Pair by Kehler leads Bears past Huskies
University of Alberta sophomore Joff Kehler (2nd, Edson, AB) scored a pair of goals to help the hometown Golden Bears complete a sweep of the top-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies with a 3-1 win Saturday at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.
Kehler, who scored the insurance goal in an identical 3-1 score on Friday, potted his fourth and fifth goals of the conference season for the Bears, which take over top spot in Canada West with a 16-4-2 record and officially clinch first place in the Mountain Division. Saskatchewan, which had already clinched first in the Great Plains Division, loses its third straight, falling to 15-6-3.
Alberta goaltender Aaron Sorochan (1st, Edmonton) came up big for a second straight night, stopping 26 of 27 Huskies shots in recording his conference-leading 12th win of the year. Jeff Harvey (1st, St. Albert), who entered the weekend 8-1-1 in Canada West play, stopped 25 of 28 U of A shots, but lost for a second straight night.
Perry Johnson (5th, Edmonton) scored Alberta's other goal, while captain Brent Twordik (3rd, Saskatoon) replied for Saskatchewan.
Like Friday, the first period was scoreless, but the intensity picked up over the final 40 minutes.
Kehler scored his first of the game on the power play to give Alberta a 1-0 lead at 6:11 and Twordik scored from the slot when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from Matt Girling (1st, Saskatoon), to even things at 1-1 with just under five minutes to play in the second. Canada West scoring leader Dean Beuker (4th, Watson, SK) also picked up an assist for his 43rd point of the year.
At 16:02, just 47 seconds after Twordik had tied the game, Johnson scored on a screened shot that eluded everyone and snuck past Harvey at the side of the net, waist high.
Before the period was up Sorochan made a sliding glove stop, point-blank on Curtis Austring (2nd, Stewart Valley, SK) to keep Alberta in front.
Twordik had a breakaway 6:30 into the third, but again Sorochan came up with the save, and at 10:04 Kehler scored on a rebound of Dylan Stanley's (1st, Edmonton) shot for his second of the game to give Alberta some breathing room. Alberta held on from there for a 3-1 final
The Bears finished up 1-5 on the power play and the Huskies were 0-5.
Alberta remains home for a pair of games against the UBC Thunderbirds (9-11-1 before Sat.), Feb. 3-4 (7:30 p.m.), while Saskatchewan heads to Winnipeg for two with the Manitoba Bisons (10-12-2).
