VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds fell 2-1 to the Alberta Pandas in game two of the Canada West Final on Saturday afternoon, forcing a third and deciding game on Sunday.
"We got to play our best game to be successful, and I'm excited because I'm not sure we've seen that yet," said acting Alberta head coach Darren Bilawchuk. "I'm hoping it comes out tomorrow, and we can come out on top. This definitely helps with the confidence, so hopefully, we can step up in that and bring (the banner) back home."
The 'Birds were able to equalize an early Alberta lead but failed to hold pace with the visitors for the remainder of the game. While the reigning champions significantly outshot their opponents in the first frame, the two teams played a much more even game in puck possession in the following periods. Another area of difficulty for the hosting team was capitalizing on the power play; UBC went 0-for-2.
"We just didn't play desperately," commented UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "They wanted it more than we did, and that was the difference in the game. They were just hungrier and had more jump than we did. They did a good job at pushing out and not letting a lot go through, so we're going to have to reevaluate and get prepared to get them tomorrow and make our adjustments."
The Pandas once again opened the scoring in the early minutes of the first period when Jadynn Morden intercepted a pass in UBC's defensive zone and flicked the puck up past
Elise Hugens.
The 'Birds used the score as motivation, creating 15 shots on goal while holding their opponents to only four. With eight seconds left in the frame,
Ashton Thorpe forced the puck through a scramble in front of Halle Oswald's net to even the playing field at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Despite the forward momentum, the T-Birds struggled to find the back of the net in the second period. Midway through the third, Jadynn Morden jammed in Madison Willan's rebound on the power play to put an end to the 25-minute stalemate and give the Pandas a 2-1 advantage.
A late-period Pandas penalty gave the 'Birds hope for a repeat of Friday's heroics, but the score remained unchanged through the final minutes of the game.
The 'Birds will have to bring their best to game three if they want to earn a Canada West banner three-peat. With the Saskatchewan Huskies playing host to this year's U SPORTS National Championship and taking one of two allocated Canada West spots, UBC will need a win on Sunday to keep their Canadian title dreams alive.
Puck drop for the banner-deciding game at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Sports Centre is set for 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday.
Tickets are available online now with live streaming available on
Canada West TV.
