The UBC Thunderbirds have touched down in Calgary, ready to take on a familiar foe Friday afternoon as they face the Trinity Western Spartans in one of two Canada West semifinals with a berth in Saturday's conference championship, and a spot at the upcoming U SPORTS National Championship, on the line.
The all-Pacific Division semifinal features a rematch of last year's conference and national gold medal matches while marking the fifth straight post-season the two Canada West powerhouses will have met.
"We know each other so well, we played each other in the spring as well and you see the young players we're recruiting year after year as well," said newly minted Canada West Coach of the Year,
Jesse Symons on the continued strength of both his and TWU's programs. "I think for me it's just about which team wants it and gets after it on the day and hopefully we're that team."
Hosted by the Calgary Dinos at McMahon Stadium, the 2024 conference Final Four will see three of the competing teams advance to next week's U SPORTS Championship, UBC's 2023 national banner providing the conference with an extra berth.
"I think the big thing for Friday is to emphasize that a win gets us to nationals and also into the Canada West Final, so big things on the line," added Symons who is certainly hoping to take the simplest path to nationals rather than fighting for it in a bronze medal game on Saturday. "We're playing a team we're very aware of and know very well so we're excited to put our best foot forward in Calgary on Friday."
Advancing to a ninth consecutive Canada West semifinal by way of a 7-0 rout over the Alberta Pandas last Saturday, the T-Birds face the Spartans in the post-season ahead of the conference final for the first time since 2019 when UBC earned a 1-0 semifinal win.
The Spartans – who finished third in the Pacific Division with an 8-4-2 record – advanced to yet another Final Four appearance following a 2-1 win over the MacEwan Griffins last weekend in Edmonton.
UBC swept the two-game regular season series with Trinity, earning a 4-0 win at home back in mid-September while closing out the first 14-0 season in conference history with a 2-0 win in Langley two weeks ago.
Looking to keep their perfect record intact, the 'Birds know this weekend will be their toughest scenario yet in 2024 between the level of opposition and a quick turnaround to Saturday's medal games.
"It's a grind now for sure with tough opponents and big games on the line and travel. For me it's just about seeing who's on and ready to go. We have so much depth and people that want to play, we'll be able to roll our players if we have to, but if players are on we'll let them run. Hopefully they are on because that means they're succeeding in creating and also managing the players we're competing against."
Friday's other semifinal sees the host Dinos take on the Victoria Vikes with the two winners facing off for the conference crown at 3:00 p.m. PT Saturday.
Kickoff for UBC's semifinal battle with the Spartans is set for 3:00 p.m. PT Friday with the game available live on
Canada West TV.
