VANCOUVER – It wasn't pretty at times, but the UBC Thunderbirds held off a valiant comeback attempt by the Manitoba Bisons for a 7-5 victory Saturday afternoon at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
After staking out an early 2-0 lead with goals on each of their first two shots – just as they did the night prior – the T-Birds (10-5-1) found themselves in a wild west shootout in the second with a combined eight goals between the two teams, four apiece.
Andre Sutter's second of the game early in the third got the visitors within a goal, but T-Birds captain
Chris Douglas restored some wiggle room with his second of the game at the 12:40 mark. Holding off a late charge by the Bisons (2-10-2), the 'Birds completed the weekend sweep for a sixth straight win.
"We came out awesome with tons of energy, I loved the jam that we played with at the beginning," said UBC head coach,
Sven Butenschon of yet another incredibly strong start by his squad. "But Manitoba had a lot more pushback today, it was an interesting game as far as scoring chances go because there weren't that many and when there was one it seemed to go in the net. As a coach it was not our best work but we got the win, we got the points and we just got to move on."
Just as a night prior, the T-Birds scored on their first shot of the game, only this time it took all of 56 seconds to open scoring, walking around a Bisons' forward, cutting to the slot, and releasing a low shot that snuck pas Braden Holt.
Just 55 seconds later,
Carson Latimer doubled UBC's lead with his sixth and second of the weekend.
Douglas extended the lead to 3-0 with his fifth of the season exactly two minutes into the second period, re-directing the puck off a Latimer pass, kickstarting the goal fest.
Sutter's first of the season got the Bisons on the board at 3:21, but
Jake Wright kept his hot streak going with his third goal of the weekend and fourth in the last three games, deflecting a Lee slapper from the top of the left circle.
Sam Huo gave UBC their biggest lead of the game at 5-1 with his eighth of the season at the 8:29 mark. That sent the Manitoba starter to the bench for the second straight game as Kolby Thornton entered in relief, a move that seemed to spark the Bisons.
While the Thunderbirds were far more disciplined Saturday compared to the weekend opener, the Bisons made them pay, scoring two power play goals within 65 seconds to pull back within two. Jonny Hooker notched his team-leading eighth of the season and Parker Malchuk earned his first with a blast from the point as the Bisons finished the game 2-for-3 on the man advantage.
Third-year defenceman
Ben Keon scored his first as a T-Bird at 14:47, wristing the puck through traffic right off a faceoff won by Huo.
But the Bisons kept up their peskiness, once again cutting UBC's lead to two when Eric Alaire scored his third of the season with his third point of the game.
The third period began with Manitoba closing the gap to a single goal when Sutter beat
Brett Mirwald blocker side at 3:12, but the T-Birds tightened up significantly afterwards, limiting the Bisons to just four more shots in the frame while Douglas' second of the afternoon helped eased the team to their eighth win in the last ten games, keeping pace with the Mount Royal Cougars who hold a three-point lead atop the West Division pending the outcome of their game Saturday night against the Golden Bears.
"We got to stay hungry, got to stay greedy, got to get those points," said Butenschon of his team's continued focus on results in what remains a ridiculously tight division. "We're just thinking about getting those points because we're over halfway through the season now and points are at a premium."
Despite getting those crucial two points Saturday, to a man, the T-Birds know they have to be better than what they showed in the second period in particular.
"Hockey's a game of mistakes. We all make mistakes, that's no big deal but you just have to recognize and not let one or two turn into three or four."
Picking up a season-high three points with a goal and two helpers Saturday, Lee extended his points streak to four games. Earning seven points in the last two weeks since returning to the lineup after a month's absence due to injury, the All-Canadian blue liner's exceptional game was nearly overshadowed by the craziness on the scoresheet.
"During the third period, I said that's not even fair some of the stuff he was doing out there. It mostly starts in the D zone with him. When he digs in he breaks plays up, he gets the puck and then he sends it north either via pass or with his legs. Then in the offensive zone he's walking guys all over the place and the game was like in slow motion for him tonight."
Having dropped their ninth in a row, the Bisons head back to Winnipeg to close out the 2024 portion of the Canada West schedule against the Regina Cougars next weekend.
The T-Birds are also in action for one more week before heading into the December break, taking on the Trinity Western Spartans for a home-and-home series starting Thursday night in Langley.
