The No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds are back at the Canada West Final Four tournament for the fourth straight season and will look to book a ticket to the U SPORTS national championship for the second time in three years in Langley this weekend.
The 'Birds open the Final Four, hosted by Trinity Western, Friday, November 2 when they play the No. 5 Calgary Dinos. The winner will advance to Saturday's gold medal match while also earning a berth at next weekend's national championship in Ottawa. UBC or Calgary will face the winner of the other Final Four semifinal between the host Spartans and the Alberta Pandas.
Friday's matchup marks the second meeting of the year between the 'Birds and Dinos after Calgary dispatched UBC 1-0 back on September 15. Immediately following that loss, the T-Birds went on a seven-game win streak and have won eight of their last ten games including last Sunday's Canada West quarter-final.
The last time UBC and Calgary met in the postseason was in the opening game of the 2015 national championship tournament where the host T-Birds earned a 1-0 victory before going on to win their seventh banner.
Kickoff between the 'Birds and Dinos is 3:00 p.m. PT at Langley's Chase Office Field.
Last Action
Danielle Steer scored twice and
Amelia Crawford had the game winner in a 3-1 UBC win over the UNBC Timberwolves in last Sunday's Canada West quarter-final at Thunderbird Stadium.
The Dinos advanced to the Final Four thanks to a 2-1 home field win over the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies.
By the Numbers
7 – This year's Final Four participants have accounted for the last seven conference championship titles. The T-Birds can boast two of those with the Spartans winning four while coming in as the defending champions. Alberta won the banner in 2013.
4 – UBC has won their last four postseason games against the Dinos. The last time Calgary earned a victory was back in 2005 when the Dinos defeated the 'Birds 1-0 on penalty kicks in the Canada West semi final.
Players to Watch
Danielle Steer (#17, F) – The only Thunderbird named a Canada West first team All Star, Steer kept her hot regular season going into the playoffs scoring twice and adding an assist in last Sunday's 3-1 quarter-final win over UNBC.
Michelle Jang (#13, F) – Finishing second on the 'Birds and tied for fourth in the conference with eight regular season goals, Jang and her 11 points was tops among all first-year players, helping the Calgary native win the Canada West Rookie of the Year award.
Coach's Take
While the T-Birds dropped their only meeting of the season with the Dinos, it was an incredibly close match and there's definitely a sense of confidence on UBC's side heading into Friday's semifinal.
"I do feel they're a team we match up well against," said UBC head coach
Jesse Symons who has led the 'Birds to the conference championship in each of his three years at the helm. "I expect a high tempo, high energy game. Overall it's what we're playing for, it's what they're playing for, so it should be an exciting match. It's going to come down to which team wants it and maybe which team has the ball bounce a bit for them, hopefully it does for us and we can be on our way to Ottawa."
The 'Birds saw their 2017 season end with a disappointing bronze finish, something that hasn't been lost on this year's squad.
"We still have a tough pill to swallow from this time last year, we're definitely excited to be back at Canada West Finals," added Symons. "It's a privilege to be there and we're hoping for a good performance right from kick off."
