The Bisons women’s hockey team faced the Mount Royal University Cougars in a weekend series on Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 for the conference league semi-finals.

In the first game on Friday, the Bisons lost 2-1 to the Cougars who struck first. In the first period, Bisons’ Alyssa Rasmuson was sent to the penalty box in the seventh minute [07:04] for bodychecking, and the Cougars quickly took advantage of the powerplay with a goal from Jerzey Watteyne, nine seconds later. The period ended 1-0 in favour of the Cougars.

In the second period, the Cougars’ Ava Metzger was sent off for tripping in the fifth minute [05:07]. The Bisons capitalized on the powerplay, tying the score with a goal in the sixth minute [06:54]. However, Jordynne Hojnocki gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead less than a minute [07:22] later. Gabby Lindsay was sent off for bodychecking with less than two minutes [18:40] remaining in the second period, giving the Bisons a powerplay advantage that they could not maximize.

The third period saw no goals, although Bisons’ Brenna Nicol was sent off in the sixth minute [06:56] for bodychecking. The game ended 2-1 in favour of the Cougars, who outshot the Bisons 18-17.

In the second game on Saturday, the Cougars got their first powerplay in the eighth minute [08:35] when Hanna Bailey was sent off for holding, but they could not take advantage. Bailey returned to score for the Bisons, giving them a 0-1 lead. Norah Collins added another goal before the end of the first period, giving the Bisons a confident lead into the second period.

In the second period, Sadie Keller increased the Bisons’ lead by a goal, further boosting the team’s confidence.

The Cougars struggled to keep up but managed to put pressure on the Bisons in the third period. Julia Bilous was sent to the penalty box in the ninth minute [09:02] for tripping, and the Cougars capitalized on the powerplay with a goal from Sydney Benko. Bailey was sent off again in the tenth minute [10:54] for head contact, but the Cougars could not take advantage.

As the game drew to a close, Jordyn Hutt was sent to the penalty box in the 16th minute [16-15], allowing the Bisons to mount pressure on MRU. The tactic paid off, as the Bisons held on to win 1-3. Despite outshooting the Bisons 16-15, the Cougars could not overcome their penalty troubles. The win gave the Bisons momentum heading into the third game.

On Sunday, March 1, the Bisons defeated the Cougars 6-1 in the third game of the series, earning their first trip to nationals since 2019.

The Bisons will play the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the conference championship next weekend. Their result in that game will determine their seeding for the national tournament, set for March 19 to 22.