VANCOUVER – In yet another battle of two of the top teams in the country, the UBC Thunderbirds are set to host the defending Canada West champion Saskatchewan Huskies for the final home series of 2021 this Friday and Saturday, November 26th and 27th at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
It marks the first matchup between the No. 4 ranked T-Birds (6-1-1) and the No. 2 Huskies (7-1) since the 2020 conference championship series where Saskatchewan dispatched UBC in two games.
Plenty has changed since then, most notably the fact that mid-season the 'Birds and Huskies both find themselves near the top of the Canada West standings, albeit backed by two very different looking rosters.
What hasn't changed for UBC is the challenge the visitors from Saskatchewan provide.
"They got a big, physical, strong team that will finish you every time you have the puck," said UBC Head Coach Sven Butenschon. "It's a bit of a throwback team. They play on the edge. We'll have to be ready to make plays quickly, to take hits, give hits. We can't back down, we need to go toe-to-toe with these guys and see what happens."
With just two points separating the first place Huskies and fifth place Golden Bears heading into the penultimate weekend of the 2021 portion of the season, this weekend's series is not only a strong test of just where the T-Birds are at, but the points up for grabs could have major consequences come the post-season.
Both teams are coming off rare losses from last weekend, the T-Birds having dropped their first game in regulation by way of a 4-3 decision in Edmonton to the Golden Bears a night after falling 2-1 to Alberta in double overtime. The Huskies, meanwhile, saw their season-long win streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to the Dinos in Calgary.
After starting the season with a program record six straight wins, the T-Birds not only suffered their first losses of the season in Alberta, but also got a dose of what they can expect again this weekend in terms of their level of competition and the need to meet that level.
"We know how skilled Alberta is, but they showed us another level of work ethic we haven't seen from anybody yet this year," added Butenschon. "When you combine the skill and the work, the result is what you saw in the second period (on Saturday), they scored three. We tried to battle back but we just couldn't find one more goal. Both games were really tight, most of the guys rose to the occasion and brought their 'A' game but it still wasn't enough and we still have a lot of growth to do."
The T-Birds have been dominant on home ice so far in 2021, outscoring their opponents by a combined 14 goals through four games in Vancouver. But it's been some time now since UBC has notched a victory over the Huskies at Doug Mitchell, having lost their last four head-to-head meetings at home and their last nine overall including last season's Canada West semi-final series.
Puck drop Friday is 7:00 p.m. PT as the T-Birds gear up to face the Mike Babcock-coached Huskies for the first time.
Saturday's rematch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. PT, an afternoon which will also feature a special celebration of the 2021 UBC Sports Hall of Fame induction class just before puck drop.
Tickets are free for both games but must be reserved in advance and both will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.
