Lethbridge, AB - The UBC Thunderbirds earned the weekend sweep over the University of Lethbridge, defeating the Pronghorns 3-0 Saturday night in Lethbridge.
BOX SCORE
The 'Birds scored two goals 18 seconds apart in the first period and Jordan White (Surrey, BC) made 21 saves to earn the shutout.
In search of their second straight win the Thunderbirds were forced to play shorthanded for six minutes in the first period. Fortunately they were able to kill off all three penalties, including a double minor to Joe Antilla (Madeira Park, BC) for high sticking. With under four minutes remaining in the first period, the 'Birds opened the scoring. Scott Wasden (West Kelowna, BC) banged home his 9th goal of the season, ending his seven game scoring drought. The goal tied him for the team lead with Brad Hoban (Victoria, BC) and Cole Wilson (White Rock, BC) for the moment. 18 seconds later UBC made it a 2-0 game. Dillon Wagner (Keephills, AB) hammered home his fifth goal of the season and that is how things would stand through 20 minutes of play. Jordan White (Surrey, BC) got the start and stopped all eight shots he faced in the period.
The Thunderbirds had a number of chances to add to their lead in the second period, but couldn't beat Lethbridge netminder Damien Ketlo. Justin McCrae (Cochrane, AB) and Max Grassi (North Vancouver, BC) were both stopped on an early power play and then Neil Manning (Nanaimo, BC) was denied later in the frame as Ketlo came up with his best save of the period. Jordan White was sharp as well in UBC's net, coming up with a clutch save on Pronghorns' forward Cody Chikie. The 'Birds had a four minute power play to end the period, but were unable to find the back of the net. The score remained 2-0 for UBC through 40 minutes of play.
Jordan White came up with his best save of the night early in the third period on a two on one, stealing one off the stick of Cass Mappin to keep it a 2-0 game. The 'Birds extended their lead to 3-0 on the power play as Cole Wilson scored his 10th goal of the season, to take over the team lead. White shut the door the rest of way, stopping all eight shots he faced in the period and 21 overall to earn the shutout and help UBC to a 3-0 victory.
It could have been much worse had the Thunderbirds power play been clicking. UBC finished the night 1-for-8 on the man advantage, while the Pronghorns finished 0-for-5.
"I'm happy with the result, but there are definitely a number of things we will need to work on for next weekend," said head coach Milan Dragicevic. "Our power play was better in terms of getting in the zone and controlling the play, but now we need to finish."
Wilson had a goal and an assist on the night, while Ben Schmidt (Campbell River, BC) chipped in with two assists. Final shots were 39-21 in favour of UBC.
The win helped UBC to keep pace with all of the top teams in the conference. Alberta is first overall with 32 points, Saskatchewan is second with 28 points, Manitoba sits in third place with 27 points, and Calgary is in fourth spot with 26 points. The Thunderbirds are fifth with 24 points, four points up on sixth place Regina.
With eight games remaining in the regular season schedule UBC will have their hands full next weekend in Saskatoon as they take on the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Huskies are coming off back to back losses to the #1 ranked Alberta Golden Bears this weekend.
