The game remained tied at 5-5 after double overtime as UBC headed to a shootout for the first time this season. Anthony Bardaro scored on UBC's third attempt but Mount Royal forced extra shooters after Devin Gannon beat Derek Dun glove-side. Justin Rai slid his ensuing attempt wide before the Cougars sent Connor Rankin to centre. The second-year forward then made no mistake giving the Cougars the win while handing the T-Birds a third straight loss.

"We weren't protecting the house, they were getting too many chances in the danger areas," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon. "The Cougars played desperate and we couldn't match it."

The Thunderbirds were on their heels to start the final frame as the Cougars mounted an offensive push. Jamal Watson scored his seventh of the season just 3:09 into the third to pull the Cougars within two while Rankin's seventh less than two minutes later on the power play cut UBC's lead to one.

The Thunderbirds responded on the very next shift, however, as Bardaro roofed the puck from the side of the crease for his team-leading eighth of the season restoring the two-goal lead.

But momentum quickly shifted back in favour of the Cougars as Vancouver native Matt Bellerive's second of the season got the visitors back within a goal at the 7:49 mark after the puck bounced off a T-Bird stick and into the back of the net. Then three minutes later, Sebastien Pare deflected a Bellerive shot to tie the game at five.

The Thunderbirds outshot the Cougars 21-12 through the first two periods but Mount Royal put up a whopping 19 shots in the third and finished the game with a 37-26 edge in shots.

The T-Birds opened scoring midway through the first period when Kyler Nachtigall put home his first Canada West goal off a Carter Popoff rebound with Raymond Grewal picking up the second assist.

The Thunderbirds doubled the lead at the 14:46 mark as Manraj Hayer made a beautiful back-handed deflection from the top of the crease off an Adam Rossignol shot with Bardaro also picking up an assist.

The Cougars got on the board at 16:29 when Jamie King earned his first of the season as the T-Birds took the one-goal lead into the break.

The second period belonged to the Thunderbirds as they jumped out to the three-goal lead thanks to Joe Antilla's third and Michael Stenerson's second of the season.

The T-Birds finished the night 0-for-5 on the power play including a full two-minute 4-on-3 advantage in double overtime while the Cougars went 1-for-5.

Bardaro and Hayer finished the night with a goal and an assist while Rossignol also had a two-point game with a pair of helpers.

The Thunderbirds picked up a valuable point but thanks to a Manitoba overtime loss, UBC remains two points back of the sixth-place Bisons.

"We were really good in the first two periods," said Butenschon. "I was really impressed with our back-check and our play with the puck but the third period was a combination of desperation by (the Cougars) and we didn't have any pushback."

The 'Birds get a shot at redemption Saturday afternoon hosting the Cougars for the weekend finale at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

"We have to come to the rink knowing if we take a shift off or a minute off or a period off, we're not good enough to win doing that, it has to be a complete effort," added Butenschon.

Puck drop Saturday is set for 4 p.m. PT.