EDMONTON, Alta. — The UBC Thunderbirds struck for two goals just 1:49 apart early in the second period to earn the 3-1 win over MacEwan on Saturday afternoon at the Downtown Community Arena. 

Annalise Wong, Grace Elliott and Vanessa Schaefer scored second period goals for UBC, while Griffins forward Megan Dolynchuk scored her first-career Canada West goal with 1:56 left in the middle frame to round out the scoring. Wong, Elliott and Schaefer also added an assist each as the T-Birds outshot the Griffins 33-16 and secured the road sweep in the opening weekend of the Canada West Season. 



After winning 1-0 on Friday, UBC came out looking to jump all over the Griffins in the opening frame. They forced MacEwan into taking three penalties, and dictated most of the play, but Griffins goaltender Lindsay Johnson was very sharp making 16 of her 30 saves in the game in the first period. Mya Lucifora was tapped as the starter for the visitors and was very solid in stopping 15 of 16 shots she faced on the afternoon. 

MacEwan tried to grab some momentum early in the second period, but Wong gave UBC a 1-0 lead after bursting in on a partial breakaway and beating Johnson with a nice move and shot over her left pad.

Elliot's second goal of the season came short-handed after she drove to the net off a rush and made a perfect deflection past Johnson to give UBC a 2-0 lead at the 6:39 mark of the second.



After Schaefer's goal made it 3-0, MacEwan was able to get some momentum back late in the second period on Dolynchuk's first-career goal.

The Thunderbirds are back in action next weekend when they play a home-and-home series against the Trinity Western Spartans, beginning with a road meeting in Langley next Friday October, 10 with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop followed by the return matchup on Saturday afternoon October, 11 at UBC with a 3:00 p.m. start at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.