The University of Manitoba women’s hockey team started off Friday night’s game charged up and ready to go against the University of Alberta (U of A) Pandas in Edmonton.
The U of A was on its A game. The team’s offence was tight and its lines melded perfectly, leading to the shutout against Manitoba.
The herd had a rough time getting started in the first period, the Pandas coming out blazing hot, managing to score just over 10 minutes into the game and capitalizing on a power play later in the first to take a 2-0 lead. The second period was even worse for the Bisons. The herd struggled offensively and had a tough time keeping the Pandas out of their zone, allowing the U of A to score three more times and cap off the second period with a 5-0 lead.
The Bisons were unable to make a comeback, and with the Pandas scoring again in the third, Manitoba dropped Friday night’s game 6-0.
The herd looked to hit back after Friday night’s loss, coming out strong in the first period of Saturday’s game and fending off the Panda’s attack. However, neither team was able to score in the first.
Manitoba had a hard time generating offence in the last 40 minutes of the game. The lone goal of Saturday night’s contest came from U of A’s Natalie Kieser on one of the six power plays the Panda’s received.
The Bisons ended Saturday night’s game with a 1-0 loss and a weekend series shutout by the Pandas.
At home, the men’s hockey team began the weekend series against the U of A Golden Bears on a high note. The first period started off steady, and after a brief scramble at the six-minute mark, Cameron Trimble poked the puck under the Alberta goaltender’s leg to give the herd a 1-0 lead.
However, the Golden Bears would tie the game in the second. Alberta continued to hammer out the offence, leaving it up to Bison goaltender Ross Hawryluk to keep the herd in the game. Hawryluk made a huge save in the second on a 2-on-0 while Manitoba was on the power play.
Both teams scored in the third, with Jackson Arpin netting the herd’s second goal and Alberta scoring with just over two minutes left to force overtime. Jonny Hooker was the overtime MVP, scoring on a power play just over a minute into the frame to defeat the Golden Bears 3-2 and secure the Bisons’ second win of the season.
With Manitoba’s win, the Golden Bears had their eyes on the prize looking for redemption in Saturday’s game.
The herd kept up with U of A in the first before the Golden Bears broke the deadlock, scoring the first goal of the game and taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Bisons struggled from that point onward, with Alberta taking advantage of the herd’s weakening attack to score two more times in the second.
The U of A put the pedal to the metal in the third, scoring three more times.
The herd managed to score once in the third courtesy of Andre Sutter, but the Golden Bears went on to win
the game 6-1.
The women’s and men’s teams will pick up the regular season after winter break against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Jan. 5 and 6, with the men hosting and the women heading to Vancouver.
