They say heavy is the head that wears the crown, and that's the position the UBC Thunderbirds find themselves in as they enter the Canada West playoffs in Calgary this week.

Winners of four straight conference championships, the T-Birds have the chance to make it five on the trot as they enter this year's Final Four as the #1 overall seed. It wasn't by much – it took multiple levels of tiebreakers to give UBC the edge over UVic in the regular season standings – but the Thunderbirds remain the team to beat in the west.

The blue and gold finished 4-1 in the regular season with a very high-powered offence: Adia Pye scored 55 points in those five matches to lead Canada West, while Savannah Bauder was second in the conference with 39 points.



It won't be an easy ride for the T-Birds, who will need to win twice in just four days if they are to recapture the Canada West title. That grind serves as a precursor to nationals at the end of the month, where (assuming they qualify) UBC could play up to three times in five days.

"It's very tough on the athletes," said Thunderbirds head coach Dean Murten. "We need to do a great job of spreading out their playing time and an even better job with recovery."

The first test for the T-Birds is their semifinal matchup on Thursday, October 17th, against the Calgary Dinos who are the hosts of the Canada West Final Four tournament. The Dinos struggled in the regular season, finishing 0-6, but automatically qualified for the playoffs as hosts. UBC beat Calgary 76-0 at home back on September 26th, and will hope that form carries over to the rematch.



If they win, the Thunderbirds will play for gold against either the Victoria Vikes or Lethbridge Pronghorns. The T-Birds and Vikes have played each other in the Canada West final each of the last three seasons, and if they do so again it would be their third meeting this year. That element of familiarity adds an extra layer to the rivalry when the two BC schools face off.

"Playing a team twice or three times gives you the advantage of doing an in-depth review, hopefully you can find some areas you can work on," added Murten. "However, it's also same for the opposition, they can spend time reviewing us."

Ranked #4 in U SPORTS heading into the postseason, another two wins would not only add another trophy to the cabinet, but could also elevate UBC's seeding at nationals. It all kicks off at noon (PT) on Thursday when the Thunderbirds play the Dinos. 

The T-Birds will then either play in the gold medal match at 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, October 20th, or in the bronze medal match at 2:00 p.m. (PT) the same day. All of the Final Four matches will be broadcast on CanadaWest.tv.