EDMONTON – A five-goal first period was enough to power the Golden Bears to a 6-2 win over Calgary on Friday night at Clare Drake Arena.

Calgary played fast and furious after the first, out shooting the Bears 32-6 over the final two frames, but Ethan Kruger finished the night with 40 saves and kept things in check to preserve the win.

Alberta snaps their losing streak to improve to 5-2-0. The loss drops Calgary into a similar record, but still atop the East division of Canada West. 

Alberta wasted no time setting the tone. Just three minutes in, Dylan Ruptash opened the scoring, finishing a setup from Ryan Duguay and Jayden Joly for his first of the season. The Bears doubled the lead four minutes later when Tyson Laventure beat Dinos starter Carl Tetachuk on a breakaway.

Midway through the frame, Adam Hall added to the onslaught, before Tkach and Thacker both also added tallies to chase Tetachuk.

Calgary found life in the second period. A power play goal by Jake Poole four minutes in, assisted by Adam Kydd and Sean Strange, broke the shutout and cut the deficit to 5–1. The Dinos pressed throughout the middle frame, outshooting Alberta 19-1, but Kruger held firm to keep the margin intact heading into the third.

In the final period, Alberta added insurance at 2:31 when Justin Hall scored his second goal of the season. Calgary's Gavin Schmidt responded five minutes later, notching his first of the year to bring the score to 6–2, but it was too late to spark a comeback.

The rematch will move to Calgary on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from Father David Bauer Arena.

-UC-