Vancouver, BC - The battle for first place in the Canada West is on the line this weekend, as the UBC Thunderbirds (4-1-1) men's hockey team plays host to the Saskatchewan Huskies (5-1-0) Friday and Saturday night at Father Bauer Arena.
The Huskies sit in first place in the conference and are the number two ranked team in the nation, while the Thunderbirds are second in the Canada West, just a point back of Saskatchewan and ranked tenth in the country.
"If we want to be considered one of the best teams in Canada, it is teams like this that we have to go through," said head coach Milan Dragicevic. "This is a great test for us. They are four lines deep, with big defenseman who can move the puck, and their goaltending is good. They don't have any weaknesses."
The Huskies are led by their top line of Kyle Bortis (2g, 9a), Derek Hulak (4g, 5a), and Jimmy Bubnick (4g, 4a). They are coming off a weekend sweep of the Alberta Golden Bears and their only blemish this season was a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons.
UBC is also coming off a weekend sweep in which they beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 5-1 and 3-2. Needless to say they are eager to see how they stack up against Saskatchewan, but also know they have to be even better then last weekend.
"We have to shoot the puck more, drive harder to the net, and excute in front of the net," said Dragicevic. "It is important that we captialize on our chances in close. As well, we need to limit our turnovers and make smarter decision come the third period. Our guys need to be better aware of the game situation, especially when we are leading and looking to finish."
The Thunderbirds have a balanced offensive attack this season, getting production from their top three lines.
Wyatt Hamilton (Cochrane, AB),
Nate Fleming (St.Albert, AB), and
Justin McCrae (Cochrane, AB) make up UBC's checking line; however, they are also reponsible for a ton of offense, combining for nine points in the two wins over Lethbridge. This weekend you can expect to see them up against the Huskies number one line of Bortis, Hulak, and Bubnick.
"It's nice that we are at home and get final change," said Dragicevic. " It will allow us to match up better. Obviously it will be tough to keep their top guys completely off the scoresheet, but we can limit them if we are physical with them and wear them down. That will give us a better chance of coming away with a win."
It will be interesting to see who Dragicevic starts in net as both
Jordan White (Surrey, BC) and
Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) have been solid so far this year between the pipes.
When it comes to special teams UBC is 7-for-21 (33.3%) on the power play, while the Huskies are 4-for-29 (13.8%) and on the penalty kill UBC is operating at 79.2% (19-for-24) efficiency, while Saskatchewan has killed off 31-of-38 (81.6%) power play opportunites against.
"As far as the regular season is concerned, this is one of the biggest weekends we have had in a long time," said Dragicevic. " We have an opportunity to be in first place after eight games this season. Two top 10 teams in the country battling it out. What more could you ask for?"
Both games will be played at Father Bauer Arena with the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre being previously booked.
"We have been practicing there all week (Father Bauer Arena), so there will be no problem making the adjustment," said Dragicevic. "Our guys are looking forward to playing front of a packed house. It's going to be an outstanding atmosphere and a great chance for fans to see two of the best teams in the country play for first place in the conference. It should be fun."
Puck drop is 7:00 pm both nights.
