VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team (9-8-3) will take on the No. 2-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (17-3-0) in back-to-back games this weekend. The teams will face off on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 at 7 p.m. (PT). Both games will take place at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
The Thunderbirds, who haven't played at home since November, have dropped four of their last six contests. With a 5-2-1 season record at home, UBC will hope to take advantage of playing on home ice when they host the conference-leading Huskies.
Last Saturday's win over Alberta (13-5-2) marked the first shootout of the season in Canada West men's hockey, with UBC logging their first points since returning from winter break. Scott Macdonald (Surrey, B.C.) netted the lone goal of the shootout.
UBC goaltender
Matt Hewitt's (New Westminster, B.C.) incredible 52-save performance was the biggest factor in the 'Birds 3-2 win. Hewitt is currently ranked third in Canada West with a .925 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.
UBC Head Coach
Adam Shell feels last weekend's victory set a good precedent heading into a two-week stretch on home ice.
"We've been playing reasonably well and doing the right things, but five out of six weeks on the road is tough," he said. "I think we played with a little more desperation [last weekend], and when you have a great goaltender that also helps."
While last Saturday's success is certainly a good sign, the T-Birds have struggled to secure wins as of late. UBC has been outscored 15-9 in January and haven't won back-to-back games since October.
The team has plenty of scoring potential at their disposal.
Anthony Bardaro (Delta, B.C.),
Luke Lockhart (Burnaby, B.C.) and
Austin Vetterl (Surrey, B.C.) are all top 20 scorers in the Canada West. Bardaro has logged 20 points while Lockhart and Vetterl have 18 apiece.
The Huskies are riding a five game win-streak that has seen them outscore their opponents 26-11. They have only lost three games this season and are currently 13 points ahead of UBC.
Saskatchewan has 10 players with point totals in the double digits. Forwards Kohl Baumi and Andrew Johnson lead the pack with 21 and 17 points respectively.
UBC went 1-1 when they played the Huskies in October.
"They are solid and it makes things difficult, but we split last time with [Saskatchewan] in their rink," said Scott. "While there's a clear reason why they have lost only three games this year, overall we feel confident."
