EDMONTON – Down 3-2 to the host Alberta Golden Bears in the third period, the UBC Thunderbirds scored twice in the final six minutes for the 4-3 win on Friday night at Clare Drake Arena.
Raymond Grewal scored his first of the season with five minutes left, before
Maxwell James potted the game-winner 1:56 later, his first Canada West goal, as the Thunderbirds snapped their two-game losing streak, all despite playing the game with just 16 skaters.
Chase Clayton and
Austin Vetterl also scored for UBC, while
Rylan Toth stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced in a fantastic performance. Golden Bears starter Zach Sawchenko made 17 saves in a game that was largely dominated by Alberta, including a 37-21 margin on the shot clock.
Steven Owre, Taylor Cooper and Brandon Magee scored for Alberta, who led three separate times. UBC, however, responded each time with tallies of their own, before the James game-winner late in the third. The Thunderbirds also leap the Bears in the standings, improving to 5-2, while Alberta slips to 4-3.
Owre opening the scoring nine minutes in. Off a cross-ice feed from Ryan Rehill, Owre quickly tapped in his second goal of the season between Toth's pads.
In a game that was built up as a battle between two of the best special teams units in the Canada West, each side went 0-2 on their respective power plays. The Thunderbirds did, however, get a shorthanded goal, which came early in the second period to tie the score.
Tanner Faith sprung Clayton for a breakaway, who deftly beat Sawchenko low blocker for his first of the season and fourth shorthanded marker of his career.
It didn't take Alberta long to restore their lead as Cooper blasted a wrister past Toth just five minutes later.
UBC's ability to respond, however, came forward once again, as Vetterl beat Sawchenko in tight just 24 seconds later to tie the game at 2-2. James used his speed to hustle in onto the puck in the corner, passed it to
Carter Popoff who worked it up the boards and then fed Vetterl who finished for his team-leading sixth of the season.
In his first game of the campaign, Magee's strong play finally resulted in a goal midway through the third, as he took a feed from Cooper in the slot, and snapped a bullet over the shoulder of Toth.
Once again, UBC quickly tied the game. Off a broken play in the Alberta zone, Grewal fired a quick back-hand spinning shot from the slot that surprised Sawchenko and beat the sophomore goalie.
Less than two minutes after that, James once again took advantage of sloppy Alberta play in their own zone, picking up a rebound off a
Jerret Smith shot and past a sprawling Sawchenko for the game winner.
James had his first multi-point night as a Thunderbird while Popoff had a pair of assists.
The 'Birds are now in sole possession of second place in the conference, two points back of the leading Saskatchewan Huskies.
UBC and Alberta will finish up their two-game series tomorrow night, with the rubber match scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT in Edmonton.
