Box Score It was an evening full of smiles, chants, and great hockey at Canada Life Centre on Monday night as the Manitoba Bisons played host to the Ukraine Men's U25 National University team. A sold-out lower bowl of 7,821 fans, including over 4000 Ukranian refugees, witnessed a great tilt, as the Ukranians won 5-1. 
 
Tonight's game was the final destination of the Hockey Can't Stop Tour. The purpose of the tour was give Ukraine's U25 national team the opportunity to play and prepare for the upcoming Winter University Games while raising money for refugees and Ukrainian communities torn apart by Russia's invasion. It also allowed the Ukrainian Team reprieve and a place to practice, while raising money to keep hockey alive in the country. 

The Universities of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Calgary also hosted a game against the team, with all profits from ticket sales going toward humanitarian and hockey causes in Ukraine and Ukrainian grassroots organizations in Canada.
 
On the ice, all three exhibition games up to this point had been closely contested, as the Ukranians faced three nationally-ranked teams. No. 9 Saskatchewan won 2-0, No. 2 Calgary won 3-1 and No. 4 Alberta won 5-1. Each contest, held at the respective university's arenas, sold out, with attendance of 2,375, 1,700 and 2,300. 
 
With one final leg of the Hockey Can't Stop Tour, Ukraine didn't hold back. They played with pace, took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission and didn't trail all game. 
 
"We wanted to win the game, and maybe the score wasn't what we wanted. We had a few breakdowns, they're such a skilled team that they capitalized, and we had some chances that didn't go in so perhaps the score could've been closer but tonight was more than just a hockey game," said Bisons head coach Mike Sirant. 
 
"Our players can feel really good about what they contributed to making this game happen."
 
The game's opening goal came from forward Mykhailo Simchu, who rushed to push a loose puck across the line after a flurry of Ukraine pressure. The building erupted after the goal, as chants of 'go Ukraine' rang out. 
 


The standard throughout this tour has been for each goalie to play a period, so Bisons goalie Brett Murphy swapped in for Ross Hawryluk to start the second.
 
Ukraine's Artem Hrebenyk wanted a little more after buzzing for chances in the first, but his snap shot on Murphy was gloved. Not long after, Forward Yaroslav Panchenko, with a slapshot from the high slot, hammered it past Murphy to make it 2-0 Ukraine. The goal was the game-winner.
 
The Bisons continued to push, showing more physicality in the middle period. From behind the Ukraine net, a few players hacked away at the puck. Netminder Dmytro KubrytskyI, with his pads down, held tight despite sticks from every direction whacking at him.
 
On a Bisons powerplay, the Herd turned the puck over and Hlib Kryvoshapkin found the puck on his stick. All alone in front of the net, he scored shorthanded to make it 3-0.
 
Ukraine put the pressure on the Bisons, frustrating them in their own zone and allowing for little space. Both teams appeared happy to play a dump and chase game, but Ukraine had a lot of speed and wasn't afraid to use it when given the chance.
 
On a late penalty to the Bisons, Ukraine defenceman Denys Matusevych secured a rebound and with an entire net to put it away, shot from the point making it 4-0 heading into the third. 
 
For Ukraine in net, Bogdan Diachenko took over for Dymtro Kubrytskyi. For the Bisons, Simon Harkness stepped in. He made an impressive save early on, gloving a shot from Panchenko from point blank range. 
 
With the pressure of the final 20 on their heels, the Bisons put blade to ice. Forward Devon Skoleski sped through the neutral zone to shoot the puck past the glove of Diachenko to get the Bisons on the board.
 
Ukraine had a response, with Simchuk rounding out a five-goal night after tapping in on a two-on-one opportunity. 
 
"We do these things to give our players these special experiences so that they can develop as athletes, and to get them out of their comfort zone, to play in different venues that they normally don't play in obviously, and to play different teams that play a different style of competition," said Sirant. 
 
"When you do that, it gets the players out of their comfort zone, they have to learn to adapt, learn from the experience, and grow as players so that's why we do these things. It was a real privilege to host the Ukrainian team."

Stay tuned for more coverage of the event in the coming weeks.