Sometimes, you just get goalied. With less than a minute remaining in Game 1 of the Canada West semifinals, the T-Birds had fought admirably to get within a shot, after the University of Saskatchewan Huskies had established a seemingly insurmountable 3–0 lead late. Goalie Brett Mirwald had been pulled, and with all the momentum on their side, the ‘Birds were pressing. For a second, when a Ty Thorpe rebound bounced perfectly onto the stick of defenceman Alex Serraglio, it looked like they had found their moment.
With Huskies goalie Nolan Maier completely out of position, Serraglio had a wide-open net to complete the miracle comeback and tie the game. Serraglio ripped the shot — and got robbed.
In one of the better saves you’ll see all year — at any level of hockey — Maier reflexively bounded back across the crease, fully outstretched, to snag Serraglio’s shot in his glove. It was a split-second, laser-precise move, and it kept the Huskies up 3–2. While it’s impossible to say what would have happened in a potential overtime, Maier may have stolen a win with that one save. And now, after that moment, the T-Birds’ season is on life support.
Even as the favourite, however, this game was a tough ask for the T-Birds. As the No. 1 seed in the conference, UBC was given a bye week through the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. As their eventual opponent, the Huskies, battled it out in a playoff series against the Alberta Golden Bears, eventually sweeping them in two games, UBC was sitting at home, waiting. A bye is typically advantageous. But thanks to a Canada West scheduling quirk, it may not have been beneficial for UBC.
Since Canada West has an uneven nine teams, in every week in the regular season, one team will not have a dance partner, and therefore, have that week off from play. For the T-Birds, one of those weeks was the last one of the regular season. So, combined with the bye week, when the ‘Birds took the ice on Friday night for their first game of playoff action, it had been 20 days since they last played a hockey game.
Say what you will about the benefits of rest — but rust is real too. It takes time to re-establish those feelings and routines that come naturally when a team plays games every week. The ‘Birds didn’t really get going until the back half of the third. It’s easy to see why.
“It was tough sledding out there,” said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon. “Once you talk to our players, I'm sure they're going to say it was really difficult processing the game after being off for so long.”
It’s understandable. But it has left UBC with zero margin for error. In this best-of-three semifinal series, with Saskatchewan up one, the next loss UBC has in this series will be their last. A 23-win season, the most in the country, will be all for nought, squandered without as much as a playoff series win. Needless to say, they should hope the rust has been shaken off for Game 2.
They were given a bit of a gift early, however, as in the first frame, it seemed like both teams were still adjusting to playoff action — even as Saskatchewan was less than a week removed from their most recent post-season game. It was a cagey, tentative back-and-forth, with neither team really pressing — not wanting to make the big, early mistake.
This scrambly, unevenly paced period gave the impression that these teams were still figuring each other out. And while they don’t have the most familiarity, playing in different divisions, they should both be intimately familiar with each other in the post-season.
In last year’s Canada West semifinals, Saskatchewan matched up with UBC as well. There, the Huskies ended UBC’s season. After the T-Birds took a thriller in OT in Game 1, they were stymied the rest of the way, losing both remaining games to bow out of the dance early. While the makeup of both teams is slightly different, for the ‘Birds, the wound still has to be a little bit fresh.
Maybe that was why they didn’t quite look like themselves in the first. Maybe it was the rust. Either way, after a period full of plenty of neutral zone turnovers and not a lot of chances on net, the two teams went to the locker room tied at zero. Considering the circumstances, for Butenschon, that was a win.
“After the first period ... I would have taken that [before the game], you know? I knew we were going to get better as the game went on.”
For a team coming off 20 days of rest — then immediately being faced with a rematch you’ve anticipated for a year — the strategy of surviving the opening 20 and then letting your game come back to you isn’t a bad one. It may have been the only option they had.
And, for a moment, it seemed to have worked. Coming out of the tunnel after the first intermission, UBC started to look like themselves again. They got possession off the opening draw, and after a couple pucks out of play, got a nice chance thanks to some patience on the zone entry by captain Chris Douglas. After that shot, UBC continued to hold onto possession, hemming the Huskies into their own zone for the first minute and a half of the period. They looked calm and comfortable in the offensive zone, and were finding windows for shots. This was the kind of game they like to play.
When Men’s Hockey is at their best, they are a possession nightmare. They hog the puck. They suffocate teams on zone entries. They swarm the puck. They are built to play excellent with and around the puck, slowly breaking down the will of their opponent. It’s why they dominated teams like Trinity Western, who played far too passive to stand a chance — barely touching the biscuit at all in a 9–1 blowout. It’s also why they’ve struggled with teams like MacEwan, who play a similar, aggressive style of defence to force turnovers and make UBC uncomfortable with the puck on their stick. They play to possess the puck, and everything else falls into place after that.
The most shocking thing about the first period was that UBC didn’t really do that at all. Saskatchewan held the puck and had sustained zone time nearly as much as UBC, a rarity for the ‘Birds.
“[We have to] wear their defencemen down a little bit more,” said Butenschon. “ Try to spend more time in the [offensive] zone. When we're playing well, we live down there, and we didn't do it enough tonight.”
In the second, especially with how they started, it looked like they were falling back into character. But the jitters were still there.
On a strange play almost immediately following that sustained zone time for the ‘Birds, Saskatchewan turned a long ‘Birds clear into a fantastic chance the other way, as a quick turnaround caught UBC on a change, leaving wide open space for Conner Roulette to streak in unattended. While Mirwald turned Roulette away, it was a bit of a wake-up call for the T-Birds. In playoff hockey, every little moment matters.
Another one of those moments would go against the ‘Birds a couple minutes later. After the two teams traded empty power plays — with newly minted all-star Jake Lee making an exceptional sliding block on defence to break up a wide-open shot on the Huskies’ power play — Saskatchewan was given another crack at the man advantage when first-year defenceman Jace Weir was sent to the box for slashing.
While you never want to be short-handed, UBC’s penalty kill had looked extremely solid in the two times they’d been out there. They were forcing turnovers on entry, and even looking for chances on the counterattack. When this kill opened with Thorpe waltzing down ice for a clean shot down a man, it seemed that UBC would be able to survive another penalty. They were not.
After a clearing attempt was caught by Saskatchewan at the blue line, UBC was dealt an incredibly unfortunate bounce off the ensuing missed shot. With a strong ricochet off the end boards, the puck crossed behind the net, popping out on the other side of the crease. As the loose puck wobbled in front of the net, Mirwald was completely out of position. Roulette was there, and he tapped it in for an easy opening goal.
It was fair to call it a lucky tally. That kind of dramatic bounce off the boards doesn’t happen often, and before that bounce, UBC had been playing well. But they would need to respond, and quickly. With Saskatchewan taking the game’s first lead, the dynamic of play was bound to change. UBC would need to press, and that could leave them vulnerable going back the other way. In a game where any play could be the difference, they couldn’t afford to take those risks. It’s part of why the first period was as tentative as it was.
But in the closing minutes of the period, it was Saskatchewan who came closest to notching the next marker — a potentially deadly proposition for a T-Birds team that clearly wasn’t up to their typical level on offence. A few minutes after their power play tally, the Huskies stepped up into the zone on a three-on-two, and with a nifty drop-back pass, forward Chantz Petruic found open space in the slot to wire one on Mirwald, who made a nice quick-reaction save with the blocker to keep the T-Bird deficit at one. Then, a couple minutes later, with some well-timed passing on their entry into the zone, Petruic was there for a chance yet again, being set up by Roulette from behind the goal line. Standing in the crease, he had a window for a one-timer from point-blank range, but the puck hopped over his stick.
On the whole, however, despite the deficit, UBC had to be happy with how they played in the second. They felt like they were settling back into the game, slowly pulling away in possession, setting up more dangerous opportunities and pushing the pace of play. After being about even in shots in the first, UBC outshot the Huskies 12–5 in the second. Saskatchewan’s only goal came off a fluky bounce. If they were to trust the process in the final frame, continuing to play their game and be patient, they’d be very likely to at least push the contest into overtime. They were close.
“I think [we needed to play] just simpler,” said Butenschon. “Not as much hesitation, commit[ting] to a play when you make it … I thought in the second period we came out and had some good looks, [but] missed the net on every shot.”
Heading into the third, they had the formula. But early on, a wrench was thrown into their plans. After an early period power play — carried over from the end of the second — came and went, with no goals off a couple quality netfront chances, UBC continued to press. They had the equalizer within reach, and they went for it. But in doing so, they left themselves vulnerable.
After a Thorpe wraparound attempt was redirected back out to the point, a Serraglio shot was blocked, leading to an odd-man rush in the other direction. Off the two-on-one, while Mirwald made a good save off the first shooter, he left a juicy rebound in front of the net for Roulette, the other Huskie jumping into the play. With Weir already down-and-out on defence, having slid down to block a potential pass across, Roulette had ample space in front of the net to execute a wicked toe drag around Mirwald, roofing it over the UBC goalie’s glove. 2–0 Huskies.
Goals had already been hard to come by in this one. This put the ‘Birds on red alert — as with 18 minutes left, they’d need to step on the gas on offence, and fast. They couldn’t just trust the process anymore, they’d need to press the issue. Then, things got worse.
After UBC defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang had his pocket picked trying to enter the offensive zone, Saskatchewan’s Ben Saunderson fed an excellent breakout pass to Ethan Regnier, who booked it down the ice for yet another two-on-one, only six minutes after the goal. With the cross-ice pass being covered well by UBC’s Jonny Lambos, Regnier threw one on net.
Mirwald, despite allowing two goals, had played well up to this point. You can’t really fault him for the bad bounce off the boards, and on the second goal, his defence had left him out to dry, falling victim to a good move by Roulette. This is the one he’ll want back.
Regnier’s shot was straight on goal — and with Mirwald in good position, he looked like he had made the initial save. Yet, despite trying to keep the puck squeezed between his blocker and his side, it eventually snuck through Mirwald, dribbling through to the back of the net. The T-Birds goalie, on his knees, looked skyward. With 12 minutes left in the game, UBC was down 3–0.
While Mirwald can be faulted on the final shot, one can argue he shouldn’t have been in that position at all. At a point when UBC absolutely could not afford to give up a goal, they gave up two odd-man-rushes in the span of six minutes. Again, in playoff hockey, every moment, every detail matters. Those are defensive lapses you just can’t have.
“We know [those odd-man rushes are] their M.O. We've watched enough video, we've shown enough video [to know] that's how they win hockey games,” said Butenschon. “You … can't get stuck standing still. You’ve got to make him come through two, three, four, five bodies, not just one.”
As time dwindled down, a Game 1 loss was starting to seem inevitable. Being down three in the third is a tough task for any team, let alone one that had been struggling to find solid ground on offence all game. With the Huskies being sent to the box with 10:35 left in the game, this was UBC’s last chance. Score on this power play, or shift focus to Game 2. Then, the captain put the team on his back.
All game, Douglas had been UBC’s best player in the offensive end — finding quality scoring chances through his exceptional vision, being patient when he needed to, turning on the jets when there was space. While the rest of UBC’s offence looked a bit uninspired early, keeping to the perimeter, Douglas forced the issue.
Taking the puck from behind centre ice, Douglas picked up speed heading into the offensive zone, cutting straight through Saskatchewan’s defence. As all four Huskies converged on him, he kept the puck on a string, sprinting through the first two defenders before turning Saskatchewan defenceman Landon Kosior inside out on a nasty deke. Getting past Kosior with speed, Douglas was suddenly alone in front, having gone through the entire Huskie team for a mini-breakaway. Popping the puck over Maier’s shoulder, Douglas converted. It was one of the more incredible solo efforts you’ll ever see on the ice. UBC had life.
Even an ill-timed Scott Atkinson penalty couldn’t dampen the T-Birds’ new-found momentum. As time ticked down toward four minutes, Butenschon pulled Mirwald to start six-on-five play. It was an earlier pull than some coaches would be willing to try. But UBC had momentum. Down two, they needed to build on it. And they did.
With Lee throwing a puck on net from deep, the T-Birds caught a break off a lucky bounce of their own. Lee’s shot got caught in traffic in front of the net, seemingly going off the head, or maybe the shoulder, of his teammate, Atkinson, and up in the air. While it may have not been the kind of deflection Atkinson intended, it worked all the same. The extra air off the deflection popped the puck over the head of Maier, dropping down into the net for a very strange, but extremely important goal.
Now, down only one with three minutes left, what had seemed impossible a few minutes ago had suddenly become very doable.
While UBC struggled to get set up in the next minute of play — almost giving up a Saskatchewan breakaway, something that could have been deadly, not for some impressive restraint from Butenschon to not pre-emptively pull Mirwald — once they found themselves in the zone, they attacked. Chance after chance, UBC looked to force overtime. Then, they were robbed.
With Maier’s save off Serraglio, the game was over. UBC still had 42 seconds left to tie, but it didn’t matter. All the air had been sucked out of their comeback attempt. That was their chance, and Maier stole it.
He’s a tough goalie to beat — with a .910 save percentage this year, winning 9 of the 12 games he played in. While only a first year, if he starts Game 2 for the Huskies, he’ll be in the back of the T-Birds’ minds all game. He stole one from them. And while that save is what will be on everyone’s mind until puck drop tomorrow, for Butenschon, the team cannot let it consume them.
“[Maier’s] just one player. I liked how we got into the crease and made it a little more uncomfortable for him over the last 10 minutes, and we got to do that more right from the get-go tomorrow,” he said.
As Butenschon mentioned, extending their play from the last 10 into the full 60 is goal No. 1 for UBC when they take the ice for Game 2. In this first game, they could blame the time off for their slow start. In the next one, with their season on the line, they’ll have no such excuse.
At least they won’t have much time to dwell on it. With these three-game series being squeezed into a single weekend, they play at the exact same time, against the exact same team, in the exact same barn, on the following day. This time, however, they won’t have any mulligans. In order to advance to the Canada West final, and, by extension, clinch a spot in nationals, the U Sports University Cup, they need to win their next two games against the Huskies. If they do not, their season will be over.
As with any loss, they’ll have nobody to blame but themselves. They could have started stronger. They could have been more defensively sound. They could have got an extra save or two.
But, if they are eliminated by the Huskies, they’ll be lying if they tell you they aren’t haunted by the image of Serraglio, the open net, and Maier’s outstretched glove.
