VANCOUVER – For the first time in nearly a month, the UBC Thunderbirds are finally back on home ice this Friday, November 17 when they host the Saskatchewan Huskies for the first half of a two-game weekend series at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Fresh off a bye week and still in lone possession of first place in the Canada West, the 11-1 T-Birds put a 12-game home ice win streak on the line against the third-place Huskies who, like UBC, began the year with a lengthy win streak only to lose their last three straight.

"It's going to be a great test, Saskatchewan's always a tough out, they're having a great year," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon whose team hasn't lost a regular season or playoff game in Vancouver since last November. "They're right behind us in the in the standings, they've had some early success and they've done a great job recruiting, they've added some really solid pieces from the WHL and the SJHL. We're really excited, we haven't been on Doug Mitchell since opening weekend against Alberta so we're really excited to get back to some home cooking."



Indeed, the last three home games for UBC were played at neighbouring Father Bauer Arena; regardless of location however, the T-Birds have had a remarkable first two months of the Canada West season, currently ranked second in the nation while holding a three point gap in the conference standings over second place Calgary, four points clear of the Huskies.

Despite Saskatchewan's current skid, losing both games at home to the Dinos last weekend while splitting their previous series with Alberta, the Huskies have seen a bit of a resurgence in 2023 and present UBC's biggest home ice challenge since the season opening series against the Golden Bears.

"I think what's changed the last couple years is their depth," said Butenschon of this week's opponents. "They don't have Jared Dmytriw or (Connor) Hobbs on the back end who were dynamic gamechangers, but they've added four or five really solid players."

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Depth is the story of the T-Birds, too. Leading the conference in goals (65), goal differential (+36), power play (26.9%) and penalty kill (87.7%), UBC has four of the top ten Canada West scorers, led by second-year forward Sam Huo's 22 points.

Huo's linemates, Liam Kindree and Sasha Mutala, aren't far behind with 18 apiece. It's not just that trio who has been finding the back of the net with regularity, however. Chris Douglas, Scott Atkinson, and Ty Thorpe have combined for 10 points in the last four games while defenceman Jake Lee is putting up another outstanding season at both ends of the ice, currently boasting six goals and eight assists, tied with fellow blueliner Jonathan Smart for fourth in team scoring.

It's all a testament to a next-level work ethic throughout the dressing room.



"Coming from a pro background, I know what it takes to be a successful pro and what those teams look like," said Butenschon of the approach his team has adopted. "When you watch us practice and play, you can see we're a professional hockey team in the way we approach the game, the way we take care of ourselves off the ice and all those little things. You'd never know we were 11-1 because we're just constantly focussing on the process. If you want to have success at the end of the year, it just doesn't happen magically. Every day you have to focus on the process and get better. They've shown zero complacency. We worked really hard last week in the bye week, the guys dug in and went to work. We've never grinded a group this hard in my time here and it's only because they wanted it, they were asking for it, they can handle it."

While UBC may hold the edge over Saskatchewan in every major offensive category, the Huskies head to Vancouver with the hottest goaltender in the conference. Roddy Ross leads the Canada West with a .920 save percentage and a 1.81 goals against average.



With three weeks remaining before the December break, the T-Birds are anxious to get back at it, and there's no better test than a hungry group of Huskies looking to break back into the win column.

Puck drop Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is set for 7:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available now and the game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.