VANCOUVER – Friday, March 1 is slated to be an historic night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre as the UBC Thunderbirds hit the ice for game one of the Canada West Final against the defending champion Calgary Dinos.
For the first time in program history, the T-Birds are hosting the best-of-three conference final series with the opportunity to claim their first banner since 1971.
"We're fired up, we can't wait," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon who has led his team to the conference final for the third time in the last four seasons. "Even after (game 3 vs Alberta), we celebrated for a few minutes, but of all the years I've been here – and we have had success in the playoffs – this one's a little bit different. We still got a lot to prove."
UBC's victory over the Golden Bears in last weekend's semifinal not only advanced the T-Birds to the conference final but also the upcoming University Cup national championship which gets underway March 14 in Toronto.
While both the 'Birds and Dinos will be Ontario bound, there's a heck of a lot on the line this weekend with the winner assuring themselves of a higher seed at the national tournament.
Beyond seeding, securing a Canada West banner is incredibly meaningful for a T-Birds program that hasn't been able to hoist one to the rafters in 53 years.
"I said it right after the game, whatever you thought we were going to do as far as getting a little bit casual or resting or even staying up too late and celebrating too hard, we shut that down real quick," said Butenschon of the mentality his squad had following last week's semifinal win. "That's how much a Canada West championship means to us."
While the T-Birds and Bears just completed their fourth straight year going head-to-head in the post-season, the conference final marks the first playoff matchup between UBC and Calgary since the 2018 quarter-finals which the Dinos won in three games.
This weekend will be the 12
th all-time playoff battle between the two and the first meeting in the conference final. The Dinos hold a significant edge in the all-time series record winning ten out of the previous 11 with the T-Birds' lone victory coming back in the 1971 semifinal en route to UBC's most recent championship win over the Manitoba Bisons.
With no players on either side a part of that long playoff history, it's all of little relevance to the here and now. The same could also be said of this year's regular season series with saw the 'Birds and Dinos split their two game set in Calgary back in November, each picking up a 4-1 win.
Also earning a bye through the quarter-finals thanks to their second place finish, the Dinos advanced to their second straight conference final after a sweep over their cross-town rival Mount Royal Cougars.
Not much separates these two Canada West powerhouses who finished 1-2 in the regular season. The Dinos scored just two fewer goals over the course of the campaign while allowing five fewer as the conference's stingiest defence.
"For me they've always been the team to beat going back the last two years. They've got outstanding goaltending, rock solid D, a bunch of big forwards up front that play kind of similar to us and they really shut down the middle of the ice. Scoring chances are going to be harder to come by, getting to the front of the net's going to be harder to come by, special teams are going to have to continue to be sharp. It's going to be a little bit more of a low-event series and it's going to feel like Alberta times ten as far as the tension and intensity and battle level."
With scoring likely to be at a premium, special teams could have an even larger focus this weekend. The T-Birds scored three of their nine goals over Alberta on the power play for a 25 percent success rate while the Dinos connected once last weekend in eight tries. Of note, neither team has allowed a power play goal against.
While playing in the conference final is not a new concept for the T-Birds program, hosting and being considered the favourite certainly is. But it's a position this group has long built up towards and something they feel ready for.
"You see a lot of growth as a group and the individuals themselves, and then where you see it paying off is with all the expectations. You're the favourite team, you lose on a Friday night, how do you respond? How's your body language the next day when you come in for the meeting, how much sleep were you able to get? That's where the maturity really has come through in my opinion, the bounce back after (last) Friday night."
Puck drop for game one of the Canada West Final is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 1 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Game two goes at 7:00 p.m. Saturday with game three – if necessary – set for Sunday at 7:00.
Tickets are available now and the entire series will be streamed live on
Canada West TV.
