CALGARY – Riley Lamb shut the door while Colton Veloso provided the offence as the University of Mantioba Bisons halted the Calgary Dinos' win streak at eight with a 2-1 victory Saturday afternoon at Father David Bauer Arena.
Lamb saved 38 of the 39 shots he faced for the Bisons, with Veloso scoring both goals for Manitoba (9-10-1), while Matthew Greenfield made 26 saves, with Tim Vanstone getting the lone goal for Calgary (14-4-2).
Both teams exchanged chances in the first period, but it was the Bisons who struck first. Veloso picked up a Dinos giveaway in the neutral zone and fired a shot past Greenfield, giving the Bisons a 1-0 lead with 2:52 remaining in the period.
It was an aggressive second period with both teams sharing 18 penalty minutes. The Dinos were called for a hooking penalty at 12:30, and after a quick passing play off the faceoff, Veloso fired a shot through a screen in front beating Greenfield for his second of the night.
The Bisons ran into penalty trouble early in the third period which gave the Dinos the momentum they needed. On the powerplay, Vanstone on the doorstep took advantage of a scrum in front of the net, and slid the puck home to narrow the Bisons' lead at 3:39 into the period. The Dinos continued to create strong offensive chances, outshooting Manitoba 16-7 in the third and pressing for the tying goal, but could not complete the comeback.
"It's extremely disappointing, this is two weekends in a row that we've played really well on Friday and not very good on Saturday," said Calgary head coach Mark Howell. "The other teams are too good, the other players are too good, and if you are not ready to play and compete, you won't win."
With the win, the Bisons move solidly into fifth place, maintaining hope for a home playoff series as they head to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds next weekend. Calgary, meanwhile, will host the Saskatchewan Huskies next week in a series with important playoff implications. The first game will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. at Father David Bauer Arena.
