With four wins in their last five games and riding a six-game point streak, the UBC Thunderbirds head into hostile territory as they face the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday and Saturday, November 1^st and 2^nd in Saskatoon.

The 'Birds (4-2-0-2) have put a rough opening weekend behind them and have since outscored the opposition by a 12-6 margin, climbing into fifth place in the Canada West standings and just two points out of first.

It's a log jam from first through sixth nearly a third through the season meaning every single game is of the utmost importance.



UBC won the season series last year against the Huskies (4-2-1-1) with three wins and an overtime loss. The 'Birds have won three in a row over Saskatchewan after having failed to secure a victory in their previous seven meetings.

Puck drop Friday at Merlis Belsher Place is 5:00 p.m. PT with Saturday's rematch also set for 5:00 p.m.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds completed their first series sweep of the season last weekend with a pair of shutout wins over the Manitoba Bisons. Tory Micklash made a combined 27 saves picking up her second and third goose eggs of the year.



Saskatchewan swept their weekend series in Calgary with 3-1 and 1-0 wins over the Dinos. The Huskies split their first three weekends of the season.
 

Players to Watch

Tory Micklash (#31, G) – Having started each game for the T-Birds so far this season, three of Micklash's four wins have come via a shutout. With 38 career wins, the fourth-year from Manitoba needs just one more to tie the program record.



Hannah Clayton-Carroll (#22, F) – Leading the 'Birds with three goals, the fifth-year from Vancouver earned her 50^th career point last weekend when she scored in the third period of Friday's 3-0 win over Manitoba.
 

Coach's Take

After conceding a combined 14 goals against the Pandas in their season opening series, the T-Birds have been solid defensively allowing just six goals against since.

"One of the foundations of our team is from the back-end out, supporting our goaltenders and committing to playing defence first hockey so I think we're really starting to find our groove that way," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "On the flip side, we want to get rid of these one-goal game situations. We need to start focussing on offence, entries, ways to create more offence and capitalize on more opportunities."



The Huskies boast the league's second best power play and third-ranked penalty kill. The 'Birds have been improving on both but it's expected special teams will be an even bigger factor than usual this weekend.

"It's going to be a special teams battle for us, our PK and power play need to be sharp," added Thomas who also emphasizes the need to embrace the challenge and opportunity in front of them. "It's a great barn to play in, it's brand new, it's fun to play there and play a fast, physical team. It's going to be a fun weekend series."