Thunderbirds swap doubleheader in Prince George

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - Six points is six points, no matter how you get them.

The UNBC Timberwolves never relented against the CIS No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds, but it still wasn't enough as the Thunderbirds left Prince George with a 2-0 victory and a sweep of the weekend doubleheader.

Milad Mehrabi and Harry Lakhan scored, while Chad Bush only had to make one save for the Thunderbirds (6-0-1), who extended their winning streak to six matches, and opening up a five-point lead over the idle University of Victoria Vikes for top spot in the Pacific Division.

Tyrone Venhola was strong in goal for the Timberwolves (1-7-0), as seemingly all five saves he made were destined for a highlight reel.

However, the Thunderbirds got things started in the 13th minute. After controlling the early part of the game, a UBC throw bounced around the UNBC box, eventually finding its way to Sean Einarsson. He touched it over for Mehrabi, who struck for his first of the season to put UBC up 1-0, an advantage they would maintain through halftime.

The Timberwolves stuck with UBC in the second half, however, and it looked as though they were starting to gain a bit more momentum as the game progressed.

Venhola certainly did his part to keep UNBC in the game, making three big-time saves on Thunderbirds co-captain Gagan Dosanjh in a span of eight minutes on quality scoring opportunities.

However, just as UNBC was pressing for the equalizer in the 82nd minute, Timberwolves co-captain Dan Goodey was called for a tackle on Dosanjh just inside the UNBC 18-yard box, much to the Timberwolves' dismay.

From there, Lakhan made sure there was no repeat of Venhola's penalty kick magic from Saturday, calmly slotting the ball into the left side of the net to wrap up the scoring.

The Timberwolves have a bye next week, while UBC looks to extend its winning streak to seven matches against Victoria in Vancouver on Friday.