The VIU Mariners men's hockey program won the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League on Sunday, defeating UVic in the final to capture their first title. (BCIHL)

By Alex Rawnsley

fourth times the charm

VIU Mariners hockey team wins elusive BCIHL Championship

Mar 4, 2024 | 4:48 PM

NANAIMO — It was one of the only collegiate trophies to evade a Mariner sports program which continues to boast an impressive number of provincial and national champions.

The VIU Mariners Men’s hockey team won its first B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League championship on Sunday, March 3, beating the UVic Vikes 6-2 in the championship game.

Winning the title was a long time coming for the program, which had finished as runners-up three seasons in a row prior. Captain Gavin Rauser was there for all of them.

“Everyone stepped up, I think guys just knowing their role. Some guys might have been skill guys [in the past] and maybe they weren’t the top six guys this year, but they really embraced that and I think that’s how championships are made. It felt good to win it not only for the program, but for the guys next to you as well.”

The win capped an amazing season for the Mariners, who finished 17-3 in the regular season.

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VIU trailed 1-0 after the first period before taking a 2-1 lead late in the middle frame through Rauser.

Rauser told NanaimoNewsNOW an early third-period goal for Logan Kurki gave the team the padding on the scoreboard it needed to grind out a win.

“After that one…it was just a matter of locking it down. It was pretty stressful times there for a bit…again just managing emotions, a rollercoaster and at the end of the day it was the team who did a better job of executing their systems.”

The tournament-style event saw both VIU and UVic play Friday, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final and the loser forced to play their way in.

Rauser said winning Friday was a huge part of their success this past weekend.

“Going into Friday against UVic, it’s either us or them playing three games in three nights. My old body, I’m 27 and I’m not as much of an athletic specimen as I used to be. The mentality was to put it all on the line Friday, try and get a day off Saturday to rest our bodies, then throw it all on the line again Sunday.”

Goaltender Derek Krall backstopped the team through the lion’s share of games in the regular season as well as both contests against UVic in the playoffs.

He stopped 30 of 32 shots to help his team to the championship.

Krall said it’s a dream way to end his VIU career as he graduates from the program this year.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster, getting down one in the first period I had no doubt in my mind we were going to get it done, we were overdue. I’m just so happy to do it with the group we did and get the first one for VIU is awesome.”

Krall credited the coaching of Gord Norwicki and others who helped pave the way for success in the program.

He said the banner earned this year is one all past players and staff can look back to and take pride in.

“Gord taking over the team was such a positive this year. We got to build right off the bat going to Alaska playing some division one teams up there. From the get-go, I thought our team was dialled in, we had that culture, we knew we had the team to do it.”

Sunday’s championship comes after the team had lost to Simon Fraser University each of the last two years in the final, along with a silver medal at the hands of Trinity Western University in 2019.

The entire 2020-21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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