Recap written by Kenneth Pittman UBC Communications
VANCOUVER – The 'Birds needed a little extra time on Saturday afternoon, but inched out a win against the Mount Royal Cougars in Game 2 of their Canada West Quarterfinal Series.
The Birds were lead offensively by Hannah Clayton-Carroll, Brielle Bellerive, and Celine Tardif who each scored a goal of their own. The 'Birds also received solid net minding from Amelia Boughn who stopped 15 of the 17 shots she faced.
With just over five minutes gone in the opening frame, UBC forward Hannah Clayton-Carroll received a pass in the slot and snapped it behind the Cougars net-minder, Zoe De Beauville, then Brielle Bellerive netted UBC's second goal in as many minutes, giving the 'Birds an early two goal lead.
"It was massive, that was our plan, and just give our girls a ton of credit for following that plan and for playing a smart game the rest of the way," Coach Thomas said of his team's early start.
The Cougars were able to get one back as the clock approached the ten-minute mark, thanks to forward Reanna Arnold as she picked up the puck in the 'Birds zone, made a move to the backhand and slid it past 'Birds goalie Amelia Boughn. This was Arnold's second goal in as many games for the Cougars.
The second period was a quiet one, as neither team was able to find their way onto the score sheet. Both teams had some solid opportunities but both goalies were strong stopping every chance they faced.
The third period saw a little more action, both the 'Birds and Cougars created better chances as the pace of play began to accelerate. With just over four minutes left to go in the game, after UBC struggled to get the puck out of their own zone, Cougars forward Anna Purschke received a pass from Nicolette Seper and buried the puck behind an outstretched Boughn, squaring the game up at twos, and just like Game 1 in this series, 60 minutes was not enough to decide a winner.
In what took 46 minutes yesterday, only took 6 minutes on Saturday afternoon. Both teams exchanged chances early, but Celine Tardif played hero on this day. She picked up the puck in the Cougars zone and snapped a shot on De Beauville's blocker side into the top corner, securing the series win for the 'Birds.
"I think it was a lot of hard work from their other players, I took most of the glory on that one, but all the other girls have been working so hard and battling all season it's nice to see the results that we wanted," said Tardif about her overtime winner.
The 'Birds will fly east on Wednesday to Saskatoon where they will take on the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West Semi Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday.
