SFU returns to the ice for the first time with a preseason game against the UBC Thunderbirds tomorrow night at 7 pm at Thunderbird Arena.

Though the two teams are in separate leagues — SFU in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) and UBC in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport — the two teams have competed against each other in an annual showcase each year since 2011.

With an offense including returning fifth year forward Jono Ceci, who is 10 points away from becoming the BCIHL all-time leading scorer, and new additions including BCHL champion Brendan Lamont, who notched 63 points in his final junior campaign with the Coquitlam Express, SFU looks to avenge a 6-0 loss last year to the varsity Thunderbirds.

This match-up will also mark the first game for UBC’s new head coach Adam Shell, succeeding former bench boss Tyler Kuntz, who accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Giants.

The Clan are coming off of a season in which they made the BCIHL finals, falling just short of the league title to the Selkirk College Saints. SFU are three time BCIHL champions, sharing the record for most championships with the University of Victoria.

Founded in 2005, SFU Hockey is celebrating its tenth anniversary throughout this season with a variety of special events including hosting the BCIHL Showcase in January 2016. SFU will also head east in October to face off against reigning NCAA Division I champions, the Providence Friars, before playing fellow Div I contenders, the Northeastern Huskies.

The puck drops at 7 pm at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena. The Clan will return home the night after for a preseason matchup against crosstown rivals Trinity Western Spartans at Bill Copeland Arena.