PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Amelia Crawford scored her first career hat trick, while Michelle Jang and Alyssa Hunt each had a brace and an assist, to lead the UBC Thunderbirds to a 7-0 shutout of the Northern BC Timberwolves Friday night in Prince George, B.C.
 
The T-Birds, ranked eighth in U SPORTS, got on the board just three minutes into the match, when Crawford was sent in and beat UNBC keeper Madi Doyle short side from just inside the box. It was the first goal of the season from Crawford, but she was just getting started.
 
Fifteen minutes later, Crawford was the one to double the Thunderbird advantage when she streaked in and fired one home from inside ten yards, making it 2-0 UBC.
 
"That was important. Scoring early was a big thing for us, coming in," said Crawford postgame. "Making sure we get those early goals, so we don't have to stress later in the game, and knowing that if we get one, the rest will come."
 
Before the end of the half, Jang got in on the scoring, adding a pair of her own, her fourth and fifth goals of the season, to make it 4-0 at half.
 
"UBC is a good team. We have to be at our best and take care of the ball if we are playing a team like this," said UNBC coach Neil Sedgwick. "We didn't do that at the start of the game. They came at us, they put us under a lot of pressure, and we really have to be at our best when we play teams like these."
 

Sedgwick used the opportunity to utilize much of his bench, looking to his bench for some energy, and giving some younger players a chance to play some valuable minutes.
 
"It gives them an opportunity, and to put them in against UBC is a great experience," said Sedgwick. "We saw some good things from the young players."
 
The Thunderbirds also made a number of subs, but kept pressing the home side, often pinning the Timberwolves deep in their own third. The T-Wolves did threaten on a few occasions, but it was the visitors who tacked on to their lead by capitalizing on some turnovers.
 
"We are a really deep team, so you know if someone is coming off, you know the next person is going to be giving just as much effort," said Crawford. "A really big theme for us has been consistency."
 
Hunt was the recipient of a pair of Sophie Damian passes, converting both to extend the lead, before Crawford completed the hat trick by converting a penalty kick in the 79th minute.
 
"In training this week, we talked about what we thought would work in this game," said the three-goal-scorer. "We talked about getting around, and I think we prepared well. I felt confident, and it felt good to get it done."
 
UNBC keeper Madi Doyle was tested throughout the match, making 15 saves on 22 shots on goal, while UBC netminders Emily Moore and Sarah Johns split the clean sheet.
 
With the defeat, the T-Wolves fall to 1-4-2, while the Thunderbirds improve to 6-2-0.
 
"The positive is the fact that we just had a team discussion about letting this one go, and everyone truly understood the message," said Sedgwick postgame. "The culture of this group is they are mature as a program, so they'll let this go and be ready for Sunday." 
 
UBC will head to Edmonton for an 11 a.m. PT game on Sunday against the MacEwan Griffins.