VANCOUVER – Rookie forward Cassidy Rhodes notched her first career Canada West hat-trick, Ireland Perrott chimed in with a goal and two assists and 11 different 'Birds found the score sheet in a 6-1 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons (0-1). The lone Manitoba goal came from
Hanna Bailey early in the first period.
UBC out shot Manitoba 48-18 on Friday and finished the night three-for-seven on the power play. Manitoba responded with a one-for-five effort on the man advantage, while Kimberly Davidson stopped 40 shots.
It was the visiting Bisons who drew first blood on the night, 1:59 into the game on a power play.
Hanna Bailey's seeing-eye shot from the right-wing point switched directions and snuck home. The lone helper on the play was credited to
Sarah Dennehy and came on Manitoba's first shot of the game.
By the 6:15 mark of the first, UBC held a 6-1 edge in shots, and established a fast, positionally-strong forecheck and had lots of offensive zone time with all five skaters involved positively.
On their 10
th shot of the period, UBC was eventually rewarded when second-year forward Mia Beird settled a bouncing puck in the slot area and shovelled a low shot past Davidson. Bierd's second of the young season was set up by Mya Healey and Hannah Koroll.
Both teams treaded chances in the back-half of the first. UBC's Joelle Fiala was turned away at the 13-minute mark on a point-blank backhand attempt. Then, on a late Manitoba power play,
Rachel Gottfried dinged a point shot off the goal post which kept the game tied.
The score was 1-1 after 20 minutes with UBC holding a 17-10 edge in shots, but Manitoba held a 3-1 lead in power play chances.
In the final seconds of UBC's first power play, Perrott notched her third goal in as many games off a tip-in. The T-Birds extended the lead to 3-1 at 11:04 off an odd-numbered rush. Rhodes took a feed from Analise Wong, skated swiftly down the right wing and perfectly placed a shot inside the far post for her second goal of the young season.
Manitoba applied some decent pressure in the UBC zone in the final minute of play, but skated into the tunnel trailing by two goals after 40 minutes.
A strong two-way game from Fiala was rewarded early in the third period at 4:17 when she converted on her first goal of the season off a net-front one-timer.
UBC's tenacious efforts in the offensive zone yielded a pair of power play chances near the mid-way point of the third, and the blue and gold would find pay dirt twice more courtesy of Rhodes.
Rhodes' second of the night came off a shot from the slot from a soft spot in defensive coverage at 11:03. Then a minute and 27 seconds later, Rhodes pounced on a net-front rebound.
These two foes will meet again tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. to wrap up their weekend double-header.
