EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins (5-17-1-1) were shutout and outshot quite handily for a second-straight game against the powerhouse UBC Thunderbirds (24-2-0-0), the No.1 ranked team in the country.

The teams were deadlocked in a 0-0 game through two frames, before UBC scored two power play markers in the third period to beat MacEwan 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Downtown Community Arena.
 
Canada West leading scorer Grace Elliott scored her 23rd goal of the season at the 2:51 mark of the third period, and then added her 24th goal and 36th point of the season with her 10th power play goal of the year just over midway through the third to put the game out of reach.

After being outshot 51-12 on Friday in a 3-0 loss, the Griffins were under attack once again by UBC. The T-Birds' potent offence got to work, outshooting MacEwan 23-6 after 40 minutes, and that was with the Griffins showing a strong commitment to getting in lanes and blocking shots.


 
"That is UBC's power play, they have that odd angle shot, and they always have at least two people crashing the net, and sometimes you get there, sometimes you don't, and at the end of the day, they're one of the most offensive teams in U Sports," said Griffins goaltender Lindsey Johnson.

"With Grace Elliott, with her giant reach, it will go in at some point."

Elliott made a nice move in the slot and ripped a shot through traffic on UBC's second power play goal of the period to make it 2-0. The fifth-year power forward has scored 75 goals in her five-year career, and with her size and strength can cause real problems for opposing teams. 



"She's got incredible reach, and when she goes to pull that puck, that's what I got caught on (the second goal)," said Johnson. 

"When she pulls it across her body, which for most players in this league, if I'm a half step over, I'll be in line with the puck, but for her, it's a full step over, and she beat me with a great shot." 

Facing a team like UBC can bring forth many challenges. They have a potent offence, and they're just as stingy defensively. They've only given up 23 goals in 26 games. 
 
The T-Birds return home for their final series of the regular season next weekend, when they host the Alberta Pandas for a Friday-Saturday back-to-back at Father Bauer Arena.