The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds (10-13-3) enter the final weekend of the regular season needing a pair of wins Friday and Saturday, February 10th and 11th, against the Mount Royal Cougars (15-9-2) in order to have a chance at securing the sixth and final Canada West playoff berth.
The T-Birds are two points back of the Pronghorns for that final spot as Lethbridge faces the Saskatchewan Huskies who have already secured first place in the conference. UBC needs to finish ahead of the Pronghorns in the standings as Lethbridge holds the tie-breaker between the two so the T-Birds must earn a minimum of three points in order to have a shot.
Having already secured a playoff spot, the Cougars are battling for position with a chance at hosting a quarterfinal series currently just one point back of the third-place Dinos.
Puck drop Friday is set for 6:00 p.m. PT with Saturday's regular season finale at 2:00 p.m. PT, both at the Flames Community Arena.
Last Action
The Thunderbirds completed the weekend sweep of the visiting Regina Cougars last Friday and Saturday with 5-2 and 4-1 wins, respectively.
Derek Dun earned the win in net both nights allowing a combined three goals against for a .940 save percentage.
The Cougars picked up a single point last week against their cross-town rival Dinos. Mount Royal dropped a 5-4 decision in overtime Thursday before suffering a 2-0 shut out Friday. The Cougars have now lost four in a row.
By the Numbers
3 – Despite posting just two road wins so far this season, the T-Birds have points in three of their last four games away from home and four of their last five games overall.
16 – UBC's offence has come alive with a combined 16 goals in the last three games alone, the most in the Canada West over that span.
Players to Watch
Austin Vetterl (#17, F) – The second-year forward continued his torrid pace of late with two goals and an assist last weekend. Vetterl is riding a five-game point streak with nine points in that span and has at least a point in nine of his last ten games.
Luke Lockhart (#23, F) – Lockhart is also on a five-game point streak with a pair of goals and an assist last weekend. His game winning goal Saturday was his third of the season, leading UBC in that category and tied for the overall Canada West lead.
Coach's Take
Much like last week, the Thunderbirds' task at hand is simple and that's to secure a couple of wins. Head coach
Sven Butenschon says the biggest key to accomplishing that is keeping Mount Royal off their conference leading power play.
"We're talking about playing them five-on-five as much as possible," said UBC's bench boss.
"We need to be sound positionally, stay out of the penalty box and I think five-on-five we're the better team so that's the key."
Even if the T-Birds can secure a pair of wins they'll need some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to get that final playoff berth, but Butenschon trusts his team will stay focused on what they can control.
"I trust our guys to stay on task. When you're playing in those situations you just try to worry about your next shift and getting yourself prepared."
