Playing mostly for pride, the T-Birds looked much more like themselves in the consolation semifinal against Ottawa. Despite Gee-Gees goalie Clara Genier standing on her head in net with 37 saves, the ‘Birds dominated play to take the 2–0 win.
Consolation brackets present a unique challenge. The ultimate goal is lost. Instead of playing for first, you play for fifth. Motivation has to come from elsewhere. For this UBC team, they found the drive they needed to end the season on a high note, allowing the T-Birds’ graduating all-star, Lucy Borowski, to end her career on a win, securing fifth.
It was a fitting end to their Canada West campaign. After a season where the ‘Birds won the most games in conference history with a lineup that featured Canada West’s top player, defender and coach, they took home the conference title as well, sweeping Manitoba in a tight 1–0 contest.
Coming off a five-set playoff thriller against Trinity Western that they lost by only two points, taking them out of contention for the conference title, the T-Birds weren’t given much time to process. It didn’t matter. They scored a decisive win in the bronze medal game, giving them crucial momentum before nationals.
After a crushing collapse against the TMU Bold ended their shot at a medal in the quarterfinals, Men’s Basketball came out flat in their consolation semifinal against Laval. While they put up a fight in the second half, the early deficit — and the loss of all-star Nikola Guzina — was too much to overcome.
UBC had to feel comfortable at half — they were leading by 18 in a game they had dominated throughout. It was just a matter of keeping it up and closing out a quarterfinal victory. Then, TMU’s Kevin Toth — who hadn’t scored all game — had a fourth quarter to remember, scoring 21 points in just ten minutes to eliminate the ‘Birds.
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