ELMIRA, Ont. – As the UBC Thunderbirds prepare to open up play at the 2025 U SPORTS Women's Hockey National Championship, the veteran team competing in a fourth consecutive national tournament is in many ways dealing with a series of firsts.
Facing off against Bishop's University Friday afternoon, the team's quarter-final matchup is their first ever meeting with the Gaiters who enter the week as the RSEQ Champions having defeated the defending national title holding Concordia Stingers in their conference final.
Similarly, the T-Birds, who held the number one U SPORTS ranking for the majority of the season, were upended in the Canada West final by the Alberta Pandas two weeks ago. As such, UBC enters their seventh national championship in program history not as the top Canada West seed for the first time.
Kicking off the tournament as the number six seed is certainly a different situation for the T-Birds, but it matters little to achieving the ultimate goal – winning the first U SPORTS banner in program history.
"There's been a lot of takeaways from each year and from the last few years especially with this group," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "We're a veteran, mature group and we're able to handle adversity, the ups and downs and the emotions of the game a little bit better. Just expect the unexpected and not let things affect us. Also, just focussing on us, sticking to our game plan and just enjoying the moment."
With the availability of video and data on opponents, there's little unknown about the Gaiters from UBC's perspective – and vice versa. But when the puck drops Friday at the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena, the first ever meeting between the two programs will undoubtedly feature some unfamiliarity. But for the T-Birds, what they know about themselves is clear – they are one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the country. The 'Birds scored more goals than any other team in Canada, they allowed the fourth fewest goals against on average and they boast the nation's Player of the Year in
Grace Elliott, another program first. That is to say the T-Birds are a confident bunch as they begin their quest for that elusive gold medal.
"They definitely have some high-end players, the MVP of the season last year, they're a hardworking team that's coming together at the right time," said Thomas of his team's quarter-final opponent. "They had a great playoff run so they're going to be fired up and look to continue that. We just need to be prepared for that. We're fired up too, we're coming off a tough weekend that didn't go the way we wanted but we played well and did a lot of really good things and we just want to keep building on that."
In addition to the disappointment of losing in the conference final, the T-Birds have some added fire in the belly from last year's national tournament where their championship aspirations ended early with a quarter-final loss to Montreal.
"We've turned that page but it's a factor, it's added fuel for sure. We're coming in with just a little bit more something to prove. We're in a different headspace then we have been before coming in as champions. It's something new for us but I think it's a good thing and we're just coming in a little bit more driven to prove ourselves this year."
The winner of Friday afternoon's quarter-final will advance to face either the OUA Champion Toronto Varsity Blues or the New Brunswick REDS in one of two semifinals on Saturday.
Puck drop against the Gaiters is set for 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT at the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena. The game can be viewed live at
cbcsports.ca or the
CBC Sports YouTube channel.
