VANCOUVER – In their first game of the 2018-19 Canada West playoff schedule, the UBC women's hockey team utilized five different goal scorers in a 5-0 win over the visiting Regina Cougars Friday afternoon at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The T-Birds scored twice in the first, three times in the second period and utilized an effective penalty kill and strong defence and goaltending in the third period to take Game 1 of the best-of-three Canada West Quarter-Final series.

UBC goaltender Tori Micklash stopped all 17 shots she faced to earn her first career playoff shutout.

In the first period UBC was relentless in their pressure and Regina were not able to counter what the home team was directing at them. The pressure paid off 5:50 in to the opening frame, as senior Emily Costales collected a pass down the right wing and fired a shot on net from the circle that went off the stick of Cougars netminder Baker for a 1-0 lead.

Rookie Ashley McFadden who was second on the Thunderbirds scoring charts in the regular season got her playoffs off to a good start with a nice deflection after a goalmouth scramble. Logan Boyd made a couple moves down the right side and threw the puck on net, with the Cougars unable to get a handle to it. McFadden was there to connect for her first career Canada West playoff goal, giving the 'Birds a 2-0 lead. Boyd was rewarded for her hard work with an assist on the power play marker at 16:12 giving UBC a big advantage heading into the second frame. It was UBC's eighth power play goal in their last 16 opportunities. The hosts played a strong first period defensively, limiting Regina break outs and stopping them at the hash marks. UBC led in shot 10-5 after 20 minutes.
 

UBC head coach Graham Thomas spoke about his team's opening period.

"I thought we came ready to play, we knew that team was going to push back after we got by them last weekend," he said. "We did a good job of riding the pressure and getting a quick score and we did a great job of that."

The second period was much of the same for the Thunderbirds, as another senior in Madison Patrick got on the scoresheet, backhanding home a rebound in front to make it 3-0 2:06 into the second period. Boyd and Shay-Lee McConnell were on the assists. Five minutes later, the home side was at it again as some great offensive zone pressure paid off for the 'Birds. Kenzie Robinson fed Jenna Fletcher in the slot whose shot was stopped by Baker, but Emily Moore was on the doorstep to pot home the rebound for her first goal of the playoffs. Robinson and Fletcher got the assists at 6:59 of the second period, as the Thunderbirds went up 4-0.

The Thunderbirds remained in the Regina zone for most of the second period, finding fifth goal after a faceoff win inside the Cougars zone. Mathea Fischer won the draw and fed fourth-year forward Hannah Clayton-Carroll, who made a nifty move past a visiting player and went backhand-forehand in tight and went top corner on Jane Kish who replaced Morgan Baker in the Cougars net following the fourth UBC goal. Fischer got the lone assist at 10:16 of the second period, Clayton-Carroll's first of the playoffs and fourth goal in her last three games.

Regina had a good opportunity near the end of the second period, as Emily Middagh and Elise Endicott came in on a 2-on-1 inside the UBC zone. Endicott fed Middagh, who was stopped by T-Birds netminder Micklash.

Regina had a couple chances in third period through Ireland South, but Mickalsh, who was great all day long for the T-Birds, robbed her in front with a nice blocker save keeping her shutout intact. Both teams had seven shots in the final period, and Regina had two power play opportunities that the home team stifled.
 

Thomas commented on his team's mindset heading into tomorrow as they look to close out the series.

"We can enjoy this for a short amount of time, but we need to refocus and set our sights on tomorrow which is our biggest game, he said. "We can't worry about next weekend, tomorrow or anything else, we need to be focused and try and close it out."

Baker and Kish combined to deny 24 of 29 shots they faced.

Game 2 goes tomorrow at 4 p.m. PT at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.