Vancouver, BC - For the second time this season, the UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team has a showdown with the top team in the country. A month ago it was the Saskatchewan Huskies at home, this weekend the 'Birds will make the trip to Edmonton to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
"They are the number one team in the country for a reason," said UBC Thunderbirds head coach Milan Dragicevic. "They have a high octane offence, they are the top defensive team in the conference, and they have two goalies that our starters in our league, just like we do. This will be a huge test to see where we are after 12 games and whether or not we can compete with the best team in Canada."
Both teams come into the weekend series on significant winning streaks. Alberta (11-3-0) is first in the Canada West standings and is riding an eight game winning streak, while UBC (8-3-1-) is third in the conference and has won four straight games. The Golden Bears are undefeated on home ice this season (5-0), but the 'Birds are no pushover on the road having gone 4-1-1.
"We want to focus on ourselves and what has made us successful up to this point of the season and not worry as much about them," said Dragicevic. "It is important that we respect their skill and speed, but also realize that if we play to our identity and do the things that have made us successful this season, that will give us the best chance of winning."
The Golden Bears feature the top three scorers in the league in Johnny Lazo, Jordan Hickmott, who has a league high 11 goals, and Sean Ringrose. They also have two of the top goalies in the conference in Kurtis Mucha (6-1, 1.59 GAA, .923 SV%) and the reigning CIS Goaltender of the Year, Real Cyr (5-2, 2.18 GAA, .905%). The two have alternated games so far this season.
UBC is led in scoring by
Nate Fleming (St. Albert, Alberta) with 13 points, in goals by
Scott Wasden (West Kelowna, BC) with eight, and in assists by rookie blueliner
Neil Manning (Nanaimo, BC) with 11 helpers.
Jordan White (Surrey, BC) has started the last three games in goal, all wins, and boasts a record of 6-2 with a 2.36 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.
"We have three lines that our scoring and a great checking line that maybe the best checking line in the Canada West," said Dragicevic. "I'm proud to say those guys have done a great job (
Nate Fleming,
Wyatt Hamilton,
Cole Wilson). The stats are evident by their plus minus and the way they have been shutting down the opposition's top line every weekend. This weekend will be a great test for all of us."
Last year the Thunderbirds were 1-3 against the Golden Bears and were outscored 11-4 in the four games. UBC will once again be without their captain,
Justin McCrae (Cochrane, AB), who has missed the last five games with a concussion.
"We are going to leave everything on the ice this weekend," said Dragicevic. "We only have four more games before we have the month of December off. Our goal is to finish in the top two in our conference going into the Christmas break. It is a realistic goal for us considering we are only one point behind Saskatchewan for second place heading into the weekend. If we do that, then we will be sitting nicely going into the second half of the season."
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm PST Friday and Saturday night at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.
|
|
Tale of the Tape |
|
|
UBC |
|
Alberta |
|
8-3-1 |
Record |
11-3-0 |
|
3rd |
Conference Ranking |
1st |
|
9th |
CIS Ranking |
1st |
|
46 (2) |
Goals For |
66 (1) |
|
37 (6) |
Goals Against |
26 (1) |
|
23.9% (1) |
Power Play |
23.3% (2) |
|
75.0% (8) |
Penalty Kill |
87.5% (1) |
|
4 Games |
Current Winning Streak |
8 Games |
