CHARLOTTETOWN – One of six teams playing on the final day of the season, the No. 6 seeded Manitoba Bisons will take on the No. 8 seeded Toronto Varsity Blues in the consolation final of the 2019 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship. Puck drop is set for 11 a.m. AST on Sunday, March 17.
The single elimination game will be streamed on USPORTS.live (pay-per-view) with a home broadcast available on UMFM 101.5. The winner finishes atop the consolation bracket and fifth overall in the tournament.
Manitoba arrives at the consolation final after an emotional bump, courtesy of a 3-1 win over the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in Saturday's consolation semifinal. Despite peppering the Panthers' goalie throughout the first 25 minutes — Camille Scherger would make 40 saves total — the Bisons found themselves down 1-0 at the midway point of the game.
Once again, it was fifth-year
Alanna Sharman getting Manitoba a goal when they needed one, though. In the third, two quick goals from
Alexandra Anderson and
Natasha Kostenko sealed the victory.
Toronto, meanwhile, nearly had the win of the tournament in the quarterfinals, pushing the No. 1 seeded Alberta Pandas to the limit before falling 3-2. In the consolation semifinal, they played aggressively against No. 5 seed St. Thomas, eventually winning 2-1.
The Varsity Blues come into the U SPORTS Championship as OUA runners-up, losing 4-2 to Guelph in the single elimination McCaw Cup final. Their leading scorer during the regular season was forward Lauren Straaman, who had 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) and has re-joined the team this weekend after playing for Team Canada at the 2019 FISU Winter Universiade. The Varsity Blues have also had a strong campaign from defenceman Cristine Chao, who led the conference among those at her position in goals (seven) and points (17) and was named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian.
Chao will have her hands full against the forward play of Manitoba, though, which has been led at this tournament by fifth-year forward
Alanna Sharman. Sharman scored both of the Bisons' goals in their quarterfinal loss to Guelph (3-2), then followed that up with a goal in the consolation semifinal against UPEI, as she now leads the Championship in goals scored.
Manitoba has also had a better bill of health recently, with both fifth-year
Alexandra Anderson and second-year
Madison Cole returning to the lineup after extended time away due to injury. Anderson scored the game-winner against UPEI and was named the player of the game for Manitoba.
Between the pipes, the Bisons will be staring down first-year Toronto goalie Erica Fryer, who had a record of 11-6-0 in 18 games during the regular season, posting a 1.49 GAA and .925 save percentage. Manitoba is expected to start second-year
Lauren Taraschuk, who led Canada West with 17 wins this season.
2019 U SPORTS WOMEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES AST):
Sunday, March 17
Consolation Final – Manitoba vs. Toronto (11 a.m.)
Bronze Medal Game – TBD (2:30 p.m.)
Gold Medal Game – TBD (6 p.m.)
Canada West Final Standings
Conference Statistics
HOOFPRINTS
- Extra time experience: The Bisons have plenty of experience with overtimes and shootouts over the last two seasons. In 2018-19, they played six regular season games that went past regulation, posting a record of 3-3. At last year's U SPORTS Championship in London, the Bisons' semi-final matchup with Concordia went to the shootout, where Alanna Sharman and Jordyn Zacharias scored, and Lauren Taraschuk made two key saves.
PLAYER TO WATCH: MANITOBA BISONS
- Natasha Kostenko (F / 5th Year): Scored in the consolation semifinal against UPEI, continuing an excellent final season with the Herd. She has a goal and an assist through six post-season games for Manitoba this year.
