VANCOUVER -- The UBC Thunderbirds set team records in goals scored in a single game and widest margin of victory on Friday night as they beat the Regina Cougars 7-0 at the Doug Mitchell Winter Sports Centre.
Rookie blueliner
Rayna Cruickshank scored UBC's team-record seventh goal of the night, and the first of her CIS career, on a spectacular individual effort late in the third.
On her first shift back from an injury she sustained early in the third, Cruickshank found herself on a breakaway as she crossed the blueline, but with a Regina defender right on her back. Cruickshank was hauled down from behind and the referee had already raised her hand to signal a delayed penalty, but she managed to get a strong shot off and find the back of the net while sliding towards the goal on her backside.
"It's been a monkey on her back all season," said UBC head coach Nancy Wilson. "She has had lots of shots but just hasn't been able to put one in but it was a nice goal and we are really happy for her."
Claire Wong and first-year forward
Kelsey Kirkham also scored their first CIS goals on Friday, and first-year defenceman
Christi Capozzi had a goal and two assists.
"Our young players understand what it takes to compete at this level and they are coming to play now," said Wilson. "This was one of the first games where we put three periods of good hockey together."
Capozzi had the lone goal in the first period, but penalty killing was the story of that frame. The T-Birds had 11 minutes in penalties to deal with in the first, including a five-minute major and more than a minute of 5-on-3 penalty-killing, but thanks to some outstanding saves by
Melinda Choy they were able to keep Regina off the board.
Choy ended up with 22 saves to earn the shutout win.
Lisa Bonang stripped a Regina defender of the puck and scored unassisted in the second period, and then Kirkham scored her first to make it a 3-0 game heading into the third.
Ashley Henry and
Jenny Mahovlich both scored within the first three minutes of the third period. Wong then tied the team record with UBC's sixth of the night at 7:35 of the third, and Cruickshank set the new mark at 17:08.
UBC is now 4-6-1 on the year after their third straight win. They swept the Saskatchewan Huskies in their last conference series two weekends ago.
"We got off to a rocky start this season and it took us a while to build some character in the dressing room and get the confidence we needed," said Wilson. "Slowly but surely we have done that and we have put a few wins together, and now we want our fourth."
Regina falls to 3-5-2 on the year with the loss.
Lisa Urban made 16 saves on 19 shots before being pulled in favour of Natacia Leskun during the second intermission. Leskun made five saves on nine shots in the third.
The T-Birds and Cougars will wrap up the first half of the Canada West season with game two of their series tomorrow at the Doug Mitchell Winter Sports Centre. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
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