VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds were made to work hard to keep their perfect start to the season intact by a resolute Saskatchewan Huskies side, but a second half goal burst saw the defending Canada West and U SPORTS champions come away with a 3-1 victory to move to 6-0, atop the Pacific Division.
 
A goalless first half finally exploded into life after the restart as two goals in four minutes before the hour mark from Luke Norman and Henri Godbout sent them on their way. Theo Afework soon added a third before Saskatchewan captain Ethan Cabral scored perhaps the sweetest goal of the game with a 20-yard strike in the 66th minute to round off the scoring.
 
A patient and workmanlike performance, and another clean sheet, saw Mike Mosher fairly happy with his team after another six-point weekend.
 
"The quality in the first half was good, but unfortunately I'm getting a little bit like a broken record, it's the final act again that's just not come off," Mosher mused. "But that was the message, don't be frustrated, be patient. It was one-way traffic in the first half and we've all seen these games and they go to script, you get one then you kind of break the dam a little bit, then we get three in eight minutes or so.
 
"I was a little bit disappointed after we got to that. Then we concede, then we took our foot off the pedal a little bit. We stopped playing and doing where we were having success, but a 3-1 win and the overall quality, intensity, and work rate was really good. We're 6-0, so I can't complain."


 
UBC dominated the first half possession but were unable to convert any of their chances. Saskatchewan keeper Jaron Slopinski was resolute in goal, making four saves in the opening half and 10 overall on the day, a couple of the spectacular variety.
 
The first real chance of the match fell to the Huskies, with Tao Hein just failing to connect on a good cross in from the left from Misgana Killoh.
 
Afework came close to breaking the deadlock on a couple of occasions, but the Huskies defence survived and the teams headed into the break on level terms.
 
UBC came out strong to start the second and their sustained spell of pressure finally saw Saskatchewan's resistance broken in the 55th minute. Thunderbirds captain Markus Kaiser sent a pinpoint delivery to the back of the box, which Afework met perfectly to head across goal for a stretching Norman to fire home from six yards out.


 
The Thunderbirds doubled their lead in the 59th minute when Godbout poked home his third of the season following a scramble in front of goal, and Afework grabbed his second goal in three days after Slopinski spilled a Nicolas Nadeau cross in from the left.
 
Nadeau came within inches of adding a fourth moments later with a low long-ranger that just skipped past the right post.
 
Saskatchewan pulled one back in the 66th minute when Dante Molina grabbed his second assist of the weekend, playing a free kick out to his waiting captain Cabral at the edge of the box and he blasted home a beauty from 20-yards out to give the Huskies some hope.
 
Both teams had half chances to add to the scoreline but couldn't find a way through, and the Thunderbirds made it six wins out of six to start the defence of their titles.
 
UBC head on the road next weekend to Alberta with a match-up with Prairie Division leaders Mount Royal Cougars first up on Saturday. Saskatchewan return home next weekend to take on Trinity Western Spartans on Saturday afternoon.