VANCOUVER - Coming off a successful week that earned them a pair of wins and a conference Athlete of the Week nod for
Rachel Ramsden, the UBC Thunderbirds must now prepare for a tough home weekend with two dangerous Prairie opponents coming to town.
GAME TIMES
Fri., Sept. 28 - 7:00 p.m. - Saskatchewan at UBC (David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver, BC)
Sat., Sept. 29 - 7:00 p.m. - No. 9 Regina at UBC (David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver, BC)
Live statistics can be accessed at
CanadaWest.TV.
UBC Thunderbirds (4-1-0)
Last Week: W 4-0 at Winnipeg, W 3-0 at Manitoba
The 'Birds bounced back strong from their loss to Trinity Western with a couple convincing shutout wins on the road last week. Ramsden played the role of super sub, coming off the bench to score two goals in each game and pick up Canada West Female Athlete of the Week honours.
The 'Birds also got a goal from centre back
Kelly Cook in her first game of the season in Winnipeg. With two shutouts already to show for her return to to the lineup, the All-Canadian defender appears ready for another solid campaign.
Forwards
Taryn Lim and
Rachael Sawer each found the scoresheet last weekend as well.
Aside from their shutout loss to Trinity Western, UBC has had no trouble finding the back of the net this year, averaging more than three goals per game. They will truly be tested this week though, as Regina has yet to allow a single goal on the year and Saskatchewan has given up only three in four games. After a rare week off from the scoresheet, look for reigning scoring champ
Janine Frazao to be key in breaking through against a rigid defence.
Saskatchewan Huskies (3-1-0)
Last Week: W 3-1 at UNBC
The Huskies have some impressive results on their ledger, but their only game against a winning team was a 1-0 loss to Regina. Not bad against a top-ten team that has yet to concede a goal, but to take the next step the Huskies have to start beating contenders, and this week will be their chance to start.
So far the Huskies have gotten by on good defence and a scoring-by-committee style offensively. Four Huskies have two goals on the season but nobody has more than that.
Forward Erica Hindmarsh is among the group with two goals, and she also has two assists and a team-leading 20 shots this season in just four games, so she will be one for the UBC defence to keep an eye on.
No. 9 Regina Cougars (4-0)
Last Week: W 3-0 at UNBC
It's hard to argue much with a 4-0 start to the season, all by way of the shutout, but like the Huskies, the Cougars haven't been tested much yet this year. Three of those wins have come against teams with losing records and struggling offences, so preserving the season shutout will be a different story with a forward line like Frazao, Sawer and Lim lining up against them this weekend.
Meagan Cormier leads the team with five goals, four of those coming in their 5-0 win against Winnipeg two weeks ago. She is also leading the league with a ridiculous eight shots per game, so she should keep UBC defenders' hands full.
Tayler Firth, who has two goals for the Cougars, is the only other player on the team taking more than two shots per game. With so much of the offence flowing through one player, look for the T-Birds to key in on Cormier and make the Cougars look for another way to beat them.
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