Eight different Bisons teams will be in action this weekend as the conference season continues. The soccer team will host Regina at 5:30 pm on Saturday in the first-ever playoff game at Investors Group Field, while the football team plays earlier that day at 1 pm and the hockey team hosts Trinity Western at The RINK. Click here to get tickets. 

Members of the swim team are also competing in the St. James Seals Invitational at Pan Am Pool all weekend, while the Chris McCubbins Provincial Cross Country Championships are taking place at Kilcona Park on Saturday. Multiple Bisons are entered into the race, with a potential shot at making Manitoba's Canada West championships roster looming.

The men's hockey team is also on the road, facing Trinity Western after sweeping Regina on the road last week to improve their record to 2-2, while the volleyball teams (click here for the men's team preview and here for the women's team preview) also open their season at Trinity. 


Soccer hosts first-ever playoff game at IG Field againt Regina
When: 5:30 pm, October 22 
Where: IG Field 
Watch: cw.yaretv.com
Follow: @umbisons on Twitter and Instagram, @bisonswsoc on Twitter and Instagram

• This will be the third time the two teams are facing each other. The Bisons have the upper hand, with a combined record of 1-0-1 after a 3-1 win to start the season and a 1-1 draw at IGF on September 24. 
• The matchup will mark the first-ever soccer playoff game at IGF. 
• Five different players have recorded a point against the Cougars, including winger Breyanna Johnston-Krulicki, who scored the first two goals of her Bisons career in the first matchup. 
• Six members of Regina's roster are Winnipeg natives, and many of these athletes played with members of the herd's roster at one point. 
• Manitoba out-shot Regina 28-18 in the two previous contests. Seven of their shots on goal came from the combination of Johnston-Krulicki and leading scorer Bianca Cavalcanti.
• At the end of the regular season, Bisons goalie Karina Bagi graded out as the third best goalie, with an instat index ranking of 151. One of her most impressive stats was her number of "super saves," where she tied for fifth overall, with nine. 

Football looks to keep playoff hopes alive
When: 1 pm, October 22 
Where: IG Field 
Watch: cw.yaretv.com
Follow: @umbisons on Twitter and Instagram, @mbbisons on Twitter

• Manitoba (2-4) enters this weekend needing to beat Alberta (2-4) by 24 in order to win the season series. They were defeated by the Golden Bears 34-11 in week two, but would move into the fourth and final playoff spot with a win. 
• A total of 202 of Alberta's 360 passing yards were hauled in by receiver Kolby Hurford, who had three scores on four catches.
• The two teams combined for 341 yards rushing and both averaged over five yards per carry between ten players overall. Ope Ishinubi's 66 was the most for Alberta, and Jackson Tachinski had 58 for Manitoba, which was the second most in his career. 
• The program will recognize graduating players Ndaba Zulu, Niko DiFonte, Kai Madsen, Marcel Arruda-Welch, Cole Adamson and Des Catellier prior to the game. Marcel Arruda-Welch enters the game needing just two pass breakups to set a new program record of 21. He's also the program's leader in punt return average (minimim 500 returns), at 14.1.

Women's hockey aims to stay undefeated at home
When: 7 pm, October 21, 2 pm October 22 
Where: The RINK Training Centre
Watch: cw.yaretv.com
Follow: @umbisons on Twitter and Instagram 

• Bisons netminders Kimberley Davidson and Meagan Relf combined for 59 saves in Manitoba's home-opening sweep of the Regina Cougars last weekend to improve the Herd's record to 2-2. Davidson was also the female athlete of the week. The Spartans are 3-3, fresh off of a sweep of Alberta where veteran Amy Potomark scored two goals, to increase her total to five on the season. Potomark also leads TWU with seven points.
• This is the second time the two teams will face each other in program history. Manitoba won both games last year by a combined score of 10-0. 
• Manitoba has the conference's best power play percentage, at 25, while Trinity's penalty kill is operating at 86.4 percent, good for fourth in the conference. 
• Team captain Katie Chatyrbok leads the Bisons with a +/- of two, while operating at a 50 percent shooting percentage thanks to her game-winning goal last Saturday

Men's hockey aims to increase win streak
When: 1 pm, October 21, 7 pm October 22 
Where: Trinity Western 
Watch: cw.yaretv.com
Follow: @umbisons on Twitter and Instagram 

• Manitoba is in a playoff position after a weekend sweep of Regina to improve to 2-2. They''ll travel to face Trinity Western, the only team in the conference without a win in 2022.
• The two teams combined for 15 goals in two games last year, with each team winning a game. 
• Bisons blue-liner Chase Hartje leads the team in points, with ten and is second amongst all d-men in that category, and third overall in CanWest. 
• Manitoba's top line of Brett Davis, Devon Skoleski and Colton Veloso has combined for 20 points through four games. 
• Bisons goalie Ross Hawryluk got the first two wins of his university career last weekend, recording a combined 72 saves in two games. 
• Rookie Parker Malchuk, a former MJHL champ and Top Defenceman, leads all Bisons first-years with two points and has a team-leading +/- of three so far this year.