One down, two to go.
 
The No. 4-ranked UBC Thunderbirds got a step closer to their ultimate goal of a national championship on Thursday afternoon, as they diapatched of the No. 5-ranked McGill Martlets 4-2 in the 2016 CIS Women's Hockey Championship quarterfinals.
 
The 'Birds got a phenomenal performance from goalkeeper Danielle Dube (New Westminster), who earned Player of the Game honours for her 32-save effort. With the nationals tournament hosted in her hometown of Calgary, UBC winger Kathleen Cahoon drove the T-Birds' offense, notching two goals and an assist in the win.
 
More than the individual performances, though, it was the depth and cohesion of the 'Birds squad that seemed to make the difference, according to head coach Graham Thomas.
 
"I give a ton of credit to McGill – they pushed back hard, and I know that isn't the way they wanted to go out, but that's the reality in a tournament like this," said Thomas. "We were able to be opportunistic, score some big goals when we needed them, and at the same time play a smart game. This team though, has come together, and made play after play in tough situations. Everyone is contributing, and these girls kind of epitomize the concept of a team."
 
Despite the result, forward Gabrielle Davidson was excellent for the Martlets, bagging a goal and assist for the RESQ finalists.
 
Hannah Clayton-Carroll (Vancouver) opened the scoring with the first goal of her CIS career, as the rookie winger stepped into the high slot and went bar downwith a snap shot that beat McGill netminder Taylor Hough clean.
 
With Martlets captain Melodie Daoust in the box for bodychecking, Cahoon struck. Taking a feed from Rebecca Unrau (Humboldt, Sask.), the winger walked in off the half-wall and put a bullet high to Hough's blocker side.
 
"[Logan] Boyd did a good job of screening the goalie, and I just saw the top left corner wide open and just hit the shot," said Cahoon.
 
After nine shots in the opening frame, the Martlets continued to press in the second, eventually solving Dube six minutes in. On the powerplay, Davidson needed two cracks to get the puck by the 'Birds goalie, roofing her own rebound from in tight. 
 
Boyd (Waterdown, Ont.) restored the T-Birds' two-goal lead just before the 10-minute mark of the period, as the sophomore center strode into the high slot and let go of a seeing-eye wrister that found its way through the legs of Hough.
 
The rest of the stanza belonged to Dube, as the senior netminder continued to stymie McGill's best efforts to the tune of 13 stops.
 
Three and a half minutes into the third period, Daoust got McGill back within one. On the man advantage once again, a scrambly play at the blue line ended with the puck finding its way to Daoust in the slot. The McGill captain fired a pinball shot that rattled off both posts before landing behind Dube.
 
After the majority of the third frame saw the 'Birds, and especially rookie Mathea Fischer (Oslo, Norway), do everything but score, Cahoon sealed the win on the empty net with 1:45 remaining in the contest.
 
The 'Birds will face their biggest test of the season in the semifinals, as they're set to face the No. 1-seed Guelph Gryphons, who won 3-0 in their quarterfinal match with the St. Thomas Tommies. Puck drop is set for 1:00 p.m. (PT) at Calgary's Makin MacPhail Centre. The game will be broadcast on Sportsnet One as a part of the network's Sportsnet U Weekend.
 
Said Cahoon of their upcoming matchup: "We're really going to focus over the next day or so to get a better understanding of what they do, and how we can counter that with our own strengths."