CALGARY - The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds emerged victorious from a split weekend against the Mount Royal University Cougars. After a last second goal from Jesse Lees tipped it into overtime, the Thunderbird's Austin Vetterl swept a final goal into the net to move them onto the next spot in the playoffs. 

Head coach of the Cougars Bert Gilling spoke highly of their opponents: "I give credit to UBC, they made it very, very difficult for us. It took everything we had just to get that game back to even right at the last second.. It's just a tip of the cap to UBC on the end of the series."

Thunderbirds' head coach Sven Butenschon was equally impressed with the match-up: "It was probably justice that we go to overtime because both teams are just so equal."

The players came bursting out of the gates to kick off the third match of the weekend. Three minutes into the first, Thunderbirds' Shaun Dosanjh tipped the puck past Cougars goalie Wyatt Hoflin to open the scoring. Just over a minute later, Jake Kryski followed suit with an opportunity of his own to further their lead, his second goal of the playoffs. After a brief battle, Kryski swerved out back the net and bounced the puck off Hofflin which went straight to Kyle Becker to bat into the corner. With just seconds remaining in the period, the Cougars' Jamal Watson caught a rebound from Connor Rankin to shove a goal past Thunderbirds goalie Ryan Toth, ending the period with a bang. 

The tension was high in the second as the Cougars fought to make another mark on the scoreboard. The Thunderbirds were circling the defenders, working hard to keep the play in the Cougars zone. With just four minutes left in the period, Ryan Pouliot redirected a pass from out in the open to fire past subbed in goalie Riley Morris. Mount Royal responded just a few minutes later with a long-range shot from Connor Blake which flew past several bodies to land in the corner of the net. The two teams were matched for shots on net at 16 by the buzzer.

Both teams were careful to allow minimal opportunities on net in the third, the defenders often forming full blockades. After ten minutes of struggle, Nolan Yaremko was out front of the Thunderbirds net surrounded by opponents. A chance bounce off a Thunderbirds' skate found its way past Toth to earn Yaremko his third goal of the playoffs. After being awarded a last minute power play opportunity, the Cougars pushed a final effort. With a single second remaining, Lees fired a last-minute goal into the net, pushing the game into overtime. 

The teams were bouncing between ends of the ice trying to make a play work. They seemed evenly matched in their efforts, giving Toth and Morris each a workout. After 12 minutes of struggle, Thunderbird's Austin Vetterl glided past the Cougars defenders and sank the game winning goal into the net. 

"It was one of those ones where you get behind early and it totally goes off script… We just had to find ourselves in there, we had to hang in there. Keep the score within reach and try to find our game," said Gilling. "Just proud of the guys... We fought really hard and it doesn't feel good right now, but we can reflect on it and be proud of putting up a good fight until the bitter end. "

Butenschon was stunned by the efforts of both teams and surrounded by tired and happy players. "I just said how proud I was of them and how they've worked and put themselves in that situation because Mount Royal's an amazing team. I just needed a bit more out of them, like not to quit, we had a lot left, we had a lot to prove. Don't let such a great effort go to waste and when we came out in overtime, I was blown away with how confident and aggressive and calm and cool they were."

The Thunderbirds will now move onto the second round of playoffs against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Cougars will now rest up until the next season.