Hockey: CW recap - T-Birds prove Bears beatable once again

UBC hands Alberta second home loss - For the second time this season the UBC Thunderbirds handed the Alberta Golden Bears a loss, this time in Edmonton Saturday night in a 3-2 shootout decision.

After what was a rather boring affair Friday night that saw Alberta secure an uninspired 5-2 victory, UBC came out Saturday night and peppered Bears' goalie Real Cyr who got the start after Kurtis Mucha picked up the win the night before. The Thunderbirds outshot Alberta in every period except the overtime frame, including a first period that saw UBC throw 13 shots on goal compared to five from the Bears. Of those five Alberta first period shots, two off the stick of Alex Rodgers beat UBC netminder Jordan White, but despite that rough start the T-Birds and their goaltender persevered to get a shootout win.

White would stop everything after the first period including two shooters in the shootout, Chad Klassen and Sean Ringrose, while his teammates Tyler Ruel and Brandon Campos both scored in the skills competition to lift UBC to another big win.

It was a disappointing weekend for head coach Eric Thurston and company as the Bears came out uninspired Friday night, and flat again Saturday. Alberta didn't seem into this series, and the result was a three-point weekend for the number-one ranked team in the nation - that ranking could now change this week.

New look Huskies start with sweep - It was a solid start to the second half of the season for Saskatchewan picking up a pair of wins over Regina in a home-and-home series against their provincial counterparts.

Friday night Kyle Bortis led the way for the U of S, scoring a pair of goals to go along with an empty net marker from Travis Brisebois in a 3-1 Huskies win on the road.

In the Saskatoon half of the series, some new pups made their additions felt. Midseason recruits Matt Delahey and Derek Hulak both made an impact for Saskatchewan, each scoring a powerplay goal, with Hulak also adding a pair of assists in their Rutherford Rink debuts.

Not to be outdone by the new faces, Kyle Bortis was once again on his game Saturday scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the season in a 6-2 win that saw the Sled Dogs fire 42 shots on Regina's Adam Ward.

A four-point weekend was just what Saskatchewan was looking for out of the gate in 2011, and despite the fact it was their first game action since a 10-1 win over Lethbridge to round out the first half of the regular season back on November 27, the Huskies didn't take long to shake off the rust on what should be a big second half for them. They now sit in second place in the conference with 20 points, two up on Manitoba with a showdown in Saskatoon this coming weekend a big one between the two squads.

Dinos down 'Horns before winter takes hold - Tied at 2-2 heading into the third period of Friday night's contest in Calgary between the Dinos and Lethbridge Pronghorns, it was all home team in the final frame with Calgary surviving a penalty shot by Dustin Moore before netting a trio of unanswered goals.

Moore had his chance to give the 'Horns the lead at the 11:27 mark of the third, but was stopped by the Dinos Dustin Butler who continued his stellar play with a big save at the right time again. Then just 1:38 later, Tyler Swystun would score the eventual game winner for Calgary, with Aaron Richards and Brock Nixon adding insurance goals in a 5-2 Dinos win.

Saturday night's contest down the road in Lethbridge was forced to be cancelled after travel conditions in Southern Alberta made it nearly impossible to travel, with near whiteout conditions throughout much of the southern portion of the province. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.