VANCOUVER - The #8 UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team took the first game of the Canada West championship series on Friday, March 4 evening, besting the Manitoba Bisons in a narrow 2-1 win at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

On the back of a stellar 27-save performance from Danielle Dube, who maintains a Canada West playoff-leading 1.00 goals-against-average, and first period goals from Shiayli Toni and Mathea Fischer, the Thunderbirds were able to secure all-important first win in the best-of-three seires.

Manitoba forward Lauryn Keen scored her team's lone goal, her fourth of the post-season.

With three goals scored in the first, it appeared that a high scoring affair was in order. However, with Dube and Manitoba's Amanda Schubert solid between the pipes, no goals were added through the final 40. Schubert finished with 14 saves in the contest. 

Toni potted the game's opening goal at 8:08 in the first, with Cailey Hay and Jenna Carpenter-Boesch picking up helpers.

At 15:47 in the first, with a single second left on a UBC power play, Keen scored for the visitors, tying things at 1-1. Alanna Sharman came off the near boards and curled towards the faceoff circle. She passed the puck towards Keen standing behind the goal line to Dube's right. Keen one-timed the Sharman pass and managed to sneak the puck past the UBC goaltender.

Keen and Sharman have combined for an impressive 16 points in the post-season.

Just over a minute after the tying goal, Fischer lobbed the puck over a sprawling Schubert from in tight, helping the home side regain a one-goal lead late in the first. Celine Tardif and Kaylin Snodgrass logged assists on the play.

Dube came up huge at 11:20 in the second with a pair of back-to-back stops. Manitoba's Alana Serhan spun around in front of the T-Birds net and rifled a puck towards the goal, but Dube kicked it aside. Karissa Kirkup located the rebound and blasted the puck again, but Dube smothered it, giving the 'Birds a much needed whistle.

Despite a few good chances for both teams, neither could navigate their way past Dube or Schubert, who were both rock solid through the second period.

At 3:52 in the third, UBC's Stephanie Schaupmeyer nearly found the elusive insurance goal with a quick one timer only feet from the Bison's goal line, but Schubert deflected the puck with a pad save.

With only five minutes remaining in the game, Manitoba began firing everything they could on net. Dube, and a series of gutsy blocks from UBC defenders, prevented the tying goal.

The Thunderbirds will look to end the series on Saturday, March 5 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Manitoba is in a 'must win' situation to push the series to a game three. Puck drops for game 2 at 9 p.m. CT and can be seen live on canadawest.tv website.