VANCOUVER - UBC scored two goals in the final four minutes to force overtime after relinquishing a first period lead but would be defeated in overtime by a score of 5-4 against the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary.
A two-goal performance by
Anthony Bardaro helped UBC steal a point from the Cougars, who secured the victory two minutes into the first overtime frame courtesy Zach Evans-Renaud.
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Bardaro would kick things off scoring his fifth of the season three minutes into the opening frame, as the Thunderbirds got on the board first with the elusive opening goal. Bardaro took a
Kevin Smith feed and faked Dalyn Flette stick side and then went backhand beating the Cougars goaltender upstairs.
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The Cougars would rebound with an equalizer before the first period expired when Derek Huisman threw a puck out front into a scrum after battling in the offensive zone corner. Jeremy Burns would sneak in and go high glove side on Stanford for his second of the season. Stanford got his third straight start in net and has manned the crease in eight of the T-Birds' previous nine regular season games.
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With a fresh sheet of ice, and a 1-1 score, the Thunderbirds came out strong in the second as
Nick Buonassisi took advantage of a missed Cougars opportunity and went the other way to pot his seventh of the year.
Luke Lockhart and captain
Ben Schmidt collected assists on the shorthanded tally that put the Thunderbirds up by one.
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In a swift turn of events, the Cougars rebounded with two unanswered goals of their own less than a minute apart courtesy Huisman and captain Cody Cartier. Huisman collected the equalizer and his second point on the night as the Mount Royal defenceman found the back of the net past Stanford off a dish from Evans-Renaud.
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Shortly thereafter Cartier broke free on a partial break and on a delayed penalty, was able to sneak one past Stanford. The Cougars leading scorer tried to go five-hole on Stanford and trickled across the line. The go-ahead goal was Cartier's 11th of the season, extending his point streak to 10 games (8g, 6a) off a feed from Curtis Beech.
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Tyler Jewitt padded the Cougars lead six minutes into the third as he snapped his second of the year past Stanford with a perfectly placed shot. The goal was Jewitt's third point on the night and more than doubled his season total entering the night, now with five points on the campaign.
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A string of Mount Royal penalties and sloppy play in the third period would favour the Thunderbirds and give the road team a number of opportunities to mount a comeback. In need of a clutch goal,
Cole Wilson stepped up big as he has all year and buried his team leading 13th goal of the season. Wilson was robbed by Flette on the initial play but made no mistake on the second chance opportunity as
Geordie Wudrick collected his third assist in as many games to begin his career as a Thunderbird.
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With the goalie pulled, Bardaro managed to bury the game-tying goal with just two seconds remaining on the clock to force overtime and clinch at least a point for the Thunderbirds. Evans-Renaud would seal the game in overtime as he unloaded a rocket on Stanford off a feed from Beech. With the assist, Beech doubled his season total in points, with two on the night, and finished a plus-4.
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Flette started his 16th straight contest and collected the victory improving his record to 10-10-1 on the season while Stanford falls to 5-4-2 with the overtime loss.
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The Thunderbirds concede an all-important point to the Cougars and lose ground in the Canada West playoff race as UBC falls to 8-13-2 on the season, sitting in seventh in their division. Mount Royal climbs in the standings with the victory, improving to 10-12-1 on the year, moving into a fifth-place tie with the Manitoba Bisons.
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With just five games remaining, and four points out of the final playoff position, the Thunderbirds have their backs against the wall and every game from here on in becomes a must-win situation.
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Tomorrow's 1 p.m. (PST) matinee rematch will conclude the road weekend series.
