PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The Thunderbirds (5-0-1) took an early punch, recovered well enough to take the lead, but were eventually pegged back and held to a 3-3 tie on the road against the UNBC Timberwolves (0-1-3).
The result marked the third straight draw for the Timberwolves, while the T-Birds dropped points in Canada West play for the first time this season. Markus Rukavina continued to be a spark plug on the offensive end, following up Friday's pair of assists with a trio of goals for his first career UBC hat trick.
Despite a strong early start for the T-Birds in terms of quantity of possession, it was the Timberwolves who struck first almost out of nowhere when UNBC striker Simon Odenthal picked the pocket of a Thunderbirds defender near midfield and launched into a breakaway from the halfway line in the 26th minute. Faced by onrushing goalkeeper Hayden Franks, Odenthal coolly dribbled around him and slotted the ball home for his first U SPORTS goal.
The Thunderbirds suffered a second setback just a few minutes later, when UNBC's Trevor Scott whipped an inch-perfect ball into the box and onto the forehead of Kaiden Young who directed it home to take a 2-0 lead.
Trailing for the first time this season, the 'Birds knew they had to kick things into a higher gear. That's when Rukavina took over the goalscoring duties, first with a delightful touch and finish from the edge of the penalty area in the 35th minute to cut the lead in half.
His second goal was arguably the sweetest of the three, as the Burnaby native received a low cross into the box and fired off a shot that was blocked. Undeterred, he controlled the ricocheting ball with his chest, tapped it down to the ground with his right foot, danced in between a pair of lunging defenders and then stabbed the ball into the back of the net with the outside of his boot.
The hat trick was completed mere minutes into the second half of action, with Rukavina again in the right place at the right time in the box to pounce on a rebound and slide it home. That made it three goals and four assists in the third-year forward's last three games, a two-week total that matches his number of goal contributions from the entirety of last season.
But while the blue and gold were able to enjoy the lead for the next 20 minutes, it wasn't to last longer than that. After Adam Korduner won a penalty kick for being tripped just inside the penalty box, Hagon Kim stepped up to the spot and sent Franks the wrong way to tie the game at three goals apiece.
The T-Birds had some half chances to try and find a winner late, including a cross into the box from Eric Lajeunesse in added time that agonizingly bounced off multiple players before settling into the grateful arms of UNBC goalie Owen Shum. Shum racked up seven saves on the day, as while UBC led 10-3 in shots on goal and 18-3 in total attempts, they were held equal in terms of the points shared.
The 'Birds will be back at home next weekend, taking on UBC Okanagan at Ken Woods Field on Friday, September 18, before returning to Thunderbird Stadium to battle the Victoria Vikes on Saturday, September 19. Kick-offs for both games are set for 7:30 p.m. (PT).
