VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds started 2023 with a weekend sweep of the Saskatchewan Huskies after a convincing 6-0 win Saturday afternoon at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Cassidy Rhodes scored twice and added two assists while Elise Hugens made 21 saves – including two highlight reel stops in key moments of the game – for her third shutout of the season.

"To close (2022) against Regina we gave up two late shutouts for both of our goalies, late goals, sloppy goals," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "Everybody was really determined to make sure they finished this game strong for Elise."
UBC's second game back from the winter break was one of consistent and disciplined play. Strong defence lead to a barrage of offence for the T-Birds scorers, led by Rhodes' season high performance.



"She's so fast, so powerful, she's got a great release and she works really hard," said Thomas of the rookie Rhodes. "(She's a) very dedicated athlete so she deserves what she's getting out there."

The T-Birds (16-2-2) continued to score in bunches Saturday: Rhodes, Joelle Fiala, and Grace Elliott all extended their respective point-streaks to four games in the victory. Elliott has now scored a goal in four straight games.

It was a rough weekend for a Saskatchewan Huskies (12-7-3) team missing key pieces of their lineup. Goalie Camryn Drever, and defender Isabella Pozzi are both away representing Team Canada at the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid. Taylor Wilkinson, Kennedy Brown, and Mallory Dyer also did not suit up this weekend.



Huskies goalie Colby Wilson faced a barrage of shots with the T-Birds racking up 66 while outscoring the Huskies 9-1 over the weekend series. UBC now has four straight wins and 16 consecutive home-ice victories dating back to last season. The defending Canada West champions remain in first place in the standings with 34 points, just one ahead of the Alberta Pandas with playoffs looming.

"Down the stretch, we have to make correlations to playoff hockey. This is how we need to play, because it's going to get gritty and we have to make sure we stay focused."

The T-Birds will head to Winnipeg next weekend for their first road trip of 2023 starting Friday night against the Manitoba Bisons. The Huskies will head back home to Saskatoon where they'll host the Pandas.