Box Score
Lethbridge – The defending 2012-2013 Canada West champions, UBC Thunderbirds, rallied back from a three goal deficit to upend the Lethbridge Pronghorns 5-4 in a shootout Friday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena.
Katie Mucha, Sadie Lenstra, Amber Yuha and Aislinn Kooistra each scored for the Pronghorns.
Nicole Saxvik and Stephanie Schaupmeyer earned individual markers while Tatiana Rafter netted two on the night for the Thunderbirds. Christi Capozzi secured the win for UBC in the fourth round of the shootout.
An aggressive fore check in the opening minute of the game found fourth-year defender Katie Mucha in prime position to unload a hard wrister from inside the circle and give her team an early lead. Great efforts by Sarah Spence and Kirsten Reeves on the power play came close but each failed to convert. Shots favoured the home team, 13-9, at the first intermission as the 'Horns held onto a 1-0 lead.
Lenstra added to her team's lead in the opening minutes of the second as she pushed a quick wrap-around past an unsuspecting Danielle Dube, making it 2-0 'Horns less than two minutes into the frame. With two Lethbridge players in the penalty box the T-Birds saw their first five-on-three opportunity but Cailey Hay's rocket from the point hit 'Horns defender Glenda Edie and the 'Horns held onto their lead.
UBC earned their first goal of the night at 12:33. Rushing into the 'Horns end, UBC made their presence known in front of Williams. Saxvik made the most of a golden opportunity, and snuck the loose puck past the Lethbridge keeper to put the T-Birds on the board, 2-1.
Trading chances at each end, both teams were hungry for another marker at the midway point of the second. Lethbridge answered first as Aislinn Kooistra netted her first CIS goal, unassisted, with a little less than thirty seconds on the clock to put the 'Horns up 3-1 after two periods of play.
Lethbridge widened the gap to 4-1 in the first half of the third frame as Yuha's soft shot from the point went through traffic and found the back of the net.
With the third period well underway, the T-Birds knew there was work to be done. With Lethbridge plagued, once again, by penalty trouble the T-Birds executed their second five-on-three with precision. Rafter's hard slap shot from Casorso and Carpenter-Boesch sailed through traffic and past Williams to make it 4-2. Still on the power play and riding the momentum from her last marker, Rafter unloaded another, this time all alone, to earn her second goal in less than a minute, bringing her team within one.
Dube skated toward the bench with just less than four minutes remaining in regulation and the with 'Horns down a player, giving the T-Birds a much needed six-on-four advantage. Making the most of the opportunity, Schaupmeyer notched a third power play goal for UBC and brought her team to their feet, forcing overtime.
Scoreless through the extra frame, the two teams needed a shootout to settle the score and after each team scoring once in the first three rounds, Captain Christi Capozzi managed to beat Williams in the fourth round to lift the Thunderbirds to the 5-4 win.
Game two of the weekend series goes tomorrow night at Nicholas Sheran Arena. Puck drops at 7.
