Box Score WINNIPEG — Special teams was a significant story coming into this weekend, and it went the way of the Huskies on Saturday afternoon at Wayne Fleming Arena, as they split their weekend set with the Manitoba Bisons with a 6-2 win. 

The victory improved their record to 9-5-2-0, while the Bisons fell to 7-9-0-0 and had their four-game win-streak snapped. Both teams are in playoff positions entering the winter break. 

Saskatchewan — who've allowed just four power play goals all year — scored short-handed just over a minute into the second, while also cashing in on their second power play with less than three minutes left in the middle frame. The Bisons — who've scored 12 power play goals — were 0-for-4. Saskatchewan added another as part of a three-goal showing after 40, which was enough the rest of the way. 

Manitoba entered the series down a significant amount of key players, as captain Katie Chatyrbok, forwards Halle Edwards and Kylie Lesuk and defenders Rachel Gottfried and Trechelle Bunn were all unavailable. Despite this, the Herd littered the net with well over 30 shots, but ran into a hot goalie in Colby Wilson. 

A great save on one end was followed by the first period's only goal just under six minutes in. 

Wilson made an impressive blocker stop on Julia Bird, who recieved a pass from the top of the blue line from Camryn Gillis and had time and space near the circle, but was denied. Quickly afterwards, the Huskies transitioned and scored, as Sophie Lalor netted her third of the season from in close. 

From that point onwards, Manitoba pressed for the equalizer and had a plethora of chances. They out-shot the Huskies 20-9 overall but couldn't level the game.

A sensational pass from Sarah Dennehy — who stopped up and went cross-ice to a pinching Hanna Bailey — was denied by Wilson eight minutes in, while Kate Gregoire's breakaway opportunity not long after went high. 

Jessie Haner also had a chance to score in the period's final seconds, however she wasn't able to get all of her attempt from in close on an open net. 

Kennedy Brown scored a player down, as she capitalized on a rebound on an odd-person rush just over a minute into the second period. Seven minutes later, the visitors added a third, as Taylor Wilkinson tapped in a cross-crease feed from Kelsey Hall for the eventual game-winner. The goal pushed Bisons netminder Meagan Relf from the contest, as Emily Shippam took over. 

The Bisons solved Wilson with just over eight minutes left, as Dennehy scored on a perfectly-placed wrist shot from the right circle with a screen provided by Jena Barscello to narrow the gap.

However, Sophie Lalor rounded out the scoring on the power play, as a Bison fell down, giving her all kinds of time to shoot from just inside the faceoff dot to re-pad a three-goal lead for Sask. 

Despite the score, Manitoba — who recorded 31 shots after 40 — had their chances, including a no-look pass from behind the net from Barscello to Norah Collins that was stopped, along with a Bailey pass to Collins four-on-four with plenty of room that was steered away by the Huskies back check. 

Brown netted her second goal of the game in the opening minute of the third, but Manitoba kept fighting. With less than five minutes to play, Gregoire scored her second of the weekend and team-leading seventh of the season on an unreal no-look pass from Dennehy to her long-time St. Mary's teammate and close friend. 

Overall, the pair combined for five shots and have 21 points on the year. 

"Playing together, we've built up that chemistry," said Dennehy, Manitoba's player of the game. 

"I'm definitely trying to always get her the puck and look for her. She's also right-handed, I'm left-handed so our sticks face each other. She's a great goal-scorer, knows how to pass the puck and has a great sense of the game."

The Huskies added an empty-netter to round out the scoring.