The Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds (15-3-3-1) return home after two straight weekends on the road hosting the Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-15-1-3) Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th, at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

It should be a welcome return to home ice for the T-Birds who have been dealing with a rash of injuries of late. Since UBC's historic 15 game win streak came to an end earlier this month, the 'Birds have three wins in their last six games but have points in three straight.



With six games left in the regular season, the 'Birds enter this weekend with a seven-point lead over Alberta for first in the Canada West as UBC looks to close in on securing first place and home ice throughout the conference playoffs.
 

Last Action

The Thunderbirds picked up three of a possible six points against the Huskies in Saskatoon last weekend. Mathea Fischer tied the game at 1 Friday night then assisted on Nicole Saxvik's ninth of the season in double overtime as the 'Birds earned the 2-1 win. Saturday night's rematch saw UBC score three times in the third to once again force overtime but fell 5-4 in a shootout.

The Pronghorns scored just once last weekend dropping a pair of games in Winnipeg to the Manitoba Bisons, 5-1 on Friday and 5-0 Saturday. The Pronghorns have now lost their last four in a row.

The T-Birds and Pronghorns last met in Lethbridge in early November when UBC swept the weekend series with 5-1 and 4-3 victories.
 

By the Numbers

10 – UBC needs ten points in their final six games to secure a first-round playoff bye.

250 – The Thunderbirds are the second most penalized team in the Canada West now with 250 PIM's. With 132, the 'Birds also have the most PIM's on home ice in the conference.
 

Players to Watch

Mathea Fischer (#26, F) – The second-year forward had a big weekend in Saskatoon with three points and sits tied for second on the team with seven goals.



Amelia Boughn (#20, G) - with a lot of the 'Birds big scorers nursing injuries, UBC will need top-notch goaltending to be successful. Boughn sports a sparkling 1.87 GAA and 11-3 record in 2016-17.
 

Coach's Take

UBC head coach Graham Thomas expects to still have several key bodies out of the lineup this weekend but adds it's an important lesson to have to battle through the adversity.

"It is a great thing for us to fight through all this," said Thomas.



"It gives others opportunities to step-up in increased roles and to battle and fight through. That's why we have the depth we have, we knew this would happen at some point and we were lucky through the first half we had minimal injuries but it was bound to happen whether it's sickness or injuries through the course of a long season."

While the Pronghorns are 38 points behind UBC, Thomas says his team will need to be aware of Lethbridge's desperation as they fight for their playoff lives.
"A big focus for us this weekend is the start, getting a good start and focussing for a full 60 minutes of effort," said Thomas.

"They're going to come hungry. They're still in the hunt and they need to win every game. So for us it's about closing them out while getting us one step closer to one of our goals, that is finishing first overall."