CALGARY- The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (12-1) took down the Mount Royal Cougars (4-9) on Friday night at the Flames Community Arenas by a score of 3-0.
 
Nicole Saxvik, Mathea Fischer and Mairead Bast scored goals for the Thunderbirds while Tory Micklash stopped 18 pucks for her first shutout of the season.
 
"It was a good well fought game on both ends," said UBC Head Coach Graham Thomas. "In the second half of the game, we just managed the puck really well and our power play was really good tonight."
 
The Cougars hung tight with the Thunderbirds in the scoreless first, playing a solid defensive period giving up just four shots. 

Girls have taken the ice at Flames Community Arena! #GoBirdsGo #bl33dblue #YYC @ubctbirds pic.twitter.com/WqRwOlQWyd

— UBC Women's Hockey (@UBCWHKY) November 26, 2016

 
The Thunderbirds had the best chance of the period with two and a half minutes remaining. After a Rachel Piitz body checking penalty put the visitors on the powerplay, Kathleen Cahoon calmly carried the puck into the Cougars zone. Dancing around a few defenders, Cahoon sent a wrist shot toward the net that rang off the bar and into the corner.
 
The Thunderbirds had a terrific short-handed scoring opportunity nine minutes into the second period. After the third body-checking penalty of the game, Emma Pincott went behind her net to retrieve the puck. The puck skipped away from her and went directly to a Thunderbirds forward who attempted to score on a wrap around. With the net vacated the puck slid just wide as the game remained scoreless. 
 
With two and a half minutes left in the period the Thunderbirds broke the deadlock. Kelly Murray gathered the puck just in front of the offensive zone blue line and sent a hard shot towards Pincott. Nicole Saxvik applied the screen in front and managed to get her stick on the puck as it sailed towards the goal. The puck changed direction just enough to fool Pincott as Saxvik picked up her sixth goal of the year.


 
The goal seemed to deflate the Cougars spirits as they went back to the locker room lacking energy and down 1-0.
 
The Thunderbirds added to their lead less than a minute into the third. After a Cougars' interference penalty Mathea Fischer sent a shot toward the Cougars' goal from what looked like a tight angle. The hard shot beat Pincott short side, giving the Thunderbirds a two-goal lead.
 
"She was flying all over the ice and made some nice plays," said Thomas of the budding star Fischer. "She just works so hard and it's nice to see."
 
Just a few minutes later Mairead Bast scored another goal on the powerplay for the visitors. With the puck at the point Bast sent a wrist shot through a screen that found the top corner of the net, putting the Thunderbirds on top 3-0.

That was all the insurance the visitors would need to win their 11^th straight contest.
 
Micklash stopped all 18 shots thrown her way while Pincott stopped 23 out of 26.
 
The two teams will meet again at 3 P.M tomorrow at the Flames Community Arenas in Calgary.