LETHBRIDGE - With overtime looming for the second night in a row, the UBC Thunderbirds (13-4-3-2) received a goal from an unlikely source and completed the weekend sweep of the Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-14-2-3) with a close 2-1 decision.
 
With just over two minutes remaining, Thunderbird Alexa Ranahan picked an opportune time to score her first goal of the season. On a wild goalmouth scramble, Ranahan somehow picked the puck out of the crowd and jammed home the go ahead goal.
 
The win assures the Thunderbirds keep pace with the Manitoba Bisons for top spot in the conference. The loss is an eighth straight for the Pronghorns and their 12th one goal loss of the season. 
 


With three weekends to play in the Canada West season, the Pronghorns remain seven points out of the final playoff spot while the 'Birds have clinched a berth in the post-season for a sixth straight year.
 
"We had a lot of players step up throughout the weekend, others playing through injuries," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas who saw his team secure five out of a possible six points against a desperate Pronghorns team. "It's a tough place to play and we have to give them a ton of credit, they just worked so hard and played a strong team game, they came at us really hard."
 
Freshman Alli Borrow scored the lone goal for the Pronghorns, while Cassandra Vilgrain scored the other T-Birds goal.
 
In what turned out to be a goaltending duel, Pronghorn starter Alicia Anderson made 30 saves in the loss, while her counterpart Amelia Boughn stopped 24 of 25 shots for her sixth win of the season.
 
Building off a 3-2 shootout win from Friday night, UBC jumped on Lethbridge early, opening the scoring only 1:20 into the game. Vilgrain drove to the net, jumping on a Hannah Clayton-Carroll rebound and chipped the puck over Anderson. The goal was Vilgrain's sixth of the season.
 


After a slow start, the Pronghorns found their legs in the second half of the opening period but struggled to get pucks through to Boughn. Shots through 20 minutes favored UBC 11-8.
 
Similar to Friday night's game, the Pronghorns would bring the game even in the second period. Sprung on a breakaway, Borrow beat Boughn for the only goal in an entertaining second period.
 
Both teams had their chances in the third to take the lead but both goaltenders continued their exceptional play keeping the game tied into the final minutes of the period.
 
Despite pulling Anderson for the extra attacker the Pronghorns were unable to find the equalizer in the final two minutes.
 
"I think it's a good reminder of how tight our league is and good our league is," said Thomas after a pair of extremely close games. "We have to get back to our habits and being sharp and focussed as we have a huge weekend next weekend."
 
The task doesn't get any easier for the Pronghorns as they travel to Edmonton next weekend to take on the U SPORTS' top ranked Alberta Pandas. UBC will head out on the road next weekend, traveling to Saskatoon to face the Saskatchewan Huskies.