelman got his second of the game in the last 80 seconds and Dylan Stanley, who has seven points in the tournament, had the other goal as the Bears outshot McGill 41-22.

The Bears, who've only lost three of 114 games at Clare Drake Arena in the last six years, will have hometown support, but not home ice at Rexall Place. It levels the playing field, at least a bit.

\"We've had some practices there, though ... we know what the ice is like and we know what the boards are like,\" said Hamula.
\"Most of us grew up in this area and it's a dream to play in that (Edmonton Oilers) building. It's one game, for a national championship,\" said Stanley.

Henkelman, who scored while crashing the net, and Stanley, who scored as a 5-on-3 power play ended, beat Poitras in the first two periods.

Winger Ken Davis, who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1999, scored for the Redmen.

The game could have been tied 2-2 after the second period, but Bears goalie Aaron Sorochan, who attended the Oilers camp last fall, stoned Charles Gauthier just before the buzzer.

\"That was a toenail save ... the kind that make coaches look good,\" laughed Bears head coach Eric Thurston.

In the third period, the Bears, who are 26-0-2 when leading after two periods this season, simply wore down McGill.

\"Our game plan is to never lose composure. We didn't -- even if it was close going into the third,\" said Henkelman.

McGill, however, didn't go quietly. Judging by their play so far, it won't be another 100 years before they're back.

\"To get where we did, to throw our hat into the ring in the nationals speaks volumes for our heart,\" said Davis, who's graduating this year. \"This is a big step for our hockey program.\"

ON THE BENCH -- McLeod is iffy for tonight's game, which will be broadcast on TSN (8 p.m. on tape delay).

Thunderwolves 4 Huskies 2

Lakehead University, which scrubbed its hockey program in 1984 because of poor attendance and just reinstated it in 2001, made it to its first national final with a 4-2 victory over last year's finalists, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, on Saturday.

Jeff Richards, cousin of Philadelphia Flyers rookie centre Mike, scored three times for the T-wolves and also held Canada West's leading scorer Dean Beuker to two shots and one power-play assist.

Goalie Chris Whitley collared the dogs with 20 first-period saves.

\"Our job was to try and shut them (Beuker and captain Brent Twordik) down,\" said Richards, who doesn't get many checking assignments, but relished this one.

\"He's a huge part of our team. We used him on the PK (penalty kill) and 5-on-5,\" said Lakehead coach Pete Belliveau.

Whitley has been terrific in both wins. He has faced 81 shots and surrendered only five goals, three even-strength.

\"We give up a lot of shots and we knew our goalie would have to be our best player. And he has been, both times,\" said Belliveau.

(Reprinted with permission from The Edmonton Journal.)