VANCOUVER – Second-year defender Caitlyn Perlinger scored her third goal of the season, but it wasn't enough as No. 1 ranked UBC walked away with a 3-1 win in a tightly fought battle at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Trading goals early, the 'Birds (24-2-1) took the lead for good late in the first off a fortuitous bounce with Chanreet Bassi's 12th of the season standing up as the game winner to clinch first place overall in the conference for the three-time defending champions.

UBC took all of three minutes and four seconds to break the ice Friday when Bassi fed Mackenzie Kordic in front of the Dinos net. Kordic fired the puck past Dinos netminder Amelia Awad for her 14th of the season.

Calgary (8-17-2) responded quickly with a strong offensive zone shift. The Dinos were able to work the puck back to the blueline and a one-time shot from Perlinger found the net for her third of the season, evening the game 1:33 after the T-Birds' opening goal.

The lone penalty of the first period went to Calgary's leading scorer Brooklyn Anderson. The Dinos successfully killed it, and a quick play up ice allowed Anderson to create a solid scoring chance, but Elise Hugens was able to parry it over the UBC net.

It remained 1-1 until the final two minutes of the period where Bassi was able to tip in a point shot from Jaylyn Morris to make it 2-1 'Birds.

The Thunderbirds would acquire themselves a pair of early power plays in the second period, and were able to extend their lead to 3-1 on a point shot from Sophia Gaskell as she wired home her third of the season from the left circle with 5:03 gone on the clock.

The Dinos had a good response in the final five minutes of the second period, earning themselves a power play going into the third.

Calgary had three advantages in the final frame along with a tremendous breakaway chance by third-year forward Sydney Mercier, but Hugens again stood tall for UBC, turning aside five Dinos shots on net in the third for her 17th win of the season.

While securing first in the conference and home ice throughout the Canada West playoffs, the 'Birds expect a motivated Calgary squad in Saturday's regular season finale, with puck drop set for 4 p.m. MT.

-UC-