SASKATOON, Sask. – The UBC Thunderbirds (0-1, 24-1-3) were defeated 4-2 in a tightly contested U SPORTS quarter-final against the Montreal Carabins (1-0, 13-10-2) at Merlis Belsher Place.
Cassidy Rhodes and
Sophia Gaskell scored for UBC, while
Elise Hugens made 18 saves on 21 shots. In all, UBC outshot Montreal 26-22.
Just under seven minutes into the game, the 'Birds got pinned in their own zone after taking a pair of icings. The Carabins stole the puck as the T-Birds tried to break out of their zone and it got to Jade Picard on the left hash. Hugens kicked aside her snapshot, but Mylene Lefebvre came streaking in alone for the rebound and slid it past a sprawling Hugens to put Montreal up 1-0.
With just over six minutes to go in the first frame, Canada West leading scorer
Mackenzie Kordic skated the puck down the right side and into the Montreal zone, holding off a backchecking Carabins player on her hip. Just as a defender came out to meet her, Kordic cut sharply across the ice with a one-handed power move before sliding the puck to her forehand and whipping a high snapshot on goal just as she reached the left circle. Carabins goaltender Aube Racine made the save, but lost sight of the puck as it bounced back out between the hashmarks.
Cassidy Rhodes got to it first, getting just enough on a backhand before being checked to trickle it past Racine before she could recover.
The first period ended 1-1, with Montreal holding a narrow 11-10 shot advantage.
Midway through the second period, Thunderbirds winger Grace Elliot got a step on the defence for a breakaway, but was hauled down as she came in on goal, resulting in a penalty shot. Weaving left to right as she crossed the blue line, Elliot stopped short just under the hashmarks and tried to snap the puck into the top left corner of the net, but Racine was ready and turned the attempt away with the blocker to keep the game tied.
Penalty trouble nearly cost the 'Birds late in the period, as UBC took three minor penalties in the final six minutes of the second. The penalty kill was solid however, giving up only limited opportunities to the Carabins until the period's final moments. With 11 seconds left in the frame, the puck took an odd bounce off the end boards and found Amelie Poire-Lehoux alone in the slot, who rang a wrister off the post. The game remained tied at 1-1 going into the third.
The scoring picked up quickly in the final frame. Just as the last of UBC's second period penalties was expiring, the Carabins capitalized off the rush. Joannie Garand walked into the zone and ripped a hard wrister from the top of the right circle over the glove of Hugens to give the RSEQ finalists the lead. However, soon after, a Montreal player was given a double-minor for contact to the head and it took no time for the T-Birds to answer. Barely 30 seconds into the advantage, with
Mackenzie Kordic blocking Racine's view in front of the net,
Sophia Gaskell fired a wrister from the blue line through a maze of bodies and it found nothing but twine, tying the game up at 2-2.
Penalties continued to plague UBC.
Elise Hugens made a pair of incredible, sprawling saves to keep her team in it after the 'Birds took two more minors midway through the third, narrowly avoiding giving the Carabins a five on three.
Soon after the last of those penalties expired, Montreal tallied again. Hugens kicked aside a relatively innocent shot from the top of the right circle, but the rebound ended up directly on the tape of Laurie-Ann Ethier at the top of the left circle and she one-timed it home before Hugens could stretch across to her other post.
The Carabins added an empty net goal with two minutes left to seal the win.
In all, UBC was given a whopping eight penalties to Montreal's four, though the T-Birds scored the only powerplay goal.
Joelle Fiala was named Nike Team Player of the Game for the Thunderbirds after displaying her penalty-killing prowess throughout the game.
UBC will play a to-be-determined opponent in a consolation semifinal on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (PT). The game will once again be available on all CBC sports digital platforms.
