Over the weekend, the UBC men’s hockey team played an emotional semi-finals playoff series against the visiting Mount Royal University Cougars. The T-Birds banded together and earned themselves a place in the Canada West finals and the University Cup National Championships with a 2–1 series win.
Following an impressive pre-game ceremony on Friday night, the puck was dropped in front of 1,897 eager fans, with over 100 UBC alumni among them.
Both teams traded powerplay opportunities early in first with both goalies coming up big. Mount Royal’s aggressive defensive system limited UBC to just five shots in the opening frame, while T-Birds goalie Rylan Toth stopped ten Cougars' chances, making important saves on the penalty kill.
The T-Birds settled things down defensively in the second period and got their offence going early.
Just under three minutes in, star UBC rookie Chris Douglas was hit hard in his own zone, sparking a delayed call against the Cougars.
The T-Birds carried the puck up the ice as Toth headed to the bench for the extra attacker and chaos ensued in front of the Mount Royal net. Carson Miller banged the puck past a sprawling Morris to give UBC the 1–0 lead, bringing the fans to their feet.
Though the T-Birds had two goals waved off later in the middle frame, fourth-year veteran Matt Revel did manage to give his team a 2–0 lead heading into the third period.
Both teams had yet to make many mistakes in the opening 40 minutes, with Mount Royal’s only two glaring defensive lapses resulting in goals against.
Toth had been good for UBC, but he had not yet needed to be relied upon heavily. The dam finally broke in the final 20 minutes, with the ice tipping in favour of the harder working T-Birds.
With UBC on the powerplay just over halfway through an eventful third, an uncontested point shot from all-star defender Jonathan Smart was skillfully tipped over Mount Royal netminder Riley Morris, increasing the home team’s lead to 3–0.
The T-Birds presented two more goals to their thankful fans before the final buzzer, walking away with an encouraging 5–0 victory. The fifth goal was another beautiful tally from Revel, who finished off the hattrick and welcomed a couple of caps to the ice. Meanwhile, Toth stopped all 24 Cougars shots for his first Canada West playoff shutout.
“[We had] a collective effort from everybody to defend ... [but tomorrow] is going to be the toughest game of the year," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschön after the game.
With a smaller fan turnout the following night, the T-Birds offered a sluggish, and unmotivated start. The team found themselves down 2–0 with five minutes left in the opening frame.
Desperate to head into the first intermission with some sort of momentum, UBC’s first line turned in a tenacious shift.
After a successful dump and chase from team captain Tyler Sandhu, T-Birds defenceman Smart unleashed a bomb from the point which overpowered Morris and gave UBC some life.
Right off the ensuing center ice draw, the T-Birds appeared to return to their natural form. An astonished Mount Royal defence was unable to gain possession in their own zone and UBC continued to pressure.
A long shot from Matthew Smith rattled around in front of the Cougars net before being banged in by Austin Glover with just 25 seconds left, tying the game at 2–2 and giving UBC all the momentum heading into the second period.
Despite a combined 24 shots fired on net in the middle frame, both goaltenders put on a show. At the UBC's end, Toth made important saves on a few defensive slip ups, while Morris made multiple show stopping saves for MRU, doing his best to slow down a fiery T-Birds offence.
Then, after a slow start to the third period, Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena was stunned to silence.
Under eight minutes into the final frame, Mount Royal star Nolan Yaremko dumped the puck innocently into the UBC zone.
Toth left his crease to play the puck, but an unfortunate bounce off the stanchion saw it land directly on the stick of Riley Sawchuk in front of the net. Sawchuk buried the puck into the yawning cage, giving the Cougars the 3–2 lead.
Despite impressive efforts from the T-Birds which lasted right up until the final buzzer, the comical Sawchuk goal proved to be the game winner, as Mount Royal won by a score of 3–2, tying the series at 1–1.
With the loss, the T-Birds had to prepare themselves for their game three the following evening, with the winner advancing to the Canada West finals and the loser heading home.
A cloud of anxiety and excitement fell over the arena on Sunday evening as the T-Birds prepared for the most important game of the season.
Early in the first period, it was clear both teams were hoping to set the tone. Adventurous hits were thrown, and in return, penalties were called with hopes of containing the games rowdiness.
As a result, Mount Royal’s efficient powerplay gave an opportunity to work late in the opening frame and they were able to convert after multiple incredible efforts from Toth. Cougars’ defenceman Levi Kleiboer walked in from the point and placed the puck perfectly over the blocker of Toth, giving his team the game’s first lead.
It quickly became clear in the second period that the T-Birds needed time to force momentum and, in the meantime, Toth was going to need to be spectacular. And he was.
Thanks to the fourth-year goaltender’s heroics, UBC held on until they were handed a powerplay of their own late in the middle frame. Scott Atkinson received the puck at the foot of the crease, and with a quick move he pushed it past Morris to tie the game at 1–1.
As the goal celebration ensued, a scuffle between UBC defender Connor Mcdonald and a Mount Royal forward resulted in the T-Birds being shorthanded. With the Cougars looking to regain their lead and squash any UBC's momentum, the home team banded together for an emotional kill. At second intermission, it was anyone’s game.
In the third period, playoff hockey took full form. With each team hesitant to make mistakes, the physicality increased, along with the tension in the building.
Finally, with just over ten minutes to play, the T-Birds jumped on a mountain-sized Mount Royal mistake. Thanks to Atkinson’s incredible offensive vision, the former Edmonton Oil King’s captain found Revel wide open in front of the Cougars net. Revel one timed the puck past Morris without hesitation, sending the audience of predominately family and friends into impassioned disarray.
The final 10 minutes of the game were conquered by Butenschön and UBC assistant coach Jackson Playfair, as the T-Birds played passionate defensive hockey.
With a few more valiant saves from Toth, UBC held on to win the deciding game 2–1, clinching themselves a spot in the Canada West finals and the University Cup National Championships in Nova Scotia. After the emotional on ice celebrations, a teary-eyed Butenschön praised his team’s dedication to their craft.
“It feels kind of right [to be headed back to the National Championships],” beamed Butenschön, “especially after the way it ended for us in Halifax [two years ago].” With a smile, Butenschön remarked that his team will take 24 hours to celebrate the victory, before turning their full attention to the Canada West finals.
UBC will head to Edmonton to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears in two weeks, with the winner taking home a championship banner.