It's all about playoff positioning this weekend for Bisons football and women's soccer, with both teams at home looking to secure a favourable spot in the Canada West post-season.
Meanwhile, hockey continues both at home and on the road. The men host red hot Calgary at Wayne Fleming Arena while the women play on the road against the Dinos. Finally, cross country concludes their regular season, as a team will be selected for conference championships in a week's time.
Get set for it all in our weekend preview.
Football vs. Calgary – October 19 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @MBBisons on Twitter
With one playoff spot left up for grabs in Canada West, the Manitoba Bisons (3-3) will fight to clinch it as they face the No. 4 ranked Calgary Dinos (5-1) on Saturday.
Two games ahead of Regina (1-5) and UBC (1-5) with two games left in the regular season, Manitoba would clinch a playoff spot this weekend with either a win or a Regina loss. The Bisons already have the tiebreaker over the Thunderbirds courtesy of their Sep. 21 win.
To take matters into their own hands, they'll have to break some history against the nationally ranked Calgary Dinos, a team that Manitoba has lost their last eight games against dating back to 2014. That includes a game at McMahon Stadium this season, when the Dinos won 24-10 on Sep. 6.
In that game, Manitoba's defence played great, holding Calgary to their first scoreless half in three seasons. All season, fifth-year defensive end
Derek Dufault has anchored the Bisons' defensive unit, as he sits third in the nation with six sacks.
The Bisons will look to offset another strong defensive game with production from their offence, who were held without a touchdown in that Sep. 6 loss. The ground game, led by starter and fourth-year back
Michael Ritchott, seek a bounce back performance after two straight games with their quarterback as the leading rusher. Ritchott is averaging 61.8 yards per game and 10.6 yards per carry.
At Saturday's game, the Bisons will be honouring the career of famed alumnus Israel Idonije, who was inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame earlier this week. Idonije will receive his award at halftime as the team celebrates his career and community work.
In addition, it's the last regular season home game for Manitoba's senior student-athletes: DL
Jeremie Drouin, DL
Derek Dufault, REC
Trysten Dyce, DL
Kent Hicks, DL
Jared Lazarenko, OL
Reid McMorris, K/P
Matt Riley, and OL
Ryan Wengelinski.
For more on this weekend's football game,
read our Week 7 game notes.
Bisons football tickets are $15 at the gate or can be purchased online. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free!
Women's Soccer – October 18 vs. Mount Royal (7 PM), October 19 vs. Lethbridge (7 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: Follow @BisonWSOC on Twitter
Bisons soccer (6-5-1) conclude their regular season this weekend as they take on the Mount Royal Cougars (1-9-2) and the Lethbridge Pronghorns (1-5-6).
The Bisons are locked into the Canada West post-season and still have a shot at hosting a playoff round.
The top two teams in each division host play in and quarterfinals games on Oct. 26-27, and Manitoba currently sits five points behind second-place Saskatchewan in the Prairie division with two games remaining. They'll have to start by winning both their matchups against the Cougars and Pronghorns, two teams that are battling each other for the sixth and last playoff spot.
Though motivation will be high, both Mount Royal and Lethbridge have struggled to put the ball in the net this season. Friday's matchup for Manitoba will be against the Cougars, who are 15th in the conference in goals scored (6) and 12th in shots on goal (66). The Pronghorns haven't fared much better, marking just eight goals and 65 shots on goal.
Meanwhile, the Bisons have been much improved in their offence, and have seen second-year midfielder
Nicole Davis come on strong in recent weeks. The 2018 U SPORTS All-Rookie scored three goals in a pair of wins over the Winnipeg Wesmen on Oct. 10 and 12, bringing her season tally to six.
Saturday's game is also Senior Night and will be the final regular season home games for graduating players Abby Eggers,
Kailyn Balfour, and
Chelsea Dubiel.
Bisons soccer tickets are $5 for adults and available at the gate. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free! Fans are encouraged to BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) this weekend as bleacher seating will be limited.
Men's Hockey vs. Calgary – Friday, October 18 (7 PM), Saturday, October 19 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsMHKY on Twitter
After weekend splits against both Lethbridge and Mount Royal, Bisons men's hockey (2-2-0) have turned a few heads to start the 2019-20 season. They'll be put to the test this weekend, though, as they host No. 6 ranked Calgary (4-0-0).
With Alberta and Saskatchewan the typical powerhouses in Canada West men's hockey, the Dinos have busted through to start 2019-20 to be an early favourite. They've been led by the conference's leading scorer Matt Alfaro, who has five goals and four assists in just four games. Graham Black has also started hot, with two goals and six assists.
The Bisons have leaned into their young core and had some strong early season performances.
Dylan Thiessen, this week's Bison Male Athlete of the Week, has a goal and two assists. Stalwart defenceman
Adam Henry is the points leader for Manitoba, though, with a goal and five assists.
Bisons hockey tickets are $10 and available at the door. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free!
Women's Hockey at Calgary – October 18 (8 PM), October 19 (4 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsWHKY on Twitter
Bisons women's hockey (1-3-0) have their second road series this weekend as they take on the Calgary Dinos (3-1-0).
Special teams have been an up and down area for Manitoba early in the season. Right now, their penalty kill ranks first in the conference with a perfect 13-for-13 in four games. After one of Canada West's best marks on the power play last season, though, the team is struggling with just one goal on 18 advantages (5.6%) so far.
Leading the way in scoring has been defenceman
Jenai Buchanan, who has two goals and three assists. Fifth-year
Jordyn Zacharias has a goal and three assists.
For the Dinos, the forward combination of Sara Craven and Elizabeth Lang has been deadly, as the two have combined for six goals and are both in the top seven in conference scoring.
Cross Country – Ron Pynn Invitational – October 19
As a final tune-up before the Canada West Cross Country Championships on October 26, the Bisons cross country teams travel to North Dakota for the annual Ron Pynn Invitational this weekend.
The event typically serves as a final proving ground for making the championship team, but a few Bisons that should have no issue advancing are
Simon Berube, Deric Kornelson,
Shayna Giesbrecht and
Amy Klippenstein. On the men's and women's side, these four have been the top finishers in all three cross country events so far this season.
Notes from the Range
