The Matchup

It's been nearly a month but the UBC Thunderbirds (5-4-1) are back on home ice this weekend hosting the Mount Royal Cougars (4-5-1) Friday and Saturday, November 17 and 18 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

The 'Birds are fresh off a four-game road swing picking up five of a possible eight points, including a weekend sweep in Lethbridge.



Last season the T-Birds went 2-1-1 against the Cougars who ended up losing to the eventual Canada West champion Saskatchewan Huskies in the semi-finals.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Friday night with Saturday's rematch at 2:00 p.m. PT.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds picked up a single point in an overtime loss against the Huskies in Saskatoon last Friday night before falling 5-2 on Saturday ending a five-game points streak.

Mount Royal split a home-and-home series with the Calgary Dinos last weekend. The visiting team won both games with the Cougars earning a 3-2 win Friday before dropping a 5-1 decision the next night.
 

By the Numbers

27.5 – UBC boasts the most effective power play in the Canada West at 27.5 percent, scoring 11 times on 40 opportunities.

38.5 – The average number of shots faced by UBC's goaltenders, tied with Regina for the highest number in the conference.
 

Players to Watch

Tyler Sandhu (#19, F) – The rookie forward is riding a four-game point streak putting up three goals and four assists in that span. Sandhu's 11 points is tied with Austin Vetterl for the team lead in scoring and also tied for the Canada West rookie scoring lead.



Nick Buonassisi (#12, F) – In his fifth and final year with the 'Birds, Buonassisi is on pace for his best season in the Canada West with nine points through UBC's first 10 games. The Coquitlam native leads UBC with 31 shots and is tied with Jerret Smith for the most assists with eight.
 

Coach's Take

Despite picking up just the single point against the Huskies last weekend, UBC head coach Sven Butenschon is pretty pleased with the way his team played during their four-game road swing.

"Maybe we didn't get the points in Saskatchewan but we had a lead that second night, we took the first game to overtime and had a chance in overtime to win it," said the second-year bench boss. "We were right there and hopefully we can use that going forward. I think after four games we can all look in the mirror and say that we can compete with anybody."

One of the 'Birds' biggest improvements so far this season has been scoring depth with three lines regularly finding the back of the net.

"It would be nice to have the defence be part of that and chip in more but they're doing a good job of moving pucks to forwards. Maybe they're not getting the points but I'm feeling really good about the D core," said Butenschon. "If you want to be a top team and win championships you got to have everybody pulling that rope. There's still lots of room for improvement but so far, so good."

The T-Birds are definitely glad to be back home for the first time since October 21 but know they face a big test against a team just two points behind them in the standings.

"They're well coached, they're organized, they're really patient," said Butenschon. "Our league is so tight, it's a battle every weekend and this one might be a little bit more because it's a team that's right with you in the standings and if you can get some points against these guys it'll sure help in the long run to get some separation."