Calgary, AB – A seven goal third period highlighted a wild affair Saturday afternoon as the UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Mount Royal Cougars by a score of 6-5 in overtime to split the weekend series.
Cole Wilson had a hat trick including the overtime winner as UBC relinquished two third period leads, but got the all-important two points in what was a must-win situation for the Thunderbirds.
Nate Fleming had a pair of assists while
Geordie Wudrick picked up his first career goal as a Thunderbird to go along with an assist extending his current point streak to four games. Tyler Jewitt led all Cougars with a three-point (1g, 2a) game Saturday afternoon
Jewitt continued his hot play of late getting the Cougars on the board first as the second-year forward found twine for his second of the weekend and third on the year. When all was said and done, Jewitt finished the weekend with six points (2g, 4a), despite having just two points on the season entering the weekend.
The Thunderbirds would draw even when
Neil Manning found the back of the net, beating Dalyn Flette for his fifth of the year off a feed from
Jason Yee, who broke a five-game scoring draught with the helper. Flette was routinely tested in the first, setting aside nine out of 10 shots he faced as the goaltender started his 17th straight contest.
Getting his first start in two weeks,
Matt Hewitt had a quiet first period seeing just five shots in the opening frame. UBC also managed to successfully kill off all three of its penalties and entered the second tied at one apiece.
Kevin Smith would give the Thunderbirds its first lead of the game with 2:24 remaining in the second period as the former Kelowna Rocket split the defence and went short side on Flette for his second of the year.
Jessi Hilton and
Scott MacDonald collected assists on the play as the team's secondary scoring continued to be a factor in Saturday's matinee.
Hewitt was the difference maker in the second as he turned away all 20 shots he faced in the period while the T-birds took full advantage of its few opportunities, mustering just six shots on Flette in the second.
Less than a minute into the third, the Thunderbirds would cushion their lead as Wilson walked in on Flette and with a nifty skate to stick pass, would slide one past the Cougars goaltender for his team leading 14th of the season. The newcomer Wudrick battled along the far boards to create a 2-on-1 before dishing it off to Wilson to start the play.
Mount Royal would respond courtesy Cody Cartier who roofed his 12th goal on the year before UBC restored its two-goal advantage when Wilson potted his second of the game quick off the draw.
Suddenly the floodgates opened as both teams would combine for four goals in the final ten minutes of regulation. Mount Royal would score two unanswered to tie the game up at 4-4 as Eric Galbraith went top shelf on Hewitt and Matthew Brown found twine after some fancy stick work for the Cougars.
Brad Hoban would give the Thunderbirds a brief one-goal advantage before Tyler Fiddler scored late on a wrap around to send the game into overtime.
Wilson would complete the hat trick and seal the victory for the Thunderbirds as the team's leading scorer had his second OT winner in as many weeks as UBC defeated Mount Royal 6-5. Wilson now has 16 goals on the year and sits in third place in the Canada West scoring race with 30 points.
UBC took three out of a possible four points this weekend with the win Saturday, improving to 9-13-2 on the year, two points shy of the final playoff position in the Canada West. Mount Royal is10-12-2 and holds a slight edge over the seventh place Thunderbirds as the Cougars sit in a fifth-place tie with 22 points on the season with Manitoba. Mount Royal outshot UBC by a 45-33 margin while both teams went scoreless on the power play.
UBC returns home next weekend for a challenging two-game set against the third place Saskatchewan Huskies, who are fresh off a sweep of No. 1 ranked Calgary including a 10-2 romping early Saturday.
