The University of Regina's women's hockey team defeated the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-1 on Friday night in Vancouver.
With the win, the Cougars clinch a spot in the Canada West playoffs. The Cougars also needed help from out of town to clinch the spot, and got it as the Alberta Pandas defeated the Calgary Dinos 3-1. The Cougars' two possible playoff opponents are UBC or Alberta.
The Cougars got standout performances from forward
Jordan Kulbida and goaltender
Arden Kliewer. Kulbida scored both of Regina's goals and Kliewer made a monster 40 saves to help the team secure the win.
The first period saw no scoring as the Cougars could only generate four shots on goal. The Thunderbirds managed to get 13 shots on goal but they were all turned away by Kliewer. Both teams had a power play opportunity but failed to convert it into a goal.
In the second period, Kulbida made a nifty move at the UBC blue line to get past a defender and created a two-on-one opportunity. She kept the puck and fired it through the goalie's five-hole to give the Cougars the 1-0 lead. The teams got physical in the second, leading to a scrum that resulted in a major penalty for the Cougars and a minor for the Thunderbirds. UBC again could not score on the chance as Kliewer again turned away every shot. The Cougars led 1-0 heading into the third period despite being outshot 28-6 through 40 minutes.
UBC forward Mackenzie Kordic scored one minute into the third period to tie the game. Kordic got a 2-on-1 opportunity and like the Kulbida goal, kept the puck and put it into the back of the net to make it 1-1. UBC however, got three minor penalties in a span of seven minutes that gave the Cougars three power play opportunities. The Thunderbirds managed to kill the first two penalties but could not kill the third. Kulbida took a one-timer slap shot from the point that rocketed into the top corner to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead with under five minutes left in the game.
UBC pulled their goalie with under a minute left and put a lot of pressure on the Cougars, controlling the puck and taking several good shots. Kliewer answered the call every time, coming up with several clutch saves to secure the win and send the Cougars into the playoffs.
The two teams will play again tomorrow, at 3:00 p.m. PT in the Douglas Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
