CALGARY – Kyle Becker scored the only goal for the UBC Thunderbirds who suffered a second consecutive 4-1 loss to the Mount Royal Cougars, tagged with the weekend sweep at Flames Community Arenas.

It was a tough start for the 'Birds Saturday afternoon as Mount Royal scored three times on their first five shots for what proved to be too deep a hole to dig out of.

"We played with a bit of a chip on our shoulder but unfortunately they got a couple bounces their way early and they buried them," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon whose club was forced to chase the game early. "We ran into some penalty trouble and got frustrated and spent too much energy killing penalties and again, we just couldn't find the back of the net."



Cougars forwards Brad Kennedy and Connor Chartier set the pace with each scoring twice by the early point of the second while the Thunderbirds dominated the third. 

Mount Royal goalie Riley Morris made a total of 22 saves while Rylan Toth made 20 after coming in to relieve Patrick Dea.

The Cougars took an early lead as Kennedy swept past Dea to earn his third goal of the season at the 4:35 mark of the opening frame.

Just a minute later, Chartier received a pass from Nolan Yaremko and fired it into the net.



Barely giving UBC time to breathe, Kennedy once again capitalized on a prime opportunity, giving the Cougars a 3-0 lead. 

Both teams traded shots throughout the second, struggling for control of the ice. Morris had made 15 saves by the end of the period.

With just two minutes remaining in the period, Chartier rebounded a pass from Jamal Watson into the net to make it a four goal Cougar advantage.

Halfway through the third, T-Birds defenceman Kyle Becker scored his second of the season, earning the visitors a spot on the board.



"In the third period, we mixed the lines up and challenged the whole group," said Butenschon who liked the response he saw in the final 20 minutes. "Everyone went out and worked really hard and every line got scoring chances but unfortunately we still couldn't finish."

As the game approached the final buzzer, UBC pushed to get another one on the board, but Morris had other plans and deflected any further attempts made. 

The 'Birds will head home to regroup before heading back on the road next weekend to face the top-ranked Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton.