CALGARY – The last time the UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team left Father David Bauer Arena, they had their first-ever Canada West championship in tow. Then, it was an upset; this time, they're the favourites as they get set to take on the University of Calgary Dinos.

The first conference action of 2014 gets underway this weekend as the sixth-ranked Thunderbirds look to maintain first place in Canada West as they visit the Dinos for a two-game set. Action gets underway Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday. Both games are at Father David Bauer Arena.

UBC (12-3-1) is locked in a battle with Saskatchewan for top spot in the conference as the playoff push begins in earnest this week. The defending conference champs hold just a one-point lead over the Huskies, with the Alberta Pandas just three points further behind. With 12 games to go it's still anybody's conference to win, and UBC will look to stay above the fray as the Huskies and Pandas also do battle this weekend in Saskatoon.

Calgary, meanwhile, has a 7-8-1 record and is holding on to the sixth and final playoff spot in the conference with 15 points, two better than Lethbridge. The Dinos will meet the Pronghorns next week in a pivotal series, but points against the T-Birds this weekend would give the Dinos some additional breathing room and possibly a shot at home-ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.

There are just six weekends of conference play left, and points are crucial at this stage. The Dinos' playoff picture will likely go down to the wire, all the way to the Crowchild Classic game at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Feb. 6 against Mount Royal – but getting a good start to 2014 against UBC would certainly help their cause.

The Dinos did have some success against UBC back in October, splitting their series in Vancouver with a 4-0 loss followed by a 4-3 victory which featured the shootout winner by Jenna Smith.

Smith had a busy month of December, joining Team Canada at the Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy. There, she was part of an undefeated team that captured a third consecutive women's hockey gold medal for Canada, with Smith scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Russia in the championship game. In Canada's seven games at the tournament, Smith scored six goals and added nine assists for 15 points. After putting up just six points in the first 16 games of conference play with the Dinos, the coaching staff will be looking for her international experience to spark a return to offensive production for Smith, who finished third in the conference in scoring last year with 29 points in 28 games.

Janelle Parent remains the only Dino in the top 20 in conference scoring, sitting fifth with eight goals and five assists for 13 points. UBC, conversely, boasts four of the top 11 point-getters, led by scoring leader Tatiana Rafter's 20 points. Sarah Casorso has 16, while Nicole Saxvik and Stephanie Schaupmeyer have 12 apiece.

In goal, Danielle Dube has carried the lion's share of the load for UBC once again, putting up a 9-1 record, while the Dinos have split the duties of late between veteran Amanda Tapp and rookie Hayley Dowling. Dowling, who has a 4-2 record in the six games she has played, boasts a solid 1.21 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage, allowing just seven goals in six-plus games played.

Calgary stays close to home next weekend with a home-and-home set against Lethbridge on the slate. That series opens down south on Friday, with the Dinos returning home Saturday, Jan. 11 for a 6 p.m. start.

-UC-