Matchup

 
The division leading 'Birds are back in action this weekend for a home-and-home with the last place University of Victoria Vikes. Thursday evening the T-Birds (6-2-1) travel to 'The Island' to take on the Vikes (3-5-1) at 5:30 pm PST, followed by an afternoon rematch at Thunderbird stadium on Saturday at 2:15 pm PST.
 
Head Coach Mike Mosher knows his squad will have to compete at a high level, regardless of where their opponent ranks in the standings. 


 
"There are no easy games in Canada West and certainly our Pacific Division this year may be as competitive as any in the country.  As such, teams in our divisions are already into playoff mode as it will not be easy to gain a playoff spot in our division. Victoria is one of those desperate teams having had a slow start, and we know we will face a team desperate for results."
 
UBC came out on top the last time these two teams met, winning 3-2 at home before playing to a 0-0 draw in Victoria a year ago.
 

Last Action

 
The Thunderbirds split a road series up in Prince George last weekend - falling 1-0 in game one to UNBC, despite 11 shots on goal. Game two saw a determined T-Bird squad jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, and close out a 4-1 victory over the Timberwolves to retake a narrow lead atop the division. 
 
UVic was shutout 6-0 by the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon their last time out - snapping a three-game win streak.
 

By the Numbers

 
77 – the Thunderbirds have fired 77 shots on goal (and 132 shots total) this year with Victory Shumbusho leading the team with 15, and Zach Verhoven right behind him with 13.
 
0.63 – goalie Chad Bush's goals against average so far this season - second best in the Canada West.
 

Players to Watch

 
Mackenzie Cole – (#11, M) – the second-year Victoria product scored his second goal last weekend and is now tied for the second most points on the T-Bird roster.


 
Patrick Izett – (#7, M) – in his first year with the Thunderbirds, Izett has made his presence known. The former Whitecaps Residency player netted his first career goal a week ago - adding an assist as well.
 

Coach's take

 
Coach Mosher sees his team improving on a week to week basis.
 
"Our goal is to gain top spot in our division and thus every game is important to gain results to achieve that. I think we are starting to find a better familiarity with the guys playing with each other, but I do feel there is still plenty of room to get better and that is the task to keep getting better each and every game and really peak for playoffs which are not that far away now."