The Matchup
Winners of six of their last seven games, the UBC Thunderbirds (6-2-0-0) come out of last weekend's bye as the top ranked team in the country and set to host the Saskatchewan Huskies (5-2-0-1) Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
It's a rematch of last year's Canada West semi-final when the 'Birds beat the Huskies in three games. UBC split last year's regular season series against Saskatchewan with each team picking up a win in both regulation and overtime.
The T-Birds are coming in hot but so are the Huskies who have won four of their last five and have not allowed a goal against in their last two games.
Puck drop Friday night is set for 7:00 p.m. PT with Saturday's rematch set for 2:00 p.m. PT.
Last Action
The Thunderbirds rode some solid goaltending to a pair of low-scoring home-ice wins over the Lethbridge Pronghorns back on October 27 and 28.
The Huskies headed into last week's bye with back-to-back shutout wins at home over the Calgary Dinos.
By the Numbers
8 – The Thunderbirds are tied with the Huskies and Pronghorns for the best team goals against average at 1.5. UBC's goal differential of eight is tops in the conference.
72 – The 'Birds have accumulated a total of 110 penalty minutes so far this season, 72 more than the Huskies who are the Canada West's least penalized team with just 38.
Players to Watch
Logan Boyd (#21, F) – The fourth-year forward scored both UBC goals in a 2-1 win over Lethbridge and assisted on the game winning goal the following day. Boyd leads the 'Birds with seven points and a plus six, both good for second in the Canada West.
Amelia Boughn (#20, G) – Both of Boughn's two wins so far this season have come via shutout, most recently making 24 saves in UBC's 1-0 win over Lethbridge. Through four games, Boughn boasts a 1.64 goals against average and a .938 save percentage.
Coach's Take
Coming out of last weekend's bye, the 'Birds will be thrown right back into the Canada West fire against a team UBC head coach
Graham Thomas says plays a real up-tempo style.
"They've got a solid work ethic, they're well coached and they're quick and fast," said Thomas who is coming off his 100
th career Canada West victory. "Saskatchewan is definitely a good team and we expect to have another close weekend. They're the least penalized team in the league so we need to make sure we're playing disciplined, play a quick, fast game and be ready to go."
With only three points, or one regulation win, separating first and fifth in the conference, Thomas says the tight standings help keep his team honest.
"You look at the standings, if you have a bad weekend you end up in fourth or fifth place," said UBC's bench boss. "It pushes us, it makes us better. The competition is great every weekend and it helps prepare us for down the line."
