CALGARY – A solid start later fell apart for the UBC Thunderbirds (10-8-0) as they dropped their second straight to begin 2019, suffering a 6-1 defeat to the Mount Royal Cougars (9-5-4) Saturday afternoon at Flames Community Arenas.

The Cougars scored twice on the power play and twice shorthanded to earn the weekend split and the season series split with UBC, while also moving two points ahead of the T-Birds in the race for a home ice playoff berth.

"We had a good start, we were dictacting play and drawing penalties but not only did we not score (on the power play) we gave up one shorthanded and lost a lot of momentum," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon. "It was another game where we didn't get a goal from a forward, it's going to be a tough week watching video and trying to fix the leaking holes."



Contrary to the night previous, UBC turned on the heat early in the opening period and tested the MRU backline that included a three-on-two break that saw Carter Popoff ring his shot off the post.

The Cougars' special team units were also forced to be on guard early in the game, finding themselves down a man twice in the first five minutes, but went on to finish the night a perfect 7-for-7 as the T-Birds got some good looks but couldn't execute.

MRU, however, began to turn their own gears and controlled much of the tempo inside the first period. The Cougars managed to find gaps in the UBC defence that led to multiple threatening chances that were denied by rookie goalie Patrick Dea.

His highlight save of the period came on the T-Birds' third power play of the period. Connor Rankin nicked a cross-ice pass and sprung himself on a shorthanded breakaway but his backhanded attempt was denied by the sprawling UBC goaltender who stopped 25 pucks in the loss.



A little later on the same penalty kill, the Cougars broke the deadlock when Zack Henry turned the jets on moments after the Rankin chance and found himself two-on-one with fellow fifth-year veteran David Stephens. Electing to hold until the final moment, he unleashed a perfectly placed snapshot up and over the blocker of Dea at 18:40 for his second goal on the season.

The Cougars kept the pressure on in the second, mounting momentum before Jamal Watson scored twice on the power play. First, sliding a rebound attempt in on Mount Royal's first man advantage of the game to double their lead. He then found the back of the net for the second time, two power plays later, rotating the blade of his stick upwards to deflect a Rankin shot on net for his sixth on the season.

Minutes later, the Cougars found the back of the net for the third time in the frame and the second time shorthanded when Jesse Lees carried the puck and elected to keep on a three-on-one break before rifling it in.



Up 4-0 after two, MRU's fifth goal of the game came from Stephens who finished off a give-and-go with Connor Chartier for his fourth of the season eight minutes into the third.

The T-Birds ended Riley Morris' shutout bid just past the nine minute mark of the final frame when captain Jerret Smith wristed the puck on a delayed power play for his seventh of the season. Popoff and Chase Clayton picked up the helpers.

But the 'Birds weren't able to close the gap any further as the Cougars added another goal in the dying seconds.

"We need to find a way to get our offence going," added Butenschon. "You got to work for your bounces and play the right way and then the bounces will go your way. Hopefully we can make a few adjustments and then next week the bounces will go our way."

The T-Birds will lick their wounds and return home where they will host the Alberta Golden Bears next Friday and Saturday, January 11 and 12 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. UBC enters their first home series of 2019 outside of a home playoff berth but just two points back of Mount Royal and three behind the third place Calgary Dinos.