The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds (11-4-1-2) look to keep their hot streak alive hosting the Regina Cougars (6-9-1-2) for the 'Birds' second annual Mental Health Awareness night Friday, January 12 at Father Bauer Arena.
Just over a year after retiring the jersey of former Thunderbirds goaltender and UBC medical student
Laura Taylor, the T-Birds are asking for what's anticipated to be a big crowd to wear green to help promote and reduce the stigma of mental illness. The game is also a leadup to Bell Let's Talk day which is coming up on January 31.
The third-ranked Thunderbirds have won six of their last eight games, picking up at least a point in each while moving within a single point of the Canada West leading Manitoba Bisons.
The Cougars have a tentative two-point lead over Calgary for fifth and will be hungry after dropping their last three straight. The 'Birds and Cougars last met in October where the two split a weekend double header in Regina.
Puck drop for Friday night's mental health awareness game is 7:00 p.m. PT at Father Bauer with Saturday's rematch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT.
Last Action
The T-Birds earned back-to-back shutout wins over the visiting Calgary Dinos to open 2018 with 2-0 and 3-0 wins last Friday and Saturday.
Tory Micklash picked up her second shutout of the season Friday while
Amelia Boughn earned her third goose egg making 19 saves on Saturday.
Regina suffered two straight shutouts in Calgary at the hands of the Mount Royal Cougars. Regina picked up a single point in a 1-0 loss Friday before dropping Saturday's rematch 3-0.
By the Numbers
5 – UBC has five combined shutout victories through 18 games this season, tied with Calgary for the most in the conference. The 'Birds have allowed just 25 goals against, the second stingiest defence with only Saskatchewan allowing fewer with 24.
88 – The 'Birds have generated a total of 88 power play opportunities, the most in the Canada West. UBC has spent more time on special teams in general than any other having been on the kill a total of 98 times, killing off an impressive 88.8 percent of them.
Players to Watch
Hannah Clayton-Carroll (#22, F) – The third-year forward's breakout season continues, posting her first career three-point game (1G, 2A) in Saturday's 3-0 win over Calgary. Clayton-Carroll now leads UBC in both goals with nine and points with 12.
Mathea Fischer (#26, F) – Fischer assisted on Saturday's game-winner and scored an insurance marker for her third multi-point game of the season. The third-year forward from Norway has a team-leading nine assists and her 11 points has her on pace to set a new career high.
Coach's Take
With mental health awareness being near and dear to the hearts of everyone on the team, assistant coach
Mike Sommer says Friday night is about something much bigger than a game.
"The ability to talk to somebody if things aren't going great for you, we have a very open environment and encourage anyone to speak out about any issue relating to mental health," said Sommer who, along with the entire team, has been looking forward to showcasing their support. "This game is always one we circle on the calendar, we have a lot of players who are very active with various mental health initiatives and we want to be advocating for more people to be speak out to break the stigma and to know that it's okay to not be okay."
The T-Birds expect a motivated Regina team which, just like UBC, continues to jockey for playoff positioning as the home stretch of the season is on the horizon.
"There's a lot of parity within our league, this is a very strong conference, any team can win any given night," said Sommer. We're focussing on our details and putting in the work all week to put us in the best position to win this weekend, and we're treating this with a playoff mentality, every game is important."
