WINNIPEG – In a matchup of the last two national champions in women's hockey, the No. 3 ranked Manitoba Bisons travel to Clare Drake Arena (Edmonton, AB) this weekend to face the No. 1 ranked Alberta Pandas in the 2019 Canada West (CW) Final.
The best-of-three series begins with Game 1 on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. CST. Game 2 will be Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m. CST. Game 3, if necessary, will be played Sunday, March 3 at 7 p.m. CST.
All playoff games can be streamed on CanadaWest.TV (pay-per-view).
Both the Bisons (16-5-4-3) and Pandas (19-5-4-0) took care of business in their conference semi-finals series, as the top two teams by record will clash in the final. Manitoba beat the UBC Thunderbirds in two games (4-3, 2-1), while Alberta dispersed of the Saskatchewan Huskies in a sweep (2-0, 2-1).
The last playoff matchup between these two teams was particularly memorable, a 2017-18 conference semi-final series that was capped with a 1-0 Bisons win in a 4OT game three — the second-longest game in CW history. Since then, though, the Pandas have had the upper hand on the Bisons, winning all four conference regular season games in 2018-19 (1-0, 2-0 in Alberta; 3-2, 1-0 (2 OT) in Manitoba).
The Pandas come in led by their pair of CW First Team All-Star fourth-year forwards — Alex Poznikoff and Autumn MacDougall. Poznikoff took the conference scoring title in 2018-19 with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists), with MacDougall right on her tail with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists). The two have been formidable, also leading the conference in plus-minus, as they shared a +34.
Besides slowing Poznikoff and MacDougall, the Bisons' top-ranked power play (20.2%) will try to break through a Pandas' D that has allowed just 25 goals through 30 regular season and playoff games.
Leading the way for the Herd has been their forward line made up of fifth-years
Lauryn Keen (13 goals, 13 assists),
Karissa Kirkup (six goals, ten assists), and
Natasha Kostenko (eight goals, seven assists). That line accounted for four of the six Manitoba goals in the semi-final — led by Kirkup's two goals in the game two clincher.
The matchup between the pipes will be between
Lauren Taraschuk for Manitoba and Kirsten Chamberlin for Alberta. Chamberlin split time with All-Rookie goalie Halle Oswald during the regular season but played both games in the semi-final — she led the conference in goals against average with 0.57 in 11 games. Taraschuk, meanwhile, has come on strong in the second half, allowing just one goal in seven of her last 12 starts.
By way of being the two remaining teams in Canada West, both Manitoba and Alberta have already qualified for the 2019 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship, hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island from March 14-17, 2019.
DETAILS:
Game 1: Friday, March 1 – 8 p.m. CST
Game 2: Saturday, March 2 – 8 p.m. CST
Game 3: Sunday, March 3 – 7 p.m. CST (if necessary)
Clare Drake Arena (University of Alberta campus) – Edmonton, AB
Canada West Final Standings
Conference Statistics
U SPORTS Top 10 – February 19, 2019
HOOFPRINTS
- Decisive power play: In the four regular season matchups between the Bisons and Pandas in 2018-19, just two out of nine goals were scored at even strength. Alberta scored four power play goals and one shorthanded, while the Bisons scored both their goals on the man advantage. Manitoba's last goal against the Pandas at even strength was the 4 OT winner by Jordyn Zacharias in last year's semi-final game three.
- All-Star season: Canada West will be announcing major award winners in women's hockey on Thursday, February 28.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: MANITOBA BISONS
- Erica Rieder (D / 5th Year): The top blue-line scorer in the conference this season and a First Team Canada West All-Star, Rieder has 4 goals and 13 assists while playing in all 28 regular season games for the Herd. Rieder was also a team-best +27 in her time on the ice.
- Alanna Sharman (F / 5th Year): Scored on a penalty shot in the semi-final against UBC and has been second on the Bisons in points per game (0.67) since returning from a first-half injury. Sharman is the second-leading scorer in Bisons history with 109 points in 115 regular season conference games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: ALBERTA PANDAS
- Kennedy Ganser (F / 3rd Year): Exploded in scoring output in 2018-19, improving on a 14-point campaign last year to score 27 points this year (12 goals, 15 assists). Was a +28 in her time on the ice and scored one goal at Manitoba (Jan. 4).
