VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team (4-0-2) suffered their second overtime loss of the regular season Sunday afternoon, falling 3-2 in double overtime at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons.
Bisons captain Jordan DePape had a pair of goals for Manitoba, and Adam Henry got the game-winner in 3-on-3 overtime, as the Bisons brought their record 2-3- on the season.
The T-Birds started out on the right note, notching the game's first goal at with just under four and a half minutes remaining in the first period.
Anthony Bardaro (Delta, B.C.) got the ball rolling for the 'Birds, as he spun and fired on Bisons netminder Justin Paulic to give UBC the lead. Defenceman
Neil Manning (Nanaimo, B.C.) and third-year forward
Luke Lockhart (Burnaby, B.C.) recorded the assists on Bardaro's fourth goal in as many games. With his recent run of good form, Bardaro has now pushed into a tie for first place in the Canada West scoring race, with nine points.
Less than three minutes later, the Bisons tied the game at 1. The goal came on the two-man-advantage, after
Joel Hamilton and
Wes Vannieuwenhuizen were sent to the sin bin within 30 seconds of each other. DePape did the damage for Manitoba, as he netted his second goal of the season.
The sides stayed deadlocked at 1-1 through the second stanza, as the 'Birds suffered through a few unnecessary penalties, including a too many men on the ice infraction and a slashing call. The T-Birds' penalty kill, and third-year net minder
Matt Hewitt (New Westminster, B.C.), persevered, with Hewitt stopping 12 shots on goal, including a penalty shot from point-blank.
Manitoba was the first to bite in the third, as DePape scored his second goal of the contest less than a minute after puck drop. DePape did well to fight through some physical play from the T-Birds' defense, and snuck a high wrister past Hewitt, glove side.
UBC pressed hard to earn the tying marker, and did so just three minutes later. Rookie
Austin Vetterl (Surrey, B.C.) used his speed to get in alone on Paulic, and fired a shot top shelf over the Manitoba goalie to tie the game, 2-2.
Neither side could break through to score the game-winner, either in regulation, or in 4-on-4 overtime. In the 3-on-3 portion of extra time, Henry made his mark, taking a pass from Shaq Merasty and beating Hewitt, giving Manitoba the win.
The T-Birds will return home to take on the Regina Cougars in a back-to-back series on Halloween weekend. The two sides will face off on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. Puck drop for both contests is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT), with bot games taking place at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
