Men’s hockey
The Bisons (2-8-0) lost both away games this past weekend against the Regina Cougars (6-4-0), falling 2-1 on Friday night and 7-4 on Saturday. Regina scored the game-winning goal Friday with just 2:43 left in the third period. Manitoba registered 27 shots, but only cashed in once against goalie Andrew Hayes, the tally coming via forward Aaron Lewadniuk at 3:35 of the second period.
Saturday afternoon’s game was far less promising, as Manitoba was dominated, despite registering 54 shots. The Cougars scored three goals in both the first and second periods, chasing starting Bison goalie Deven Dubyk from the net after 40 minutes. They added one more goal in the third to cap a seven-goal evening. Manitoba’s four goals came from forwards Brendan Rowinski, Ian Duval, and Aaron Lewadniuk, who scored two.
The next action for the men is Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 against Lethbridge at Wayne Fleming Arena. Game times are 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
Women’s basketball
The Bisons (3-1) took one out of two games on the road against the Lethbridge Pronghorns (2-2) this past weekend. Manitoba suffered their first loss of the young season Friday night, falling 59-54. The Pronghorns had early momentum, going on an 8-0 run to start the game. Manitoba slowly clawed back and took the lead in the second quarter; however, Lethbridge finished the half on a 9-0 run and led 24-20 at halftime. The Pronghorns would hold on to their lead. Kim Veldman of Lethbridge led all scorers with 23 points. Sheree Carmona-Galdamez added 13 for Manitoba.
The Bisons had a better result Saturday night, emerging with a 61-53 victory. Lethbridge held onto a slim lead in the first and second quarters, shooting 13-of-27 in the first half and going into the break up 33-31. Manitoba increased the pace after the break, going 7-of-13 overall from beyond the arc and heading into the fourth quarter with a 49-43 advantage. The Bison defence was the difference in this one, holding the Pronghorns to an abysmal 6-of-33 from the field in the second half to preserve the lead and the eventual victory. Stephanie Gill of Manitoba led all scorers with 17 points.
The women take to the court again next weekend at the Investors Group Athletic Centre, welcoming Calgary to town with afternoon games on Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball
The men took on Lethbridge this past weekend for games on Friday and Saturday night. The result was not what the Bisons (1-3) were looking for, as they fell in both games to the Pronghorns (3-1). Friday night was the closer of the two contests, as Manitoba lost a tough one 74-69. The Pronghorns led by as much as 13 points and took a 40-29 lead into halftime. The Bisons showed resilience in the second half, managing to eventually take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Pronghorns would not let this one slip away, going on a 7-0 run with less than three minutes remaining to retake the lead. Brent Watkins of Lethbridge and Yigit Ozsayiner of Manitoba both had 18 points to lead all scorers.
The following evening’s game saw Lethbridge dominate from beginning to end, en route to an 82-58 win. The Bisons struggled to get anything going offensively, and were outscored 21-8 in the second quarter. Manitoba finished the night shooting 20-of-63, with a season-low 58 points. Andre Arruda was one of the lone bright spots for the Bisons, putting up 19 points in the loss.
The Bisons return home for games at the Investors Group Athletic Centre this Friday and Saturday against the Calgary Dinos. Game times are 3 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
