EDMONTON - Rookies Gleb Tkach and Owen Pederson scored their first career goals in what was a 7-1 Alberta Golden Bears shutout win over crosstown rival MacEwan Griffins Friday night at Clare Drake Arena.

It was a busy night on the scoresheet for everyone on the Bears bench, as 11 different players recorded a point in this one paced by Tkach, Pederson, Alex Thacker, and Mason Ward who all recorded two points apiece. It was also an impressive start from Alberta netminder Ethan Kruger, who stopped all 27 Griffins shots that came his way, but unfortunately did not record an official shutout due to the late goal scored with relief goalie Drew Sim between the pipes.

The Griffins played a very Jekyll-and-Hyde game, looking very impressive for stretches of play but were unable to prevent the mental mistakes and overall physicality of the Golden Bears to make it a game. The final shot total, 36-33 for the Bears, supports this, but the Alberta performance from the offence and goaltending ended this one pretty early.

Alberta moves to 3-0-0 in the early season, while the Griffins slide to 1-2-0. With the victory, the Bears hop the Thunderbirds for first place in the West division.

The Griffins started the game very strong, outshooting the Bears early and finding long stretches of offensive zone time through the opening five minutes. However, much like the Oilers across the river in their opener, they gave the Bears an absolute gift at the seven minute mark as a botched breakout pass laid the puck almost directly on the goalline, and Justin Hall was there for possibly the easiest tap-in in his career for his first goal of the campaign and an early 1-0 lead. The Bears were not done there, as a failed pass by the Griffins to the point led to a two-on-zero for Bruce MacGregor and Gleb Tkach, who played tik-tak-toe up to the redline where MacGregor buried it top-shelf for the second goal of the game. Then, on a Bears powerplay, Tyson Laventure took a drop pass from Mason Ward and fired a quick snapshot that beat Onyskiw glove-side for his first of the year, and Alberta finished the frame with a 3-0 lead.

It did not take long into the second frame for the Bears to extend their lead, as Owen Pederson was able to tap in a bouncing puck in front of the net for his first of the year to put the hosts up by four. Then, after a few key saves from Kruger, Laventure found a streaking Tkach who buried the cross-crease feed upstairs for his first career CW goal, and a 5-0 lead which is how the period would end. Despite the score, the Griffins had played good offensive hockey to this point, tying the Bears in shots at 23 and just missing a few dangerous chances wide, but Kruger was simply too stout to beat.

The Griffins seemed to exhaust all their energy in an early third period push, as at one point they recorded five straight shots on Alberta, but an Alex Thacker goal eight minutes in deflated the rest of the effort. They would add a late consolation goal from Keaton Dowhaniuk, but this one would wrap up soon after with a 7-1 line.

The teams do battle again at the Downtown Community Arena tomorrow night.