Following a conference wide bye, the UBC Thunderbirds are ramped up and ready for yet another strong test as they head on the road to Saskatoon to face the No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies Friday and Saturday, November 9 and 10 at Merlis Belsher Place.

The 'Birds (4-2-1-1) had a couple weeks to ponder a difficult weekend series against the No. 4 Alberta Pandas, but that's only made for a more determined group. Only adding to the fire is the fact the Huskies ended the T-Birds 2017-18 season in the Canada West semifinals.



UBC had defeated the Huskies in the conference semis the year before and since then it's been a rather lopsided rivalry with Saskatchewan sweeping last year's season series as well as the best-of-three semifinal.

The 'Birds will look to turn a new page in their historic rivalry when the puck drops Friday night. Both Friday and Saturday's games begin at 5:00 p.m. PT.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds picked up a single point out of a home weekend doubleheader against the Pandas by way of a 3-2 shootout loss, ending a thrilling playoff type atmosphere at Father Bauer Arena. The Pandas followed up with a convincing 3-0 shutout win over UBC the following day.



Saskatchewan split a home-and-home series with the Regina Cougars, each team winning by way of a 2-0 shutout.
 

By the Numbers

88.2 – UBC's penalty kill has been spectacular to start the season, clicking at 88.2% despite having to kill the second highest number of penalties in the conference.

28 – The 'Birds are sending an average of 28 shots on opposition goaltenders so far this season, a much higher rate than what UBC has managed in the recent past. Shooting more has been a key focus for the 'Birds' offence this season and it seems to be paying off with the third highest goal total in the conference.
 

Players to Watch

Madison Patrick (#19, D) – A steady force on the UBC blue line, fifth-year defenceman Madison Patrick currently leads the T-Birds with a +7 rating, the second highest in the entire conference. In fact, Patrick has never finished a season with a minus rating, boasting a career +25 through 98 Canada West games.



Emily Costales (#11, F) – With three points in her last four games, the fifth-year forward from Vancouver has been logging heavy minutes in all situations for the 'Birds and has a +3 rating.
 

Coach's Take

The T-Birds took full advantage of the bye week, looking at plenty of video and tweaking parts of their game following a disappointing series against the Pandas.

"It was good for us to re-look at some things, and also get a bit of a break," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "It was hard going into a weekend off when you lose but it also forces you to look at yourself and the team and reflect on things that you want to adjust."



The major thing the 'Birds want to address going forward is playing with a consistent effort.

"As a coaching staff, and players as well, we weren't happy with the effort in that Saturday game and now that's our biggest focus," added Thomas who now faces a tough upcoming schedule to close out the first half of the season. "This is good for us, it will push us and we'll see how we stack up against some top ten teams."