The Matchup

The No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds (7-3-1) are entering the home stretch of the regular season with their final two games on home turf this Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14 against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack (4-2-5) and the UBC Okanagan Heat (5-3-3).

UBC has already clinched a Canada West playoff berth, the only team in the Pacific division to do so, but with three losses in their last five games the 'Birds are hungry for a solid finish with a chance to close in on a first-place finish.



The T-Birds last faced both of this weekend's opponents on their first road trip of the season posting a 2-1 win over the Heat back on September 2 followed by a 2-2 draw against the Wolfpack the following day. UBC has never lost to either squad and is looking to keep that record intact.

Kickoff Friday against the Wolfpack is 6:30 p.m. PT with Saturday's game against the Heat also at 6:30 p.m. PT, both at Thunderbird Stadium.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds split a home-and-home series with the Vikes last weekend earning a 5-0 win in Victoria followed by a 2-1 loss in Vancouver. It was the first home field loss for UBC since 2014.

Thompson Rivers is coming off a bye week after playing to a 3-3 draw against Fraser Valley at home on October 1.

The Heat hosted the UNBC Timberwolves last weekend playing to a pair of 0-0 draws. UBC Okanagan visits the Victoria Vikes this Friday prior to Saturday's matchup with the Thunderbirds.
 

By the Numbers

14 – UBC's +14 goal differential is the best in the Pacific division and second only to Alberta in the Canada West. The Thunderbirds continue to boast a stingy defence allowing just 8 goals against through 11 conference games, only Alberta and UBC Okanagan have allowed fewer.

15 – The average number of shots per game by the T-Birds. Bolstered by the likes of Victory Shumbusho and Mihai Hodut, UBC's attack has become one of the more dangerous in the conference. Only TWU and Thompson Rivers average more shots per game in the division.
 

Players to Watch

Kyle Sohi (#9, F) – Sohi's third goal of the season against the Vikes last Thursday was also the game winner. All three of the veteran forward's goals have been game winners, tied for the conference lead. Sohi's six points has him second in team scoring.



Ryan Arthur (#14, F) – The third-year forward scored his first goal of the season in last Thursday's win over Victoria and added an assist setting up Rylan Sangha in the 75 minute.
 

Coach's Take

After suffering a loss on home field for the first time in three years, UBC head coach Mike Mosher is looking for his squad to make the most of these final two regular season home games.

"We've taken pride in the fact that we've been very difficult to beat at home over the past many, many years so we need to re-establish that," said the veteran coach. "In the three games that we've lost of late, we feel we've created enough opportunities so we need to be ruthless in the opponents' penalty area. It's the business end of the field and we need to be more ruthless in both penalty areas."

With UBC's sights now set on securing a home playoff berth, they'll be facing a pair of hungry teams this weekend fighting to secure their own spot in the post-season.

"Being really stingy defensively and not giving up cheap opportunities to score goals needs to be a focus," said Mosher. "We need to gain some consistency over these last two weekends and that's not going to be easy because teams are fighting for playoff spots and points and our last four games are against difficult opponents."