VANCOUVER – The Alberta Golden Bears struck first in their best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, handing the host UBC Thunderbirds a 4-1 loss Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

The Bears broke open a 1-1 tie with three goals in the third, two of them shorthanded, to put UBC on the ropes heading into Saturday's game two.

With the game tied 1-1 early in the third, Jakin Smallwood stole the puck on the penalty kill in UBC's zone and raced up ice with Justin Hall. Cole Schwebius made the initial save off Smallwood but Hall was able to poke the loose puck across the line for what turned out to be the game winner.

The T-Birds allowed just a single shorthanded goal against all regular season, but Eric Florchuk scored Alberta's second of the game with seven minutes remaining in the third, pouncing on an errant UBC pass at the T-Birds' blue line and slipping the puck five-hole past Schwebius.

Shortly after killing the penalty, the Bears only added to their momentum as Josh Prokop took advantage of another UBC turnover, roofing the puck for his first of the playoffs, silencing the Doug Mitchell crowd in the process.

Following a scoreless opening period, Sam Huo got the 'Birds on the board 5:33 into the second finishing on a 2-on-1 rush with Sasha Mutala.

UBC's lead lasted less than five minutes, however, as Daneel Lategan – fresh off scoring Alberta's series winning overtime goal against the Huskies – took a feed in tight and buried the tying marker after the 'Birds weren't able to clear the zone.

The T-Birds will certainly have to do more of that in game two if they want to extend their season. An Alberta win Saturday would punch their ticket to next week's Canada West Final – and a berth at the upcoming University Cup national championship – while ending UBC's hopes of getting back to the big dance.

Puck drop at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is set for 7:00 p.m. PT with game three – if necessary – scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for both games are available online now with live streaming available on Canada West TV.