EDMONTON - Looking for revenge from their last playoff clash in 2020, the Golden Bears Hockey team welcome the UBC Thunderbirds to Clare Drake Arena this weekend for the 2022 Canada West Final.

Game times for the best-of-three series go at 7:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. 
 

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The last time these teams met in the CW post-season, the T-Birds stunned Alberta with a 2-1 series win in the 2020 conference semifinal, in one of the biggest upsets in modern CW history.

Alberta led Canada West with a 16-3-1 record this season, sweeping Calgary in the semifinal two weeks ago. 

UBC finished second with a 14-5-1 mark, earning a semifinal win over Mount Royal in Vancouver. Alberta earned a pair of tight wins over UBC in mid-November.  in their only regular season meetings. 

The two rosters look almost nothing like the ones that battled in 2020, with 16 of the 23 Bears in their first year of competition.

The one constant for UBC, however, is star goalie Rylan Toth. The veteran T-Birds puck-stopper was sensational in their semifinal series in 2020, and was named the 2022 Canada West Goalie of the Year. Toth stopped 116 of the 123 shots he faced in that semifinal series, while posting a 11-5-1 record with a .920 save percentage this season for UBC. 

Looking to best Toth is a deep and talented group of Alberta forwards, led by CW All-Star Grayson Pawlenchuk, sophomore Noah Philp, and rookie Gary Haden.

Haden led the Bears with 10 goals and 21 points, with Philp adding 11 points in eight games, followed by eight points in two games against Calgary in the semifinal. 

Adding a spark from the back-end is Bears captain Clayton Kirichenko, who was named the 2022 CW Defenceman of the Year. 

UBC counters with Tyler Sandhu (7 goals, 24 points), and Jonathan Smart (5 goals, 23 points). 

Not only is a Canada West banner at stake this weekend, but so is seeding for the 2022 University Cup, hosted by Acadia. 

Quick Hitters

• Alberta is 29-12 all-time in the Canada West Final, having won 10 of their last 11 appearances
• UBC is 1-4 all-time in the conference final, with their lone win coming in 1971. This is the first time they've made the CW Final in back-to-back years since 1977/1978. 
• Alberta is 3-0 vs UBC in the CW Final ('75, '77, 78). 
• Bears coach Ian Herbers is looking for a 5th CW title. Only Rob Daum (6) and Clare Drake (8) won more as the head coach of the Bears. 

All-time Bears vs Thunderbirds Playoff Series'
 

YEAR	PLAYOFF ROUND	SERIES RESULT
1974-75	Canada West Final	Alberta wins 2-1
1976-77	Canada West Final	Alberta wins 2-1
1977-78	Canada West Final	Alberta wins 2-1
1989-90	Canada West Semifinal	Alberta wins 2-0
2006-07	Division Final	Alberta wins 2-0
2013-14	Canada West Semifinal	Alberta wins 2-0
2014-15	Canada West Semifinal	Alberta wins 2-0
2019-20	Canada West Semifinal	UBC wins 2-1