EDMONTON -
Liam Collens made nine saves, including four remarkable saves late in the second half, to preserve a 0-0 draw for the Golden Bears in their Sunday afternoon clash with the Mount Royal Cougars.Â
The visiting Cougars out-shot the Bears 15-8, which included a late second half flurry in an attempt to break the scoreless deadlock. Cougars keeper Sterling Kerr turned aside four Bears shots to earn his second shutout in 2021.Â
The cleansheet for Collens is his third-straight, as he has allowed just one goal against in four matches. The Bears stay undefeated with the draw on Sunday, with their record standing at 2-0-2. The Cougars (1-1-3), meanwhile, earn their third tie of the season. Â
QUICK HITTERS
- Sunday's match marked the only scoreless draw between the Bears and Cougars in conference play. The two sides have combined to score just four goals in their last four meetings.Â
- It also marked their second and final meeting in the 2021 regular season.Â
- The shutout was the seventh for Collens in his short Bears career, the 7th most in program history.
Alberta held on to possession for a majority of Sunday's match, but were unable to turn their ball control into Grade A scoring chances. Kerr was excellent in traffic on Sunday, clearing the ball away from hard situations on multiple occasions.Â
Both team's best scoring chances came in the second half. Bears midfielder
Matthew Miki had perhaps the best chance for the Bears in the 51st, but his wide-open look from inside the box ripped off the left post.Â
The Cougars also cleared a ball away from the goal line, after a Bears shot snuck through Kerr.
Collens was the hero for the final 25 minutes, making a handful of sensational saves. Perhaps his best save came on a high shot from Josh Flaksman, which he turned away with a leaping save.Â
The Bears will look to stay undefeated, as they visit the Lethbridge Pronghorns. MRU will host the MacEwan Griffins in Calgary, with all games streamed live on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.
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