VANCOUVER – Working on a five game win streak and having already locked up a Canada West playoff spot, the UBC Thunderbirds can inch closer to securing a coveted home postseason berth as they host the MacEwan Griffins for their first home series of 2024 this Friday and Saturday, January 12 and 13 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

With only eight games remaining in the regular season, the stretch run towards the playoffs doesn't get any easier for the T-Birds who are gunning to lock down a top two seed to earn a first round bye for the second time in the last three seasons. But with five of those remaining eight games on home ice, starting this weekend, the blue and gold are fully intent on using the lack of travel to their advantage.

"I've always found rhythm in this league is really important and we have a chance here to get some rhythm, get some flow to our day-to-day, to our gameday routine, to our postgame routine, to our recovery," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon whose team is officially playoff bound for the 12^th straight year. "All that stuff really matters, I've found, as a player – when you went on good runs it was because of those reasons. Now we have an opportunity to do it and it's up to each individual to make the most of it. We're still trying to find our game since the Christmas break with five weeks off, we're not happy with where we are right now and rightfully so, it's just a lot of time off."



While the 'Birds enter their first home game of the calendar year on a five game win streak, the Griffins head to Vancouver on the other extreme having dropped five in a row. But despite MacEwan's last win coming in Regina back on November 24, the Griffins currently hold down the sixth and final Canada West playoff berth by a three point margin.

Thanks to their win streak, the 'Birds have managed to keep pace with the first place Dinos, still just one point back of Calgary and two points clear of third place Alberta.

UBC swept their weekend series against the Griffins in Edmonton in late October, with 5-2 and 7-2 wins, respectively. But in both cases, the game was close until the T-Birds pulled away in the third period. The Griffins also look a bit different from the last time UBC took them on with the addition of defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk, a former teammate of T-Birds forward Scott Atkinson with the Edmonton Oil Kings.



"They almost play a playoff style brand," Butenschon described the Griffins. "Solid defencemen, solid defending, great goaltending, low event style hockey. They've always kind of worried me because of those reasons. When you have great goaltenders and great defence, you get a chance to win and that's what they have."

While the Griffins did play the T-Birds tough in their Edmonton series, it was UBC's characteristic depth which won out in the end, wearing down MacEwan with the ability to roll four lines. That depth has showed itself even more so over the past several weeks of Canada West play. While the 'Birds' top line of Sasha Mutala, Liam Kindree and Sam Huo have seen their red hot start to the season calmed slightly (thanks in part to Huo missing last weekend due to injury), others have stepped up production including Scott Atkinson who has three goals in his last three games and captain Chris Douglas who has 11 points in his last seven.

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"Maybe teams have focussed on (the Kindree-Huo-Mutala line), maybe teams are more disciplined when they're on the ice and conservative and shutting them down, but it just allows other players on the team to step up. Going into the playoffs, as a coach, that's what you want. If a team wants to focus on certain players and come up with a strategy to shut certain guys down, well then, we'll find different ways to beat you. Whether it's your third line, your fourth line, your fifth or sixth defenceman, we'll just find different ways to win."

Puck drop for Friday night's game at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre – which also features the Canada West's first annual Stick Up for Pride Tape event – is set for 7:00 p.m. PT. Saturday's rematch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Tickets for both games are available online and both will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.