For the second straight year, the path for the UBC Thunderbirds to get back to a conference Final – and a berth at the University Cup – goes through the Saskatchewan Huskies as the two Canada West powerhouses face each other in a best-of-three semifinal series starting Friday, February 27 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
It's a real shot at redemption for the T-Birds who had their 2024-25 campaign end in heartbreak in Saskatoon when the Huskies took a deciding game three to end an intensely physical, hard fought battle the likes of which can be expected to be repeated this weekend.
Still with a bitter taste from last year's semifinal loss, this post-season is the last dance for the core group of T-Birds who have driven the program to new heights over the past five years which included the team's first conference title in 53 years in 2024 and new team records this regular season posting 23 wins and 49 points, both tops in the Canada West.
"It definitely feels different than last year, it feels like the guys are on a real mission," said UBC head coach,
Sven Butenschon, the T-Birds' winningest playoff bench boss with 18 post-season victories under his belt. "A real professional mindset during these last few weeks and even throughout the year. I don't hear guys talking about the future or nationals or anything like that, it's more about 'let's have a really productive day, let's be sharp, let's execute and make sure we can get better with every opportunity.'"
The team has had nearly three full weeks to prepare for this semifinal series, both a blessing and a challenge.
"It's a very unique situation being off this long so it's a little bit of uncharted territory," Butenschon added. "I've made calls to other coaches who have been in this same situation and we try to tie-in as much sport science into this as well. All about keeping the guys motivated, keeping them competitive, keep their timing on point, maybe get a bit stronger and explosive in the gym, and also rest and heal because we're going to need every bit of energy we can get when it gets going here."
Finishing the regular season 19-7-2, the Huskies earned a quarter-final sweep over the Alberta Golden Bears in Saskatoon last weekend to advance to the semifinals for a second straight year.
Meeting just twice this past season, the 'Birds and Huskies split a weekend series in Saskatoon at the end of November, UBC falling 3-2 in a shootout before responding with a convincing 7-4 win.
While the T-Birds hold the comparative edge in virtually all statistical categories, the two squads similarly boast strong forward depth and solid team defence.
Perhaps the Huskies' biggest challenge will be attempting to limit UBC's lethal power play which ended the regular season at a blistering 34.3 per cent, led by conference leading scorer
Sasha Mutala who had 22 of his 46 points come on the man advantage.
One of UBC's big focal points will be shutting down standout rookie Connor Roulette who put up 35 points this past season and is tied for the playoff scoring lead with two goals and three assists against the Bears.
"There are a lot of guys there that can finish, that have been in this league for a bunch of years now and then you add this superstar rookie, Roulette, who's been the main driver up front. So, we're trying to minimize turnovers and not get off the gameplan. They're a very opportunistic team, not an easy team to prepare for. We've played them in a lot of tight games over the past few years where we were the better team but they found a way so, it's an interesting matchup with lots to look forward to for us."
This semifinal series may be the second straight between the two rivals but only their fifth all-time playoff meeting with the Huskies coming out on top in three of the previous four. The T-Birds' only series win over Saskatchewan came in the 2014 quarter-finals.
Puck drop for game one of the best-of-three is 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 27 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Game two is set for Saturday at 7:00 p.m. with game three – if necessary – scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Sunday, March 1.
Tickets for the first two games are available online now and the series will also be available live on
Canada West TV.
