Adam Rossignol vs. Alberta, Sept. 26, 2014
Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
Rookie Adam Rossignol scored a pair of goals in the Thunderbirds opening weekend win over Alberta

Men's Hockey Tim Huebsch (Sports Information Assistant)

Thunderbirds look to spoil Huskies Home Opener

Vancouver – Flashing back to the last time the UBC Thunderbirds and Saskatchewan Huskies met in men's hockey, the T-Birds eliminated the prairie powerhouse in three games in the Canada West playoffs. For the first time since, the Thunderbirds face off against the Huskies this Friday and Saturday for a two-game series with both teams having strong starts to the season. 
 
UBC is coming off a weekend split against the No. 1 ranked Alberta Golden Bears holding Alberta to just two goals on Saturday night en route to a 5-2 victory, a night after dropping a 3-2 affair. The T-Birds look to carry that energy over to its first road trip of the Canada West season against a team that, excluding the playoffs, had the Thunderbirds' number a year ago.
 
Though Saskatchewan lost its top player and Canada West Player of the Year in Derek Hulak, the Huskies wasted no time jumping to the top of the conference standings, sweeping an away series versus the Regina Cougars. Fifth-year netminder Ryan Holfeld recorded a shutout in the team's opening game before rookie Jordan Cooke, the WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year in 2013-14, backstopped the Huskies with a 33-save effort for a 4-2 win in the second half of the weekend series.
 
The Thunderbirds had its fair share of difficulty handling the Huskies last season, going 1-3 in head-to-head action against their Canada West rival. Saskatchewan had a stellar home record last season, as well, going 11-2-1 in at home before hosting the University Cup at season's end.
 
UBC has its first opportunity since the 2012-2013 campaign to move above the .500 mark under new head coach Tyler Kuntz. Kuntz will most certainly look to see an improved power play as his team converted on just two of its 13 power play opportunities in its first two games of the season. 
 
It took the T-Birds seven games to earn the team's first road victory last season, before finishing the season 6-8-0 on the road. Road success is key for any team that hopes to avoid a shortened season and will most certainly be a focus this upcoming weekend. Beyond this weekend, the T-Birds will have four straight home games before having to embark on another road trip at the end of October.
 
After a stellar debut weekend, Adam Rossignol looks to continue where he left off as the rookie bulged the twine twice en route to a three-point effort in his most recent game. For his efforts, Rossignol sits in a tie for fifth in league scoring, along with his teammate Anthony Bardaro who opened the weekend strong thanks to a goal and a pair of assists.
 
The team will need to be firing on all cylinders as it did in the opening weekend, thanks to scoring from six different players, if they have any hopes against Huskies' top goaltending tandem. Holfeld led the league last season with 15 regular season victories, starting all but one game.
 
Both Friday and Saturday's games will be played at 6:00 p.m. PST at the Huskies' historic Rutherford Rink in Saskatoon built in 1929. 
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Players Mentioned

Anthony Bardaro

#10 Anthony Bardaro

F
5' 10"
2nd
Adam Rossignol

#21 Adam Rossignol

F
6' 0"
1st

Players Mentioned

Anthony Bardaro

#10 Anthony Bardaro

5' 10"
2nd
F
Adam Rossignol

#21 Adam Rossignol

6' 0"
1st
F