EDMONTON – Less than 24 hours after needing double overtime to keep their win streak alive, the UBC Thunderbirds came out full of purpose and put their offence on full display Saturday scoring five times in the third period alone in a 9-0 rout over the MacEwan Griffins at Edmonton's Downtown Community Arena.
Josh Williams scored four times while six different skaters finished with multiple points while
Cole Schwebius made 22 saves to record second shutout of the season.
"Our third period last night and overtime were a very similar dynamic," said a very pleased UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon. "The challenge today was pretty simple, let's do that again for three periods and that's exactly what they did."
By the time the game was seven minutes old the T-Birds (16-6-2) already had themselves a 2-0 lead on goals from
Tian Rask and
Sasha Mutala.
Midway through the second, Williams made it a 3-0 T-Birds lead with his sixth of the season after springing himself on a breakaway. The rookie forward lifted the stick of a Griffins defenceman to steal the puck and turned on the jets to head up ice. His initial shot glanced off MacEwan goaltender Ashton Abel and bounced hard off the end boards back in front where Williams deflected it into the net.
Williams scored his second of the game seven minutes later at the 16:41 mark.
Jack Wismer faked a shot from the slot, spun around and backhanded the puck which found its way to Williams at the side of the crease.
Mutala found the back of the net for his second of the game just 41 seconds into the third, deflecting a
Sam Huo shot in tight, making it clear the T-Birds had no intention of taking their foot off the gas.
Williams completed his first Canada West hat trick at the 11:45 mark on a one-timer from the slot off a beautiful backhand feed from
Jake Kryski.
Frustrated after a humbling night, the Griffins (8-15-1) filled the penalty box late in the third after a hit from behind penalty led to a fracas. After the MacEwan initiated scrum was broken up, UBC found themselves on a four-on-3 power play where Kryski scored his first of the season, just three games into his return from injury, rifling the puck short side on a perfectly placed shot.
Still on the man advantage, Williams tucked home his fourth of the game just inside the final minute, the first four-goal game for a T-Bird since former captain Jerret Smith managed the feat in December of 2018.
Rask scored his second of the game with 5.3 seconds remaining for good measure as the 'Birds cruised to their eighth straight victory, now just one point behind third place Mount Royal.
"Last Saturday against Manitoba, we talked about our third period, and how we just found another gear, we had so much jam, we had so much energy and I think because we're so deep this year, the ice is spread out and by the time the third period rolls around we're all rolling, we're all into the game," added Butenschon whose team put together a true 60 point effort Saturday. "I don't know if it's a conditioning thing or just better management by the players preparing for the games but I don't think I've ever seen a team since I've been here play so well in the second half of the second game on back-to-back weekends."
Schwebius' shutout gives him five wins on the season in what his coach called his best game to date.
"I loved his game today, loved his game. From rebound control to communicating with his defencemen, to fighting through screens and playing aggressive and making himself look big in net while the other team's coming down on him was very impressive. I thought it was his best game of the year."
With four games left in the regular season and needing just one more point to secure home ice for the Canada West quarter-finals, the rolling T-Birds will now get set to face the Trinity Western Spartans for a home-and-home series next week starting Thursday in Langley and culminating Friday night with the return of the Winter Classic.
Tickets for the big game on February 3 are available now.
