The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds secured a sweep of their weekend series against the Bisons, winning 3-1 and 10-2 at the Wayne Fleming Arena on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, respectively.
On Friday, Nov. 29, the Thunderbirds drew first blood, scoring their first goal at 11:02 by defender Meadow Carman in the first period. They dominated the shots on target, outshooting the Bisons 10-3.
The second period saw the Thunderbirds earn a power play at 7:33, but they could not capitalize on the opportunity. The Bisons came out stronger, creating more chances to equalize, but ultimately could not convert.
The game came alive in the third period, with three goals scored. The Thunderbirds extended their lead early on, courtesy of forward Grace Elliott’s goal. The Bisons responded with a beautiful attempt that ricocheted off the bar, but the Thunderbirds scored their third goal on a power play soon after. The Bisons finally found the net with a goal by forward Evangeline Hill at 6:52, but it was too little, too late.
Despite a stronger second and third period, the Bisons could not overcome the deficit, ultimately falling 3-1. The final shots on goal were 21-20 in favour of the Thunderbirds.
In a post-game interview, the Bisons women’s hockey team head coach Jordy Zacharias said, “I thought we really got into it. First period, I didn’t think we started horribly, but they started to push the pace a little bit more than us. And then we made a good push back in the second and third there,” she said.
“And not that it was a bad game, but there’s a couple of things I think we can improve upon, which is the good news for tomorrow.”
Regarding how the team can improve, Zacharias said, “I think just wanting it more than [the Thunderbirds] do. Being a little bit harder on our 50/50 battles. Being a little hungrier and making more of the simple plays. We started to find a lot more success when we were getting pucks deep and getting pucks on net and not trying to be too pretty with things. And I think that’s something we can build off of for tomorrow.”
Zacharias further spoke on some unfavourable conditions being faced by the team and how they can make an improvement. “We talked about not over-complicating plays. Not taking too long to make the plays. Just keep it simple. Stick to our game plan and force teams to play to our level.”
From a confidence standpoint, she said, “we’ve been able to find a lot of offence recently, but the game of hockey isn’t always on your side, and sometimes you’ve got to face some of this adversity. I’m glad that we’re having some of those games so it doesn’t always just come the way that you want it, and it makes you want it even more the next day.”
Zacharias also acknowledged the outstanding performance of the team’s goaltender, stating, “[Emily Shippam] is very calm in the net. She keeps us in a lot of games, and she’s able to control rebounds really well, which helps us from scrambling in front, but just kind of her calm demeanor to bring up the back end is what helps us a lot.”
On Saturday, Nov. 30, the Thunderbirds dominated the Bisons again, winning 10-2 in their second matchup. The Thunderbirds set the tone early, scoring three goals in the first period. The Thunderbirds forward player Karine Sandilands opened the scoring at 7:49, followed by forward Mackenzie Kordic at 16:38, and forward Jacquelyn Fleming at 19:23. The Thunderbirds outshot the Bisons 13-3 in the first period.
In the second period, the Thunderbirds extended their lead with goals from forward Chanreet Bassi at 9:43 and forward Mia Beird at 10:15. The Bisons finally got on the board with a goal from forward Kylie Lesuk at 13:18. However, the Thunderbirds responded with two more goals from Bassi and Kordic, taking a 7-1 lead into the third period.
The Bisons tried to mount a comeback in the third period, with a goal from forward Norah Collins at 5:15. However, the Thunderbirds pulled away with goals from Sandilands, Kordic and Bassi, who scored her third goal of the game with just 0.5 seconds remaining. The final shots on goal were 36-19 in favour of the Thunderbirds.
Overall, the Thunderbirds won both games in with a dominant performance, showcasing their offensive firepower. However, despite the lopsided score, the Bisons showed some resilience in scoring three goals and trying to mount a comeback.
The Bisons will face the Regina Cougars on away ice on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7.
On the Canada West women’s hockey standings, the Cougars are only one point above the Bisons who are currently ranked in sixth place out of nine teams.
