‘Birds Welcome Heat For A Friday-Saturday Showdown

VANCOUVER – Fresh off a massive 3-1 victory Saturday against Saskatchewan, the UBC Thunderbirds (8-6) look to continue their winning ways at home this weekend when they clash with their provincial rivals, the UBC Okanagan Heat (4-10) in a Friday-Saturday double-header.
 
“It was a big result for us to get the win Saturday just in terms of standings and jockeying for playoff position,” said head coach Mike Hawkins whose team, despite some key absences, avenged a 3-1 home loss Friday with a spirited 3-1 win of their own the next night. “It gives our whole group confidence knowing that regardless of who is on the floor, we know we can be a competitive team.”

 
The schedule has been anything but easy for the blue and gold in recent weeks having had to battle top schools like Trinity Western, Alberta and Saskatchewan, but Mike Hawkins‘ club has remained upright and still find themselves in the thick of the Canada West playoff picture, currently ranked sixth – one win shy of fourth-placed Saskatchewan.
 
“The first semester is a marathon, but the second half of our season now becomes a sprint,” added Hawkins. “It’s quite difficult if you are questioning your identity and you’re not sure of who you are as a team, but the fact that we’ve played well over this stretch and have had guys coming in and out of the lineup, it shows me that we are well prepared to make a run at a national championship.”
 
Reeve Gingera’s 33.5 points jumped off the page positively from the weekend, as did Mason Greves’ 86 assists. “I thought Saturday was the best game that Mason has ever ‘set’ in a UBC uniform, and I told him that after the game,” shared the head coach. “We all know that physically he’s gifted and skilled, but his development and progress as a tactician has been great for us and Saturday it was on full display.”

 
The UBC Okanagan Heat come into the weekend with a 4-10 record and have dropped their previous six games dating back to November 25^th in Winnipeg. This weekend marks the only two regular season meetings of the season between the two provincial foes and the T-Birds head coach anticipates a hungry push from the Heat.
 
“They’re a tenacious team and a group that can be unrelenting when they’re at their best,” concluded Hawkins. “They need positive results to get themselves back into the playoff picture so for us we’re stressing that we need to be the hungrier team. We need to be the team with the point to prove. We need to continue our trend in the right direction.”
 
The weekend begins Friday at War Memorial Gym with a 7:45 pm showdown, followed by a 6:45 battle Saturday. Tickets for both nights can be purchased HERE. You can also catch the action live on Canada West TV.