VANCOUVER – After suffering their first loss of the season on the road in Edmonton last Saturday, the Thunderbirds now have the chance to get back in the win column at home against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday, November 28, and Saturday, November 29.
"We weren't as sharp and mentally focused, and that's hockey," remarked UBC head coach
Graham Thomas on his team's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Alberta. "It's unfortunate, obviously we would have loved to continue the streak, but at the end of the day we prep to win every night and be successful.
"So we have to know that we've done a lot of good in this first half, but we were getting a little complacent I think, so it's a good reminder of what can happen if we don't come out prepared, sharp and ready to play together…I think it's going to make us better."
The Thunderbirds now have a set of three of four at home to end the first semester, with the lone road game being as short of a trip as possible – just down the highway in Langley against Trinity Western.
First up, however, is a pair of home clashes against the Huskies, who sit third in the East Division with a record of 6-4-2. Saskatchewan is led offensively by first-year forward Peppi Virtanen, who has four points in her last three games and four goals and two assists overall in eight appearances this season.
"They've had some really close games, tight games, and they're again one of those teams that's hungry and they're going to play fast," mused Thomas on this weekend's opposition. "They want to beat us and so we have to respect them…any team can win on any night."
On the side of the T-Birds, one of the feel-good moments from this past weekend was
Cassidy Rhodes getting her first two points of the season in Friday's 5-1 win over the Pandas. After missing the entire 2024-25 season due to injury, she's now played in four games in a row and nine overall this year, and is starting to really find her form.
"That's a long time to take off, so it's been about getting her timing back, getting the feel of the games back, getting some confidence back, but it's starting to come," said Thomas. "She's a big part of this team and she's only scratching the surface right now. We're just continuing to support her to see her take off. It's happening, it's going, and it's great having her back for sure."
Friday's game also featured a milestone win for
Elise Hugens in net, as the veteran goalie earned the 65th Canada West victory of her career, breaking the conference's all-time record. She'll aim to extend that tally further this weekend, as the Thunderbirds aim to extend their own three-game win streak over the Huskies, dating back to November of 2023.
Thomas knows the importance of entering the winter break on a high, which the Thunderbirds will fight for in this final four-game stretch beginning this Friday.
"I think we can set ourselves up really well if we can do what we've got to do going into the break…at the end of the day, that's what we want to do in the regular season – keep building our group, keep building our game, and give us the best chance to have success in the playoffs."
This weekend's action begins at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, inside the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The rematch begins at 3:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.
