VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Trinity Western Spartans opened their preseason with a tightly contested 2-1 loss to the defending Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday evening at Father David Bauer Arena in Vancouver, B.C.
Rookie forward
Kamryn Reiber (Okotoks, Alta.) scored an unassisted shorthanded goal for the Spartans at 8:23 of the second period.
Hannah Dods opened the scoring for UBC on the power play at 6:21 of the first period. Ilona Markova added what proved to be the winning goal just 25 seconds into the second.
Third-year goalie
Olivia Davidson (Edmonton) started in goal for TWU and stopped 15 of the 17 shots she faced over 30:03. Second-year goalie
Grace Deveau (St. Albert, Alta.) made 11 saves without allowing a goal during the final 28:49.
UBC goalie Mya Lucifora played the full 60 minutes and made 16 saves.
QUOTABLE
Peter Hay, TWU Head Coach
"We got a good look at what we have with such a young group, new chemistry, new lines and new defence pairings. We were really happy with what we saw from a hard-working group. Our goaltending was outstanding, and Grace didn't allow a goal in relief.
Kamryn Reiber scored a shorthanded goal for our first jailbreak, which was fun and exciting. Overall, we're very happy with where we are. We still have plenty of room to improve and grow into our potential, but I feel we'll be able to compete with anybody in this league. With our culture and committed work ethic, we'll only get better."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will again match up against the Thunderbirds in their final preseason game on Saturday, October 3 at home in Langley at the ARENAS at the Langley Events Centre. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. (PT).
AS IT HAPPENED
UBC opened the scoring on its first power-play opportunity. Markova set up Dods at 6:21 of the opening period to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans got three power plays in the first period but couldn't convert. Lucifora stopped all six TWU shots in the frame, while Davidson made 10 saves at the other end.
Markova doubled the UBC lead 25 seconds into the second period, finishing a setup from Leila Sinclair.
TWU answered while playing shorthanded. Reiber scored her first goal as a Spartan at 8:23, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and ending UBC's power play.
The goaltenders shut the door from there. Deveau stopped every shot she faced after entering the game, while Lucifora turned aside seven third-period attempts to preserve UBC's one-goal advantage.
NOTABLE
- The Thunderbirds outshot the Spartans 28-17.
- TWU was 0/6 on the power play, while UBC was 1/3 on the power play.
- The Spartans' goal was shorthanded.
- The Spartans are now 2-32 lifetime against the Thunderbirds and 1-25 in conference play.
- Saturday's game was TWU's first contest of the 2026-27 season.
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 CIS 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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