Burnaby, BC - The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team got off on the right foot in 2014 defeating the NCAA Division 1 powerhouse University of North Dakota 3-2 in overtime at the Great Northwest Showcase in Burnaby, BC.
Down 2-1 with under a minute left to play,
Joe Antilla tied the game with 52 seconds remaining and an extra attacker on the ice for the Thunderbirds sending the game into overtime. In the extra frame
Jason Yee took a great feed from Antilla and made no mistake beating UND goaltender Zane Gothberg top shelf for the game winning goal with 1:04 left.
"This is a huge win for our program," said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic. "That is a team with a three million dollar budget and 15 NHL draft picks. I give them a lot of credit for coming here and playing, but this is an enormous win for our program"
Jessi Hilton opened the scoring 5:24 into the first period as he came out of the corner and wired a shot along the ice that fooled North Dakota goaltender Zane Gothberg to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
Steven Stanford got the start for UBC in goal and he was sharp stopping Michael Parks on a two-on-one and then on the rebound denying St. Louis Blues first round pick Jordan Schmaltz point blank. However, UND would get on the board with just under five minutes left in the opening period as Penticton, BC product Mitch MacMillan scored off a goal mouth scramble from his back to tie the game at 1-1. World junior gold medalist and Florida Panthers second round pick Rocco Grimaldi had a nice dangle late in the period, but was unable to solve Stanford, who made 8 saves in the frame as UBC outshot UND 12-9. 1-1 was the score through 20 minutes.
The second period saw the Thunderbirds with a couple of grade 'A' chances, but they were unable to convert.
Cole Wilson had three chances within a two minute span, first failing to get a shot off on a partial breakaway, then he was stymied by Gothberg on a two-on-one, and finally on the power play as his heavy slapped shot was handled once again by Gothberg.
Matt Hewitt replaced Stanford in goal for UBC in the second period and he too was solid, stopping all 10 shots he faced in the period, including Mitch MacMillian on a breakaway. For the Thunderbirds the turning point of the period was killing off a 5-on-3 power play for 1:39. The score remained 1-1 after two periods of play.
Both teams would have their chances to get the go ahead goal in the third period, but neither goaltender was willing to surrender. UBC's Scott Macdonald was stopped on a breakaway by Gothberg and then for the second time in the game, Hewitt would shut the door on Mitch MacMillian on a breakaway.
Nick Buonassisi found himself free and clear in front of the net with under six minutes remaining, but couldn't find the back of the net as Gothberg got a piece of his shot. However, UND would continue to press and finally would be rewarded as Gonnor Gaarder found the back of the net with 4:11 left in the third period to put the visitors in front 2-1.
Final shots were 28-25 in favour of UND. Hewitt made 15 saves for the victory in net.
"This is a game that our guys desperately wanted to win," said Dragicevic. "I give our guys a lot of credit.
Joe Antilla had a strong game,
Jason Yee was outstanding, both our goaltenders gave us an opportunity to win and I thought our penalty kill was fantastic. Overall we played hard for 65 minutes. I told the guys if we play like that and everybody buys in, we will have a lot of success in the Canada West."
UBC will face Princeton University tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby, BC.
