Riding an eight game win streak and closing in on securing a Canada West home playoff berth, the UBC Thunderbirds host the Regina Cougars this Friday and Saturday, January 24 and 25 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Currently six points ahead of the Mount Royal Cougars for first in the West Division, the T-Birds (19-2-1) have the opportunity to inch closer to a first place finish and a coveted bye through the conference quarter-finals.
The Cougars (9-7-4), meanwhile, aren't about to do UBC any favours as Regina is in the midst of a heated playoff race of its own, currently holding down the third and final East Division berth, nine points ahead of Saskatchewan but just two points back of second-place Manitoba.
"Every team we're going to play here is fighting for a spot and pushing hard so for us, we just got to respect them and also expect they're going to come out flying," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "These are big games for them to challenge themselves too, it's the only time playing us so I know they're obviously going to get up for it. They have a lot to fight for on their side of things, what's on the line for them in their division. We're going to expect a really hardworking team, a new coach and new group and they're going to come in hungry and fired up to play us for sure."
Coming off the emotional high of last Friday's Winter Classic overtime win over the Spartans, the T-Birds are looking to use these last few weeks of the season to improve their sharpness and consistency. As exciting as the Winter Classic was for fans, it wasn't the type of the game the team wants to see on the regular.
"Really, really excited about getting on a little home stretch here," said Thomas with UBC playing four of their final six games on home ice. "Give Trinity a ton of credit, they played extremely well and we were fortunate enough to come out on top there. We got to learn from that and continue to be a little sharper and be ready to play a full 60 minutes."
Friday night will mark the first meeting between UBC and Regina since December last season and the first in Vancouver since October 2023.
The 'Birds will get a welcome boost this weekend from the return of defender
Sophia Gaskell who is back in Vancouver after earning a silver medal with Team Canada at the FISU World Winter Games in Italy.
Friday night will also feature UBC's Stick Up for Pride Tape event in support of the Canada West's commitment to celebrating diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all.
"In our locker room, it's something we take very seriously and have as a part of our team code of conduct to support everybody and be open and inclusive. We're definitely celebrating that, we support it, it's part of our culture and we're looking forward to that on Friday night."
Puck drop Friday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is 7:00 p.m. with Saturday's rematch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Tickets for both games are on sale now with live streaming also available on
Canada West TV.
Â
