A former Penticton hockey player will have to settle for silver after his St. Francis Xavier X-Men squad lost the USPORT championship to the University of Alberta Golden Bears 4-2 on Sunday.
Penticton’s Jagger Dirk (Kootenay Ice, WHL) saw his team jump to a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the opening frame but that quickly changed when the Golden Bears responded with two goals of their own just 39 seconds apart.
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The Golden Bears took a 3-2 lead four minutes into the second period and held onto it heading into the third despite facing almost six minutes on the penalty kill.
Alberta kept much of the play in the third in the X-Men’s zone, and continued their tight defensive game all the way to the final horn to seal the victory.
“It’s tough to get that close to something you really believe you are going to win,” said StFX head coach Brad Peddle.
An empty-net goal sealed the victory for the Golden Bears, who outshot the X-Men 27-26.
StFX takes home the silver medal, their second runner-up finish in three years, in their fourth straight appearance at the David Johnston University Cup.
The X-Men opened the tournament with a 6-2 quarter-final win over Brock. In the semi-final, the X-Men scored in overtime to defeat defending national champions the UNB Varsity Reds 5-4.
Dirk earned a Championship All-Star Team nomination.