VANCOUVER – Scoring the final five goals of the game, the Saskatchewan Huskies ended a three-game losing skid by handing the UBC Thunderbirds their first home ice loss in nearly a full calendar year, 6-2 Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
The T-Birds (11-2) took a 2-1 lead with less than two seconds on the clock in the first period after
Scott Atkinson scored UBC's second power play goal of the frame. But the Huskies (10-3) stormed back to score three times in the second to re-take the lead for good.
"We just didn't have it. When your top players look like they're skating in quicksand and can't make plays, it's usually a red flag that the rest of the group doesn't have it either," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon. "They played great and they kind of beat us in all facets. They got through our D, they broke out, they battled us, they blocked a lot of shots, we took too long to get our shots off. Their goalie made some solid saves to keep them in it at times. Very impressed with their performance and we were not good."
Coming out of their bye week, the T-Birds came ready to play, owning control of the puck in the opening moments while peppering Roddy Ross early and often.
But the game's opening goal came against the flow when Raphael Pelletier's wrister got past UBC goaltender
Kaeden Lane's blocker just 2:26 into the period.
Justin Ball nearly doubled the visitors' lead midway through the period when his shot from in tight rang off the nearside post before
Ryan Pouliot was able to skate it out of harm's way.
UBC tied the game on the power play at the 12:11 mark with
Liam Kindree's team-leading ninth of the season. The third-year winger settled the puck at the top of the left circle and wristed the puck clean through traffic and past Huskies netminder Roddy Ross.
The 'Birds made it 2-for-2 on the man advantage with Atkinson's fifth.
Jake Lee's backhander from the slot was stopped by Ross who couldn't control the rebound. Atkinson grabbed the puck and roofed it with a backhander of his own to take the lead with just 1.9 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Instead of picking up that momentum and running with it in the second, the T-Birds saw the Huskies slowly take control through the middle period.
Chantz Petruic tied the game 2-2 just 1:47 into the second with some pretty hand-eye coordinator, batting the puck out of mid air and into the net. Lane made a save off a Cade Hayes shot from the high slot, but Petruic was waiting at the side of the crease for his fifth of the season.
With 8:14 remaining in the second, the Huskies re-took the lead when a quick transition led to an odd-man rush up ice. Carter Stebbings had a wide open net for his sixth of the season, converting on Liam Keeler's pass across the slot.
Much like the T-Birds got a big boost in the dying seconds of the first, the Huskies did the same in the second when Vince Loschiavo's one-timer from the slot squeaked past Lane, his seventh of the season. Petruic made a nice pass out in front to pick up his second point of the game as Saskatchewan took the 4-2 lead into the break.
Two minutes into the third while skating four aside, Josh Pillar was called for hooking, giving UBC a rare 4-on-3 power play for 1:20, a big opening to cut into the two goal deficit. But despite a couple good looks, the man advantage, which was red hot to start the game, couldn't convert.
Just moments after UBC's power play expired, the Huskies were given one of their own and took little time to execute as Cole Jordan scored on a one-timer blast from the point.
Down three with 4:08 on the clock, the 'Birds got another crack at the power play, and a last chance to claw out of their deficit. With 3:32 remaining, Lane headed to the bench for the 6-on-4 advantage but the T-Birds weren't able to solve Ross and the Huskies' penalty kill.
Dawson Holt hit the empty net in the final minute to officially seal the deal for Saskatchewan who earned their first win in the last four tries, ending UBC's home ice winning streak at 12 games.
Friday night marked the return of
Cyle McNabb to the T-Birds lineup for the first time since last year's playoff run. While the third-year forward didn't find the scoresheet, he looked like his usual self and was certainly a welcome addition to a team facing a number of injuries up front.
"I think analytically the Thorpe-McNabb-Wismer line were our best line as far as creating scoring chances," said Butenschon. "I think he should be happy with his first game back after such a long time. Sometimes that first game is a little bit easier just because you're so excited and so much adrenaline is going, so for him the challenge is going to be taking a step forward again tomorrow."
The Huskies win combined with a Dinos victory Friday over Manitoba has tightened up the top of the Canada West standings with the T-Birds' lead at the top now down to just one point over Calgary, two ahead of Saskatchewan.
Saturday's rematch with the Huskies will ensure UBC remains at the top for at least another week. Puck drop at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are available online and the game will also be streamed live on
Canada West TV.
