Vancouver - The UBC Thunderbirds didn't disappoint in their first ever Winter Classic contest as the boisterous home crowd not only saw them shutout the Trinity Western Spartans 3-0 but also witnessed the 'Birds set a new record as the first team in program history to go undefeated on home-ice in a single season. The T-Birds (21-2-2) finished the campaign with a perfect 14-0 record at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
"We said as a group we don't talk about the records but now that we've set a new record we can talk about it, so we did address it." T-Birds Head Coach
Graham Thomas said. "Didn't lose a game (at home) all regular season, so that's pretty impressive. Really proud of the players and how they played at home."
UBC has now won 19 consecutive home games dating back to last season's Canada West Championship run. The previous record for consecutive home-wins belonged to the 2013-14 team which won 12-straight games in the regular season, posting a 12-0-1 home record.
The historic win was the cherry-on-top of a great night for the Women's Hockey program, with the team taking part in their inaugural Winter Classic. "It was great, it was something we haven't experienced before, so we're really grateful we got the opportunity to do it and hopefully it continues to grow years from now." Said T-Birds Captain Rylind Mackinnon.
The cross-town rival Spartans did not make things easy for UBC as they're in the hunt for their first playoff berth in just their second season of Canada West play. The sixth place Spartans held momentum early in the game, with a dogged puck pursuit, however, UBC's top-scorers made their presence felt in a playoff-type battle.
"It's been nice that we've had these challenges, teams that are desperate, teams that are playing urgent against us, gets us sharpened and ready to go, definitely playoff intensity out there." Added Coach Thomas.
Second-year T-Bird
Grace Elliott (2G) extended her point streak to nine-games, recording 13 points (6G,7A) during the stretch. Team Captain Rylind Mackinnon (1A) now has points in four consecutive games (5G,2A). UBC shot 50 pucks at Spartans goalie Kate Fawcett (47 saves), while T-Birds goalie
Elise Hugens made 16 saves to earn her fourth shutout of the season.
The T-Birds have now won 9-straight games, outscoring their opponents 38-9 during the winning-streak. UBC clinched a BYE to the semifinals with the win on Friday night, and currently sit in first place with 44 points. The second place Alberta Pandas trail with 41 points and are the only team with a chance to catch the T-Birds for top spot in the conference. Although the T-Birds will take the accolades, it's clear their sights are set beyond regular season success.
"We're really happy with how we're starting to play and as long as that continues through playoffs, we'll be pretty proud of ourselves." Concluded Mackinnon.
The weekend series continues with a Saturday matchup between the T-Birds and Spartans at Langley Events Centre. Puck drop is set for 3pm Saturday afternoon, the game will be available on Canada West TV.
