HALIFAX – Back at the USPORTS National Championship for the second consecutive season, this time the UBC Thunderbirds will indeed have the opportunity to compete as they gear up to face the OUA Champion UQTR Patriotes in a quarter-final on Friday, April 1 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Just over two years ago, the T-Birds were less than 24 hours away from their first University Cup action in over 40 years when the tournament was abruptly cancelled due to the onset of the pandemic. This go around, there's a definite feeling of unfinished business as the 'Birds take their shot at capturing the first David Johnston University Cup in program history.
"It's kind of surreal, the world's changed so much, the team's changed, we've changed as people, and to come back here where it all started is a very strange feeling," said UBC Head Coach Sven Butenschon who has become the first bench boss in T-Birds history to guide his team to back-to-back U Cups. "But it's almost like a bit of destiny for us, can we come back here and finish the job?"
In what will be a weekend full of firsts, Friday's quarter-final game marks the first time the T-Birds and Patriotes will meet. UQTR earned the tournament's number three seed after winning the OUA championship in a single-game knockout format over Brock University. The Patriotes finished the regular season 10-3-2, defeating Carleton, Ontario Tech, and McGill along the way in the playoffs before securing their Queen's Cup title over the Badgers.
"It's a bit of a balance of, sure you got to know your opponent, what they're good at and what their strengths and weaknesses are, but really it's about your group and what can you do to get the most out of each player, out of each line, the D corps, the goalie," Butenschon explained. "As long as everyone brings their 'A' game and plays their best game of the year, you give yourselves a chance."
The 2022 University Cup is the fifth ever appearance for the T-Birds since the inaugural event back in 1963 when UBC lost the championship final to McMaster. UBC also found themselves at the national tournament in 1971 and 1977.
UQTR is far more familiar with the U Cup with 21 total appearances, tied with the Saskatchewan Huskies for the second most of any program in the country. Les Patriotes last made the trip in 2016 while they boast four national championship titles, their most recent coming in 2003.
But the past matters little now for either team whose lone focus is on advancing to one of Saturday's semifinals. And at this level, it's not just about the team playing for themselves, but representing alumni, fans, and the entire university. It's a whole community rallying behind them.
"Not to always talk about those fifth-year guys who were here a couple years ago, but you just think about what they've been through. To find ourselves back here, it's a huge credit to the older guys and the leadership in that dressing room. It's a huge credit to the culture of that team, the stuff that Jackson (assistant coach Jackson Playfair) and I try to implement every single day. The help from the alumni, the school, the administration, it's not a fluke or it's not luck that we're here, when you combine all those things we feel really supported by all of those people and that's why we're here."
Puck drop against the UQTR Patriotes in the U SPORTS National Championship quarter-final goes Friday at 7:00 p.m. AT/3:00 p.m. AT. The game will be streamed live on cbcsports.ca.
