CALGARY – The UBC Thunderbirds needed nearly 10 full minutes of extra time, but Celine Tardif's late double overtime winner secured their first road win of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Mount Royal Cougars at Flames Community Arena Friday night.
 
"Our senior players really stepped up tonight but so did our freshmen who played in their first overtime game," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "It wasn't our best and we need to be more consistent but we found a way to win and sometimes that's what it takes."
 
Playing in their home opener, the Cougars opened scoring on the power play just past the five minute mark of the first period on the first shot of the game from Daria O'Neil.
 
The 'Birds answered back at the 12:47 mark when veteran forward Mathea Fischer fired a rocket past Cougars netminder Zoe De Beauville.
 


In the second, both teams had chances but UBC's Amelia Boughn and MRU's De Beauville both made fantastic saves to keep the score tied 1-1 heading into the third.
 
In the final period tensions on the ice culminated in a group argument in front of the Cougars net resulting in another penalty for forward Kate Scidmore. With less than 10 minutes left on the clock and the Cougars down two players, the Thunderbirds' fate looked optimistic. But De Beauville did her job well, protecting her net.
 
With neither team able to secure another goal, both collected a point and fought for another one as the game entered overtime. The Cougars tried desperately to ram a puck into the net and were thwarted again and again by Boughn. De Beauville held her own as well as neither goalkeeper let anything sink past them.


 
The Thunderbirds nearly ended the game early in double overtime off a breakaway from the opening face off. But it was on a 4-on-3 power play that Tardif scored to get UBC their second consecutive win.
 
The two teams will rematch Saturday at the Flames Community Arena with puck drop at 2:00 p.m. PT.