VANCOUVER, B.C. – In yet another playoff type battle between two of the top teams in the country, the Saskatchewan Huskies handed the UBC Thunderbirds their first loss in seven games Saturday afternoon, completing a 3-2 comeback win in the shootout at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

The T-Birds (18-6-2) opened up a 2-0 lead in the second period on goals from Chris Douglas and Josh Williams, but the Huskies (21-5) scored twice on a five minute power play, eventually forcing the game beyond overtime where Vince Loschiavo scored the game winning shootout goal as the two U SPORTS powerhouses split their only weekend series of the season.

After yet another solid two-way effort by UBC, the turning point of the game came late in the second when Jonny Lambos was handed a five minute major for charging, allowing the conference's leading power play to get to work.

Chantz Petruic scored Saskatchewan's first goal of the weekend with just two tenths of a second on the clock.

Starting the third still with four minutes remaining on the penalty kill, the T-Birds did a solid job keeping the Huskies' at bay until Petruic struck again, this time with just three seconds remaining on the man advantage.

As the third wore on, the T-Birds began to find their game again but simply ran out of time to re-take the lead before eventually falling in the shootout.

The Huskies certainly played a more intense brand of hockey compared to Friday night where the T-Birds had no problem containing the No. 2 ranked team in the country. Holding perhaps a slight edge in play overall through 20 minutes, the T-Birds were rewarded midway through the second when Douglas opened scoring with his ninth of the season. After laying a hit along the boards to free the puck, the UBC captain ripped a heavy wrister from the right circle past Jordan Kooy.

Less than four minutes later at the 14:27 mark, Josh Williams jammed home his own rebound to double the T-Birds' lead with his seventh.

In control on the scoreboard, the 'Birds' were simply forced to the penalty kill for too long, spending all but 12 seconds of the final three minutes of the second and first four minutes of the third shorthanded.

Petruic's first power play marker, his 17th of the season, came in tight, banging in the puck from the blue paint which had bounced off Trevor Wong who ended up crashing into Schwebius just as the buzzer sounded.

The Huskies' goal scoring leader struck again 4:01 into the third, just three seconds left in Lambos' major, a long range wrister past a partially screened Schwebius, post and in, to tie the game.

After a scoreless overtime, Williams gave the 'Birds the early shootout advantage, shooting five-hole past Kooy.

Chase Bertholet, Saskatchewan's first shooter, responded while Kooy denied Ty Thorpe. Schwebius got the paddle on Petruic's five-hole attempt but Kooy stopped Jake Lee putting the game on Loschiavo's stick. The fourth-year Husky's glove side wrister found the back of the net to officially split the weekend series.
 
The two points Saturday for Saskatchewan pulled the Huskies back within one point of the East Division leading Golden Bears. With Alberta on a bye next weekend – the final week of the Canada West regular season – the Huskies will need just one win at home against the Manitoba Bisons to secure first and a bye through the quarter-finals.