VANCOUVER – Bieksa's Buddies, a team comprised of NHL players led by Kevin Bieksa, scored five straight third period goals to defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 8-7 in a charity hockey game at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver on Wednesday night.
The big winners, though, were three organizations that received the proceeds from the game..
A cheque for $200,000 was presented to Canuck Place Children's Hospice, The Canucks Autism Network and The Canucks Family Education Centre before the opening faceoff. Half was raised through the game; the other half came through a matching donation from Vancouver musician Michael Buble.
“It was great,” said former Art Ross Trophy winner Daniel Sedin of the efforts to help the three groups, “and to see Michael Buble matching our $100,000 was awesome.”
“We're not playing hockey right now but we can still do a good job in the community and that is what the Vancouver Canucks are all about.”
Daniel scored the winning goal in the third period to cap off the comeback in the final 20 minutes of play. Bieksa's Buddies dominated puck possession, scoring five times.
Kevin Bieksa's brother, Marty, got the comeback started with an early third period power goal on
Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) after
Ilan Cumberbirch (Vancouver, BC) was sent to the penalty box for roughing. Chris Higgins, Rod Pelley and Manny Malhotra added three more markers in less than eight minutes to tie the game before Daniel finished the scoring.
The Thunderbirds scored five straight times themselves to take a 7-3 lead.
Nate Fleming (St. Alberta, AB) got the run started at 18:26 of the opening period, converting on a breakaway to tie the game at 3-3.
His second goal of the night put UBC ahead 6-3 at 13:35 of the third as he knocked a bouncing puck past Cory Schneider after a turnover in the Bieksa's Buddies crease.
Ben Schmidt (Campbell River, BC) and
Jessi Hilton (Sherwood Park, AB) tallied in between the Fleming markers, while
Cole Pruden (Winnipeg, MB) capped the UBC scoring for the night with just 27 seconds left in the second period.
UBC also got stellar goaltending from
Kraymer Barnstable (Kelowna, BC), who stopped all seven shots he faced in the middle frame.
“This game rates right at the top of my career because it was such a cool experience to be able to play for the charities and to play with the professional guys we've been practicing with,” said Barnstable. “I'll probably never experience anything like that for the rest of my career. It's definitely a great memory.”
Jordan White (Surrey, BC) got the start in net for UBC, Barnstable played the second while Stanford finished the game.
Schmidt scored the first of his two goals 5:23 into the game before Aaron Volpatti replied for Bieksa's Buddies.
Joe Antilla (Madeira Park, BC) pushed UBC ahead once more at 7:12 before Daniel Sedin deked out White breakaway on a to make it 2-2. Volpatti's second of the period came at 15:06, giving Bieksa's Buddies the lead for the first time in the game.
“We see these guys every day in the gym and we practice with them once a week so it was a lot of fun playing against them,” said Daniel Sedin of the Thunderbirds. “They had a lot of fun and we certainly had a lot of fun.”
The night ended with a shootout where 10 players from each team took part. It was tied 2-2 when Volpatti took the puck at centre ice for the final shot. He was turned aside by three UBC goalies, who were all sent out by coach Milan Dragicevic to guard the net.
"The biggest thing that everyone wanted to see was five thousand people walking away having had fun and really showcase how good our hockey is and how good our players are; that we can play and it is entertaining and it's a lot of fun," said Dragicevic. " I thought we did that, I thought our guys put on a great show."
After the game, the Bieksa's Buddies players gave away their jerseys to children picked out of the sold-out crowd.
"It's not very often that we get to face players of this calibre, so it was really exciting being able to line up against them, and make saves after they've moved the puck so well," said White, who once dressed as a back-up for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. "Having practised with them in the past weeks, scrimmaged, and now played against them, I feel that we have gained an even stronger appreciation for how talented these players are."
"The game tonight was an exhilarating experience that we as hockey players, and fellow Canucks fans, enjoyed."
UBC, 2-1-1 in Canada West play, will have a quick turnaround to get ready for its first home games of the regular season against Lethbridge. They take place this weekend (Oct. 19-20) at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Puck drop for both games is 7 p.m.
-30-
