Jeff Sargeant, UBC Thunderbirds

VANCOUVER – In a near identical reversal from the night before, the Alberta Pandas (6-2-3-3) scored on a power play in overtime to hand the UBC Thunderbirds (8-4-1-1) a 3-2 overtime loss Saturday afternoon at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

The T-Birds had a 2-1 lead midway through the third period only to have the Pandas tie it up at two to force an extra frame.

And just like the night prior, the 'Birds entered overtime on the penalty kill, but that's where their fortunes changed.

Jaedon Cooke was given a cross-checking penalty at the final buzzer of the third period to give the Pandas a 5-on-3 to start overtime. The T-Birds killed off the remainder of a Kirsten Toth minor and were two seconds away from returning to even-strength when Autumn MacDougall picked the top corner of the net for her second goal of the game to earn the Pandas the weekend split.

"We weren't as sharp tonight," said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. "To beat a team like that back-to-back is really hard to do and we have to commit to game plan and commit to our effort levels and being focussed and we just didn't tonight."

The Pandas came out firing on all cylinders to start Saturday afternoon, peppering Amelia Boughn early. But the fourth-year goaltender stood her ground making some terrific saves to keep the 'Birds in a scoreless tie after one.

The Pandas headed to their second power play of the game just 19 seconds into the middle frame when Alexa Ranahan was called for hooking. Not only did the 'Birds' penalty kill rise to the occasion but Cooke scored UBC's first shorthanded goal of the season to take the 1-0 lead exactly one minute into the second. After Alberta goaltender Dayna Owen turned over the puck while going behind her net to play it, Cooke pounced on it in the slot and fired home her second of the season from Brie Bellerive and Kathleen Cahoon.

Alberta was able to make amends, however, on their next power play opportunity just seven minutes later when MacDougall scored her first of two on the game.

UBC entered Saturday afternoon having not scored a single shorthanded goal all season but the 'Birds re-took the lead 7:24 into the third with their second of the game. After Mathea Fischer won a defensive zone faceoff, Ranahan chipped the puck off the glass and out. Emily Costales then turned on the jets and won the race to the puck before driving to the net and beating Owen for her third of the season.

But once again the T-Birds' lead didn't last long as Poznikoff netted her third of the season on a shot from below the goal line that fooled Boughn at the 9:45 mark.

For the second straight game the Pandas had a goal disallowed, this time on what would have been the go-ahead marker which was waived off due to goaltender interference. Instead, the game remained knotted at two, eventually forcing overtime.

The Pandas won the special teams battle Saturday finishing 2-for-6 on the power play while UBC went 0-for-3. Bouhgn made 30 saves in the losing cause while the T-Birds managed just eight shots on Owen.

"At the end of the day we need to be better, we can't get eight or ten shots against a team like that and expect to win," added Thomas. "They outplayed us. We could have stolen one tonight but that's what it would have been, we didn't deserve to win tonight."

With each team coming away with an overtime win and a loss from the weekend, the 'Birds and Pandas are tied for second in the Canada West with 27 points, five back of the leading Manitoba Bisons.

UBC is in Winnipeg next Friday and Saturday to face the Bisons in the final Canada West action before the winter break.

PHOTO: Rich Lam, UBC Thunderbirds