EDMONTON - Bison women's hockey head coach Sean Fisher knew puck possession would be key heading into his squad's conference championship series against the No. 1 ranked Alberta Pandas. Unfortunately, it's a battle that the U of A won en route to a 3-0 victory on Friday night at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.

"We made it easy on them," Fisher said postgame.

"Our work ethic didn't match their work ethic tonight. We probably could've shot the puck a little bit better and didn't shoot smart when we did have it. But the biggest issue was when they had the puck, we didn't work hard enough to get it back. That's one of the roots of the problem right there."

It's a problem that's been common for Alberta's opponents all year. As a team, they've allowed just 25 goals this season and only seven on home ice. It's also the fourth time in five games that the Bisons have been shut out by the Pandas this season.

"We're definitely going to have to go to the drawing board and get some of those plays down," fifth-year alternate captain Alanna Sharman said.

"They jump pretty fast then they hold back, so we've just got to get our heads around that and just move the puck a little bit faster."

The first period featured turnovers on both sides that led to quality chances. Five minutes in, Sharman stole the biscuit and delivered the puck inside to line mate Jordy Zacharias, however they were narrowly unable to connect.

The Pandas, on the other hand, were able to cash in. Forward Alex Gowie stuck her stick inside to grab the puck from the Bisons near the visitors' blue line and went five-hole on Manitoba goalie Lauren Taraschuk for the lone goal of the opening frame at 6:16. The hosts had a few chances to pad their lead, including a three-on-one, but Taraschuk shut the door.

The Bisons had two power play opportunities in the second period, but were unable to cash in on either — a key factor considering just one goal between the two squads had been scored five-on-five heading in.

Manitoba's first PP merited some solid looks, including a couple great chances for fifth-year Erin Kucheravy, but Pandas goalie Kirsten Chamberlin was up to the task. The second special teams opportunity was decent, but the best look actually came shorthanded for conference scoring leader Alex Poznikoff. Taraschuk made the save on the odd-man break, though.

"The first trip [on the power play] was pretty good, with a couple of chances," Fisher said.

"The second one was okay. I would've liked to have gotten a few more but we probably didn't make them take any penalties."

Alberta would carry the momentum from their second PK into an extended amount of offensive zone time that eventually led to a goal. It was Poznikoff who was rewarded after tapping in a loose puck on an Amy Boucher shot with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the middle frame.

Alberta controlled puck possession again in the third and capped the scoring with 7:32 to go, as forward Jaslin Sawatsky went top shelf.

A bright spot for Manitoba was their penalty kill, as they held the Pandas 0-for-3. Special teams are sure to be a factor again tomorrow night, as Manitoba looks to extend the conference championship to a deciding third game on Sunday.

Thankfully, the Bisons have been here before and will be up to the task as they attempt to bring the hardware back to the 204.

"We've faced so much adversity in our five years," Sharman said. "We were down to them one game in the semi-finals last year, so we know what it takes to bounce back. I think you're going to see a lot of heart in the game tomorrow and a lot of grit. We really want to win so it'll be a good one."

Game two goes at 8 p.m. CT and can be seen on CanadaWest.TV.