VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds have advanced to a fourth straight Canada West Final after completing a two game sweep of the Manitoba Bisons at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Grace Elliott tallied a pair of power play goals en route to the 4-1 game two win Saturday night as the T-Birds will host either the Alberta Pandas or Mount Royal Cougars in their quest for a fourth consecutive conference title.
"Everybody wants to win and extend their seasons. Everyone wants to go to nationals, and they know it was on the line, so it was a little intense," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas after his team's hard-fought playoff battle against Manitoba.
UBC's special teams proved to be the difference Saturday, making the Bisons pay with three power play goals on four opportunities.
"We're moving the puck around really well," Thomas continued. "We're getting (penalty killers) tired and they're moving around, and then we're looking to capitalize and had some great shots…It was clutch."
The T-Birds' penalty kill did its part as well, withstanding all three Bisons power plays without surrendering a goal.
It was a rough start for a Bisons team that needed a win to extend their season and force a game three in the Canada West semifinals.
Just two minutes into the game, a pair of Bisons collided in the defensive zone while fourth-year T-Bird
Karine Sandilands pounced, finding
Jaylyn Morris, who fired her first goal of the playoffs past Emma Shippam for the game's opening strike.
Elliott tallied her first two goals of the playoffs, both on power plays, giving UBC a 3-0 lead in the second period. After being shutout in game one, the Bisons would eventually solve T-Birds goalie
Elise Hugens. Julia Bird tipped a point shot past Hugens for her second goal of the playoffs, cutting the UBC lead to 3-1, late in the second. However, that was as close as the Bisons would come. Hugens stopped 36 of the 37 shots she faced in the series.
With her assist on
Kasundra Betinol's third period power play goal,
Sophia Gaskell extended her point streak to five games dating back to the regular season. Gaskell, Elliott, Morris, and
Jacquelyn Fleming all finished the weekend series with three points.
The three-time defending champion Thunderbirds will host the Canada West Final starting Thursday night and have now also clinched a berth at the U PSORTS National Championship, also for the fourth straight year.
"Four in a row [and] to host. It's special and we're not taking it for granted."
UBC will face the winner of a game three battle between the Mount Royal Cougars and University of Alberta Pandas taking place on Sunday. Game one of the Canada West Final is set for 7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 6 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
