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No Mercy for the Miners

Written by Caitlin Lundgren on . Posted in Game Recaps.

Written by: Grace Penner

A perfect end to VIU’s reading break occurred on Mariner’s home ice this past Saturday. The Merciless Mariners dominated the Logan Lake Miners in a 10-1 win.

With the Mariners sitting first in the league and not losing a single game to the Miners all season, fans and parents were expecting an explosive win. The Mariners did not disappoint.

The Mariners starting lineup consisted of Landen Stromme, Blake Power, Aiden Corbett, Chase Cooke, Cole McGuire, and star goalie, Connor Stojan.

The first period starts with a huge save by Stojan, reaching his glove hand behind his back and knocking the puck away the net before it crossed the line. Shortly after, Miner’s Kobe Koizumi is skated off to the penalty box for crosschecking. The Mariners take this opportunity to score the first goal of the game.

Cage Newans scores off the powerplay with an assist from Ethan Jones and Carson Erhardt. This is Newans 7th goal of the season so far. After a few attempts on Miner’s goalie Matthew Ens by Mariners’ Luke Robson, Tyson Pauze pushes the score up 2-0 after an assist from Jett Bennett and Robson.

Ryan Hunter is given a two minute penalty soon after for interference but despite being one man down, the Mariners stay strong in their defense, keeping the Miners off the scoreboard.

The period ends with Mariners leading shots on goal, 12-11.

Hunter Burgeson opens the second period minutes in with the third goal of the game; a wrist shot from the top of the zone unassisted. This is Burgeson’s 11th goal of the season. Mathieu Catellier receives a penalty for interference, but again the Miners are unable to use the powerplay to their advantage. Davis Sato scores with a quick shot under the bar with an assist from Pauze.

Shortly after, Erhard scores, finishing the period 5-0, with an assist by Jones and Nolan Wickham. Erhardt has scored 9 goals against the Miners alone this season with two hat tricks up his sleeve.

The Mariners lead shots on goal, 34-22.

After an eventful first two periods, the fans are ecstatic going into the third. Miner’s Nathan Bohmer scores early into the period with an assist from Jalen Davidson. Little did they know that this will be the last goal they get past Stojan all night.

Jett Bennett scores with an assist from Catellier and Burgeson, giving them a five point lead. Miner’s Taylor Schmideder receives a roughing penalty, giving Erhardt the opening he’s been looking for. Going two-for-two on the powerplays, Erhardt scores with an assist from Newans and Hunters. Even with a Miner’s goalie change to Connor Hatfield, the Mariners still continue to dominate the ice.

Within the same minute on the clock, Newans, Burgeson, and Hunter all score, showing their lack of mercy. The game finishes 10-1 with Mariner’s leading shots on goal, 58-25.

The Mariners took all three stars of the game, Cage Newans, Hunter Burgeson, and Carson Erhardt. The CUPE 401 Player of the Game was Jett Bennett.

The Mariners and SFU Red Leafs play the last game of the regular season on February 28th, 7:15pm PST, at Nanaimo Ice Centre. This night will honour the seniors graduating, Ethan Jones, Austin Daniels, Noah Danforth, and Carson Erhardt.

Championships will start the following weekend from March 5-8 at Queen’s Park Arena.

Mariners vs. Vikes: A Weekend Win for the Ones in Blue

Written by Caitlin Lundgren on . Posted in Game Recaps.

Written by: Grace Penner

Back-to-back games results in back-to-back wins for the Mariners this past weekend. No matter the arena, Ian Stewart Complex or Nanaimo Ice Centre, the Mariners showed the Vikes who owned the ice.

On January 30th, 2026, the VIU Mariners and University of Victoria Vikes, battle it out in the Vikes stomping ground. Both teams are racing for that first place spot in the league, a status that the Mariners are currently holding.

The Mariners starting lineup consisted of Noah Danforth, Austin Daniels, Landen Stromme, Aiden Corbett, and Matthew Fleet.

Big save by Mariners’ goalie, Fleet, as Vikes Alexander Smith sneaks around the defense to unsuccessfully attempt the first goal of the game.

Corbett serves the penalty for too many players, but the Vikes are unable to use the powerplay to their advantage. Chase Cooke shoots from the blue line and the puck deflects off Corbett, putting the Mariners first goal on the scoreboard, 1-0.

In the second period, Ryan Hunter finds the back of the net, past Vikes’ goalie Ronin Garaghty, with an assist from Captain Ethan Jones and Carson Erhardt. This is Hunter’s sixth goal of the regular season. Mariners take the 2-0 lead.

Vikes, Mason Hartley, knocks in a goal off Fleet’s rebound on a powerplay. Hartley scores off Kade Leskosky’s shot with an assist from the league’s 2024/25 top defenseman, Kyle Crewe.

Mariners’ Blake Power takes the power back scoring the last goal of the period, with an assist from Stromme and Daniels. Geraghty makes the initial save but Vikes are unable to pass it out of their zone, the Mariners take back their two-goal lead.

In the third period, Vikes trio starring Hartley, scores with a repeat assist from Leskosky and Crewe on a powerplay. Hartley’s second and Vikes final goal of the game, pushes them up 3-2.

Jones, determined to keep the two-goal lead, scores the final goal with another assist from Erhardt and Nolan Wickham.

The Mariners lead the shots on goal, 45-35.

The CUPE 401 Player of the Game is Forward Ethan Raduy. The three stars of the game are Mariners’ Blake Power, Matthew Fleet, and Vikes Mason Hartley.

***

24 hours later, the Mariners and Vikes meet again, this time on Mariners home ice. The Mariners showcase their third jerseys, sponsored by Kim and Gary Powers from Promac.

The Mariners’ starting lineup is Ryan Hunter, Carson Erhardt, Ethan Jones, Nolan Wickham, and Connor Stojan. 

The Vikes are coming out strong, they’re here for revenge from last night’s loss. With their previous BCIHL championship in the 2024/25 season, and the Mariners carrying that title the year before, both teams are battling to bring home the trophy in the near future. 

The Mariners’ Captain, Jones, top scorer in the BCIHL league at 37 points, shows us just that with the one and only goal in the first period. With an assist from Erhardt and Hunter, the Mariners lead 1-0.

The second period starts with the Mariners on the powerplay from a late penalty in the first period, by Vikes forward, Kade Leskosky. 

Chase Cooke scores from the top of the circle, his third of the season, pushing the Mariners to a 2-0 lead. Blake Power and Landen Stromme with the assists. 

The Vikes, Tom Sweeney, scores with an assist from Reid Fryer and Owen Evers, to bring the second period into a 2-1 lead by the Mariners. 

Three minutes into the third period, the teams go into 4-on-4 due to a boarding penalty from the Vikes Kyle Crewe and roughing from the Mariners Jett Bennett. 

Soon after the penalties end, a wrist-shot from Jason Scott hits the top right corner of the net. Scott’s first goal with the team ties up the game 2-2. Scott is helped off the ice due to a crosscheck to the face. 

With less than two minutes left in the third, a multiple player fight breaks out due to a rough hit by Stromme to Vikes defenseman Kyle Crewe. Vikes goalie Ronin Geraghty and forward Cole Fournier rush in to defend their teammate. This results in a roughing penalty and a game misconduct for both Stromme and Fournier, and a roughing penalty for Geraghty.

After an intense third period, they transition into overtime, tied 2-2. It’s a 4-on-3 beginning due to Vikes tripping penalty in the last two seconds of the third period. 

Less than two minutes into OT, Jones scores the game winning goal with another assist from Erhardt. The Mariners win 3-2 and lead the shots on goal, 39-30.

The CUPE 401 Player of the Game is Ethan Jones. The three stars are Mariners Ethan Jones, Chase Cooke, and Vikes Jason Scott. 

The Mariners come back once again on their home ice against the Logan Lake Miners, February 21st, 2026, at 7:15pm PST. 

Mariners take on Miners: A 4-3 Win On Home Ice

Written by Caitlin Lundgren on . Posted in Game Recaps.

By: Grace Penner

“Play hard, practice hard, and be hard to play against.” – Coach Chris Jones

The Logan Lake Miners came digging for gold on Saturday night, but the VIU Mariners dug harder. The two battled it out at Nanaimo Ice Centre, January 24th, 2026, at 7:15pm PST.

The first period starts off strong with Nolan Wickham, Tyson Pauze, Ryan Hunter, Carson Erhardt, and Captain Ethan Jones taking charge on ice. The first penalty of the game goes to Miners Forward, Nathan Bohmer. Putting the Mariners on the powerplay, they use this opportunity to find the holes in their opposing teams defence. During the two minutes, the Mariners attempt five shots on net, and let Erhardt take charge near the goal line. 

Miners goalie, Matthew Ens, was pushing the Mariners hard, not giving them the first goal of the game. Miners then take control of the arena and Gavin Mattey scores, taking the lead on the scoreboard. 

Erhardt doesn’t let the Miners have that high for too long. With impressive stickhandling and maneuvering in between a players legs, Erhardt sneaks it past Ens, evening up the score 1-1. 

Mariners goalie, Connor Stojan, makes a stellar save after having a two player breakaway from the Miners with seconds left in the first period. Mariners lead shots on goal 19-9.

In the second period, Miners Bohmer swipes in a goal over Stojan’s left shoulder. Two minutes later, Talon Zakall scores a slap shot from the top of the end zone circle, boosting their score to 3-1. 

The Miners may think they’ve stolen the lead, but the Mariners come back fast and hard, taking Jones’ coaching advice. The Miners have back-to-back penalties for too many men on the ice and the Mariners use this to their advantage. The first powerplay was unsuccessful in scoring, but during the two minute penalty, the puck stays in the Mariners possession on the Miners side of the ice. During the second powerplay, Austin Daniels scores with an assist by Hunter Burgeson and Cole McGuire.

The excitement is back in the rink and the Mariners are pushing hard to even up the score. After a holding penalty from Miners Mattey, Burgeson does just that by shooting the puck through the five-hole with an assist from Kurtis Lee. 

The game-winning goal is scored by Erhardt with Jones finding him at the right moment, pushing their score up to 4-3. The second period finishes with Mariners leading in shots on goal 35-13.

Although the third period remained uneventful in goals, there was no lack of passion or drive on the Mariners side. The team spent the twenty minutes making sure they had a strong defense to keep their one goal lead in place and not venture into overtime. Wickham is helped off the ice after a puck to the back of the leg but he is seen soon after back in play.

As said on the livestream by the play-by-play commentator, “This VIU team, once they get going, they’re just a tough force to break through.”

The Mariners win, 4-3, with shots on goal 56-22. The three stars of the game were Mariners Erhardt, Burgeson, and Miners Jordan Lario. The CUPE 401 Player of the Game was Erhardt. 

The Mariners are currently first in the league with University of Victoria Vikes just behind them. The two island rivals meet up for a back-to-back match on Friday January 30th, at Ian Stewart Complex, and Saturday January 31st, at Nanaimo Ice Centre. The Mariners parents will also be celebrated over these two days for Parent Weekend. 

VIU Mariners win 6-5 against the Logan Lake Miners

Written by Daniela on . Posted in Game Recaps.

The VIU Mariners lead us to victory in a nail-biting match this past Saturday, October 5th, at Nanaimo Ice Centre in our home opener game sponsored by Nanaimo Mitsubishi. Mariners went head-to-head with the Logan Lake Miners and left the 325 fans sitting on the edge of their seats.

The first period started off strong with the Mariners fighting hard in the offensive zone, shooting on goal every open chance they had. They worked as a team to keep the Miners away from their net and focused on staying strong as a team.

In the second period, Miners pushed hard and scored their first two goals within the first five minutes of the period. Mariners forward, #14 Carson Erhardt, came back with the heat scoring Mariners first official goal of the season with an assist from #4 Tyson Lautard and #91 Rocky Bird. Miners then shot three more goals on net, leading their score to be 5-1.

The fans could tell the Mariners were not ready to back down in this intense battle. After a quick goalie change to #33 Wyatt Fournier, Mariners decided then and there that this game would not end as four point loss. #88 Cage Newans set the pace for the rest of the period by scoring the Mariners second goal of the evening with assist from #11 Mathieu Catellier.

The crowd stayed cheering on throughout, believing in our players to deliver a memorable game.

In the third period, Mariners turned around their momentum and looked for those empty pockets in the opposing net. Goal three for the Mariners was scored by Bird and assisted by Erhardt and #18 Davis Sato. Goal four and five came quickly after both scored by Erhardt, assisted by Newans, Bird, and then #10 Ethan Jones on the fifth goal.

The Mariners were not ready to back down and it showed. Jones scored the game winning goal with an assist from #24 Max Struss. They locked in the win 6-5 and Mariners fans have never been prouder to experience such electrifying game. Mariners led the shots on goal 65-16.

Newly appointed Captain, Will Norman, said, “It is a huge honour to be named captain of the Mariners. There have been so many amazing leaders in the past that have paved the way for our program and to even be considered one of them leaves me speechless. I was really proud of the guys and how hard we battled and never gave up against the Miners. Obviously, it was not the start we wanted but we will take the two points and continue to get better each and every day.”

The stars of the game were awarded to Jones and Erhardt. The CUPE 401 VIU Player of the Game was appointed to Erhardt for his tremendous teamwork and efficiency during this match. The team set the tone for the rest of the season and proved that it’ll be one for the books.

VIU Mariners lose 3-4 to SFU Red Leafs

Written by Daniela on . Posted in Game Recaps.

The Mariners experienced a tough loss against Red Leafs with the final score of 3-4.

The first period started off strong for the Mariners pushing the offensive zone immediately and looking for those open shot possibilities. #31 Jeremy Robar gave SFU a tough fight on the net. #29 Hunter Burgeson was caught in a two-minute penalty for hooking and SFU used their power play to their advantage to score the first goal of the game, 0-1.

VIU continued to come back hard SFU was struggling to keep the puck out of their net. This resulted in #77 Austin “Chubbs” Daniels receiving a penalty shot but wasn’t able to get it past the SFU goalie.

Shortly after, #24 Max Struss used the rebound from #88 Cage Newans to score the Mariner’s first goal of the game to even it out 1-1.

SFU came back hot to sneak a glove-side shot in on Robar advancing the score to 1-2.

Despite a four-minute knee-to-knee penalty from #97 Jordan Rea, SFU wasn’t quite able to keep possession of the puck regardless of their power play. Two more penalties follow from SFU but the Mariners struggle to even up the score.

In the second period, Mariners continued to have back-to-back powerplays in which #91 Rocky Bird achieved that much-desired goal on the net but was deemed a no-goal by the referees. SFU then went back and shot their third goal of the game nine minutes into the second period.

By the third period, tensions run high between the Mariners and Red Leafs. #10 Ethan Jones had an unfortunate five-minute penalty which also resulted in Jones being asked to leave the game. But the Mariners didn’t let the Red Leafs use this five-minute powerplay to score another goal on Robar. They stayed strong as a team, especially being one man down, and kept the puck possession in their favor.

Coming in strong soon after, #19 Ryan Hunter scored a five-hole goal, getting their score up to 2-3. Mariners and Red Leafs continued to battle it out until Burgeson scored the equalizer goal in the last three minutes of the period. Mariners go back and forth with the Red Leafs, both teams trying their hardest to score that game-winning goal before the period ends, but it went into overtime.

Within the first 30 seconds of the fourth period, SFU scored their fourth and final goal to end the game. VIU led the shots on goal 43-26.

The well-deserved CUPE 401 Player of the Game was awarded to #23 Owen Weihs. VIU Mariners come back to the island to play against UVIC Vikes on October 18th, 2024.

A win for the good guys 3-2 against UVIC Vikes

Written by Daniela on . Posted in Game Recaps.

A big win for the VIU Mariners against the University of Victoria Vikes at Ian Stewart Complex, October 18th, 2024, at 7:30 pm.

The first period started strong with the Mariner’s core lineup; Nolan Wickham, Carson Erhardt, Ethan Jones, Max Struss, Ryan Hunter, and Matthew Fleet in the net.

This period was heavy with penalties, hard bodychecks, and tension between both teams. The pressure was put on Fleet from the Vikes from the very beginning, but he used his 6’4 height and talent to his advantage to cover the net corner to corner.

The first Mariner powerplay of the game had strong puck play from the players in the offensive zone but they couldn’t get the first goal of the game from it. Both teams went back and forth, from zone to zone, clearly angry for the win.

Jones scores the first goal of the game, as well as his fourth goal of the season, with a wicked slapshot advancing the score to 1-0. Shortly after, the Vikes scored a goal evening the score up 1-1.

A roughing penalty gets called on Mathieu Catellier but due to Fleet’s strong glove saves and a huge block by Will Norman near the net, the Vikes weren’t able to use it to advance the score.

In the second period, it was clear that both goalies were tightening up on their ends as the pressure increased. Erhardt scores the second goal of the game unassisted leading the Mariners 2-1 into the third.

The third period begins with a tough goal from the Vikes while Fleet was working on overtime taking save after save until one slipped through. Double time-outs were taken during this period with a battle that led into overtime.

Hunter Burgeson scores the game-winning goal in overtime, making it 3-2 for the good guys. The Mariners lead shots on goal 36-30.

“Got some good new players, don’t sleep on these guys,” said Matt Goud, BCIHL broadcaster.

The three stars of the game were Hunter Burgeson, Carson Erhardt, and UVIC goalie Hunter Tarves. The CUPE 401 Player of the Game was awarded to Hunter Burgeson.