MONTREAL – It's a mixture of familiarity and the unknown for the UBC Thunderbirds as they prepare to begin their quest for the program's first U SPORTS Women's Hockey National Championship, starting with a quarter-final matchup against the St. Francis Xavier X-Women on Friday, March 17 at Université de Montréal.
It may be the second straight year competing for the Golden Path trophy, and the fifth time in the last ten years, but 2023 marks the first ever game between the T-Birds and X-Women in what UBC is hoping will be the initial step toward another first – the capturing of the Golden Path Trophy.
The closest the 'Birds have come to the biggest prize in Canadian University Women's Hockey came against this year's hosts, the Montreal Carabins back in 2016 where the blue and gold finished with silver. That experience, and the haunting quarter-final overtime loss in last year's tournament in Charlottetown, is certainly on the minds of those who experienced them, but from a learning perspective.
"I think we were just too tight and just too worried about the other team last year," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas of 2022's disappointment. "It's nice that most of the team's been (at nationals) before and they've felt it, they know what it's like. We just have to be confident, play our game, come with energy, come ready to play and just be looser. Have some fun, compete and be ourselves. That's the main focus and just stick to our process. We learned that last year in a tough situation."
Finishing the 2022-23 Canada West regular season with a record-setting 24 wins and just two regulation losses, the T-Birds had little by way of adversity until they got their share of it in the playoffs, getting past the Saskatchewan Huskies and Mount Royal Cougars with both series going the distance. Between these more recent tests, and those of the more distant past, the T-Birds feel ready to take another stab at the big prize, starting Friday against St. FX.
"This year we have a different mindset, we're just going to focus on us," said Thomas. "Obviously we have to be aware of a few things, (St. FX) had a great year and have some great players. All the eight teams that are here, I believe this is a true national championship with basically the best teams in the country making it through and are all here. All the matchups are going to be good games, I think it'll be close so we're excited about that."
Friday's quarter-final will feature unfamiliar foes but in a familiar setting – at least for UBC – at the CEPSUM Arena. The 'Birds practiced and competed in the rink back in September during a pre-season tournament which not only got the team a sneak preview of where they're playing this week, but some stiff competition against two other teams at nationals in the Carabins and the Concordia Stingers.
This trip to Montreal certainly has much more on the line. After traveling further than any of the other eight teams, the 'Birds have already had multiple practices at the competition venue and several days to acclimate.
"We're starting to settle in, kind of get used to the time change, used to our routine here, creating a new routine for ourselves. It was nice that we came here in September so we kind of already know the rink a little bit, know the downtown area and the situation and the layout so that's been helpful for sure."
Puck drop Friday between the T-Birds and X-Women is set for 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with the winner set to face either Nipissing University or Concordia in a semifinal on Saturday.
The game will be streamed live online at
CBC Sports or on
CBC's YouTube page.
