Box Score WINNIPEG – The Bisons men's hockey team returned home to Wayne Fleming Arena this weekend to take on the UBC Thunderbirds, looking to gain some momentum after being swept on the road by Mount Royal just seven days earlier.

Unfortunately the Herd got off to a rough start, losing game one on Saturday, Oct.24, 4-2.

Wit the loss Manitoba falls to 1-3-1, while UBC improves to 4-0-1.

The Thunderbirds scored within the first five-and-a-half minutes in each of the three periods, with Anthony Bardero's goal at 5:08 of the opening frame being the game-winner.

The Bisons were forced to play catch-up all night, as UBC scored once in the first, twice in the second, and once again in the third. Any time the herd managed to get on the board, UBC was able to respond, effectively killing any momentum the home side may have grasped.

Thunderbirds goalie Eric Williams picked up the win, stopping 29 shots, while Manitoba's Byron Spriggs played valiantly in the loss, with 26 saves.

UBC could have easily put up three or four more goals if it wasn't for Spriggs, who turned away numerous 2-on-1 chances during the affair.

The majority of the opening ten minutes of the game were spent in the Bisons end, as UBC used their speed to generate a number of solid chances. They would pot the only goal of the period at 5:08, as Bardero scooped up an Austin Vetterl rebound. Manitoba's best chance occurred at 8:32, as Warren Callis was sprung in alone, but shot the puck well wide of the UBC net.

The momentum shifted slightly at 13:11, when the Thunderbird's Clayton Chase went off for slashing – the only penalty of the period. The herd would keep the action inside UBC's blue line for most of the final six minutes, but couldn't find the back of the net.

The middle frame was extremely fast-paced, and saw three goals scored.

The Thunderbirds came out strong yet again, getting on the board 2:38 as Scott MacDonald went five-hole on Spriggs. It was the first of a number off odd-man rushes in the period for UBC, including two separate two-on-ones, which were both denied by Spriggs, keeping his team in the game.

The Bisons answered back at 8:29, as Liam Bilton went top shelf over Williams. The goal was the culmination of two consecutive minutes of strong shifts for the home side, with Manitoba's first, third, and fourth lines all generating chances.

UBC seized the momentum back just under four minutes later though, on their first powerplay of the night. MacDonald would tally his second of the evening, with a brilliant wrister into the top right corner at 12:07.

Kyle Becker would make the score 4-1 for UBC at just 3:08 of the third, tapping in a Nick Buonassisi rebound on another odd-man rush.

Manitoba had a chance to shorten the deficit a few minutes later, as they had a two-man advantage for over a minute, but weren't able to get many shots through the UBC defence.

Dylan Kelly would bring the Bisons back within two, scoring from a tight angle at 9:16, but unfortunately Manitoba couldn't follow their second goal up, as the Thunderbirds locked away the win.

The two teams go at it again tomorrow (Sun., Oct. 25) in the rematch, with a matinee game at 1 p.m. CT at Wayne Fleming Arena.