VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team are in dire need of a couple of wins this weekend, as they prepare to take on the Regina Cougars in Saskatchewan in a set of back-to-back games.
 
The two sides will square off on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6, with the opening puck drop for both games set for 5:00 p.m. (PT) at Regina's the Co-operators Centre.
 
The 'Birds are in the midst of an awfully-timed skid, having lost seven of their last eight games. With both clubs having four games left in the season, the T-Birds are ahead of the Lethbridge Pronghorns by just a single point for the sixth and final playoff spot in Canada West – meaning that they'll need to run the table over the last two weeks of the regular season in order to guarantee themselves a playoff berth.
 
The T-Birds have scored just 72 goals on the season, tied for the lowest mark in  league with Regina. However, what separates the Blue and Gold from Regina, in terms of offense, is an explosive trio of scorers, capable of taking over games.
 
Anthony Bardaro, a third-year pivot from Delta, B.C. leads the T-Birds with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 22 games, while fellow forwards Luke Lockhart (Burnaby, B.C.), with a line of 8-13-21, and Austin Vetterl (Surrey, BC), 8-11-19, are each filling the net with frequency. If the 'Birds have a shot at making a run to the Canada West championship, those three players will have to be at the forefront.
 
If the 'Birds are going to get back on track, they aren't going to get a better opportunity to do so than against the Cougars. Regina, with just five wins on the season, was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a pair of losses against the Mount Royal Cougars last weekend.
 
Regina's problems seem to stem from a lack of top-line scoring ability and shoddy goaltending. As mentioned, the Cougars are tied for the league-low in goals for, and are the only team in the conference without a single player in the conference-wide top 20 for scoring.
 
In fact, Regina's leading scorer, third-year forward Ian NcNulty, barely cracks the top-40 list, as his eight goals and six assists for 14 points has him 39th in the Canada West.