VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans stayed within a goal through two periods of play but were unable to find the equalizer as the UBC Thunderbirds scored three times in the third period to earn a 4-0 win Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 1-2 in Canada West conference play, while the Thunderbirds improve to 3-0.
Maggie Rauckman with two goals and an assist, Hanna Perrier with a goal and two assists, and Hannah Dods with a goal and an assist led the Thunderbirds.
TWU third-year goalie
Olivia Davidson (Edmonton, Alta.) made 26 saves while playing the full 60 minutes in the loss. UBC's Mya Lucifora stopped all 20 shots she faced to earn the shutout win.
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Thunderbirds will finish their home-and-home series tomorrow afternoon at the ARENAS at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
QUOTABLE
Peter Hay, TWU Head Coach
"We are missing some key players, but we didn't give ourselves any excuses, and I liked how everyone stepped up and played key roles. We battled and competed hard. We felt like the better team for most of the second period, which was good to see; we can play that way and believe in ourselves and our identity. Unfortunately, in the third, we started making poor decisions with the puck in the D Zone due to mental fatigue, which led to running around and chaos, penalties, and UBC burying us on the PP. We will learn and grow and fight again tomorrow."
AS IT HAPPENED
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring just 58 seconds into the first period when Perrier scored off an assist from Dods. Davidson stopped the remaining 12 shots she faced in the period to keep the Spartans within a goal. UBC finished the opening 20 minutes with a 13-6 advantage in shots.
TWU responded with a strong second period, outshooting the Thunderbirds 10-5. However, Lucifora turned aside all 10 Spartan attempts as the teams played a scoreless middle frame. Davidson made five saves to keep the deficit at 1-0 heading into the final period.
The Spartans had an early third-period power play but were unable to draw even. Rauckman extended the Thunderbirds' lead to 2-0 with an unassisted goal at 8:58. UBC then scored two power-play goals in 17 seconds to take control. Dods made it 3-0 at 14:12, with Rauckman and Perrier earning the assists. Rauckman added her second of the night at 14:29, with Perrier assisting, to complete the scoring. The Thunderbirds outshot the Spartans 12-4 in the final period.
NOTABLE
- The Thunderbirds outshot the Spartans 30-20.
- TWU finished 0-4 on the power play, while UBC went 2-5.
- Fifth-year defender Ella Boon (Vanderhoof, B.C.) led the Spartans with five shots, while second-year defender Sadie Isfeld (Coquitlam, B.C.) added three.
- The Spartans held the Thunderbirds scoreless for 47 minutes following UBC's opening goal.
- Last weekend, TWU split its season-opening series against the Regina Cougars at the ARENAS at the Langley Events Centre, winning 4-0 Friday before falling 5-3 Saturday.
- UBC opened conference play with a road sweep of the Manitoba Bisons, winning 3-1 and 5-0 in Winnipeg, Man.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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