Connor Hood, Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics

EDMONTON - After taking a two-goal lead into the half, the No. 4 seed Thompson Rivers WolfPack held on to complete the upset, knocking off the No. 1 Alberta Golden Bears 3-1 in their quarter-final match at Foote Field. 

Mitchell Popadynetz, Josh Banton and Justin Donaldson scored for TRU, who advance to their second-straight Canada West Final Four. 

Ajeej Sarkaria scored the lone goal for Alberta, who are stunned in the quarter-final at home after a 12-0-2 regular season. It also marked the first time since 2015 that the Bears didn't reach the conference semifinal, and ends the career of head coach Len Vickery, who spent 34 seasons leading the Bears. 

Despite finishing inside the top three in both goals scored and shot, Alberta's potent offence struggled mightily to penetrate the stingy WolfPack defence. Alberta mustered just two shots in the entire first half, only one of which was on target. 

The WolfPack, by comparison, had seven in the first, two of which found the twine. Popadynetz opened the scoring 27 minutes in, as he beat Bears starter, and graduating student-athlete Connor James. Banton doubled the lead 10 minutes later, beating James off a feed from Popadynetz.

Sarkaria, who tied for the conference scoring lead with 20, gave Alberta a breath of life early in the second period. His tally in the 53rd minute cut the visitors lead in half, as Alberta trailed 2-1.

However, they were troubled in finding the equalizer, as they managed just five shots total in the second half, with only the Sarkaria tally hitting the target. 

Donaldson ended any hope of an Alberta comeback just five minutes after the Alberta goal, notching the insurance marker in the 58th.

Thompson Rivers now advances to next weekend's conference championship, hosted by the highest remaining seed left in the Prairie Division.