VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team heads to Regina with hopes of bouncing back against the Cougars this weekend. Currently sitting third in the Canada West conference, the Thunderbirds look to better their 5-3-0 record against the Cougars' 4-3-1 mark. With games taking place on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, puck drop is slated for 6 p.m. (PT) on both days. Both contests are set to be held at The Co-Operators Centre in Regina.
 
Last weekend, the 'Birds earned a split in back-to-back games against the visiting Manitoba Bisons, escaping the series with a 2-1 win and a 4-1 loss. UBC had a strong showing against the Herd, but suffered some bad puck in the second game. In addition, the fact that the 'Birds combined to go 0-for-9 on the power play over the two games against Manitoba certainly didn't help.

"Special teams has been a focus for us this week," said head coach Graham Thomas as the team prepared to depart for Regina. "We've got to get our power play going. We haven't scored in three games so there's pressure and expectations of our power play to be better. We've looked good, we've had good puck movement and we've done some really good things, but we just have to get that final piece and that's executing that finish."
 
The Thunderbirds will also have to be on the lookout for a strong Regina offence.
 
Cougars Emma Waldenberger and Jaycee Magwood will give UBC leading scorers Rebecca Unrau (Humboldt, Sask.) and Kathleen Cahoon (Calgary) a run for their money. Waldenberger and rookie Magwood are first and third among the Canada West scoring leaders, with 11 and nine points, respectively. Nestled in second place is Unrau, also with with nine points. An interesting note is the mix of those points, as six of Unrau's nine points are goals, while Magwood has shown herself as more of a playmaker, with eight assists.
 
"We've got to shut down their really good forwards," said Thomas. "We've got to get a lot of pucks on net and we've got to control the puck and play in their zone more than our zone. I know that sounds really basic and simple but we have to do a better job and that starts from our backend, our defence and involved breakingout all together and using everybody. If we can be successful putting that kind of pressure on them then we'll have success this weekend."
 
Last weekend, the Cougars suffered two losses against the Saskatchewan Huskies, dropping their first game 5-3 and losing a heartbreaker in double overtime 2-1 in the rematch.
 
"It's a big weekend for points and standings," said Thomas. "We've got a bye coming up next weekend and then, the next thing you know, we've got six games and then the holiday break. Obviously, it's kind of a pivotal weekend for those points and positioning within our conference and within our league. So, I think the biggest thing for us this weekend is consistency and playing smart hockey with a lot of effort."