SASKATOON, Sask. – In perhaps his biggest game in the blue and gold,
Sasha Mutala capped off a three-point night with the overtime winner as the defending Canada West Champion UBC Thunderbirds earned a 5-4 decision Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place to take a 1-0 lead over the host Saskatchewan Huskies in their best-of-three conference semifinal.
Just 3:10 into the extra period, Huskies goaltender Roddy Ross came out to play the puck along the boards and threw it up the middle, right to Mutala who had nothing but an open cage to get the T-Birds within one win of a second straight Canada West Final appearance.
It was a wild end to a wild opening game of the first post-season meeting between the two Canada West powerhouses since the 2020 conference final. The Huskies tied the game 4-4 on a Liam Keeler power play marker with six minutes remaining in the third to force UBC to their second overtime game of these playoffs.
"It's funny that last one there, the guy gets so many good opportunities, gets so many looks, creates so much out of nothing, it's pretty great to see him get an opportunity like that where he didn't have to beat a couple players or make a difficult play," said UBC head coach,
Sven Butenschon, of Mutala's heroics. "That's just trusting the process, playing the game the right way and the hockey gods will take care of you eventually."
Josh Williams opened scoring with his second of the playoffs, taking advantage of a Huskies turnover 7:29 into the opening period, on the power play.
With just under six minutes remaining in the period, the Huskies evened things against the flow, taking advantage of a Thunderbirds neutral zone turnover with Justin Ball squeaking a wrister past
Cole Schwebius.
Midway through the second the Huskies took their first lead of the night when Chantz Petruic converted on a breakaway. Schwebius made the initial save but the first team Canada West All-Star slid in his own rebound for his first of the post-season.
The Huskies doubled their lead just over four minutes later when Landon Kosior cut to the slot and fired in his first of the playoffs.
An undaunted T-Birds squad responded just over a minute later when UBC captain
Chris Douglas sprung
Scott Atkinson onto a late breakaway, the fourth-year centre getting the puck past Ross' outstretched right pad for his first of the playoffs.
"When you're on the road against a quality opponent like that and the home fans and the home vibes behind you, games can kind of slip through your fingers pretty quick," said Butenschon. "On that play I thought, Scotty and Dougy, two warriors, they've been around and have seen some stuff. They just took the leadership role and said 'boys, enough's enough, let's stop the momentum right now', and then they buried and the whole bench took a deep breath after that and we got to play our game."
Special teams were the story of the third with
Carson Latimer getting off the schneid with his first career Canada West playoff goal and his first tally in eight games, tying the game 3-3, shorthanded at the 3:56 mark. Douglas made a beautiful cross-ice feed through the neutral zone to Latimer who broke in and cut to the middle of the ice, wristing the puck past Ross who was out to challenge at the top of his crease.
Midway through the third Mutala struck for his second of the playoffs and first of two on the night to give the 'Birds the lead back, rifling the puck from the point with
Tian Rask providing a screen in front.
But less than three minutes later, the Huskies answered with a power play tally of their own from Liam Keeler who benefitted from a loose puck in the low slot off a fanned centring pass attempt, evening things up 4-4 and forcing the game beyond regulation.
The victory is UBC's first in Saskatoon since game three of their quarter-final series in 2014 when the 'Birds earned a 6-4 victory to clinch their only previous series win over the Huskies.
"(Tonight) was our best game execution wise, discipline wise, just the basics were good. Our passes, our assignments, but if any team knows that doesn't mean anything, it's us. We've lost on Friday nights many times and come back and won series so we are not letting off the gas, we are not getting soft or complacent. We are so focussed right now and hopefully the leadership and that mentality will come with that opening faceoff tomorrow."
UBC will now have the opportunity to write some new history over Saskatchewan with game two set for Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT. A berth in next week's Canada West Final and a trip to the upcoming University Cup are both on the line. The game will be streamed live on
Canada West TV.
