UBC feasts on special teams as Griffins fall 5-1 to conference leaders
MacEwan Athletics
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Special teams factored as prominently as they ever will in a hockey game as the UBC Thunderbirds beat the MacEwan Griffins 5-1 on the strength of three powerplay goals and a shorty, to boot.
MacEwan's lone goal was also scored short-handed.
UBC's powerplay was ultimately too strong, though, as they went a sizzling 3-for-6 in the contest with both Mia Bierd and Grace Elliott scoring twice.
"They're a top team in the league for a reason," said Griffins head coach Chris Leeming. "They've got some depth, they play hard and they really push you to be your best every time you play against them."
With the result, UBC remained undefeated at 11-0-0, while the Griffins dropped to 2-9-2.
"They showed up ready to play right from the drop of the puck and I think we got started too late," said Leeming. "Just being a little more focused on our details for 60 minutes is going to provide us with a better opportunity tomorrow."
Kori Paterson scored MacEwan's lone goal late in the second period when she picked off a neutral zone pass short-handed and went in alone from the blueline, beating UBC's Elise Hugens blocker side.
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Hockey (@GriffinsWHKY) November 15, 2025
Kori Paterson picks off a pass and goes in on a short-handed break, getting the Griffins on the board late in the second period!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/hqIyMX6Lu0
"It was a nice goal," said Leeming, noting it came after a block by Sydney Olsen in the defensive zone. "Those were a couple of the details we talked about executing – getting in shot lanes to block some shots and making sure we keep our feet moving.
"We did two of those things back-to-back and got rewarded for it. It was just a matter of sequencing those things together."
Taya Currie made 44 saves on 49 shots for the Griffins, while Hugens stopped 16 for the T-Birds.
"For a large part of the game, Taya played well again," said Leeming. "Obviously, they've got some sharp-shooters on their team and they scored some nice goals."
The teams will meet again on Saturday (4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
