Here it is, the stretch drive, and the Thunderbirds are attempting to accelerate in time for the big show. Curse a poll of CIS coaches that anticipated a last place finish at the beginning of the season. UBC is going to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
“We want to make sure we send our graduating players off on a positive note, and there’s no better way than having success in the playoffs,” said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic. “We want to make sure when these guys leave the program that it’s in better hands than it was when they first got here.”
The regular season work isn’t done yet, though. There’s still a pair of games to play next weekend in Manitoba, although they will have no impact in determining UBC’s overall place in the standings. The Thunderbirds lost that chance this past weekend, when a win would have given them a chance to overtake Calgary and capture the fourth place seed. The ‘Birds would have hosted the first round of the playoffs at home, a feat that hasn’t occurred since 1971.
But after two losses to the Saskatchewan Huskies, Calgary is too far out of reach, and UBC will have to settle for fifth place, meaning the hill becomes that much steeper. The T-Birds have stumbled on the road this year, posting a record of 4-6-2 and scoring just 28 goals to 41 against.
The last month has arguably been the most crucial—and yet the most difficult—of the season for the Thunderbirds. In the span of three weeks, UBC split their series against top-seeded Alberta, squandered two separate 2-0 leads against second-ranked Manitoba, and dropped both games against third-seeded Saskatchewan this past weekend. Their record during that time is 1-5.
“The lesson we learned is that these are good teams,” said Dragicevic. “If we want to consider ourselves an elite program and an elite hockey team, we have to find ways to beat these guys and play for 60 minutes. We’re not good enough to play for two periods and win, and to me that’s the biggest thing. We need 20 guys working their butts off and playing to our identity for us to have a chance.”
On Friday night at Father Bauer Arena, the Thunderbirds fought back from a 3-0 first period deficit to even the score 4-4 before surrendering the game on a late power play goal.
“We weren’t physical in the body, we weren’t chipping the puck,” said Dragicevic on Friday. “Everything we wanted to do in the last two periods, we didn’t do in the first.”
But any lessons the Thunderbirds professed to take away from Friday’s miserable first period didn’t seem to be sticking Saturday night. Thirteen seconds into the game, Kyle Ross drove to the net and beat backup UBC goaltender Kraymer Barnstable to give the Huskies the early advantage.
Just three minutes later, Chris Durand swept in shorthanded and beat Barnstable five-hole to make it 2-0 Saskatchewan. For UBC, it seemed a repeat performance of the previous night’s first period nightmare.
But unlike Friday when they managed to miraculously turn the game around, things got progressively worse for the Thunderbirds. Five minutes into the second frame, Derek Hulak shot a puck through a screen that snuck past Barnstable to make it 3-0.
Barnstable was pulled in favour of Jordan White two minutes later after Travis Brisebois sniped a shot, unscreened this time, past the goalie’s glove. But with three minutes left in the period and UBC on another power play, Craig McCallum cut in on White and scored Saskatchewan’s second shorthanded goal of the night to make it 5-0. It was a disappointing effort in light of the inspired pushback the night before.
“We didn’t give ourselves a chance to turn it around,” said Dragicevic. “How are we supposed to turn things around when we’re down so early? We didn’t execute. They scored two shorthanded goals, and we gave up four breakaways on the power play. I think that says it all.”
Compared to last season, in which UBC’s goal differential was an ugly -25, this season’s Thunderbirds have scored 72 goals and allowed 80. That tighter differential is reflected in their improved standings—already they have one more win than last year, with two games to go—but it also reflects their inconsistency.
It should be noted that UBC has played one third of their season without last year’s leading point scorer, captain Justin McCrae, a highly skilled player and role model both on and off the ice. As he eases back into rhythm, the team should gain a boost from his contributions going into the playoffs.
But UBC will need more help than just the return of McCrae if they want to make it out of the first round for only the third time in 40 years. Of 2009’s playoff team, only Jordan Inglis, Ryan Kakoske and Matt Pepe still remain—so there’s an issue of post-season inexperience at this level.
But UBC’s problems run deeper than that. Inconsistency, lapses in puck management and an anemic power play converting at just 14.7 per cent have plagued the team all year long. “We’ve given way too many free goals to the opposition, and we have to work for our goals,” said Dragicevic. “That kills us.”
Given these difficulties, the reality of a first-round exit is quite conceivable. But there’s still a chance, a hope—there always is—and that’s all the Thunderbirds will need when they finish up the regular season in Manitoba next weekend, and then touch down in Calgary for the playoffs in two weeks.
Time to hit the accelerator.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
