EDMONTON - Mount Royal netminders stopped 27 of 29 shots, and Ty Kolle potted two third period goals to ensure a Cougars 5-2 victory at an empty Clare Drake Arena Friday night.
This is Alberta's (2-1-0) first loss of the preseason, while this was a dominant preseason opener for the visiting Cougars (1-0-0).
The Bears went scoreless in eight attempts on the powerplay, with the MRU penalty kill stifling chances all game.
MRU forward Bradley Kennedy was named first star after a 1G, 1A,+3 performance, followed closely on the three stars sheet by teammates Nolan Yaremko & Kolle. Golden Bears forward
Tyler Preziuso continued his excellent preseason, with his fourth goal in three games.
QUICK HITTERS
- This was the first matchup between the Golden Bears and Cougars since October 19th, 2019 - a 3-0 win for the Bears in Calgary.
- This moves the all-time record between the two to 38-7 in favour of Alberta.
While the Bears ultimately won the shot battle 29-22, it was the Cougars who made the most of their opportunities all game. The first period was a busy one, with three goals coming between the two teams. Mount Royal headed to the intermission with a 2-1 lead and most of the momentum, thanks in no small part to the incisive passing and fore checking of the forward group.
The Bears battled back in the second period, outshooting the Cougs 12-3, and controlling possession for large frames of time. Tyler Preziuso added a goal to make it three straight games with a goal to open the preseason.
However, the Bears could only battle so much as MRU goaltenders Riley Morris & Riley Sims shut any Alberta opportunities from becoming more. The third period saw Kolle score two goals, one empty netted, as the Cougars wrapped up their Edmonton trip with a win. While Alberta outshot the Cougars, many shots were forced to low chance areas; whereas MRU generated high quality chances all game.
The teams are back at it in Calgary tomorrow night at 7:00pm, while the MRU women's team travels up Highway 2 for a date with the Pandas tomorrow at Clare Drake Arena.
