WINNIPEG – Two goals for the UBC Thunderbirds in the second period sealed a 4-3 win against the Manitoba Bisons Friday night at Wayne Fleming Arena.
After falling down by a goal early, the 'Birds scored twice within a four minute span early in the second period and held off a surging home squad to bump a three game losing skid and move back above the .500 mark.
"We started off pretty slow, I was a little disappointed in our start, we didn't insert ourselves into the game early enough for me but then in the second period we just turned it to another level," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon. "We had 15 shots on net, probably 10 from the middle of the ice, lots from right in front of the goalie which means you're getting to the important areas. Their goalie kept them in it but we stuck to the game plan and found a way to win."
The visitors outshot the Bisons 35-25 including a 15-6 margin in the second period.
Maxwell James pushed UBC's lead to 3-1 in the third with a shorthanded goal just over eight minutes in with T-Birds netminder
Rylan Toth picking up the lone assist. Toth finished the game with 22 saves and his fifth win of the season.
UBC's two-goal lead didn't last long, however, as Jonah Wasylak snapped a wrister into the T-Birds' net assisted by Nick Zajac, giving Manitoba a renewed purpose with nine minutes left in the frame. The Bisons then tied the game with a shorthanded marker of their own on a tape-to-tape pass from Zajac to Keaton Jameson with just three minutes remaining.
With overtime looming,
Josh Connolly answered the Bison goal less than a minute later sending UBC back into the lead and securing them the win. The goal was assisted by
Adam Rossignol and
Austin Glover.
UBC surged ahead early in the second, with two goals coming in the first five minutes of play. The T-Birds came back from intermission with a calculated energy unmatched by the Bisons.
Matt Revel snapped a rebound into the net on UBC's first goal. The assists went to
Chase Clayton and
Devan Fafard.
Manitoba struggled to get the puck on their sticks which led to an intercepted cross-ice pass.
Carter Popoff chucked the puck deep into the back pocket of the Bison net after a scramble in front. Revel and Clayton assisted on the goal to put the 'Birds ahead.
With the win, the Thunderbirds break their three-game losing streak and improve their record to 6-5-0 while Manitoba falls to 2-9-0, their eighth straight loss.
Both teams will face each other again Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena.
"If we don't come tomorrow ready to play, the game might be lost in the first ten minutes," said Butenschon. "They've got pride, they've been on a losing skid, so I expect them to come out guns ablazing in the first ten minutes, so we can't be complacent and we can't be satisfied with the split, we need to do whatever it takes to get the win tomorrow."
Puck drop Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PT.
