Last week, the University of Alberta Golden Bears were white-knuckling their way through the final two minutes against Trinity Western. Last night, they beat Grant MacEwan 7-1, and the scoreboard isn’t even the most important part of the story.
Let’s be clear about something: a 7-1 win over your crosstown rival is great for the standings and great for confidence. But here’s what made last night matter—the Bears did it while their lineup was falling apart. Injuries hit early. Lines got juggled constantly. Players moved to unfamiliar positions. The kind of chaos that should create problems didn’t even slow them down.
“Well, that was good game last weekend. We’re learning how to win with the game that tight coming down to the end. That’s all part of our growth and our development,” Herbers said.
Fair enough. Learning to close out games matters. But last night was a completely different test.
The goals came early, which helped. Justin Hall at 7:34. Bruce MacGregor at 10:24. Tyson Laventure on the power play at 15:23 to make it 3-0 after one.
“I thought they probably had the better jump to start the game,” continued Herbers. “But we capitalized on our chances right away, which is nice to put those goals in the back of that, and we’ve got rolling.”
Once they got rolling, the depth showed up. Remember, that’s seven goals from seven different players.
Owen Pederson scored. Gleb Tkach added another. Alex Thacker and Blake Gustafson rounded out the scoring in the third. Seven goals from seven different players, which is nice in theory, but means a lot more when you consider what was happening with the lineup.
“We got into a little bit of injury trouble early, so we were juggling lines for pretty much two and a half periods, or more than that, so it made things a little bit more challenging,” explained Herbers. “But I thought the guys responded well, played right most of the way, and had a good game, solid game tonight.”
Two and a half periods of line juggling. Constant adjustments. Players being asked to slot in wherever there’s a hole. That’s the kind of situation where depth either proves itself or gets exposed. The Bears put up seven goals while dealing with it. That’s not just having talented players—that’s having players who can execute regardless of who they’re playing with or where they’re lined up.
“Owen’s just a big body,” began Herbers in a long list of contributions. “Controlled, but makes plays. He knows where to go, knows how to play the game, and every time he’s on the ice, he’s a threat.
“Just having Justin Hall and his speed and his skill back on the ice in all situations, power play, penalty kill, five on five. So I thought that brought a lot jump.
“We ended up putting Thacker on his offside. But tonight, because of the juggling, I had him at center, I had him at left-wing, and we were able to move guys around quite a bit, and I tried a few different combinations as well.”
You can only do that when players are smart enough to adapt and skilled enough to execute. And you only need to do that when injuries force your hand. The Bears dealt with both realities tonight and still dominated.
“We’re still banged up, we’ll never be 100% healthy. If we are, it only seems like for a period or a shift, but it’s an opportunity for other guys. And I thought guys stepped up.”
That’s the bottom line. Guys stepped up. When injuries hit and lines got scrambled and nothing went according to the original plan, players did their jobs. Seven different goal scorers. Solid defensive structure despite constant personnel changes. A near-shutout only broken with 16 seconds left. That’s depth being tested and proving itself.
The contrast from last week matters here. Against Trinity Western, the Bears learned they could survive tight finishes. Tonight, they learned they could handle lineup chaos and still put up seven goals. Both lessons matter over a long season. Both suggest this team has more going for it than just talent when everyone’s healthy and slotted into their regular positions.
The scoreboard said 7-1. The lineup card looked like a puzzle with missing pieces. The Bears proved they could win big even when things weren’t going according to plan. That’s what separates teams with depth from teams that just talk about having it.
Last week was about finding a way out when things got tight. Last night was about adapting when the lineup gets messy. The Golden Bears showed they can do both. That’s what you need over a long season, and that’s what they just proved they have.
