VANCOUVER – Having advanced to the Canada West semifinals for the fifth straight season, the defending Conference Champion UBC Thunderbirds find themselves in Saskatoon this weekend as they face the Saskatchewan Huskies in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Earning a gritty quarter-final series win over the MacEwan Griffins at home last weekend, the T-Birds have the chance to earn a berth in back-to-back Canada West Finals – and the upcoming University Cup – for the second time in the last five years. But in order to do so, they'll have to overcome a formidable Huskies squad that finished first in the regular season standings while losing just once on home ice all year.
Having won three straight playoff series and six elimination games in a row dating back to last year's championship run, the T-Birds were given all they could handle by the Griffins – a quarter-final that should prepare the team well for the challenges yet to come.
"I think there were more hits in one of our games than in the entire Alberta-Calgary series and I think it was a great test for us," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon, UBC's all-time playoff coaching wins leader. "I think it's going to make us stronger moving forward. You think about all those Stanley Cup championship teams, they all have a really tough first round. Everybody's looking in the mirror, questioning themselves, what do we have to do better, what can we work on, and it kind of catapults them to another level, so I think that's what's going to happen here."
This weekend in Saskatoon will be a contrast between a battle-tested T-Birds squad and a rested Huskies group which earned a bye through the quarter-finals after finishing the regular season 23-5, their only loss of their final 15 games courtesy of the T-Birds on February 7 in Vancouver.
Splitting their only two meetings of the regular season with an impressive 3-0 shutout win followed by a shootout loss, the T-Birds have recent first-hand knowledge of the dangers the Huskies possess – notably their top ranked special teams units.
"They're extremely dynamic off the rush and quick, I think they're the best skating team in the league," said Butenschon of the Huskies. "(We need to) do a good job with our puck management and make sure that they have to come through five of us every time. If we start to get cute in the neutral zone or at the blue line, they can transition really quick and they're really good finishing off the rush as well, they're probably the best finishing team I'd say in the league, so we can't give them any grade 'A' looks."
Not a whole lot separates these two U SPORTS powerhouses, it being a shame the loser from this weekend will see their tremendous season come to an end. Since the two teams battled in the 2020 conference final, they've played each other ten times with each picking up five wins.
"Five-on-five we got no concerns, we're the team to beat. If we stay out of the box, I think that's an advantage for us and I still think our power play will figure it out and get hot at the right time so that's a positive."
It's been more than two years since the 'Birds were last at Merlis Belsher Place when UBC earned a January weekend sweep over the Huskies.
Despite both teams boasting long and storied Canada West existences, this series will be just the fourth time UBC and Saskatchewan will have met in the post-season, the second such time in the semifinals. The Huskies swept UBC in 2009 to advance to the conference final while UBC's lone series win over the Huskies came in the 2014 quarter-finals. All three previous battles have been fought in Northern Saskatchewan.
Before the Griffins mounted a valiant comeback attempt in game three on Sunday, the T-Birds came out of the gate using their speed and physicality to a perfect combination to stun their opponents. A similar approach in Saskatoon would only bode well for the blue and gold.
"If we could take that mentality we had last weekend and those competitive juices and that playoff brand from the opening faceoff; they've been out for two weeks, so can you get on them quick, can you get on the scoreboard early, can you win your first battle, get the forecheck going, get the first big hit. Be aggressive all over the ice in the first five or ten minutes because they won't be ready for it."
Puck drop for game one of the Canada West Semifinal is set for 5:00 p.m. PT Friday, February 28 at Merlis Belsher Place. Game two goes Saturday at 5:00 p.m. with game three – if necessary – scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at 4:00 p.m. The entire series will be available live on
Canada West TV.
