CALGARY – The UBC Thunderbirds capped off 2016 by collecting their 14th straight win, as they defeated the Calgary Dinos, 6-1, in the second game of the weekend series, Saturday afternoon, Dec. 3 at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary.
 
"We came out flying and played well off the start," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas, who is from Calgary. "We got up three goals pretty early in the game and for the most part I think the weekend was good. It was a full team effort, and we played a consistent game and finished on a high note before the break.
 
"Our transition game was also really good. We had a lot of our defence play well, and they scored four of the goals tonight."
 


Looking to rebound after the loss last night, the Dinos grabbed the first three shots on goal, before UBC opened the scoring two and a half minutes into the game. Kelly Murray pinched up from the blue line, received a pass and snuck a wrap around through the wickets of Calgary goaltender, Sarah Murray.
 
The Thunderbirds' defence continued their strong offensive play, as forward Emily O'Neill found a pinching Mikayla Ogrodniczuk with a cross-ice, backdoor pass. Ogrodniczuk beat Murray on the blocker side, making it 2-0.
 
Before the end of the first, Thunderbirds forward Shiayli Toni, scored her second goal of the weekend, chasing Murray from the net, as Kelsey Roberts took over the Dinos net for the remainder of the game. The Thunderbirds outshot the Dinos 12-5 in the first 20.
 
The Dinos failed to chip into the lead, as an early power-play opportunity was squandered. Roberts held her team in the contact, including her best save of the game, as she reached back and smothered the puck along the goal line with her glove.
 
Shortly after, UBC defender Alexa Ranahan burned a Dinos forward before waiting out Roberts, as she buried the team's fourth goal of the game. Thunderbirds captain Stephanie Schaupmayer extended the lead to five, as she poked a rebound chance in tight past Roberts.
 

Final Game of 2016 for the birds and these 3 seniors ?? gobirds bl33dblue #YYC @parrss @jennacboesch @emilyoneill81

A video posted by UBC Women's Hockey (@ubcwhky) on Dec 3, 2016 at 1:15pm PST

The Dinos got on the board nine minutes into the third, as forward Chelsea Court completed a tic-tac-toe play, nabbing her fourth goal of the season. UBC restored their five-goal lead as Murray added her second of the game, making the score 6-1. The Dinos came close to cutting the lead near the final buzzer, but UBC held the five-goal margin for the decision.
 
The Thunderbirds (13-1-2-0) will host the Alberta Pandas in the first Canada West women's hockey series of 2017, Jan. 6-7 in Vancouver. The Dinos and Lethbridge Pronghorns will play a home-and-home doubleheader on the first weekend of January 2017.