UBC Gets Games In

When Canada West called off the season, there were nine teams from Manitoba to BC that found themselves with not a lot to do and no meaningful games to play. Yes, the teams have been skating and practicing, but it's simply not the same as engaging in real games between teams that want to win while avoiding defeat. With the coronavirus keeping hockey in some provinces from ramping up, the UBC Thunderbirds are getting set to play some games in November!

The Thunderbirds played a game on Saturday, October 31 against the CSSHL's Delta Hockey Academy, winning 3-0 in the afternoon contest to start their month of hockey action off right. While there have been no other games announced yet on the UBC site, both UBC and Trinity Western will compete against one another in November and also play additional games against Delta Hockey Academy and Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna.

Trinity Western has been a little more busy, going 2-2 against both Rink and Delta. Rink defeated TWU 6-5 on the strength of a Sarah Paul hat trick on October 17, but TWU rallied back with a 3-0 win on October 23 as Chantal Weller stopped all 19 shots she faced for the shutout. The following day, Delta Hockey Academy downed Trinity Western by a 6-3 score as Elliot Grace scored three times and set up two more goals against Jordan Mackow in the TWU net. Halloween saw Trinity Western defeat the Rink Academy by a 3-2 score as Neisha Germann's third-period market was the difference.

As it stands, the next scheduled games shown on the Trinity Western website are a pair of games against Delta Academy on November 7 and 8, followed by a back-to-back against the UBC Thunderbirds on November 20 and 21.

How is UBC preparing for these games?

"Our team identity won't change as we go into games and those expectations of our players and our program," UBC head coach Graham Thomas explained to Jeff Sargeant of UBC Communications. "But at the same time, we'll have a bit of a lighter approach. The players probably won't feel that same kind of pressure to perform and it's really nice right now to just go out there and play the game and make mistakes and learn and not to have as much pressure on all of us. I think that will be a positive that comes out of us going into next season."

I'm not certain that Graham's belief of having less pressure and not making mistakes will carry through the next ten months of not playing hockey, but he's never been short on positive beliefs. I can admit that it's good to see the Thunderbirds back in action, and it sounds like the players are excited for the opportunity.

"The players love coming to the rink right now," Thomas stated. "When they get there they're smiling with a lot of energy and happy to be together and that's the way it should be for the sport you love, to be with your teammates and have comradery and get to go out and play the game you love."

This blog will keep an eye on the games as they play out over November, and we'll bring updates when possible. Normally, we have lots to talk about in the first week of November when it comes to hockey, so getting a chance to break down a few games will make this weird offseason feel a little more normal.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!