Trinity Western Spartans men's ice hockey

Last updated
Trinity Western Spartans men's ice hockey
Trinity west spartans wmark.png
University Trinity Western University
Conference Canada West
First season2010–11
Head coach Ben Walter
Since 2022–23 season
Assistant coaches Kyle Beach
Ken McPhalen
Arena Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
ColorsBlue and Gold
   

The Trinity Western Spartans men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team representing the Trinity Western Spartans athletics program of Trinity Western University. The team is a member of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association conference and compete in U Sports. The Spartans play their home games at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, British Columbia. [1]

Contents

History

When the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) was formed in 2006, one of the founding members was a club team from Trinity Western University, playing under the banner of 'Trinity Western Titans'. The team was rather poor during this time, however, that did not dissuade the university from promoting the program to varsity status in 2010. [2] However, even with the athletic department behind the program, the Spartans had trouble finding their game. The team posted losing seasons every year until finally settling in in 2015. Three years later, the club won its first league championship, which was followed by a second in 2019. After their second consecutive title, Canada West announced that Trinity Western's men's and women's ice hockey programs would join the conference in 2020. [3]

In their final season in the BCIHL, Trinity Western was set up for their third title, however, the entire postseason was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4] The outbreak also caused the cancellation of the entire Canadian college season in 2020–21, delaying TWU's entry into senior hockey by a year.

Once the Spartans made their Canada West debut, the team could hardly have performed worse. The team finished dead-last in the standings while allowed more than five and half goals per game. Barret Kropf, who had led the team since 2013, was replaced by former NHLer Ben Walter. The next two seasons weren't much better for Trinity Western as they continued to wallow at the bottom of the conference with only slight improvements in win totals. [5]

Season-by-season results

An exhibition game between Trinity Western and Air Force in 2019 U.S. Air Force Academy Hockey vs Trinity Western University (5829000) (cropped).jpg
An exhibition game between Trinity Western and Air Force in 2019

Intermediate hockey

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports SemifinalistConference regular season championsConference Division ChampionsConference Playoff Champions
SeasonConferenceRegular SeasonConference Tournament ResultsNational Tournament Results
ConferenceOverall
GPWLTOTLSOLPts*FinishGPWLT%
2010–11BCIHL2410122225th2610142.423Lost Preliminary series, 0–2 (Victoria)
2011–12BCIHL244155136th244155.271
2012–13BCIHL246162146th246180.250
2013–14BCIHL2410131213rd2912170.414Won Semifinal series, 2–1 (Simon Fraser)
Lost Championship series, 0–2 (Selkirk)
2014–15BCIHL241752361st281990.679Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Simon Fraser)
Lost Championship series, 0–2 (Selkirk)
2015–16BCIHL241392283rd2815130.536Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Simon Fraser)
Lost Championship series, 0–2 (Selkirk)
2016–17BCIHL241662342nd2919100.655Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Selkirk)
Lost Championship series, 1–2 (Victoria)
2017–18BCIHL252131431st292540.862Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Victoria)
Won Championship series, 2–0 (Selkirk)
2018–19BCIHL241851371st282260.786Won Semifinal series, 2–1 (Simon Fraser)
Won Championship series, 2–0 (Vancouver Island)
2019–20BCIHL241941391st241950.792Tournament cancelled
TotalsGPWLT/SOL%Championships
Regular Season240134997.5734 BCIHL Championships
Conference Post-season2917120.5862 BCIHL Championships
Regular Season and Postseason Record2691511117.574

Senior hockey

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports SemifinalistConference regular season championsConference Division ChampionsConference Playoff Champions
SeasonConferenceRegular SeasonConference Tournament ResultsNational Tournament Results
ConferenceOverall
GPWLTOTLSOLPts*FinishGPWLT%
Barret Kropf(2013–2022)
2020–21Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 Canada West 202171059th202180.100
Ben Walter (2022–Present)
2022–23Canada West283241079th283250.107
2023–24Canada West284230199th284231.161
TotalsGPWLT/SOL%Championships
Regular Season769661.125
Conference Post-season0000
U Sports Postseason0000
Regular Season and Postseason Record769661.125

Note: Games not counted towards University Cup appearances are not included. [5]

References

  1. "Langley Events Centre" . Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  2. TWU Titans Hockey – Playing is Believing
  3. "SPARTANS JOIN CANADA WEST IN MEN'S & WOMEN'S HOCKEY". Trinity Western Spartans. May 9, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  4. "BCIHL announces official cancellation for remainder of 2019-20 season". BCHIL. March 17, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Canada West Men's Hockey History". Canada West. Retrieved October 24, 2024.