VANCOUVER – A hot start for the UBC Thunderbirds (1-1-0) produced three first period goals, and that was all they needed to earn a weekend split with the Calgary Dinos (1-1-0) as the 'Birds won 4-1 on Saturday night at Thunderbird Arena.
UBC head coach Nancy Wilson pointed to the T-Birds' slow start on Friday night as the source of their troubles, but they had no such problems on Saturday.
Kaylee Chanakos got the 'Birds on the board just over two minutes into the contest, and they kept the pressure on Calgary all night, out-shooting the Dinos 29-13 in the game.
"The girls had a discussion after last night's game, and basically they said they needed to have a better start," said Wilson.
The 'Birds got the start they were looking for, as
Dayle Poulin and
Christi Capozzi both tallied after Chanakos in the first period to spot UBC a 3-0 lead heading into the first break. Poulin was able to tip
Marie Vondracek's point shot past Calgary goalie Jessica Ross seven minutes into the first, and then Capozzi chased Ross from the game with a tip-goal of her own just three minutes later.
It was the first CIS goal for both Poulin and Capozzi, and Vondracek's assist was her first CIS point.
"We have quite a few young players and sometime you have to be patient with them, but we saw some good things from them tonight," said Wilson.
Caitlin O'Hara got the lone tally for Calgary early in the second period, but UBC responded less than two minutes later to kill any momentum for the Dinos.
Alisha Choy gathered a loose puck behind the Dinos net and after her initial wraparound attempt was denied, she managed to jam the rebound home to make it a 4-1 UBC lead.Â
"We were a real confident team out there tonight," said Wilson. "Last night we were pretty tight and tonight we wanted to see some confidence out there, and it was a much better effort."
Melinda Choy got the win in goal for UBC, saving 12 of 13 shots, while Ross took the loss for Calgary. She had seven saves on 10 shots before Jennifer Mallard came in midway through the first. Mallard saved 18 of the 19 shots she faced.
The Dinos will be back home next weekend for a two-game set with the Saskatchewan Huskies, while UBC has a bye week and will next see action at home on October 23, when the Lethbridge Pronghorns will be in town, while the Dinos will play their home opener next week as they entertain the Saskatchewan Huskies.
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