Box Score WINNIPEG – The Alberta Golden Bears proved why they are the top-ranked team in the nation, as they came into Wayne Fleming Arena, outshot the Manitoba Bisons and overcame a third period deficit for the 3-2 win on Fri., Nov. 7. Manitoba looked set to stun Alberta, as they led by one midway though the third. But the Golden Bears stormed back with late goals from Johnny Lazo and Riley Kieser to secure their tenth victory of the Canada West regular season.
 
Bisons starting goalie Deven Dubyk got plenty of work on the night, as Alberta outshot Manitoba 46-20.
 
"Deven was excellent tonight," said Bison head coach Mike Sirant.

"He was getting a lot of shots, but he was controlling his rebounds so there weren't a lot of scrambles in front of the net. He was really on his game tonight, and gave us a chance to win."
 
Kurtis Mucha got the start for Alberta at the other end of the ice.
 
Alberta came out strong and dictated the pace of play early. They completely shut down the Bisons offence in the first period, outshooting the home side 26-7.
 
Alberta opened scoring on their first power play of the night, taking no time at all with the man advantage. T.J Foster scored his tenth goal of the season as he skated right into the slot and wired one past Dubyk just six seconds into the man advantage, with an assist credited to Kruise Reddick. Meanwhile, Manitoba failed to register a shot on goal until almost twelve minutes into the game. Dubyk was peppered with shots throughout the opening period, including a breakaway opportunity that he turned aside.

The Bears continue their physical dominance of the Bisons in the second period, but Dubyk did a great job of keeping his team in the game.
 
Manitoba's persistence paid off midway through the second. Forward Shaquille Merasty tied the game with his fifth goal of the season by crashing the net and slipping one past Mucha, with assists from Aaron Lewadniuk and Chad Robinson.
 
The goal seemed to give the home side new life. Shortly after tying the game, the Bisons once again found themselves down a man as defenseman Kyle Rous was sent to the box for roughing. Manitoba's penalty killers held off an aggressive Alberta power play attack that had burned them earlier.
 
"Special teams can make such a difference, and especially tonight there was very few calls made on either team so if you do get a power play or a PK, you got to get the job done," said Bisons head coach Mike Sirant.
 
The two teams entered the third period tied, despite a distinct shot advantage for the visitors. Alberta pressed to regain the lead, but Dubyk continued to shut the door. 
 
Manitoba scored the go-ahead goal six minutes into the third. Taylor Dicken jumped on a mishandled puck along the Alberta blue line, skate in alone, and lifted the puck past Mucha. The Bisons got their first power play opportunity of the game midway through the third, but could not capitalize on the advantage.

That missed opportunity would come back to bite the Bisons, as Alberta continued to press. The Bears tied the game with 6:48 remaining on a Johnny Lazo goal, then Riely Kieser scored just  4:43 remaining. Keiser's goal proved to be the game-winning goal as the Golden Bears improved their record to 10-1-0, while the Bisons dropped to 5-6-0 on the season.

"Alberta's an excellent team. They're very fast, highly skilled and very explosive offensively, so we knew we were going to get that from them" said Sirant.

"I thought we played better in the second period, and at times we were going really good in the third period. It's tough to come close and let that one get away from us."
 
The two teams will return to the Wayne Fleming Arena Saturday, Nov. 8 for the second half of the weekend series, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.