Winnipeg, MB -
The UBC Thunderbirds jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, defeating the Manitoba Bisons 5-2 Friday night in men's hockey action. With the victory the Thunderbirds improve to 11-14-2 on the season. Coupled with a Regina loss this evening, UBC now moves into a playoff spot and control their own post season destiny with one game remaining on the season.
The 'Birds wasted little time getting on the board in the first period as Anthony Bardaro potted his seventh goal of the season 4:12 into the first frame. Joe Antilla tallied his seventh of the year just over three minutes later to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. That is how things would stand after 20 minutes of play. Steven Stanford was outstanding stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Cole Wilson added to his season best totals in the second period, beating Joe Caligiuri with his team leading 18th goal of the year and more importantly giving the Thunderbirds a 3-0 lead. However, the home side would finally get on the board just 18 seconds later, courtesy of Aaron Lewadniuk to cut the lead to 3-1. The Bisons weren't done there. Jordan DePape made it a one goal game when he beat Stanford for his ninth goal of the year. UBC though would fire 17 shots on net in the second period and finally they would be rewarded with 3:52 remaining as Brad Hoban scored on the power play to put the Thunderbirds back in front by two. 4-2 is how it would remain after two periods of play.
In the third period, the story was Stanford. He stopped wave after wave of attacks from the Bisons offence, making 16 saves in the frame to limit Manitoba to just two goals on the night. Greg Fraser would add an empty netter to give UBC the 5-2 victory.
"Our guys battled hard and Steven Stanford shut the door," said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic. "We put ourselves in the position to make the playoffs and control our own faith. Saturday is the biggest game of the year and we believe in this group to get it done."
Discipline was a huge factor for UBC as they took just one minor penalty on the night. As for the Thunderbirds power play, they finished 1-for-4 on the evening.
Stanford finished the game with 33 saves, while Caligiuri took the loss in net stopping 24 of the 28 shots he faced.
With the victory and Regina's loss to Saskatchewan tonight, UBC moves into the sixth and final playoff spot in the Canada West. Both the Thunderbirds and Cougars have the same amount of points, however UBC holds the tiebreaker. The 'Birds now control their own playoff destiny. Win tomorrow and they are in for sure, lose and they will need some help.
Puck drop for the final game of the regular season is 4:00pm PST at the University of Manitoba.
