VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team fell 2-0 in a preseason match against Queen's University Friday night. The game is the first of a three-game weekend tournament hosted by the Gaels in Kingston, Ont.
 
After a quiet first period in which the Thunderbirds nullified the Gaels' offence, limiting them to merely two shots, Queen's opened up scoring halfway through the second. Off of a feed from linemate Clare McKellar, centre Megan Farrell was able to put on past UBC's net minder Samantha Langford (Pense, Sask.) for their first tally of the night. Langford, a fourth-year, had just relieved starting goalie Danielle Dube (Vancouver) after 30 minutes of play.
 
The T-Birds were able to regain control of the puck, slimming the Gaels' 12 shots on goal in the second down to only five in the final frame. However, defence wasn't enough to even the score, as an empty-net goal solidified the win for the hosting team. With 36 seconds left in the game and UBC playing on a man-advantage with Langford pulled, Kyla Crouse potted the puck, furthering their win to 2-0.
 
Although UBC fired a total of 17 shots on goal, they were unable to find the back of the net. Both teams were 0-for-5 on the power play.
 

Final Score @ubctbirds 0 - Queens 2 / Shots 37 - 16 for UBC / ?? @katezinn / Exciting game, closed out with an empty netter. Girls head back to the hotel prepping for Montreal Saturday ???? @ubctbirds

A photo posted by UBC Women's Hockey (@ubcwhky) on Sep 18, 2015 at 8:51pm PDT

The Thunderbirds will have a chance to sharpen their blades and their skills again tomorrow against the Montreal Carabins at 4:30 p.m. PT and then again on Sunday at 6 a.m. PT against McGill to end the tournament. All four teams invited finished last season ranked in the CIS top 10; UBC was No. 7, Queen's No. 6, Montreal No. 2, and McGill No. 1.