VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds ended the regular season in a slump and the price they pay for that is a road trip to Calgary for their best-of-three Canada West playoff series. That might not be such a bad thing though, as the 'Birds are 4-1-1 against the Dinos this season including 2-0-0 when playing in Calgary. Another pair of wins this weekend would get them through to the Canada West Final Four.
The entire series will have
live statistics.
UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 12-12-4 (5th)
Last Week: L 3-1, L 5-4 (OT) at Manitoba
Streak: 1 OT loss
Back in January the T-Birds seemed destined for their first home playoff series in several years, but a six-game losing streak to end the regular season crushed those hopes. While the road to the Final Four just got that much tougher, the 'Birds still have to be happy with their first round match up, as they had more wins against Calgary than any other team in the conference this season, and they've already swept a road series against the Dinos back in late January just before the losing streak began.
The losing streak for UBC also looks worse than it actually was. Four of those games were on the road against first-place Manitoba, and in three of those games the T-Birds actually took a lead into the third period. Giving up third period leads certainly isn't the mark of a winning hockey team, but the fact that they were in that position so many times proves they can keep up with the best teams in Canada West.
Now it's just a matter of keeping their cool in clutch situations to secure wins, which is easier said than done, especially in the playoffs. Though they had success against Calgary this season, the Dinos may have been the hottest team in the league while the T-Birds were on their losing streak, so they can't take anything for granted this weekend.
Scott Wasden leads the 'Birds with 11 goals this year and
Jordan Inglis is second with 10. Set-up man
Max Grassi leads the team in points with 25, good for tenth in the conference. The T-Birds need their top scorers to get the job done against the Dinos, who have been rock-solid defensively in recent weeks.
UBC's defence on the other hand has been a little shaky of late, allowing five goals in four of their last five games. Seniors
Matt Pepe and
Ryan Kakoske will be charged with shutting down the Dinos as the top defensive pair, while
Ben Schmidt and
Mike McGurk give UBC a versatile second unit, with Schmidt's skill helping the 'Birds in transition.
UBC goalie
Jordan White will also be a key part of the series. He's played more games than all but one other goaltender in the Canada West but has held up remarkably well through the heavy workload, posting a 2.54 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this year.
Calgary Dinos
2011-12 conference record: 15-11-2 (4th)
Last Week: Bye
Streak: 1 OT loss
While the 'Birds went in one direction over their last few regular season games, the Dinos went in the other, winning five of six to end the season and leapfrog UBC in the standings to earn hosting rights for this series. Their last regulation losses were to UBC in Calgary on January 20 and 21, and as good as they've been since then, it won't mean a thing if they can't avenge those losses this weekend.
It's been a defence-first attitude for the Dinos during their recent run of success. Goalie Dustin Butler has three shutouts during that stretch and the Dinos have allowed just seven goals total in their last six games. Butler boast a 2.14 goals against average, and the defenders in front of him have a lot to do with that.
Cory Pritz leads the defensive unit with 16 points and is a major factor in the Dinos powerplay. Teigan Zahn is making a case for himself to make the all-rookie team as a great two-way defenseman, racking up 15 points while shutting down opponents during the Dinos' win streak.
Offensively, Taylor Stefishen leads the team with 12 goals and 23 points. Linemates Brock Nixon and Reid Jorgensen round out a well balanced and highly skilled top line that will put UBC to the test this weekend. The second line of Walker Wintoneak, Kevin King and Dylan Hood has also been hot lately, providing big chunks of Calgary's offence in recent games, so the T-Birds can expect to be tested for the full 60 minutes of every game this weekend.
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