The third place and #5 Manitoba Bisons (regular season: 16-7-3-2; playoffs: 2-0) continue their playoff season, after a conference Quarter-final series home win against Mount Royal, in Canada West conference women's hockey as they now travel to the #6 and second place Alberta Pandas (17-4-4-3) to play in the Canada West semifinal best-of-three playoff series on the February 24-26 weekend.
The best-of-three playoff series commences on Friday, February 24 with a start time of 3 p.m. CT for game one then game two on Saturday, February 25 at 3 p.m. CT and, if necessary, game three will be play on Sunday, February 26 at 3 p.m. CT. All playoff contests will be played at the Clare Drake Arena (Alberta campus) and shown on live webcast at canadwest.tv website (fee req'd).
During this season, Manitoba went 0-3-0-1 against Alberta as they lost at home (L 4-3 in SO on Nov. 18/16; L 1-0 on Nov. 19/16) and were swept on the road (L 5-2 on Feb. 10/17; L 2-1 on Feb. 11/17). Since the beginning of the second half of the 2016-17 season, the Bisons went 8-3-0-1 in regular season and won three of last six games away.
The last time both teams meet in the playoffs was last season (2016) in conference semis at Alberta and Manitoba prevailed 2-1 in games in the best-of-three series. This is the tenth time that both teams meet-up in post-season series action since women's hockey started play in Canada West during the 1997-98 season. Manitoba has met Alberta in every playoff match-up on the road and every playoff series, prior to 2016, was in the Canada West Championship. Manitoba holds a 3-6 post-season record with series wins in 2009 (2-1 in games) and 2011 (2-0 in games) and 2016 (2-1) while the rest of the results have fallen to the Pandas with 2-0 series victories in 2005-08, 2010 and 2015.
Manitoba is looking to advance to a conference championship series in back-to-back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 season.
This playoff season, the Bisons defeated Mount Royal 2-0 in games during the conference Quarter-final series at home (W 5-1 on Feb. 17/17 and W 1-0 on Feb. 18/17).
In the 2017 playoffs, Karissa Kirkup (2g, 0a), Venla Hovi (1g, 1a), Jenai Buchanan (0g, 2a), Caitlin Fyten (0g, 2a) and Lauryn Keen (0g, 2a) lead the team with two points. Goalie Rachel Dyck has two wins with 0.50 GAA and .974 Save Pct.
Bison women's hockey - 2017 Canada West Semi Final series road schedule
Date Game Time Place
Fri., February 24 Game 1: Manitoba at Alberta 3 p.m. CT Alberta
Sat., February 25 Game 2: Manitoba at Alberta 3 p.m. CT Alberta
*Sun., February 26 Game 3: Manitoba at Alberta 3 p.m. CT Alberta
* if necessary
Bison Notes: Last season, the Bison women's hockey team started the conference playoffs on the road and won two series away from Manitoba before losing in the conference final at UBC. In 2014-15, the Herd started the playoffs at home and went onto the 2015 Canada West conference final at Alberta. Since Jon Rempel became the head coach of the program in the 2004-05 season, the women's hockey team at Manitoba has made the post-season in 12 of 13 seasons and the last five consecutive seasons.
