EDMONTON – Hannah Koroll scored the lone UBC goal in the Thunderbirds' 7-1 loss to the host Alberta Pandas in the Canada West regular season opener for both teams Friday night at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.
 
Reigning Canada West Player of the Year Alex Poznikoff's three-point performance led the way for Alberta. The fifth-year Panda scored twice, while adding an assist, as the Pandas opened their conference title defence with an impressive home win.
 
Fellow 2019 CW All-Stars Autumn MacDougall and Kennedy Ganser also combined for five points, while team captain Cayle Dillon added three assists in the win. Madison Willan, Regan Wright, and Kiara Machry also scored for Alberta, who went 4-5 on the power play on Friday night.  
 
Koroll's goal came at 17:01 of the opening period, and it cut the Pandas' advantage to 2-1, with assists going to Tiffany Chiu and Mathea Fischer.
 
Starting Pandas goalie Kirsten Chamberlin stopped 20 of the 21 shots she faced, including eight of the nine shots she faced in the opening period. 

UBC opened the tilt with a flurry of opportunities. Chamberlin was forced to make a handful of key saves, as the visitors opened with a 9-2 shot advantage.
 
Willan broke the deadlock eight minutes in, blowing a rocket over T-Bird goalie Tory Micklash's shoulder. MacDougall and Poznikoff each scored power play goals in the first, propelling the Pandas to their two-goal edge. Poznikoff found the net just 1:22 after Koroll's goal for the T-Birds.
 
Poznikoff scored her second of the game midway through the second, while Machry and Wright both added tallies in the second period, to extend Alberta's lead to five.
 
The two rivals will close out their weekend series Saturday, with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. PT at Clare Drake Arena.