VANCOUVER - It was a strange game, but a lopsided third period gave the Calgary Dinos a 9-2 win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday night. After the Dinos got out to a 3-0 first period lead, UBC stormed back in the second to get within one. But it was all Calgary after that.
The T-Birds were playing against adversity from the drop of the puck with top scorer
Kaitlin Imai sidelined with the flu. Defender
Christi Capozzi was also absent due to stomach flu, while
Kelsey Kirkham played in spite of having suffered the same illness 24 hours earlier. Meanwhile, rookie blueliner
Sarah Casorso took to the ice with a case of strep throat.
“We had two-and-a-half lines and a forward playing defense and we just ran out of gas,” explained UBC head coach Nancy Wilson. “We've got three seniors out of the line up, and we just can't play two games in a weekend on two-and-a-half lines.”
A dominant Dinos squad owned the first period and earned a 3-0 lead on a goal by Rebecca Niehaus and a pair from Elana Lovell. Calgary also outshot UBC 9-1 that period.
But the second period was a different story. T-Bird rookie forward
Tatiana Rafter fired a laser beam just under the crossbar to get her team on the board. Next up was
Kirsten Mihalcheon, whose shot deflected in off a skate to make it 3-2. Mihalcheon was one of the series' best players.
“She was stepping up one-on-one, defensively, stepping up in the neutral zone and looking to go to offense quickly,” commented Wilson of her veteran blueliner. “She had two goals last night, a goal and an assist tonight. She showed leadership. She's disappointed the way it went, but all weekend I'm very happy with her play. She gets a ton of ice time.”
Thwarting the comeback effort by the 'Birds, Erika Mitschke would step in to restore the Dinos' two goal lead with a goal late in the second. Still, the T-Birds had life and some momentum despite the illness running through the line up. But into the third period, it was clear the team wasn't themselves.
The Dinos scored five third period goals, as things started to get chippy on the ice, resulting in the ejection of UBC's
Nikola Brown-John. Kira Sonnenberg had a pair for Calgary, as Mitschke added her second of the game. Jenna Smith and Shannon Davidson had the other Calgary goals. Hayley Wickenheiser finished the game with two assists, giving her eight points on the weekend.
The 'Birds hit the road to meet the Regina Cougars next weekend while the Dinos have a make up game against Lethbridge at home on Tuesday before a home and home series with Alberta on the weekend.
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