THIS WEEKEND: Manitoba at UBC, Fri. & Sat., Feb 11 & 12, 7:00 p.m., Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
A LOOK AT THE T-BIRDS
The UBC Thunderbirds head home for their final games of the 2010-11 season with a fire in their chests. Eliminated from the Canada West playoffs, the 'Birds are undaunted. They played passionately last weekend in Saskatchewan, displaying a pronounced sense of purpose and a chip on their shoulders. They'll bring that drive and then some back home to Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre to finish up the year on home ice.
The Manitoba Bisons are the only team in the Canada West that the T-Birds have yet to beat this season. The Blue and Gold will have pride on the line when they take the ice this weekend.
It will be an especially emotional series for graduating players
Melinda Choy,
Alisha Choy,
Ashley Henry,
Lisa Bonang, and
Kirsten Mihalcheon.
Goaltender
Melinda Choy has consistently been one of the best Thunderbirds on the ice over her 100+ games in the CIS. Her twin sister Alisha has been a similarly steady contributor as a forward. This season in particular, Alisha has proven herself to be a valuable two-way player.
Team captain
Ashley Henry is a leader on ice and off, a tough defender who is called upon to shutdown the best players in Canada West weekend after weekend.
Lisa Bonang has had a disappointing season, going down to injury and seeing the ice for just seven games. She had three points in that span, and her offensive prowess and leadership has been missed this year.
Finally,
Kirsten Mihalcheon has been one of the strongest players in the UBC line up this year. Her 11 points in 22 games is second among Canada West blueliners.
It will be an emotional series this weekend, as five of the most valued members of the Thunderbirds play their final games, and say goodbye to their hockey home.
A LOOK AT THE BISONS
Manitoba arrives in Vancouver with a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, but they still have a lot to play for. They are three points behind Calgary for second place in Canada West. Calgary has played all of its regular seasons games, which means that if Manitoba sweeps UBC, the Bisons will have home-ice advantage to start the post-season. The Bisons also need to stay ahead of Saskatchewan, who are just two points back in fourth place.
Manitoba is a dangerous offensive team, scoring by committee. Tammy Brade leads the team with 17 points. Nellie Minshull and Addie Miles have recorded 16 apiece, while fellow forward Amy Lee has notched 15 points in 22 games. Kristy Majeran's seven goals this season mark her as a top scoring threat as well.
Defensively, Manitoba is sound, boasting a full line-up of skaters with positive plus/minus ratings.
In goal, the 'Birds are likely to see both Tara Lacquette and Leitte Klassen, who have been splitting weekends lately. Both keepers have pretty incredible numbers. Lacquette has three shutouts in 16 games, a goals against average of 1.64 and a save percentage of .922. Klassen's numbers are even better. The rookie has allowed just four goals in her seven games, with a goals against average of 0.62 and a save percentage of .970. Most incredible of all is that Klassen has posted shutouts in her last four consecutive starts. Klassen's current shutout streak is an unbelievable 267 minutes and 22 seconds.
COACH WILSON ON...
The team's attitude heading into their final weekend of 2010-11:
“We've got five players who are graduating and we've beaten every team in the league except Manitoba, so we want to beat them this weekend. We're coming off a great series with Saskatchewan where there was lots of energy. It was rough and the fans were hanging over the boards. So we're coming off a weekend where everyone had fun. We're out of the playoffs, but there isn't anyone in the dressing room who has quit or isn't playing hard.”
What this weekend means to the graduating players:
“It's very emotional for them. They've been here five years, they've seen the team grow, they were here for the changes during the Olympics. They played their hearts out last weekend and the rest of the team is following. It's very important for them this weekend that they have a good showing.”
How the T-Birds match up with the Bison:
“They're a big team. Where we struggled in the first part of the season was matching up to them in size and battling the boards. We do that so much better than we did at the beginning of the year. Now that we've got most of our injured players back, we're playing high-paced, physical games. We know the kind of team we are. We know where we should be and not being there is disappointing, but we're a skilled team who have run into some challenges. But these last games are very important to us, and we want to beat Manitoba.”
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