VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (20-2-1) extended their winning streak to nine games, exploding for five goals in the second-period en route to a 7-0 win over the visiting Regina Cougars (9-8-2-2). Five T-Birds had a multi-point showing*, and goalie
Elise Hugens (17 saves) recorded her fifth shutout in a dominating win at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on Friday night.
*Chanreet Bassi (2G, 1A), Annalise Wong (3A), Mackenzie Kordic (2G), Grace Elliott (1G, 1A), Jacqueline Fleming (2A)
"We're more focused on the 'goals against' than we are the 'goals for," remarked UBC head coach
Graham Thomas, despite his team seemingly scoring at-will. "(Scoring) is great, but us committing to playing two-way hockey and playing defense is what we're more excited about."
The T-Birds opened the scoring just 3:28 into the game.
Kailee Peppler notched her first goal of the season on a point shot that found its way over the shoulder of Cougars goalie Natalie Williamson (12 saves). It was the lone marker in an opening period that saw the T-Birds outshoot the Cougars 11-4.
UBC took over the game with a barrage of scoring in the second period.
Chanreet Bassi notched her first of two goals on a 5-on-3 powerplay early in the second stanza. She stepped into the slot and sniped blocker-side on Williamson, extending her point-streak to five games in the process (5G, 2A).
Just 2:05 after Bassi gave UBC the 2-0 lead, Canada West's scoring leader
Grace Elliott widened the gap with her 18
th goal and 34
th point of the season.
With the goal, Elliott extended her goal streak to seven games (8G), the longest by a Canada West player since 2014-15. She also extended her point streak to 11-games (11G, 7A), as she continues an incredible season.
"Really proud of (Elliott), for the work she's put in and how she's playing right now. She's playing consistent, she's playing hungry, she's playing intense, and that's exactly what we need," Thomas said of Elliott, a fourth-year T-Bird from White Rock, BC.
After allowing three goals on 15 shots, Cougars goalie Williamson was pulled in favour of Arden Kliewer, but she would be unable to slow UBC's offence.
Ashton Thorpe's fifth goal of the season extended the lead to 4-0.
Mackenzie Kordic and
Chanreet Bassi would each tally their 10
th goals of the season, extending the lead to 6-0, and closing out a second period that kept the scorekeepers busy.
Kordic dazzled the home-crowd, scoring not one, but two highlight reel goals in the game. Just after UBC killed the first penalty of a 5-on-3 Cougars powerplay, Kordic deked past a Cougar defender, and scored her second shorthanded goal of the season. She would follow this up with a third-period snipe over the shoulder of Kliewer, giving the T-Birds the 7-0 win.
"Outside, inside, to the middle and came in and buried, definitely a nice move. I taught her that," quipped Thomas "That shot at the end was equally impressive."
UBC has now won 20-games this season and their 41 points leads the Canada West conference. However, Alberta (19-3-0-1) is within striking distance with 39 points. Each team has five games remaining in the season.
The two teams will play an immediate rematch, with Regina sure to come out hungry as they try to split the weekend series in Saturday's matchup. Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. (PT) at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
