The Bison women’s hockey team played a huge pair of games at home this weekend. They went into the matchup trailing their opponent, the Alberta Pandas, by just one point in the standings.
The weekend got off to a rough start as the Bisons fell 2-0 on Friday night. The Bisons were held in check for the majority of the opening frame, managing to generate little offensively. They mustered five shots to Alberta’s eight.
Alberta opened the scoring on the power play with 3:21 left in the first period. Forward Kayla Lavallee flipped a harmless-looking shot that made it past a screened Amanda Schubert. The goal turned out to be the game-winner.
The second period yielded few opportunities for either team. Manitoba picked up their intensity, but were unable to develop many chances in the Alberta zone. The Pandas had the greatest opportunity of the period with 5:34 left on a two-on-one, but Schubert came up with a great stick save.
The Pandas added to their lead at 8:55 of the third, scoring their second power play goal. Goaltender Lindsey Post shut the door the rest of the way for Alberta, as they cruised to victory.
The 22-save performance from Post was her fifth consecutive shutout, setting a new Canada West record. Despite the loss, Schubert displayed poise in the net, stopping 19 of 21 shots.
The difference in this one was the power play. Alberta went two for three, while the Bisons failed to score on three opportunities.
“We tried to do some things in the offensive zone, but we never had the puck the whole game. When you don’t have the puck it’s very hard to create offence,” said Bison head coach Jon Rempel after the game.
Manitoba answered back the following night, picking up two crucial points in the Canada West standings. The Bisons were the clear aggressors early on, generating many quality chances. Their persistence paid off just over six minutes in, as Kyleigh Palmer zipped a loose puck in the slot past Post. The goal officially ended Post’s shutout streak, which started on Oct. 26 and lasted a jaw-dropping 351 minutes and 18 seconds.
The Bisons kept the pressure going throughout the period, outshooting Alberta 9-4, and headed into the second up 1-0. Alberta got back into the game early in the second on the strength of their power play. Jayden Skoye tallied her team-leading ninth goal of the season at 3:11 to tie things up.
The Bisons would go just one-for-six on the night with the man advantage, but their lone power play marker was the game-deciding goal; Meagan Vestby hammered home a slap shot with 3:05 left in the frame to retake the lead.
The third period saw a total of five combined shots as both teams tightened up defensively. Manitoba protected their lead and finished with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Dee-Ana Marion benefitted from great play from her team all night. She was only forced to stop 12 shots to pick up the win. Post made 20 saves in the loss.
“I thought there was way more passion, way more energy, way more attention to detail, much more physical,” commented Rempel. “That’s the way we have to play.”
With the win the Bisons improve to 9-5-2, while Alberta falls to 9-4-3. Despite the loss, the Pandas still remain one point ahead of Manitoba for third place.
The Bisons now head into winter break. They return to action at home on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4 in another big series against second-place Saskatchewan. Game times are 7 and 6 p.m., respectively.
