VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team (9-10-3) will be looking to get back in the win column this weekend, as they host the Lethbridge Pronghorns (8-13-1) in a back-to-back set.
 
The first of this weekend's two-game set has been dubbed the second annual UBC Winter Classic, and is set for a 7 p.m. start time on Friday, January 29. The rematch between the two sides will be set for another 7 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, January 30. Five seniors will be honoured before the opening faceoff: Neil Manning (Nanaimo, B.C.), Scott MacDonald (Surrey, B.C.), Dillon Wagner (Duffield, Alta.), Jessi Hilton (Sherwood Park, Alta.) and David Robinson (Vernon, B.C.)

Both games will take place at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
 
The 'Birds are coming off a pair of losses against the Saskatchewan Huskies, who, as of this week, are the No. 1-ranked team in the CIS national rankings, as they fell 2-0 and 6-2 last weekend.
 
When questioned how his team would rebound heading into this weekend's matchups with Lethbridge, UBC head coach Adam Shell was quick to point out that a result of a game isn't necessarily indicative of the overall play.
 
"I wouldn't say that we need to rebound, necessarily," said Shell. "The first game's goals were off of a couple of unlucky bounces, and after that, we played to a saw-off with the top-ranked team in the country. As for last Saturday, a couple of empty netters made the score look worse than it was, but I don't think we were severely outplayed or anything like that. We need to keep adjusting as we move forward, but I think we're playing the right way for the most part."
 
As for Lethbridge, they are mired in a long slump, having won just two of their last 10 contests dating back to mid-November. The Pronghorns' scoring to date, 66 goals in 22 games, puts them middle-of-the-pack offensively amongst Canada West teams, but where they really fall short is between the pipes.  With a platoon of Dylan Tait and Damien Ketlo in net, the two Lethbridge goalies are averaging 3.92 goals-against-per-game.
 
However, Shell isn't going to let his team underestimate Lethbridge, despite their recent struggles.
 
"They beat us twice on the road earlier in the year, so we're definitely not going in there taking them lightly. They've been on and off at different points of the year, but they have shown the ability to take down any team, so we'll have to be at our best."

UBC holds the final Canada West playoff spot, four points ahead of fifth-place Lethbridge.

Anthony Bardaro (Delta, B.C.) leads the UBC team in scoring with 10 goals and 11 points in 20 games. Luke Lockhart (Burnaby, B.C.) and Austin Vetterl (Surrey, B.C.) are close behind with seven goals and 11 assists in 22 games.
 
Goaltender Matt Hewitt (New Westminster, B.C.) is third in the Canada West in goals-against average with a mark of 2.41. He has split time with Eric Williams (Langley, B.C.) and both are expected to get a start again this weekend.