VIKINGS CLAIM DECISIVE VICTORY IN VOYAGEURS’ HOME OPENER

LAC LA BICHE – The Portage College Voyageurs played the role of gracious hosts at their home opener Friday night – but it wasn't the role they or their head coach was hoping they would play. The Voyageurs faced off against the Augustana Vikings at 8 p.m. at the Bold Center but didn't really start to play the visitors tough until 8:25 or so. By then, the game already seemed out of reach.

Head Coach Kevin McClelland wasn't pleased with his team's first period, in which his squad was down 4-0 by the 13-minute mark.

"We went out in our own building and we didn't answer what they brought," he said. "We were standing around, turning pucks over and they ended up with a 4-0 lead. I mean I didn't really mind our second period and our third period but you can't come out against a team like that the way we did and expect to win."

To their credit, the Voyageurs battled hard during that latter half of the game and continued to push to the very end but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Vikings were skating off the ice with a 7-0 win under their belts and smiles on their faces. Jordan Mish led the way with two goals and was named Player of the Game for his team. Ben Stollery added three assists and Rett Rook played a stellar game in net for the Vikings, stopping all 32 shots he faced.  Kaleb Bell played a strong game and was named the Voyageurs' Player of the Game.

As they prepare for a rematch with the Vikings in Camrose on Saturday night, McClelland noted that his players will have to focus on the latter half of Friday's game and be ready to mentally start the game on time if they expect to have a chance to win.

"I mean we're a team right now that's got one goal in three games," he said. "We've got some guys that on paper should be able to score but we're not scoring so we've got to figure things out and we've just got to get better as a team, that's all."