VANCOUVER - The Calgary Dinos salvaged a crucial point in their weekend series with the UBC Thunderbirds on Sunday, playing the 'Birds to a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Wright Field.

The teams got all the offence out of the way in a hurry on Sunday, as both goals occured in the first five minutes of play. The T-Birds got on the board first when Vickie Pearson scored her team-leading sixth goal of the year off a penalty corner in the third minute. The Dinos responded just one minute later when pressure around the UBC net eventually led to a Calgary penalty stroke. Kaitlyn Longworth stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball just inside the left post to pull her side level.

The T-Birds survived a few defensive breakdowns in the first half before turning things around in the second. They generated most of the offensive chances after the break, and had a numbers advantage for five minutes due to a yellow card to Calgary's# Emma Guppy#, but were still unable to break the deadlock.

The Dinos gave the 'Birds a scare as time expired, winning back-to-back penalty corner opportunities as the buzzer sounded. They couldn't capitalize on either chance though, and the home side escaped with the tie.

The T-Birds now fall into a tie for first with Victoria at 5-1-2 on the year. The tie was huge for Calgary, as a loss would have been devastating to their CIS tournament hopes. At 3-3-2, the Dinos now face a pivotal series in Victoria against the Vikes next week, as they could pull themselves into a tie for second in the conference if they win both games. Only the top two teams from Canada West will make the trip to nationals, so they need a strong showing in Victoria to keep their hopes alive.

The T-Birds will head to Edmonton next week to take on the winless Alberta Pandas before finishing off the regular season at home against the Vikes.

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