The University of Manitoba women’s hockey team swept the rug out from under the Trinity Western University (TWU) Spartans’ skates in this past weekend’s CanWest series.
In the first game, the Spartans started the first period off very strong, firing many shots at the herd’s net.
TWU’s attackers were no match for Bison goalie Emily Shippam, who saved 19 of the 20 shots on net in last Friday’s game.
All together, Shippam saved 46 of the 47 shots from this weekend’s series.
After getting into some serious penalty trouble, the Spartans managed to kill off a five-on-three power play, which included a
breakaway chance.
Eventually, the Bisons opened the scoring with a howitzer of a shot by Samantha Sichkaruk. It stood as the only goal of the
first period.
The Spartans regained some control over the game halfway through the second period, slotting the puck into the Bisons’ net
and levelling the score at one apiece.
Nonetheless, the herd quickly took the reins back, as four minutes out from the end of the second Julia Bird flipped the puck
over to Kate Gregoire, who shot a laser which clanked off the crossbar, going bar down to restore the Bisons’ lead.
The second frame ended with the Bisons leading 2-1 over the Spartans.
The third had little action for the herd. The Spartans had multiple chances on breakaways, but all were stymied by Shippam.
The herd closed out the third by retaining its 2-1 lead, defeating the Spartans in the first game of this past weekend’s two-
game series.
At the end of the first game, Gregoire scored career point number 55 in a Bison jersey, positioning her as the 12th best scorer
of all time in Bison program history.
Last Saturday’s game was a real boost for the team’s playoff hopes, as it allowed the herd to jump the University of Regina
Cougars for the final playoff spot in the CanWest conference.
Shippam was the real hero of Saturday’s game, saving all 27 Trinity Western shots and picking up her second shutout in three
games.
Very early on in the first period, Norah Collins managed to net the only goal of a somewhat uneventful game. Indeed, Collins
scored so early one could nearly still see the Zamboni leaving the ice. Collins managed to score a dirty goal just outside the crease, which brought it home for the herd.
Building on the momentum of this early goal, the Bisons continued to play hot in the first and maintained its slim 1-0 lead until
the very end of the game, eventually shutting out the Spartans both in this game and from a playoff position.
The Spartans did not go quietly, becoming much more desperate in the third. However, despite having multiple chances from
in close, they could not get a goal past Shippam.
In a last-ditch effort to beat the Bisons, Trinity Western pulled its goalie, which yielded nothing as Shippam continued to shut
out the Spartans.
Ultimately, the Bisons finished the game by defeating Trinity Western 1-0, nestling into the sixth and final CanWest playoff
spot.
As it stands, the herd would face off against the third-ranked Mount Royal University Cougars in a best two out of three first-
round match-up, beginning Feb. 16 and running to Feb. 18.
The U of M women’s hockey team will play its next two-game series against the MacEwan University Griffins on Feb. 2 and 3
in Edmonton, Alta.
