VANCOUVER – For the first time in three years the UBC Thunderbirds Men's Hockey Team is gearing up for the start of a full 28-game Canada West regular season which gets underway Friday night against the Calgary Dinos at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Not only does Friday night mark the start of a new season, in many ways it's the start of a new era for the T-Birds with a new captain, a pair of new goaltenders, and a crop of exciting new recruits full of potential. But one thing hasn't changed for UBC, and that's the expectation to get back to the U SPORTS National Championship for a third straight season, and do some serious damage once they get there.
"We got a taste of it, we didn't finish the job. It's a long season and you don't want to get ahead of yourself but that's the bar and we've got some unfinished business to take care of," said UBC Head Coach Sven Butenschon, now in his seventh season leading the blue and gold, his first in six years without the likes of former captain Tyler Sandhu and last year's U SPORTS Goaltender of the Year, Rylan Toth. "I think for the fans and alumni and everybody that comes out, it'll be a bit of a different team. It's going to be an exciting group, bigger, stronger, I think it's a better skating group, and now I think it's a matter of how quickly you can adjust to this level of hockey and come together as a unit."
The first real test of the new campaign comes after three weeks of preseason featuring six games culminating in a 1-1 trip to Edmonton last week with a 5-3 loss to the reigning conference champion Alberta Golden Bears followed by a 3-2 win over the MacEwan Griffins.
With a total of 12 new additions to the roster, it was naturally going to take some time for gelling to occur, but as the T-Birds head into the regular season, the feeling is they're absolutely ready to roll.
"It's been a busy month, we've had lots of fun, we've worked on tons of things as a group and individuals, the guys getting comfortable with school stuff, so a lot's been thrown at them and we've seen some good progress with systems, with special teams," added Butenschon. "But you never really know with preseason. We had two competitive games up in Edmonton against Alberta and Grant MacEwan which is exactly what you want this time of year. Once Friday night rolls around and puck drop, it's going to be intense, it's going to be aggressive, it's going to be physical, it'll be two teams out there who are trying to establish themselves in this league."
The Dinos saw their 2021-22 season end at the hands of the Golden Bears in the conference semifinal after despatching the Saskatchewan Huskies in three games in a quarter-final series. UBC and Calgary played each other just twice last year with each team picking up a win, continuing what's been a very tightly contested rivalry between the two with four of their last eight meetings needing overtime or a shootout.
Ranked third in the Canada West preseason coaches poll, the internal expectations for the T-Birds are certainly higher, and for good reason. UBC is the only team in the conference to have made it to the last two Canada West Finals and the University Cup. After falling to the Bears in the conference final series, the 'Birds took the eventual U SPORTS champion UQTR Patriotes to double overtime in their U Cup quarterfinal. It's all left the team confident they will be back, and hungry for another shot.
"For me personally, a home opening weekend is my favourite weekend of the year, there's so much buzz and excitement and question marks all around for everybody, so real excited. I know the boys will be amped up and hopefully we can put on a good show for the fans."
Puck drop for Friday's season opener is set for 7:00 p.m. PT at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Tickets are available now and the game will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.
