REGINA, Sask. – The UBC Thunderbirds completed the weekend – and season series – sweep of the Regina Cougars by way of a 4-0 shutout win Saturday afternoon at the Co-Operators Centre.
Grace Elliott opened scoring on what proved to be the game winner midway through the first with her seventh of the season while
Kayla McDougall stopped all 21 shots she faced to pick up her third win of the season and first career shutout.
"It was a good team effort all around," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "The players were resilient through a lot of adversity. Our special teams stepped up and Kayla played great with some timely key saves, especially on the penalty kill."
That T-Birds penalty kill was tested often Saturday with the Cougars earning eight power play chances. While UBC had only half as many opportunities with the advantage, they capitalized twice within a three minute span in the third period to salt the game away.
Joelle Fiala doubled UBC's lead at the 12:39 mark of the second with her third of the season. Stepping out of the penalty box, she was fed a breakaway pass by
Cassidy Rhodes.
Rhodes scored herself, the first of UBC's two power play markers, 13:48 into the third for her ninth of the season.
Jacquelyn Fleming rounded out the scoring with her second of the year from
Ashton Thorpe and
Annalise Wong.
The win – UBC's third in a row – ensures the T-Birds will enter 2024 alone atop the Canada West standings.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but that was a nice way to close out the semester," Thomas added.
That work will continue January 5 when the 'Birds return to Canada West action hosting the Manitoba Bisons for the first of two weekend battles to open up the new year.
