WINNIPEG — The Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team returned to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 29 to conclude their weekend series against the Trinity Western Spartans at Wayne Fleming Arena. Manitoba earned a 7-0 victory on Friday against the Spartans, pushing them into a three-way tie for second place in the Canada West standings.
Last night it was a four-goal second period that propelled the Bisons to victory and they wrote a similar script this afternoon to complete the two-game sweep.
During a delayed Spartans penalty midway through the first period, Kylie Lesuk fed Madison Cole a pass in the slot, which she sniped to beat visiting goaltender Kate Fawcett high on the glove side. The Bisons got two more goals from Kate Gregoire and Molly Kunnas in the frame to give Manitoba a commanding 3-0 lead.
Cole's goal turned out to be the game-winner, as the Bisons went on to win 3-0.
"I had a great pass from my teammate Kylie and I didn't even see it go in," said Cole. "I shot around the defender but it worked."
The win keeps the Bisons on pace with UBC and Saskatchewan in the battle for second place, with all three teams still within striking distance of Mount Royal, who sits atop the Canada West standings.
"We knew we had to win these games this weekend. Sometimes when you play a team that's lower in the standings it is hard to keep your structure. I felt we did a good job with that," added Cole.
The Spartans will continue to use the rest of the season to build towards the future.
"We are a very young team," said Trinity Western captain Neisha Germann. "As one of the older players in our locker room I am trying to guide these guys in the right way to help build this program."
The best chance of the second period came after Bisons captain Lauren Warkentin blocked a shot in the slot. The puck bounced off her shin pad and into the neutral zone where it was picked up by a trailing Kate Gregoire for a breakaway. Gregoire beat Fawcett but the post kept it out, as the game remained at 3-0 in favour of Manitoba.
Down 3-0, the Spartans put the pressure on the Bisons in the third as they searched for their first goal of the weekend. However, Manitoba's goaltender Erin Fargey stood tall making nine saves in the final period and 21 overall for the shutout victory.
Both teams will be on the road next weekend. Manitoba will travel to Regina to play the Cougars for a pair of games on Feb. 4-5. Trinity Western will be in Alberta for two games against the Pandas.
