VANCOUVER – The No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds (3-2-1) executed an impressive rally to force overtime but failed to secure a second point Saturday with a 3-2 loss to the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies (7-1) at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Despite a strong opening period in which the 'Birds held the edge in play, the Huskies opened up a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes.
Austin Fraser scored his first career goal as a T-Bird to get UBC on the board early in the second while fifth-year
Josh Williams got the equalizer on the power play five minutes into the third.
But it was Chase Bertholet who squeaked the puck past
Brendan Gee on a solo rush in the extra frame to clinch the weekend sweep for the Huskies who have now won four straight to head into November in sole possession of first in the Canada West.
"It's a fine line with this group, we're a hardworking group that is going to have to learn how to win low scoring games because we just can't score ourselves out of problems," said UBC head coach,
Sven Butenschon whose squad suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season. "Really gutsy performance, especially by our forwards – they were going so hard, they were battling. It's hard when you're chasing the game all weekend…a huge credit to the guys."
Gee made 26 saves and without some tremendous sequences both on the penalty kill and even strength odd man rushes, the 'Birds likely would not have been in a position to get the game beyond 60 minutes.
"He's played two incredible games for us so far," Butenschon said of his rookie goaltender. "I love how he's able to fight through screens and then traffic areas, he stays with it and he's a battler. Even that last goal, we just watched it on video, it was like a centimetre over the goal line, it doesn't cross the goal line by much. It's really encouraging to see him in there."
Keaton Sorensen got the Huskies on the board halfway through the first by converting on Saskatchewan's first power play of the game.
Ashton Ferster doubled the visitors' lead at 15:36, taking advantage of a UBC defensive zone turnover.
Fraser's first as a T-Bird was a rocket from the right circle, just after a UBC power play expired, a badly needed boost for the blue and gold at 4:48 of the second.
Late in the period,
Keaton Dowhaniuk was tagged with a five minute cross checking major but the 'Birds penalty kill was tremendous, managing to get away unscathed.
Moments after completing the kill early in the third, the 'Birds were sent to a power play of their own where Williams one-timed a
Ty Thorpe centring feed.
"The PK came through and then Willy scoring there, you need guys to make plays. If we're going to be in these 1-1 or 2-2 games, you need someone to step up and be a playmaker whether it's on the offensive side or the defensive side. Look at Jacob Wright blocking that shot late in the game – unbelievable. Really it's too bad the hockey gods couldn't take care of him when he had that chance in overtime after blocking that shot, it would have been a great story for him and a great way to end the weekend for the team, but, as a coach you're just really proud of a guy when he battles like that."
That late period block hobbled Wright but only briefly as the 'Birds' veteran winger was back out for overtime and his wrister just missed high, moments after the puck dropped.
Less than two minutes later it was Bertholet who called game with his third of the season.
The T-Birds will now regroup and prepare for their first road series of the campaign when they head to Calgary to visit the Mount Royal Cougars next Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7.
