T-Birds tame Bisons to pull within one win of Canada West title

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds are one win away from securing their seventh Canada West banner in program history after a 5-1 victory over the Manitoba Bisons Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Earning their spot in the best-of-three championship series following a pair of impressive upset victories over the Alberta Pandas and Mount Royal Cougars, the resilient Bisons made the T-Birds work for Friday night's win which far closer than the final score indicated, Mia Bierd scoring a pair of insurance markers in the final five minutes.

"They're very smart and well coached. They play a great system, are physical and are riding momentum," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "They have caught the last two teams and we can't take this team lightly."

With UBC seeking their fourth banner in the last five seasons and revenge for last year's disappointing series sweep by the Pandas, the Bisons entered the conference final hungry for their first title since 2017-18.

UBC's two-time reigning Canada West Player of the Year, Grace Elliott, rose to the occasion by opening scoring with a wicked wrister in the first period. Held scoreless in last weekend's semifinal against the Spartans, Elliott's tally set the tone early for the No. 1 ranked T-Birds.

Manitoba found its footing in the second period and had a flurry of chances after causing commotion around UBC netminder Elise Hugens. The T-Birds' all-star goaltender was up to the task, but a relentless Bisons forecheck proved too much to contain as Dana Goertzen crashed the crease and banged home her third of the postseason. 

With the game knotted 1-1, UBC dug deep to bounce back. After killing its second penalty of the period, a scramble in front led to a centring feed for Ashton Thorpe, who one-timed a perfect pass from Vanessa Schaefer to put the T-Birds back up by one entering the final frame. 

"When they got one and tied it up, everybody was positive and pumping each other up," Thomas said. "We didn't know who, but we knew somebody would get it back. That's the strength of this team and Thorpe has been a scoring machine on defence since we switched her over."

Holding onto a slim 2-1 lead, UBC did not look back in the third frame. Much-needed insurance was secured when Presley Zinger found Ilona Markova with a highlight reel no-look assist, the Russian forward scoring her second of the playoffs. 

"That was incredible – it was such amazing execution and that insurance goal was huge. The girls' energy on the bench just went nuts because it was the nicest goal of the year." 

With Manitoba on the defensive, the T-Birds continued to attack throughout the entire third period. Bierd put a ribbon on the victory with a tap-in and an empty-netter to close out the win.

"They (Manitoba) are going to come desperate and hungry and we need to be ready for them. At the same time, that's their story and we have our own story. We are riding momentum, belief and confidence so we want to keep writing our own story and stick to our process and not worry about them." 

The best-of-three championship series continues Saturday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre where the Bisons face elimination for the fifth time this post-season. Puck drop for game two is set for 7:00 p.m. PT.