The Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds (3-0-1) are back in action on home turf this weekend with a pair of Prairie division battles on tap. The 'Birds host the Calgary Dinos on Friday, September 15 at Thunderbird Stadium followed by the MacEwan Griffins on Saturday, September 16 at Ken Woods Field. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. PT.

The games mark the first out-of-division matchups for the T-Birds this season and the first of three straight against Prairie teams. It also marks the first-ever clash between the 'Birds and Griffins while the Dinos haven't played in Vancouver since September of 2012.

The last time the 'Birds and Dinos met came in last season's Canada West semi-final where UBC beat Calgary 3-1.
 

Last Action

Prior to last weekend's bye, the T-Birds earned a win and a draw on an Interior road trip. UBC scored twice in the first half for a 2-1 win over the UBC Okanagan Heat in Kelowna on Saturday, September 2 before erasing a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 draw at Thompson Rivers the following day.



The Dinos split last weekend's road trip with a 3-1 win in Lethbridge and a 2-1 loss to the Huskies. MacEwan is also coming off a bye week after a pair of 2-1 home field losses to Saskatchewan and Lethbridge.
 

By the Numbers

2 – Through four Canada West games, the 'Birds have two clean sheets, both at home, while allowing just three goals against on the season.

29 – The number of shots for UBC in just their last two games, 17 of which were on goal.
 

Players to Watch

Kyle Sohi (#9, F) – The fourth-year forward has two goals in his last three games, both game winners and is tied with just one other for the most game winning goals in the Canada West.



Connor Guilherme (#5, D) – The third-year defender scored his first career Canada West goal and set up the game tying marker in the 'Birds' 2-2 draw against Thompson Rivers.
 

Coach's Take

The bye weekend for UBC came at a good time according to head coach Mike Mosher who expects his squad to be rested and well prepared for this weekend's return to home turf.

"We gave our guys two days off over the weekend and then we got right back to training," said Mosher. "We went hard for a month since we started pre-season so they were due for a couple days of rest."

Falling down 2-0 in the first half in Thompson Rivers lent itself to a potential turning point for the team's attack, as Mosher was very pleased with his team's response and hopes it can be a sign of things to come.

"We were quite sharp in the second half and really took it to Thompson Rivers and that great response was a good learning moment," said the veteran UBC coach.
"Through that game we started to see what we're capable of but we know the whole process is going to take time. I hope we're only just scratching the surface. We have some pretty good pieces and I think we're still just trying to figure each other out and we as coaches are figuring out how to best fit the puzzle together."