SASKATOON, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Huskies (9-3-1) battled back late to force overtime, eventually prevailing 3-2 in a shootout Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, handing the UBC Thunderbirds (12-1-2) just their third loss of the season.
The T-Birds kept their point streak going, now at 13 games, but despite owning control of the game at 5-on-5 and with the clear edge in overtime, couldn't solve Huskies goaltender Jordon Kooy when it mattered most, the veteran stopping all three UBC shooters while Chantz Petruic managed to slip the puck past
Brett Mirwald for the only shootout goal.
"We started off the game great, played the game we wanted to, had a good rhythm, all the lines were rolling, D were playing great back there, goaltending was outstanding. Then the second period was just a parade to the penalty box. It's the same thing that happened here in the playoffs," said UBC head coach,
Sven Butenschon, referencing his team's semifinal playoff series loss in Saskatoon back in March. "You just got to stay positive. We lost to Grant MacEwan a couple weeks ago on Friday night in overtime, got the one point and then we just made sure the next day we got two. So, coming on the road and getting the three points out of four is going to be something we can build around."
It was an unfortunate end result for Mirwald in particular, the second-year T-Bird playing perhaps his best game in the blue and gold to date, in his hometown no less.
But a T-Birds parade to the penalty box in the final 40 minutes allowed the Huskies to get on the board with a second period power play goal by Petruic.
"He's been great all year and I would say tonight he even found another level," Butenschon said of his netminder. "Reading the play, anticipation, square onto pucks, letting pucks hit him, he was really confident and in control and not in easy situations. We had two five-on-threes to kill for almost two minutes each time, that's very difficult."
Leading 2-1 late in the third, the T-Birds found themselves down a man for the seventh time when Liam Keeler deflected a Petruic point shot at 17:23 with just six seconds left on the power play and Kooy on the bench for the 6-on-4 advantage, forcing the game beyond 60 minutes.
Chris Douglas,
Sasha Mutala and
Jake Lee all had tremendous chances to end the game in overtime, UBC outshooting the Huskies 4-1 in the five minute 3-on-3 spectacle. But again, despite owning the lion's share of opportunities at even strength, the T-Birds didn't seem to have their typical finishing touch.
"You got to give them credit for defending so well. Yes we had the puck, yes we were in their zone a lot, but to get to that final puck around the net or finish post-and-in, or bar-down, we just kind of lacked that, but I think that was due to them closing quickly, getting in lanes. I thought we missed the net a lot, we had some grade 'A's that missed the net, so I think tomorrow if we have the same mindset but just force their goalie to make the save, try to finish in those situations."
The first period was yet another dominant one for the 'Birds who appeared to be in store for another offensive showcase. Outshooting the Huskies by a 13-5 margin in the frame, of all the opportunities UBC generated it was a bank shot off a Huskie to open scoring.
Cyle McNabb was credited with his fifth of the season when his centring feed intended for
Ty Thorpe deflected off Petruic's skate.
All that momentum was hard for UBC to carry beyond the opening moments of the second with the 'Birds called for four consecutive penalties.
Between Mirwald's spectacular play between the pipes and skaters blocking shots, the T-Birds managed to kill off a 1:23 two-man Saskatchewan advantage to retain their lead.
On another two-man advantage late in the period, Petruic made up for his earlier inadvertent deflection, scoring his conference leading 13
th of the season, bar-down, to get the Huskies on the board and tie the game heading to the final frame.
Jake Wright scored his eighth of the campaign at the 7:28 mark of the third, sliding a loose puck past Kooy's left pad to restore UBC's lead until the Huskies' late rally to get back on even terms.
Despite the loss, the single point gained by the T-Birds increased their lead in atop the west division over the Golden Bears to 11 points after Alberta fell 7-3 Friday night to Trinity Western.
The 'Birds have successfully rallied following their previous two losses this season, both of which came on Friday nights, and will look to repeat history Saturday when they battle the Huskies for the final time this regular season.
Puck drop at Merlis Belsher Place is set for 3:00 p.m. PT with the game available live on
Canada West TV.
