Bisons football
The Bisons football team is another step closer to a playoff berth with Saturday’s 41-34 win against the University of Regina Rams at Mosaic Stadium.
The game started off with the Rams dominating the first quarter, winning the first frame 6-0.
However, the Bisons carried in momentum from their last drive of the opening quarter. Running back Breydon Stubbs grinded his way down field, while receiver AK Gassama made a spectacular 33-yard catch with two defenders on him. With a pass interference call on the Rams, the Bisons would score from the Rams’ one-yard line with a shovel pass from quarterback Jackson Tachinski to receiver De Shawn Le Jour.
The Bisons’ major set off a punch-counterpunch contest with the Rams that would go all the way down to the final minute of play.
The herd made 13 points off turnovers, with linebacker Markos Bockru intercepting a Rams pass that resulted in a Maya Turner field goal and a scoop and score from the linebacker in back-to-back drives in the third quarter. Defensive back Sebastien Reid also picked off the Rams quarterback late in the third quarter resulting in a 48-yard field goal from Turner — her longest field goal of the day and the season.
Tachinski had a career-high afternoon with 332 passing yards, also calling his own number to punch the ball in for a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. The Bisons quarterback also found receiver Braeden Smith, who evaded multiple tackles in a thrilling run to the endzone in the fourth.
The herd hosts the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the last home game of the regular season Friday night at IG Field.
Bisons hockey
The Bisons women’s and men’s hockey teams faced off against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds this past weekend, both going 0-2 against the CanWest conference leading UBC.
The women’s team was back at the rink this weekend at the Max Bell Centre’s Wayne Fleming Arena. The highlights from this weekend for the herd were on the Friday night. The shots were closely matched, 27-25 for B.C., despite Manitoba’s loss. Forwards Brenna Nicol and Dana Goertzen found the back of the T-birds net in the third, but the herd was unable to mount a comeback, losing Friday’s game 8-2 .
The relentless advance of the Thunderbirds carried over into Saturday’s game, where the Bisons were shutout 5-0 by B.C. The two teams went scoreless into the first intermission on Saturday before the T-birds, aided by Bison penalties, opened the scoring in the second frame.
All three Bison goaltenders had a commendable weekend. Goalies Kimberley Davidson and Emily Shippam combined to make 19 saves on Friday, while Meagan Relf stopped 22 of 27 shots faced in Saturday’s match.
The men’s team also played a pair of hard-fought games in Vancouver this past weekend.
In Friday’s game, the Thunderbirds jumped out to an early lead courtesy of their captain, but forward Cameron Trimble knotted it up again for the herd minutes later.
After another UBC goal, defenceman Chase Hartje scored the Bisons’ second. Riding the momentum of Hartje’s goal, Bison forward Josh Paulhus also sniped one past the UBC netminder roughly a minute later to give the Bisons their first lead of the game.
UBC tied it up again and a scoreless third necessitated overtime.
In the OT period, T-bird Scott Atkinson scored the winner.
Even though the herd lost, Bison goalie Kolby Thornton was spectacular, stopping 50 shots.
In Saturday’s game, despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first courtesy of captain Jonny Hooker and defenceman Parker Malchuk, the herd surrendered five unanswered goals to lose the game 5-2.
After stopping 50 shots the previous night, Thornton was thrust behind the pipes again, this time amassing 35 saves for a laborious weekend total of 85.
The herd will look for its first wins this weekend as the men’s team is hosted by the MacEwan University Griffins and the women’s team plays host to the Griffins at Wayne Fleming Arena.
Bisons women’s soccer
The Bisons women’s soccer team headed into the weekend fighting for a post-season berth.
In their first game of the weekend against the University of Regina Cougars on Saturday at West Turf Field, the action took place in the first and last minutes of each half. In the first half, Bison forward Janelle Chomini opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a pass from fellow forward Nicole Davis.
Minutes later, the Cougars punched back with a goal of their own. The Bisons counterpunched with goal number two in the 14th minute off a penalty kick taken by captain Jessica Tsai after Davis was fouled by Regina.
Taking the 2-1 lead into the half, it wasn’t until the 80th minute that the Cougars scored the equalizer. The herd was quick to respond, scoring two goals in the 83rd and 84th minutes — a second by Chomini assisted by midfielder Chloe Morin, and the fourth goal for the herd by forward Paris Sidhu assisted by Davis. The Cougars answered once more with two goals of their own in the 85th and 90th minutes, with the game ending in a 4-4 tie.
The tie set up Sunday’s game against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies with major playoff implications on the line. Again, the herd started off strong, with a goal in the 20th minute by rookie midfielder Taryn Cabak off a corner by defender Breyanna Johnston-Krulicki. The Huskies would score the equalizer in the 36th minute, with the teams tied going into halftime.
The Huskies would score again in the 70th minute, ending the Bisons playoff hopes with a 2-1 win at IG Field.
Though the playoffs were a large storyline this game, Bisons veteran goalkeeper Karina Bagi made program history in her last game with the herd. Bagi now holds the program record for saves in women’s soccer.
