VANCOUVER – The push for a home playoff date continues for the UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team. Sitting one spot out of the coveted fourth place position in the Canada West, UBC hosts the last-place Regina Cougars this weekend.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on CiTR 101.9 FM
GAME TIMES
Fri., Jan. 13 - Regina at UBC (7 p.m. at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver)
Sat., Jan 14 - Regina at UBC (7 p.m. at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver)
UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 7-7-2 (5th)
2011 CIS ranking: -
Last week: split 3-1 games with SFU in exhibition
Streak: 2 wins
UBC is currently fifth in the Canada West standings, two points behind Calgary for fourth place and home ice advantage in the first round of the league playoffs.
The Thunderbirds swept Lethbridge at home in the last regular season series of 2011, winning by scores of 7-3 and 5-2.
Max Grassi (3rd, North Vancouver, BC) leads UBC in scoring with 19 points in 15 games, good enough for eighth in the Canada West but everyone ahead of him has played more games.
Rookie
Michael Wilgosh (1st, Selkirk, MB) continues to pace the T-Birds with a team-leading seven goals, while another first-year player,
Jason Yee (1st, Victoria, BC) has been equally impressive. The defenceman has quickly adjusted to the CIS game, recording nine points in 16 games. Yee is also +8 this season, the only UBC player in the top 20 in the plus/minus category for the league.
Goaltender
Jordan White (3rd, Surrey, BC) has once again been solid in net for the Thunderbirds (2.84 GAA, 0.905 save percentage) and will try to move his record (6-7) back over .500
Regina Cougars
2011 conference record: 4-12-2 (7th)
2011 CIS ranking: -
Last week: lost to Manitoba 2-3, 1-4
Streak: 4 losses
The Regina Cougars are still just a point out of a playoff spot, despite losing their last four games, and gaining just a point in their last six.
Last weekend, Regina lost 3-2 and 4-1 decisions to the visiting Manitoba Bisons.
Regina goalie Lucas Gore had to make 32 and 43 saves in the losses. He is second in the Canada West in saves made and shots faced.
The Cougars have given up the most goals in the Canada West (74 in 18 games), and scored the fewest (41) in the league.
Offensively, Matt Strueby has been the most productive Cougar with 14 points in 16 games. His eight goals on the year are tied for sixth in the Canada West.
