With two conference regular season games left in the first half of the 2014-15 Canada West conference regular season, the Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team looks to continue to battle for a top spot in the ultra-competitive Canada West standings.
The Bisons host the #3 Alberta Pandas on November 28-29 with game time on 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday and special matinee time of 1 p.m. CT on Saturday with games held at Wayne Fleming Arena (U of Manitoba campus).
Heading into the weekend series, Manitoba is tied in first place in the Canada West standings with a 7-2-4-1 record for 26 points while Alberta is also part of the four-way tie at the top of the conference with a 8-1-5-0 mark with 26 points.
Both teams played earlier this year in November at Alberta. The teams split the weekend series. The Herd lost 1-0 (Nov. 7/14) and rebounded with a 4-3 win (Nov. 8/14). Manitoba is 5-1 at home so far this season while Alberta has a 6-2 record on the road this season.
Coming into this important weekend series, Manitoba swept then #4 UBC in two games at home on Nov. 21-22 while Alberta split against Calgary when they won 3-2 in overtime at home (Nov. 21) and lost 2-1 at home on Nov. 22 over the past wknd.
In conference scoring, the Pandas have three of the Top 5 scorers and the Bisons have one in the Top 5. Pandas' Jessica Kampjes is second with 16 points (ten goals, six assists) while Hannah Olenyk is fourth with 14 points (6g, 8a) and Alison Campbell is fifth at 13 points (8g, 5a). For the Herd, rookie Alanna Sharman is third in Canada West with 15 points (10g, 5a).
In the nets, second year Bison Rachel Dyck is tops in the conference in Goals Against Average at 1.29 and Save Percentage at .945 in ten conference games while Alberta's Lindsey Post is second with 1.50 GAA and eighth in Save Pct. at .926. Post is tied for first with nine wins while Dyck is tied for third with eight and Post leads the conference with five shutouts and Dyck has one.
This is the second weekend in a row that the Bisons will play a CIS Top 10 team.
