With winter break behind them, the race to the playoffs begins for several Bison teams. That means it's time for position jockeying and the search for some important momentum wins.
Look no further than Wayne Fleming Arena for a great example of this. No. 2 ranked Bison women's hockey host a crucial series against No. 4 Alberta, as the top teams in Canada West — separated by just two points heading into the weekend — will try to stake their claim on home ice advantage in the post-season.
On the court, women's volleyball hosts the Thompson Rivers WolfPack, as they start a home-heavy second half with plenty of opportunity to improve on their 5-7 record.
That, and what else to look forward to, in our weekend preview.
#2 Women's Hockey vs. #4 Alberta – January 4 (7 PM), January 5 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
LISTEN: UMFM.com
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsWHKY on Twitter
No stranger to great games over the years, the Manitoba-Alberta rivalry in women's hockey has been heated again in 2018-19. They are just two points apart in the standings, with the No. 4 ranked Alberta (11-3-2-0) at 37 and No. 2 Manitoba (10-3-2-1) at 35. Earlier this season, the Pandas were responsible for two of those three Bison losses, as they swept Manitoba at home on October 12-13.
Now, the stakes are even higher as the two teams meet at Wayne Fleming Arena. With UBC five points back with four weeks left, it's likely that the series will go far in deciding who has home ice advantage through the Canada West playoffs.
Manitoba closed their fall schedule winning ten of 12 games. Their final series was a sweep over Calgary, led by forward
Lauryn Keen, who had four of the team's seven goals. Keen is third in the conference in points (17) heading into the second half, though she's surrounded by Alberta's top weapons. Both Autumn MacDougall and Alex Poznikoff have 20 points through the first half to lead Canada West, with Kennedy Ganser close behind with 14.
The challenge for Manitoba will be to find goal-scoring opportunities after being shut out in Alberta — a team that's allowed just 11 goals all season. Pandas goalie Halle Oswald is 4-1-0-0 in six starts, as the rookie's been a brick wall, marking a league-best 0.53 goals against average.
Bison hockey tickets are $10 and available at the door, with U of M students and fans 17-and-under in free.
Women's Volleyball vs. Thompson Rivers – January 4 (6 PM), January 5 (5 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
UPDATES: follow @BisonWVB on Twitter
With Bison men's volleyball on a conference bye, the women have IGAC to themselves for a home series against Thompson Rivers.
Both teams come in 5-7, though the WolfPack have struggled away from home, going 1-5 in road gyms. The player to watch for on Thompson Rivers is outside hitter Olga Savenchuk. Fourth in Canada West in kills per set with 3.77, Savenchuk is also deadly from the service line, as she leads her team with 13 kills.
The Bisons, meanwhile, were bolstered in their last series of the first half with the return of fifth-year
Tori Studler. The left side got off to a roaring start in a sweep of Brandon, recording 23 kills to quickly jump into the team lead for kills per set (2.56).
Studler's return adds diversity to a Bisons attack that already included
Laura Findlay (110 kills) and
Jocelyn Koswin (100), with a hopeful return from injury for 2017-18 CW Second Team All-Star
Kearley Abbott coming soon. With five of their next seven games at home, Manitoba is hoping this all adds up to a run to bolster their playoff position.
Bison volleyball tickets are $10 and available at the door, with U of M students and fans 17-and-under in free.
Basketball at Alberta – January 4 (7/9 PM), January 5 (6/8 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @BisonWBB and @BisonMBB
A bye week to finish their first half meant an extra long break for Bison basketball, as they resume action in Edmonton to face the Golden Bears and Pandas.
For the
Bison women (5-5), the team will try to right the ship after five straight losses to end the fall schedule. A holiday tune-up in the Wesmen Classic should have the team fresh, as they finished fourth in the invitational on Dec. 28-30. Guard
Taylor Randall continues to lead the team with 18.1 points per game, but is just 10-for-37 on three-pointers over the losing streak. The long ball could be key for Manitoba against Alberta (8-2), as an otherwise stingy Pandas defence (allowing just 61 PPG) is 14
th in opponent three-point percentage (31.3%).
The
Bison men (3-7), meanwhile, take on No. 6 ranked Alberta (7-3) to start their second half. The battle on the glass will be key in this one, as the Golden Bears lead CW in rebound margin at 10.8. Manitoba's centre rotation of
Cameron O'Hara,
Isaac Miller-Jose, and
Joel Adu-Quaye will be important in this area, while guard
Rashawn Browne looks to lead the offence after two games of over-40% shooting to end the first half against Calgary.
Men's Hockey at #2 Alberta – January 4 (8 PM), January 5 (8 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.tv
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsMHKY on Twitter
While Bison men's hockey (3-12-1) will be underdogs in their matchup with No. 2 ranked Alberta (14-2-0), a flashback to their season opener predicts that wins are certainly possible. On October 13, the Bisons upset Alberta at Wayne Fleming Arena, 3-2, in what was their signature win of the first half. They also come in with a monkey off their backs, as a 12-game losing streak was snapped in their last game of the first half with a 3-1 win over Calgary.
As was the case in October, the Alberta player to watch is forward Luke Philp, who is up to 20 points in 12 games for a conference-best 1.67 points per game. Philp has been especially deadly on the man advantage, with six of his nine goals coming on the power play. Manitoba's leader has been
Nick Zajac in recent weeks, as the Headingley native has ten assists in 16 games for the Herd.
Notes from the Range
