The UBC Thunderbirds moved into third place in the Canada West conference Friday night, beating the Alberta Pandas 3-2 to leapfrog them in the standings.
BOX SCORE
The loss is the fourth straight for Alberta, a streak that has dropped them from second to fifth. For UBC, it is their fifth win in their past seven games, a streak that has netted them 11 of a possible 14 points.
WHK: T-Birds v. Alberta (Nov. 23, 2012) Gallery
The game was hard fought throughout, with both teams playing physically and reigniting a rivalry that was very heated a few seasons back.
“That's big,” said head coach
Graham Thomas. “I was really impressed with the girls. It was probably one of our best team efforts to date.”
Rebecca Unrau (Humboldt, SK) led the way for UBC, scoring a pair of second period goals. Her first was a top-corner wrist shot that followed a nifty move to free herself in the slot. The second, putting UBC up 3-1 at the time, was an unassisted marker. The goals move Unrau into a tie for the Canada West lead with eight goals on the season.
With a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, sophomore goaltender
Samantha Langford (Pense, SK) shut the door for UBC. She turned away 28 shots in total, none bigger than the handful she made on a late Alberta power play.
Alberta would threaten late, closing the gap to 3-2 with a rebound goal by Janelle Froehler while their goalie was pulled. Alberta maintained strong pressure, threatening to tie the game, until they took a penalty with 32 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the game.
Prior to that, Alberta had taken an early lead when Jessica Kampjes tipped in a Monika Moskalski point shot. The Thunderbirds answered late in the first period, tying the game when the Pandas sent an errant clearing pass onto the tape of
Haley Voytechek (Sherwood Park, AB), which she quickly deposited on the blocker side of goalie Michala Jeffries for her first career CIS goal.
For UBC, the game is a statement win against a highly regarded Alberta squad that plays fast and aggressive. On this night, UBC managed to assert their own style of play and game plan, matching intensity for the bulk of the first two periods until Alberta gained and maintained momentum in the third.
“Give them a lot of credit,” said Thomas. “They came at us right until the end. We know tomorrow they'll come out fighting for it real hard, so we've got to come out focused and respond.”
UBC's triumph breaks a seven-game losing streak to Alberta that dates back to Oct. 15, 2010, the night the T-Birds claimed a 4-3 victory at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.
Alberta will be looking for revenge and looking to end their losing streak on Saturday night, when the two teams face off once again at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
