VANCOUVER — The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey team welcomed playoff hockey back to campus with a thrilling 5-1 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons on Thursday, February 19 night. After not hosting a playoff game for 44 years, the Thunderbirds put on a show for their home crowd as 12 different players earned points. With their 'W', the 'Birds lead the best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series against the Bisons 1-0.
 

All four UBC lines scored tonight, demonstrating a full team effort. Dillon Wagner (1G, 0A), Jessi Hilton (1G, 0A), Greg Fraser (1G, 0A), Anthony Bardaro (1G, 0A), and Ben Schmidt (1G, 1A) all found the back of the net, Schmidt's final goal even coming on the power play.

Kyle Rous got the only goal for the Bisons.
 

UBC opened up scoring with a pair of back-to-back goals within the first four minutes of the game. After Dillon Wagner and Joe Antilla unleashed a series of rapid-fire attacks on Manitoba's net, Wagner found the puck on his stick rising from a tumble and lifted it over Deven Dubyk's right shoulder. The offensive barrage continued and 1:05 later, Luke Lockhart and Buonassisi connected, feeding the puck to Jessi Hilton, who extended the Thunderbirds' lead.
 

The Bisons battled back, earning their first and only tally of the game. After a rush that left the crease crowded, second-year defenceman Rous backpedaled into the faceoff circle and fired, netting one high on UBC goaltender Eric Williams. The first ended in UBC's favour 2-1.
 

The 'Birds wasted no time re-establishing their offensive dominance in the second, scoring their third goal one minute in. Buonassisi deked through a set of Bisons defencemen, slipping the puck between pairs of skates as Greg Fraser raced up along his right. A quick tip gave Fraser the puck and he ushered it in for his first goal of the post-season and Buonassisi's second assist. The Thunderbirds' second goal came from Manraj Hayer and Cole Wilson, who passed the entire length of the ice until they found Anthony Bardaro, who netted his first of the postseason between Dubyk's legs. Although they were given the man-advantage three times in the period, UBC was unable to capitalize on the power play, finishing the second 0-for-4.
 

With one more goal in the third, the Thunderbirds would secure the win 5-1, this time on the power play. Cycling the puck in front of Dubyk, Schmidt scored on a slap shot from the blue line off of a cross-ice pass from fellow defenceman Neil Manning.
 

Key to UBC's victory was Williams, who refused to allow the Bisons more than a single goal in 60 minutes of play. The rookie was worthy of first star honours after stopping 33 shots, including three big ones on the penalty kill in the third.

Manitoba goaltender Deven Dubyk turned aside 14 of the 19 shots he faced. The visitors outshot the hosts 34-19.
 

The victory now puts Manitoba's 2014-15 season on the line. If the Bisons lose tomorrow, they will be eliminated from the Canada West Playoffs and UBC will advance to the semifinals, where they were halted in their quest for the league and national championships last year, losing to Alberta. 
 

Puck drop for Game 2 of the best-of-three series is slated for 7 p.m. PT Friday, February 20 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.