The U of M Bisons women’s hockey team rounded out its first-half schedule with a weekend sweep of the University of Calgary Dinos. With the pair of road wins, the Bisons now sit second in Canada West at 10-3-2-1 on the year.
Friday
Lauryn Keen picked up a hat trick in Manitoba’s dominant 4-1 win to open the series Friday Nov. 30.
The Bisons struck first in the opening period. Karissa Kirkup had the initial try but was stopped by Kelsey Roberts. The rebound bounced out to the side and Keen tapped it in for the 1-0 Bisons lead.
Priya Sidhu notched her first U Sports goal to tie the game 1-1 at the end of the first.
In the second period, Manitoba struck twice on the powerplay. Both came from Keen playing as the big body in front. First with a deflection goal and then collecting a rebound off a Lauren Warkentin point shot to complete the hat-trick.
The two goals broke Manitoba’s road powerplay goose-egg and gave the club a 3-1 lead.
Erica Rieder added an insurance marker in the third, and Manitoba took the game 4-1.
Saturday
Saturday’s rematch was tighter, but the Bisons were able to hold on through a late-game Dinos charge for a 3-2 win.
Chelsea Court got Calgary on the board less than four minutes into the game. However the 1-0 lead did not last long, as Jordyn Zacharias tied things up on the powerplay.
Zacharias was left all alone in front of the Dinos net, picked up a pass and ripped one by goaltender Kira Wasylak to tie the game 1-1. The Bisons powerplay is surging, and sits third in the conference at 16.3 per cent.
It was the herd’s play on the penalty kill, though, that paid off in the second period. Keen got off to a breakaway and snapped a shot glove-side on Wasylak for a shorthanded goal and a 2-1 lead.
Kaitlyn Chatyrbok notched her first career goal to put the Bisons in front 3-1 in the third, but Carley Wlad got the Dinos back within one.
Erin Fargey stood tall for Manitoba the rest of the way to pick up her second career win and the 3-2 victory.
Following the holiday break, the Bisons will be back at Wayne Fleming Arena to host the University of Alberta Pandas Jan. 4 and 5. Puckdrop for game one is 7 p.m. CST and 2 p.m. CST for game two.
