Showcase Shivers; Weekend with Bulldogs
Western prepares for their last games at Bellingham Sportsplex in the fall quarter, welcoming the Gonzaga Bulldogs to town. But before that, we flashback two weeks ago, as Western went to Cheney with no question in their weekend plans, beginning a Thursday through Saturday circuit at Eastern Washington University’s annual Eagle’s Nest Showcase. Kept on their toes with different opponents in each game, Western’s weekend would be filled with many ups and downs.
Western started the weekend with the Utah Valley Wolverines. Utah made their mark early, scoring after only three shots on goal midway through the 1st. Though Western attempted to respond, Utah held the pressure on. The Vikings tried to capitalize on mistakes by the Wolverines the remainder of time, but to no avail, being shutout by Utah Valley, 3-0. Despite the loss, Vikings’ goaltender Edvin Sanders held his own with 33 saves on 36 shots.
Game two saw Western take on the Wyoming Cowboys, as a battle of two hungry teams looking for their first wins on the weekend ensued. Western’s early defensive diligence kept Wyoming without a shot on goal for the first few minutes, but the Cowboys still wrangled their first two goals midway through, only 23 seconds apart. Mitchell Brubacher stole a quick powerplay goal for Western to end the 1st period down only one. The 2nd and 3rd periods flipped the events of the 1st, as three goals, including two from Patrick Pierson, and Brayden Buduan tallying his first ACHA goal, gave the Vikings their first lead of the weekend. Wyoming erased the lead, however, in the final minutes of the 3rd, answering with the game-tying goal. A penalty-filled overtime ended in the Vikings’ favor thanks to the quick work of Nicholas Saway, giving Western a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory.
The offense lacked during the final game of the weekend against the rival Idaho Vandals. The dose of Western goals came courtesy of Bret and Kurtis Brumbaugh, who contributed on every goal scored that evening. Western began to find their stride in the 3rd but was kept off the scoresheet until the dying minutes with two quick goals from Bret Brumbaugh. The comeback effort fell short, falling to Idaho, 5-3.
The Vikings are back home for an eventful pair of games with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Amidst many canceled and postponed meetings, these two teams have not met since early 2020. Gonzaga will play only their third series this season, as the Vikings look to generate better offensive output. While the Brumbaugh’s have been among the top scorers for Western this season, also watch out for Captain Teddy Prior, as he looks to continue to his pre-showcase 6-game point streak, dating back to early October. This is the final chance to see the Vikings at Bellingham Sportsplex before the holiday season hiatus, both games beginning at 10:30 P.M.
General Admission: $5. Admission for Students with ID: $2.
Stream this weekend’s games on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WWUHockey/streams
For Vikings’ stats and PAC-8 standings: https://www.achahockey.org/stats/player-stats/376/34?division=-1&playertype=skater&position=skaters&rookie=no&sort=name&statstype=standard&page=1&league=1
Natalie Ballard
