Quick early goals set tone, Ironside holds the fort as Griffins knock off UBC in season opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Team Stats
UBC
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | UBC |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 2 | 1 for 2 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (6) | 3 (6) |
| Shots on Goal | 14 | 29 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
MacEwan Athletics and UBC Athletics
VANCOUVER – Just as they did in last year's playoff series, the MacEwan Griffins drew first blood, handing the UBC Thunderbirds a 4-2 defeat Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, spoiling the blue and gold's home opener party in front of nearly 2,000 fans.
The Griffins (1-0) stunned the T-Birds by scoring twice within a 33 second span early in the first period, capitalizing on a couple defensive breakdowns.
"It was a great win to start the season," said Griffins head coach Zack Dailey. "I was really impressed with how our guys started the game. Obviously, we're on the road against a very good team, it was their home opener, so it was very busy and loud in there.
"I was just super impressed with how our team handled the pressure and came out to play."
Highly-touted rookie Dwayne Jean Jr., who finished his junior career with the nearby BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs, needed just over five minutes to score his first career Canada West goal, wiring a snipe past UBC goaltender Cole Schwebius to open the scoring.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Hockey (@GriffinsMHKY) October 4, 2025
Dwayne Jean Jr. needed just over five minutes to score his first @CanadaWest goal on an absolute snipe off the rush!
1-0 @MacEwanGriffins leading @ubctbirds #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/94bQw8PimC
It really set the tone.
"Speed and an absolute rocket of a shot," said Griffins head coach Zack Dailey of the goal. "It got the belief going early and then we kind of rode that out the rest of the game. We believed we were a good team and guys worked hard. We found a way to get a result."
Vincent Scott made it 2-0 just 33 seconds later when he backhanded Jean Jr.'s pass past Schwebius from in tight. He later added an empty net goal to pace the Griffins with three points.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Hockey (@GriffinsMHKY) October 4, 2025
Vinny Scott makes it 2-0 @MacEwanGriffins just 32 seconds after Jean's opener!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/nR1mdOcEca
"Vin was great," said Dailey. "He and Jean were playing together. Two extremely quick players who put a whole bunch of pressure on their defence all night. I thought they did a fantastic job of using their speed."
UBC managed to get on the board via a second period goal by Nathan Sullivan, who finished off a back-door feed from Ty Thorpe.
Thorpe then tied the contest early in the third period on the power play, and the 'Birds seemingly had momentum fully on their side following a dominant middle frame.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Hockey (@GriffinsMHKY) October 4, 2025
Kadyn Chabot breakaway goal breaks a tie midway through the third!
Props to Sam Simard on that draw.@MacEwanGriffins lead @ubctbirds 3-2.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/CodgIp7JQU
But Kadyn Chabot restored the Griffins' lead 9:01 into the final period, converting on a late breakaway that was set up by a brilliant faceoff win by Sam Simard.
Carson Ironside turned aside 27 of 29 shots, while the Griffins had a solid defensive effort to repel the T-Birds, despite being outshot 29-14.
"The commitment to block shots was very good and Ironside was extremely solid in net for us," said Dailey.
The teams will meet again on Saturday (4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Hockey (@GriffinsMHKY) October 4, 2025
Vincent Scott seals it with an empty netter!@MacEwanGriffins win their season opener 4-2 over @ubctbirds.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/SZIekYGcJM
