T-Birds fall 4-3 in overtime as 'Horns earn sweep

Aaron Martin (UBC Thunderbirds)

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday night, as a goal from 'Horns forward Sam McKechnie proved the difference.

With just a minute left in the first overtime period, McKechnie found himself inside the right faceoff dot, one-on-one with T-Birds goalieMatt Hewitt (New Westminster, B.C.). The 5-foot-9 forward was off-balance, but managed a terrific shot that beat Hewitt high to the short side, giving Lethbridge the weekend sweep.

For the 'Birds, leading scorer Anthony Bardaro (Delta, B.C.) kept up his torrid pace, notching three assists on the evening, while Luke Lockhart (Burnaby, B.C.) was right behind with a goal and assist of his own. In net, Hewitt made 32 stops.

The Horns were led by Zane Jones, who bagged two goals, while Tim Campbell and Brandon Clowes each had two assists. Five other players, including Dalton Sward and McKechnie, picked up at least a single point.

The 'Birds have now dropped four straight matches, and UBC head coach Adam Shell has been left to look for answers.

"We're not confident at the end of games, and we're not making the right decisions," said Shell. "We're trying to do too much all the time, and we aren't following the plan all the time – that cost us. When you're struggling, that manifests itself as goals against."

It may have ended in disappointment, but the start of the game was almost ideal for the host 'Birds.

Off the game's opening puck drop, the 'Birds didn't waste any time getting the offense going, as just a minute and 16 seconds into the contest, they drew first blood. Defender Kyle Becker (Langley, B.C.) got the T-Birds on the board, firing a low wrister that found its way past Ketlo, with Bardaro picking up the only assist.

Joel Hamilton (Cochrane, Alta.) nearly doubled up for the T-Birds just a couple of minutes later, as the first-year forward took a terrific centering feed from David Robinson (Langley, B.C.) in full flight and broke in alone on Lethbridge goaltender Damien Ketlo, only to have his backhand attempt stymied.

Halfway through the opening period, a nasty-looking knee-on-knee collision felled Lockhart, and ended up with the perpetrator, Horns freshman Bryson Gore, being sent to the sin bin.

The 'Birds took full advantage of the extra man – just a minute into the power play, Bardaro picked up his second assist of the contest, feeding the puck across the slot to a waiting Austin Vetterl (Surrey, B.C.), who buried it to put the hosts up 2-0. Lockhart bounced back quickly, picked up the second assist on Vetterl's marker.

Lockhart nearly bagged a goal of his own three minutes later, as the third-year forward pounced on a loose puck in the Lethbridge crease with an open net in front of him, but Ketlo made a terrific diving stop to keep the visitors within striking distance.

With Becker in the box, the Pronghorns got one back with four minutes left in the opening stanza, as defender Spenser Jensen, a rookie out of Airdrie, Alta., unleashed a wicked one-timer from the point, beating Hewitt clean following some quick puck movement from Campbell and Clowes, who each picked up an assist on the play.

The Thunderbirds entered the first intermission ahead by that 2-1 margin, but it didn't last much longer.

Nearly six minutes into the second frame, Lethbridge drew even. After Hewitt made a solid stop on Jones from in tight, the rebound bounced out to the high slot, where former Vancouver Giant Sward got some solid wood on the puck, firing it past the T-Birds netminder. The goal was later credited to Jones, who just barely made contact with the puck, as he was planted at the top of the crease.

With four minutes remaining in the period, Bardaro nearly broke the 2-2 deadlock, bursting down the right wing, and pulling off a nifty toe-drag into the middle of the ice. The 5-10 center fired off a quick shot, but Ketlo was up to the challenge, stopping Bardaro, and then stopping Josh Connolly (Prince George, B.C.) on the subsequent rebound attempt.

As the announcer signalled the final minute of the period, Scott MacDonald (Surrey, B.C.) and Lockhart broke in on an odd-man rush. Lockhart got a clean look as he took a feed from MacDonald, making no mistake from in close. Bardaro, whose pass forward sprung MacDonald, picked up his third apple of the evening, as the 'Birds took that 3-2 lead into the dressing room at the break.

With just a one-goal margin of difference, the physicality seemed to get ramped up in the third period, with a few thunderous hits from both sides rattling the boards and echoing throughout the Doug.

Just after a penalty to UBC defenceman Riley Guenther (Calgary) expired with six minutes remaining in the third, the 'Horns equalized yet again, as Jones picked up a rebound off of a long shot from Campbell and potted one behind Hewitt from two feet outside the crease.

A late boarding call on Bardaro bridged the third period and overtime, but the 'Birds managed to kill it off, just a couple of minutes before McKechnie ended it.

IMAGE CREDIT: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds