CALGARY – The UBC Thunderbirds battled back from a 2-0 second period deficit to earn a 4-3 overtime win over the Mount Royal Cougars Saturday afternoon to close out the regular season.

Elise Hugens picked up her 15^th win of the season, a new program record, while the T-Birds (24-1-3) finish the campaign with 51 points, a new Canada West high water mark.

"We showed resilience to fight through a lot of different little things that happened within the game," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas in a game that saw Reese Hiddleston leave the T-Bird net with injury after the first period. "To be down, we didn't play well in front of her, we weren't ourselves, we weren't playing as a team, sticking to the plan. And then for Elise to come in, she started the second period on a 5-on-3 for two minutes. She steps in there, we kill it off and momentum built from there and we were a different team."
 

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Sydney Benko scored twice in the opening eight minutes of the first, the second of which came on the power play to give the defending national champions a healthy early lead.

Killing the aforementioned 5-on-3 to begin the second, the 'Birds got on the board shortly after with Mia Bierd's third of the season.

Kiana McNinch responded five minutes later to restore MRU's (20-7-1) two-goal lead but the 'Birds once again pulled within one when Makenzie McCallum scored her 10^th with just under two minutes remaining in the frame.



Mackenzie Kordic got the 'Birds level with her 15^th of the season 6:49 into the third, eventually forcing overtime where Annalise Wong finished off a 2-on-1 to secure UBC's 24^th win of the season, equalling the team's record setting total from last year.

After entering the game to start the second, Hugens finished with 18 saves en route to setting the program wins record, tied for tops this season along with Mount Royal's Kaitlyn Ross and Saskatchewan's Camryn Drever.

"She's found herself at the right time," said Thomas on Hugens' play of late. "Just to see her hit her stride. She's got confidence, she's competing, she's not overthinking things. It gives our team a lot of confidence. I'm really proud of her."

Finishing atop the Canada West for the second straight season, the T-Birds have earned a bye through the conference quarter-finals as they await their semifinal opponent in a best-of-three that will begin Friday, February 23 in Vancouver.