Goaltender Matt Hewitt was the man of the match for the University of British Columbia men's hockey team.
The 12-9-5 Thunderbirds outlasted the University of Regina Cougars 1-0 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre last Saturday.
The two teams split both series with the other, with UB earning a 'W' on the road, and another one at home for their final home game of the regular season.
Hewitt, a New Westminster hockey product, was the first star of the game, earning his second career Canadian Interuniversity Sport shutout following a 3-2 loss in goal versus Regina the previous night.
"It feels good," Hewitt said in a UBC press release. "After the first one, it sort of took the monkey off of my back. But, tonight we played a desperate team trying to make the playoffs and they pushed hard. I just tried to hold my ground and give my team a chance to win."
UBC got on the scoreboard early in the middle period after a scoreless opening 20 minutes.
Defenseman Brendon Wall caught Regina goaltender Lucas Gore leaning before making a saucer pass across the ice to Nick Buonassisi, who was able to tap the puck into a wide open net for his 10th of the season. He now trails Cole Wilson by one for the team lead in goals.
Despite a surge in offensive opportunities from Regina, Hewitt and the team were able to keep the score 1-0 through the period. Hewitt made all 15 saves he faced, while UBC remained dominant on the attack with 23 shots through 40 minutes of play.
The Cougars, clinging to the hope of making the playoffs, fired an additional 11 shots on net in the final frame, but Hewitt was able to shut them down. With the win, Hewitt has now earned two shutouts in his last three starts.
Earlier this month, Hewitt, who spent three seasons in the 'Dub' as the Pats starting keeper, shutout Saskatchewan 5-0.
This season, Hewitt sports a 6-7 win/loss record with the T-Birds and a 2.86 goals against average. His save percentage is .898 - 12th best in the Canada West conference.
UBC plays its final two games of the regular season in Lethbridge this week to take on the eighth-place Pronghorns on Friday and Saturday.
