The UBC Thunderbirds are about to embark on perhaps their toughest three week schedule of the entire season, kicking off with a weekend first-place showdown series with the Pronghorns November 15^th and 16^th in Lethbridge.

Riding a four-game win streak, the T-Birds (5-2-1-2) find themselves in a tie for first in the Canada West with the Pronghorns (6-3-0-1) making for an early season litmus test for both squads.

The 'Horns have dropped two of their last three games but still enter the weekend with the conference's second most potent offence and as the most dangerous team 5-on-5.



UBC isn't likely to be intimidated, however, as the 'Birds have hit their stride with points in eight straight games while allowing just two goals over the course of their current four-game win streak.

Puck drop for Friday's battle for first place is set for 6:00 p.m. PT at Lethbridge's Nicholas Sheran Ice Centre. Sunday's rematch goes at 12:00 p.m. PT.
 

Last Action

Prior to last week's bye, the 'Birds swept a weekend series with the Huskies in Saskatoon. Tory Micklash stopped 40 combined shots including an 18-save shutout as she set a new program record with her 40^th Canada West win.



The Pronghorns split a home-and-home series with the Mount Royal Cougars last weekend. Lethbridge earned a 3-1 win at home on Friday but suffered their first shutout loss of the season the following day in Calgary.
 

Players to Watch

Tory Micklash (#31, G) – Now the Thunderbirds' all-time wins leader, Micklash is tied for the conference lead in victories this season with six, and her four shutouts leads all goaltenders in the Canada West.

Rylind MacKinnon (#55, D) – Leading all T-Bird defencemen with a +4 rating, MacKinnon has been a consistent performer at both ends of the ice for UBC, contributing a goal and three assists so far this season, all coming on the power play.
 

Coach's Take

Sometimes a bye week doesn't come at the best of times, especially when a team is rolling like the T-Birds have been. But UBC took full advantage of the break from Canada West play in an effort to stay energized for the next three weeks.

"We got some rest in, we got some productive practicing and team building in so I think we got everything out of it we needed to," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas.



If you look at the first week of the season in which the 'Birds were hammered in Alberta, and contrast those results with every weekend since, it's a stark contrast. According to the bench boss, it just took some hard work and buy-in to quickly turn things around. But that resiliency could really be put to the test against a very strong Pronghorns team.

"They have a hot goalie and they have a new coach, it'll be a good matchup and a good challenge for us but we're ready," added Thomas. "We're playing a good brand of hockey and we're very confident with how we're playing so we just have to keep at it no matter who we're playing and not worry about it being a battle for first place."