LANGLEY – The good times continue to roll for the UBC Thunderbirds, as they defeated the Trinity Western Spartans 4-1 on the road to make it seven wins in a row, all of them by multiple goals.
Rookie goaltender Mya Lucifora made her fourth career start and recorded a season-high 24 saves to improve to 4-0 on the season. The Ontario native now sports an impressive .933 save percentage and 1.25 goals against average in her debut campaign for the T-Birds.
Lucifora stopped all ten shots she faced in the first period, and it was Mia Bierd who opened the scoring for UBC after she received a pinpoint pass that split the entire Spartans defence. TWU goalie Olivia Davidson tried to poke the puck away from the onrushing attacker but Bierd managed to squeeze it under her arm for her fourth goal of the season.
That was the only marker of the period, despite two power plays for UBC and one for the Spartans. The goal horn didn't have to collect dust for too much longer though, as the T-Birds doubled their lead less than seven minutes into the second period. It came from Grace Elliott planting herself in front of the net, in perfect position to deftly tip a point shot from Sierra LaPlante past Crawford.
The hosts would respond, however, as just a few minutes later Chloe Reid ghosted unchallenged to the back post to knock home a loose puck. The Spartans went back to their dressing room down by just one goal with 20 minutes to go, hoping to earn their first-ever victory against the Thunderbirds in conference play.
They certainly had the chance to tie the game, with two power plays within the first five minutes of the third. The T-Birds held strong, however, and were rewarded with a breakaway for Chanreet Bassi almost immediately after they finished killing off the second penalty.
Bassi had all the time in the world to stare down Crawford as she skated in on goal, and she made it count with a silky deke that put UBC up 3-1 on the night. From there, the wind came out of the sails somewhat for the Spartans, as they were unable to muster up another goal.
The Thunderbirds sealed the deal in the final minutes, as a turnover in the middle of the ice led to an attack towards the empty Trinity Western net. Vanessa Schaefer took the puck into the Spartans' zone, and unselfishly dished it to fourth-year forward Mya Healey who finished through traffic to score her first career U SPORTS goal.
With the win, the T-Birds keep their grip firmly on the top seed in the West Division, six points ahead of Mount Royal. They need just eight points from their final seven regular season games to clinch first place and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
The Thunderbirds and Spartans now head to Vancouver to face off again on Friday in the annual UBC Winter Classic. Puck drop is at 4:00 p.m. (PT) at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Sports Centre, followed by a battle between the UBC and TWU men's teams at 7:30 p.m. (PT).
