Box Score WINNIPEG – Seven different players recorded a point, as the Manitoba Bisons fought hard to bring home the win against the Regina Cougars, winning 3-2 on Saturday at the RINK Training Centre.
Three power play goals were scored in the game, while the eventual game-winner came from veteran
Kaitlyn Chatyrbok at 11:33 of the second period. Manitoba improved to 2-2 with the win, while Regina fell to 1-3.
"The ability to turn the games around for us was important. I also thought that being in transit from out of our facility and having to move over [to the RINK for the first month of the season], we weren't really the home team it was actually a neutral site game, so I thought we handled it really well," said head coach
Jon Rempel.
"We've had a lot of distractions, so I thought they were really dug in and I think the ability to rebound after getting our asses kicked last weekend in Vancouver, I thought they did a good job this week in practice of just moving on, turning the page and learning from it, and then some of that showed up here today and this weekend."
The Bisons had their first big chance just over five minutes in with a wide-open net to the right of Cougars netminder Arden Kliewer as she dove left and gave Bisons forward
Aimee Patrick a beautiful chance. Patrick's shot went off a Cougar, but wasn't able to get past the goal line.
The momentum from that chance kept rolling as the Bisons opened the scoring early after a south-north pass from forward
Julia Bird. She set up defenceman
Chloe Snaith to send in a low blocker side shot. Bird did an excellent job maintaining possession below the net, before finding Snaith who had plenty of space.
The Cougars best chance came shortly after the Bisons first penalty with just over five minutes to go. Bisons netminder Megan Relf made a big right pad save on a rebound to keep Regina off the board.
Shots remained even at the end of the first, but Manitoba continuously won puck races in the offensive zone.
The second period got off to a hot start with a powerplay for the Bisons, who cashed in for a 2-0 lead. The second time was the charm for defenceman
Camille Enns, who found
Kate Gregoire down low on a pass from the blue line, after attempting a similar pass earlier in the shift.
The Bisons kept the momentum going with a two-on-one chance off the draw, but Enns ran out of real estate and Kliewer covered it up. Despite the 2-0 score, shots were fairly even through the first two periods.
The Cougars consistent effort finally came to a head when a loose rebound got in front of forward Paige Hubbard who shot low in front of the net 11 seconds into a Cougars powerplay to get them on the board.
Both teams continued to battle hard, but it was the Bisons who capitalized with eight minutes to go. Chatyrbok was in the right place at the right time, blasting home a rebound on a shot from
Vanessa Klimpke that came right to her.
"(Chatyrbok) leads by example. That's why she wears a letter. She's a veteran player who's learning that she can affect the game in a lot of different ways. Today, she got rewarded by getting on the score sheet and got the game winner," said Rempel.
"She does a lot of little things well and some people that don't watch the game that closely don't see all the little nuances in her game but energy, physicality, positivity, she just brings those things every day. Good things happen to good people and that was a good weekend for her."
Manitoba had a few other chances on a late powerplay, but no dice as Kliewer fought to keep her team within two.
With just under nine minutes to go, Cougars defenceman Hannah Pennell found a seam through to the net and roofed the puck in from the point for a powerplay goal to make it a one goal game.
The Cougars continued to push in an attempt to tie the game, especially in the last five minutes. Their best chance late in the game came off a sneaky deflection but Relf shut the door, diving from left to right to help her team to victory.
