UBC welcomes four talented recruits for the 2025-26 campaign

VANCOUVER – With their first exhibition games just a few weeks away, the UBC Thunderbirds are welcoming four incoming first-year players with plenty of promise. Made up of three defencemen and one forward, this year's recruiting class will have plenty of veteran support to lean on as they make the transition to the U SPORTS level.

"It's going to be very competitive, internally," remarks head coach Graham Thomas. "We're heavy on seniors…we've got a really motivated, veteran group. I think that will help with these four who are going to be expected to carry a lot of the water the following year. These freshmen will be able to learn a lot this year and that will pay dividends in the future."

Despite losing some key players from last season's squad – including PWHL draft pick Chanreet Bassi – there is still a wealth of talent on the ice at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, such as the reigning U SPORTS Player of the Year Grace Elliott and goaltender Elise Hugens, the program's all-time wins leader, both of whom are back for a fifth and final season.

But no matter how deep a roster, there's always room in the lineup for those who make the best impression, regardless of age. That's what the quartet of rookie T-Birds will be aiming to do beginning from that first exhibition tilt against Delta Hockey Academy in early September.

That will be a fun clash for Audrey Church, a Coquitlam native and graduate of the Delta Hockey Academy, who was one of the highest-scoring defencemen in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) this past season.
 

"Audrey's a smart, smooth-skating defenceman," says Thomas. "She's a great person and leader, and a hard worker who will really fit into our culture well. We've had a lot of really good people come out of Delta Academy and she'll be yet another one."

Church is just as great in the classroom as she is at moving the puck up the ice, earning the top academic award for her academy team ahead of her arrival to the Point Grey campus.

"I chose UBC athletically because I wanted a team with great culture that pushes each other on and off the ice and strives for excellence," states Church, who plans to study Kinesiology. "I chose UBC academically because it's one of the best schools in the country and my education is very important to me!"

Another player who is sticking close to home is forward Barunka Sibertova, heading to UBC after graduating from South Delta Secondary School. A member of Team Slovakia at the most recent IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, Thomas is excited about what she can bring to the program.

"The big thing with Barunka is she has a lot of potential. She's a power forward and has shown some real flashes of brilliance in the last few years…whether she plays a ton or a little or just develops with us for next year, she's a player for our future and we see really bright potential in her."



A key piece of the Greater Vancouver Comets team that dominated the BCEHL U18 AAA division this past season, Sibertova prides herself on her ability to win battles along the boards and create scoring opportunities for both herself and her teammates.

"I chose UBC because it's one of the top schools in North America and because it has a great female varsity ice hockey team that I look up to and am grateful to have the honour to join," she says.

Joining Church and Sibertova are a pair of defencemen who represented Team Alberta at the 2024 National Women's U18 Championship. Calgary native Elle Lorenz was a First Team All-Star in the CSSHL Prairie Division, and plans to study in the Sauder School of Business.

"I chose UBC because of its combination of athletics and academics that rivals any female program in North America," reflects Lorenz. "As well, the opportunity to play in a competitive league on a highly-ranked team, and be a part of a program where a championship is a realistic goal."

A smart, physical player who always plays hard, she – like the other incoming recruits – will be fighting to put her name on the team sheet from the beginning of the season.

"She's a big, strong, solid, dependable defenceman that we're hoping can jump in and get a role as a freshman," muses Thomas. "She's defensively sound with a good stick, good on one-on-ones and can make a good first pass with some offensive upside as well. She has great character and will really fit into our culture."
 

Fellow Albertan Presley Zinger will be hoping to make a similar entrance to begin her time at UBC, after serving as captain and winning the team MVP award in her final year with the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs in the Alberta Female Hockey League.

"Presley can come in and be impactful right away," says Thomas. "She's a right-handed shot, we hardly have any right-handed players. She's powerful, she's offensive and can play a two-way game. We're looking for her to contribute both offensively and defensively."

Zinger certainly showed her versatility in her two times spent representing Team Alberta, making the team first as a forward in her Grade 11 season before then serving as a defencemen the next year. Perhaps unsurprisingly given that skillset, she's an offensive-minded defenceman who loves to join the rush and contribute to the attack.

"I chose UBC because of its competitive and successful women's hockey team. I admire the success they've had throughout the years and how their athletes and coaching staff all strive towards the same goals," states Zinger, who plans to study Kinesiology. "I'm looking forward to getting an education from UBC, as I've heard great things from others who have attended the school."
 

The T-Birds begin Canada West play on the road against the MacEwan Griffins on October 3rd. They play their first home game of the 2025-26 conference season against the Trinity Western Spartans on October 11th, inside the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.