UBC’s annual Winter Classic returned to its full glory on Friday night, following a pandemic-induced hiatus the last two years. In their first time featured in the event alongside the men's team, the women’s side defeated the Trinity Western Spartans 3–0.
The hockey celebration — inspired by the NHL’s annual event of the same name — created an electric atmosphere inside the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. A bevy of carnival games, live music and beverage vendors helped stir the crowd into a frenzy that encapsulated the raucous emotion of the night.
“It was fun. I just saw them smiling and enjoying it,” said women's team head coach Graham Thomas. “It’s an honour to be a part of this game.”
On a night that had all the finishings of an NHL playoff game, complete with awe-inspiring player entrances and a ceremonial puck drop, the fierce crosstown rival Spartans had their work cut out for them.
“It's been nice that we've had these challenges, teams that are desperate, teams that are playing urgent against us, gets us sharpened and ready to go, definitely playoff intensity out there,” said Thomas.
The T-Birds women's side entered the contest in first place in the Canada West standings with a dominant 20–2–2 record. They were perfect at home and were hungry for redemption after splitting the last series against the Spartans.
But those playoff emotions certainly showed themselves on the ice as, in the opening minutes, the Thunderbirds looked shaky.
A couple of early giveaways led to prime Spartans scoring chances, but starting goaltender Elise Hugens deftly turned them away. In the ensuing minutes, the Thunderbirds missed a number of passes that killed their momentum as they tried to move up ice. They also had difficulty breaking out of their defensive zone.
The atmosphere in the building had the team running on fumes. Through the first 20 minutes, it seemed that the crowd was in for a real back-and-forth contest.
“Those first eight minutes they had us back on our heels, weathering the storm. They came at us so hard,” said Thomas. “We just had to stay reserved and stick to the process.”
Luckily, the T-Birds recovered after intermission. They used their speed down the wing and some flashy skill in the offensive zone to generate scoring chances. They also displayed a ton of toughness and refused to give an inch to the Spartans, who fought hard in every moment. Their efforts resulted in two goals for forward Grace Elliott, both of which came off of some impressive forechecking from linemate Chanreet Bassi. It was a return to form that allowed them to take back control of the game and showcased their cohesion as a team.
“They were just feeling the pressure and the stress and the elevation of everything,” said Thomas. “I think once we relaxed and settled down, they had fun.”
The third period was more of the same. The Thunderbirds stayed disciplined despite the Spartans showing their frustration with some dirty play in the dying minutes. The T-Birds were rewarded for their effort with a nice one-timer goal by Mackenzie Kordic.
What began as a rocky start to the evening turned into yet another dominant win by the T-Birds, who finished the game with a whopping 50 shots on goal. The team finished the home portion of their regular season schedule a perfect 14–0, a first for the program.
Friday’s statement win encapsulates the incredible success the Thunderbirds have had all season. The team has a full head of steam as the playoffs draw ever closer.
“The team’s pretty hyped up. This is the most fun, the best time of the season, so everyone’s ready to go,” said team captain Rylind MacKinnon.
“We’re really happy with how we’re starting to play and as long as that continues through playoffs, we’ll be pretty proud of ourselves.”
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