VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds are well rested and ready to embark on the second half of the 2012-13 season.
UBC started the season at 4-3-1, currently good for fifth place in the Canada West conference. The team had this past weekend off as a bye week, giving the team a chance to rest some aches and pains. It also gave the team a chance to step back and refocus on what needs to be done moving forward.
“We need to improve on finishing teams and being smart with the puck,” said head coach Milan Dragicevic. “We cannot beat ourselves with mental mistakes.”
The season gets going again on Friday when UBC visits Mount Royal, a 2-8-0 squad that the Thunderbirds match up well against. But Dragicevic is not taking this team lightly, and he is not letting his team do do either.
“Mount Royal is a big physical team, they play hard and are very good at home,” explained Dragicevic.
Mount Royal is among the league's top teams in terms of penalty minutes, showing a somewhat undisciplined nature but also confirming the coach's comments about the physicality the Thunderbirds can expect. If Mount Royal finds themselves in penalty trouble, UBC will be ready to strike, as they've scored 13 power play goals already this year.
UBC has displayed a high-octane offense this season, ranking second in the conference in goal scoring.
Brad Hoban (Victoria, BC) and
Neil Manning (Nanaimo, BC) lead the way with nine points apiece, while
Scott Wasden (West Kelowna, BC) paces the team with five goals.
It is an important weekend for the Thunderbirds, who are looking to break away from the pack in the middle of the conference. Just a single point separates third place and sixth place, so picking up a weekend sweep can be a huge positive for a team.
“This is a huge weekend for us,” Dragicevic said. “We need four points.”
This weekend will be the first time UBC and Mt. Royal will play against each other as conference rivals. Before this season, Mt. Royal played in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. The teams have met 10 previous times in exhibition play over the years with the T-Birds holding a 5-3-2 advantage.
The puck drops Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. at Flames Community Arena in Calgary. Both games will be streamed live on
CanadaWest.tv.
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