VANCOUVER, BC - A sentimental pre-game celebration honouring UBC seniors sparked a significant 6-1 win over the visiting Regina Cougars inside Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. With this Saturday afternoon win, the Thunderbirds earn a first-round bye and will host a Canada West Semifinal playoff series.
"Our team's really deep," explained UBC Head Coach
Graham Thomas. "We can move players into the lineup and know that they'll step up. It's good to have that depth, it's the strength of our team."
After a frustrating Friday night loss that saw the T-Birds spray 41 shots on net, the Cougars shuffled the deck and gave first year Natalie Williamson her first career start.
The second game of the weekend welcomed more physical play, which benefited the T-Birds as they muscled their way into creating consistent opportunities from the drop of the puck. Grace Elliot got the 'Birds on the board half-way through the opening period by re-directing a crisp pass from
Sierra LaPlante to take the 1-0 lead.
"It was huge to get the first goal, it helped us gain some confidence," said Thomas. "Their team plays well so to come out and take the lead was big. It was an emotional start so it really settled our nerves."
Hungry for more, Elliot dropped a soft dime to
Karine Sandilands who buried UBC's second goal of the period to go up 2-0.
Besides a couple of early Regina penalties, the second period was full of long stretches of play that led to ultra-competitive battles. With just over five minutes to play,
Chanreet Bassi pushed the puck past her defender to find a streaking
Joelle Fiala who shelved her fourth of the season.
In a game that was already out of reach, the T-Birds scored three additional goals before the Cougars finally capitalized on a power play. Lilla Carpenter-Boesch maneuvered her way into space and slapped a line drive over
Elise Hugens shoulder to spoil her shutout. It was a lone bright spot of the game for the visiting team, who will now prepare for the first round of Canada West playoffs.
"The third period was more of our game," added Thomas. "We started playing better and finishing more chances. We're happy with the playoff hockey we started playing in the third."
The win earned UBC a first-round bye and the advantage of hosting a three-game Semifinals series on the weekend of March 4th.
Game highlights:
