The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team (4-9-1) host the Calgary Dinos (9-4-1) Friday and Saturday, December 2nd and 3rd, looking for revenge and some big points heading into the holiday break.
Sitting four points behind sixth-place Manitoba, the T-Birds are looking to rebound, currently on a four-game losing skid. While Calgary has won three in a row and is just two points out of first place in the Canada West, the 'Birds played the Dinos tight losing a pair of 1-0 games in Calgary back in October.
Both games this weekend are being held at Father David Bauer Arena with puck drop Friday at 7:00 p.m. PT and 4:00 p.m. PT Saturday.
Last Action
UBC picked up a single point at home last weekend against the visiting Mount Royal Cougars. The 'Birds lost 6-5 in a shootout Friday before falling 5-3 on Saturday. It marked the first consecutive home-ice losses this season for the T-Birds.
The Dinos swept the Regina Cougars at home last weekend needing double overtime for a 5-4 win Friday but followed that up with a convincing 6-1 victory Saturday.
By the Numbers
74 – UBC has taken just 74 penalty minutes at home so far this season, second lowest in the Canada West.
3 – The Dinos have played just three games away from home coming into this weekend going 1-1-1. This marks Calgary's first road trip outside the province of Alberta.
Players to Watch
Manraj Hayer (#9, F) – The third-year forward has four points in his last three games and has been a big boost to the T-Birds' offence since returning from injury. Hayer sits second in points-per-game on the team with 0.88.
Anthony Bardaro (#10, F) – With points in nine of his last ten games, Bardaro leads the T-Birds in goals (8), points (15), and game winning goals (2) and sits tied for fourth in Canada West scoring.
Coach's Take
After a disappointing weekend that saw the T-Birds blow a 4-1 third period lead last Friday, UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon is looking for a better overall work ethic against the Dinos.
"The challenge now is to play a complete game and don't take any shifts off on defence," said Butenschon.
In their previous two meetings with Calgary, the T-Birds limited the Dinos to a combined two goals but couldn't manage to beat netminder Steven Stanfield.
"We're expecting another good performance by their goaltender," said Butenschon. "We need to limit our mistakes, stick to the process and get to the dirty areas. If we get to rebounds and don't let defencemen box us out, we should be fine."
With a month off between games following this weekend, Butenschon says the team needs to enter the break feeling good about themselves.
"To have a month between games is a lot of time to think. If we can have a good weekend and get some results it'll make the next month more enjoyable. It's not that the guys aren't working hard but we need to work a little smarter."
