Two nationally ranked teams are set for an epic showdown, as Manitoba welcomes UBC to Wayne Fleming Arena for a key series. The T-Birds have 23 points to lead the conference's West Division, while Manitoba has 17 points and are in third in Canada West's East Division.

The three-time defending Canada West Champion Thunderbirds are 9-0 against Manitoba dating back to October of 2021, but they're running into one of the hottest teams in the country.

The Herd have won seven of their last eight games, getting contributions all throughout their lineup, with ten different players recording at least one goal during the run. Offensively, Norah Collins has paced the Bisons with eight goals, tied for second most in Canada West. Meanwhile, gritty forward Aimee Patrick's ten points, including four in her last two games, are tied for fourth in Canada West.

Patrick's game-tying tally with nine seconds left against Mount Royal last Saturday highlighted a memorable last three games for the Bisons, all wins. Kylie Lesuk (four assists) fed Dana Goertzen (five points) for the winner in overtime against MRU. Against Calgary last weekend, the Bisons rolled, out-scoring the U of C 7-2. Collins scored twice, while eight different players recorded a point.

In net, true freshman Paige Fischer's 1.40 goals against average is seventh in the nation. She and veteran Emily Shippam have combined for eight wins for Manitoba, and both have a save percentage of at least .910.

The catalyst for UBC has been Grace Elliott, who leads Canada West in goals, with nine, and points, with 20 in 14 games. It's the third straight year where she's recorded at least 20 points in the regular season.

Overall, the T-Birds have six players in the top six in scoring, with Chanreet Bassi, Karine Sandilands, Mackenzie Kordic, Jaylyn Morris and Makenzie McCallum all registering at least nine points.

In net, Elise Hugens is 9-1-1 for UBC, with a 1.40 goals against average.