Game Information
Date: Friday, Feb. 14 & Saturday, Feb. 15 & Sunday, Feb. 16 (if necessary)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon
Venue: Merlis Belsher Place
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SASKATOON – For the second year in a row Merlis Belsher Place will play host to Canada West quarter-final action when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team plays host to the UBC Thunderbirds in a best-of-three series.
Running Friday, Saturday and Sunday if necessary, the series will mark the third time in four years that the Huskies and Thunderbirds will meet in the playoffs.
Saskatchewan comes into the playoffs with a record of 15-7-3, good enough for 51 points and third place in the
conference. The Huskies split their final weekend of the regular season against the Regina Cougars. They picked up a double-overtime winner from
Bailee Bourassa on a great individual effort for a 2-1 win on Friday night before falling 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday.
UBC meanwhile finished in the sixth and final playoff spot, holding a record of 10-14-4. The Thunderbirds enter the playoffs after a very difficult finish to their season. After being picked second in the Canada West coaches poll and starting the year 8-2-3, UBC finished by winning just two of their final 15 games a stretch that dates back to November 29.
These two teams met twice in the regular season. UBC swept the Huskies in Saskatoon by scores of 3-2 and 1-0 back during their hot start before Saskatchewan repaid the favour with victories of 4-3 and 3-1 in Vancouver.
5 Things
1: The Huskies have met the Thunderbirds three times in playoff history, holding a 5-3 record. Saskatchewan has defeated UBC in a pair of semifinal series (2013-14 & 2017-18) while also dropping a semifinal series (2016-17).
2: Saskatchewan holds a 2-1 all-time playoff record in Merlis Belsher Place, defeating Mount Royal in a quarter-final series last year thanks to
Rachel Lundberg's triple overtime winner.
3: At the end of the season Huskies' goalie
Jessica Vance claimed some Canada West history. Through three seasons of play Vance has allowed just 70 goals and made 1,239 saves giving her a .947 career save percentage, the best in conference history.
4: The Thunderbirds are in the playoffs for the eighth straight year.
5: A goalie duel could ensue this weekend. While Vance is first in conference history in save percentage, UBC goalie Tory Micklash isn't far behind her with a save percentage of .930 placing her sixth.
