The UBC women’s hockey team dominated the ice against the MacEwan University Griffins winning 4–1 on Friday night and 6–1 Saturday afternoon in Edmonton.
On Friday, the Griffins got on the scoreboard first by with a goal by Jesse Jack within the first five minutes of the opening period. But the T-Birds did not let this ruin their game. They scored four minutes later when Makenzie McCallum pushed the puck past the goal line in a rebound after a backhanded shot from Madisyn Wiebe. The T-Birds did not stop there — rookie Leighanna Rizarri accepted a beautiful pass from the point and scored her first goal of the season, putting the ‘Birds up 2–1 going into the second.
The Thunderbirds did not hold back in the second as Rylind MacKinnon shot from the point and Chanreet Bassi deflected the puck into the net 55 seconds in. However, the T-Birds took an aggressive approach in the second and got a total of five penalties, resulting in multiple power plays for MacEwan. Fortunately, UBC was able to hold their own and killed off every penalty, keeping the score 3–1 going into the third.
The Thunderbirds continued with the aggressive approach in the third with Jacquelyn Fleming, Joella Fiala and Bassi all getting slashing penalties. Nonetheless, Sierra LaPlante made a beautiful pass from the point and Bassi tipped it in with three minutes left in the third, solidifying the final 4–1 score.
On Saturday, the Griffins once again came out strong, scoring three minutes into the first period. But six minutes later, Wiebe made a beautiful pass to Mackenzie Kordic in the slot who slipped the puck past goalie Lindsey Johnson, tying the score 1–1 going into the second.
The Thunderbirds were quick to take the lead in the second when Fleming tipped the puck in. Momentum rose and four minutes later, Sophia Gaskell ripped the puck into the back of the net, increasing the score for the T-Birds. They continued their scoring streak, as two minutes later Wiebe tucked the puck into the net making the score 4–1 heading into the third.
The two teams battled back and forth until the Griffins took their first penalty of the game, resulting in a powerplay for the T-Birds. Bassi took advantage of this opportunity and slipped the puck in to further UBC’s lead.
Later on, MacEwan’s Joie Simon got taken down by McCallum while on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot. But Kayla McDougall made an amazing save, keeping the score 5–1 for the T-Birds. Nearing the end of the third, Kordic had a breakaway opportunity and scored her second goal of the game, cementing the score 6–1.
This Friday, the Thunderbirds will play the Trinity Western University Spartans at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre for the annual Winter Classic festival. Puck drops at 4 p.m. and tickets are available here.