VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds staged a third period comeback, but couldn't close the deal, losing 5-4 in a shootout against the Calgary Dinos at Doug Mitchell Arena on Friday. The 'Birds found themselves down 3-1 in the third period, but after some line juggling, the revamped squad scored three goals to take a late game lead.
“We made some changes in the third period. We changed some lines around and we started doing things,” said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic. “We started chipping the puck, winning races, and we started going to the net. When we started doing that we started creating offence.”
The Thunderbirds found themselves down by two goals in the third period when the team caught fire.
Scott Wasden put UBC within one goal with a blast past Calgary goalie Dustin Butler.
Then veteran sniper
Max Grassi roofed the puck on a backhand after a pass from captain
Justin McCrae to draw the 'Birds even.
Ryan Kakoske gave his team their first lead of the game half way through the third period with a slapshot that beat Calgary's Dustin Butler through the five-hole.
But the Dinos answered back seconds later when Tyler Fiddler tied it up with a low hard slapshot of his own, beating UBC's rookie netminder
Steven Stanford low glove side.
A few minutes later, UBC had a chance to regain the lead when the Dinos took simultaneous minor penalties.
“We had a chance to kick them when they were down with the 5-on-3 and we didn't do it,” lamented Dragicevic. “To me, that was the difference in the game.”
Special teams played a major role in the loss, as UBC went 1-for-6 compared to Calgary's 2-for-3 with the man advantage. In fact, Calgary opened the game's scoring on the power play when Taylor Stefishen deflected Luke Egener's blast from the point.
Calgary's second goal was also a power play marker, this time thanks to another a shot by Eneger, but deflected by a T-Bird near the point, sending the puck over Stanford's shoulder.
Stefishen would go on to add a second tally with a rebound from the side of the net in the second.
The T-Birds' lone power play goal came courtesy of rookie
Michael Wilgosh, who banked in a wraparound. Wilgosh was one of nine players making their debuts as Thunderbirds. Of those nine, only defenceman
Ilan Cumberbirch has previous CIS experience.
“Having this many new guys, especially on the back end, means a steep learning curve. As long as they do the things we ask them to do then they're going to play. We showed a lot of character coming back and that's got to be a part of our team moving forward,” said Dragicevic.
Stanford also earned praise from Dragicevic thanks to some big overtime saves to keep the game tied and send it to a shootout. In the shootout, Stefishen and Calgary's Brock Nixon each beat Stanford, while veteran
Marc Desloges scored the only UBC shootout goal.
The chemistry between the vets and rookies for the Thunderbirds looks like it's still developing, but the game ended with the team looking much more in synch than in the game's early going. Dragicevic expects his squad to continue to get better in a hurry.
“They have to improve,” said Dragicevic. “We don't have the option of being patient with these guys. Every game in this league is four points and mistakes out there are really noticeable. We have to cut down on our unforced errors. When we do that and keep things really simple, that's when we're at our best. We expect to start tomorrow just like we finished in the third period today.”
