The Bisons women’s hockey team lost 2-3 and won 3-1 in the weekend series against the MacEwan Griffins.
On Friday, Jan. 23, the Bisons were determined, creating goal-scoring opportunities. However, they lost the game.
In the first period, the Bisons started strong, mounting pressure on the Griffins’ defence, and eventually scored the first goal in the sixth minute [6:53]. This was less than two minutes after both Sophia Anderson and the Griffin’s Rian Santos returned from the penalty box for roughing. A few minutes after the goal, Bisons’ Louise Fergusson was sent to the penalty box for hooking. The Bisons scored their second goal soon after, with Alyssa Rasmuson giving them a two-goal lead in the 10th minute [10:15]. The Bisons won the first period 2-0.
In the second period, the Bisons kept the pressure on until the 17th minute [17:03], when the Griffins got a goal in. Kelsey Huibers of the Bisons was sent to the penalty box for tripping in the 18th minute [18:25].
In the third period, the Griffins tied the game on Kori Paterson’s goal in the fifth minute [5:23]. Huibers was sent to the box again for cross-checking, and the Griffins scored the go-ahead goal just before she returned, with Allee Isley scoring in the 15th minute [15:28]. The Griffins won the game 2-3, although the Bisons outshot the Griffins 42-12.
Despite the obvious dominance of the Bisons in the game, head coach Jordan Colliton thought her team went easy on the Griffins’ goaltender. “We didn’t put enough pressure on their goaltender to get [the] inside position. MacEwan did a great job boxing out and collapsing to the front of the net, and we weren’t willing to pay the price to get to those areas, ultimately.” She also believed that the Bisons allowed the Griffins to hang around their goal area, hence, they were able to capitalize on the opportunities they had.
In the rematch on Saturday, Jan. 24, the Bisons came out determined, but the first period was scoreless despite their pressure on the Griffins’ defence. Hanna Bailey and Dana Goertzen served penalties for holding and cross-checking, respectively.
The Bisons broke through in the second period, with Julia Bird scoring in the 14th minute [14:25] and Rasmuson adding another in the 16th minute [16:08].
The Griffins pulled within one on Shaelyn Hopkins’ goal in the 11th minute [11:43] of the third period, but Fergusson sealed the 3-1 win for the Bisons with an empty-net goal with less than two minutes [18:20] remaining. The Bisons outshot the Griffins 36-13.
The Bisons women’s hockey team will face the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. CT and Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. CT in Edmonton, Alberta.
