VANCOUVER – Following a wild, compressed regular season, the UBC Thunderbirds open the 2021 Canada West playoffs Sunday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium when they welcome the Calgary Dinos for a quarter-final matchup.
It marks the first time the two cross-mountain rivals have met since the T-Birds (4-2-6) defeated Calgary (4-2-4) in the 2019 conference championship game. Another win for UBC Sunday would get them one step closer to their goal of securing a fourth consecutive Canada West title and another trip to the national tournament.
"A crazy last weekend is a fitting end to what's been a pretty rollercoaster ride of a season for us and for many teams," said UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher, a nine-time conference champion. "But, it's the playoffs, it's a blank slate from here. We're happy we get to host a home game but there's no easy games at this time of year. We've certainly gone through our fair share of adversity through this year and you'd hope that those experiences allow for learning opportunities, but I guess we'll find out."
The long-time T-Birds coach kids not about the level of adversity UBC has faced in 2021, particularly when it comes to injuries. But that only tested the team's depth and while perhaps through a trial by fire, it gave some critical experience to younger players that can only benefit in the long run.
"I think the morale and the relentlessness of the group to remain focussed upon each game and each weekend has been pretty good," added Mosher. "Despite some of the significant bumps along the road that we've taken on our path this year, we've always maintained that we control our destiny and that the goals of trying to win a conference championship and get ourselves to nationals and do well there, those remain the same and well within our control."
The aforementioned rollercoaster last weekend alone saw the 'Birds drop a 2-0 decision at Victoria Friday night followed by a 4-0 win Saturday in their biggest margin of victory all season. UBC then got some rare fortune handed their way on Sunday when the UNBC Timberwolves defeated Thompson Rivers which kept the 'Birds in the second West division seed, enabling them to host the quarter-final.
Despite their similar regular season records, the T-Birds and Dinos advanced to the post-season in very different ways. UBC led the division with 20 goals on the year while Calgary conceded just eight goals through 10 games.
"There'll be some familiar faces for sure, a few from what we saw in the 2019 Canada West championship game. Having seen them on video, they're a big side, relatively physical side, and they'll come and get after it, there's no doubt about that."
Kickoff for the first win or go home match of the year for the T-Birds is set for 1:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, October 31st at Thunderbird Stadium. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance. The game will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.
