Looking to claim their third consecutive Canada West championship, the UBC Thunderbirds host the conference final four tournament Friday and Saturday, November 1
st and 2
nd, while also aiming to clinch a berth at the U SPORTS national championship for a fifth straight season.
The fifth-ranked 'Birds host the Saskatchewan Huskies in the prime time slot at Thunderbird Stadium Friday night in one of two semifinals with the winner advancing to Saturday's gold medal game against either the Calgary Dinos or the Mount Royal Cougars.
UBC and Saskatchewan haven't faced each other since last September when the 'Birds played to a 3-0 victory in Saskatoon. Friday night will also mark the first post-season meeting between the two since the 2015 conference quarter-final with UBC also earning a clean sheet win.
The T-Birds have been rolling having dropped just one decision in their last 12 games overall, their only blemish coming in the final week of the regular season after clinching first place in the division.
With clean sheets in four of their last five games including last weekend's quarter-final win over Alberta, the 'Birds are looking as dangerous as they have at any point of the season. But the Huskies enter Friday night's semifinal as the hottest team in the Canada West, working on a seven-game win streak after starting the season with just one victory in their first eight games.
Kickoff for Friday night's Canada West semifinal is 7:00 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium. The winner advances to the gold medal match at 7:00 p.m. Saturday with the bronze scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
Last Action
The T-Birds advanced to the final four with a 1-0 quarter-final victory over the Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday.
Jordan Haynes scored on an incredible corner kick that curled perfectly into the far side of the net.
Saskatchewan advanced to their first final four appearance since 2014 with a 2-0 win at home over the Victoria Vikes. Tobias Hyrich-Kruege scored twice while Huskies keeper Marcus Baxter made six saves.
Players to Watch
Victory Shumbusho (#9, F) – The third-year forward led the entire conference in regular season goals with ten and was named a first team Canada West All-Star for the second time. Last season, Shumbusho scored three times in the Canada West playoffs to help lead UBC to a record 19
th championship.
Thomas Gardner (#26, F) – Gardner has picked up some serious steam in the second half of the season with two goals in UBC's final four regular season games. The North Vancouver native finished with seven points, second in team scoring. The 2018 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year was named a first team conference All-Star for the second consecutive season.
Coach's Take
Hosting the Canada West final four for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five means the entire roster, save for the rookie class, has familiarity with the stakes this weekend and what it takes to get back to the national championship.
"As you go into conference championships, it can't hurt," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher on the value of experience. "We've got some of our guys in fifth year who have been in Canada West finals and nationals every year. You bring in guys like Jackson (Farmer) and Jordan (Haynes) and they've played in significant games too."
The 'Birds earned the right to host the conference championship thanks to a strong regular season and they fully intend to take advantage of their own field. But as the veteran boss says, you still have to come out on the right side at the end.
"You got to go and win your games regardless of who you play and where you play, but we're good at home, we're comfortable here," added Mosher.
Last week's quarter-final saw the Huskies play back quite a bit in an effort to stifle UBC's potent attack, and it's a tactic the T-Birds can possibly expect the rest of the way.
"We've seen a lot of teams drop against us this year so we're prepared for that. Saskatchewan is a team we didn't play this year, but we'll be ready for anything. They'll be well coached, a technical team and well organized to defend."
