A trio of Richmond hockey standouts have helped the UBC Thunderbirds produce their biggest playoff win in six years.
Tyler Sandhu helped set-up Austin Vetterl’s overtime goal as UBC skated to a 5-4 win over Mt. Royal on Sunday in Calgary to advance to the Can West semi-finals.
Sandhu is joined in the UBC line-up by Carter Popoff and Shaun Dosanjh. All three took their careers to the Point Grey campus following extended time in the Western Hockey League.
Sandhu is in his third-year at UBC, — producing 23 points in 28 games, including 12 goals, this season. He finished with a pair of helpers on Sunday.
Sandhu played five seasons in the WHL, concluding his junior career as captain of the Tri-City Americans in 2016-17, managing 83 points in his final year.
Popoff is in his fourth-year with the T-Birds. The former Richmond Sockeye had a productive career with the Vancouver Giants including. 24-goal campaign in 2014-15.
His time coming through Richmond Minor’s rep program included reaching the provincial title game in Bantam with one his teammates being Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher.
Dosanjh and Sandhu were reunited at UBC as the longtime friends came through Seafair Minor together before going their separate ways in the WHL. The third-year blueliner scored his first goal of the season in Sunday’s win.
The 'Birds will be headed back to Alberta next weekend, this time to face the first-place Golden Bears with a trip to the Canada West final and a national championship berth on the line.
Game one of the best-of-three series is set for Friday in Edmonton.
