Box Score Five points back of a playoff spot entering Friday, the Manitoba Bisons came up clutch, winning 3-2 in double overtime against No. 9 nationally ranked Mount Royal at Wayne Fleming Arena. 
 
Vanessa Klimpke scored the game-winner in three-on-three, peeling around a defender and releasing a shot far side with just 55 seconds left. The win improves Manitoba's record to 9-10, while the Cougars fell to 14-5-2. 
 
Emily Shippam stopped 25 saves in the win, including a bevy of odd-player rushes in both four-on-four and three-on-three OT. Kaitlyn Ross had 26 saves in the loss. 
 
"You can't coach wins. I think going into this weekend we all wanted it for each other," Shippam said. "You could tell the way we were all playing – making selfless plays, people were blocking shots in front of the net, stepping up when we needed to, and it paid off."
 
The Bisons had to be quick on their feet to start the game. The Cougars generated an early two-on-one, that almost evolved into a three-on-one. With a shot right on, Shippam was able to cover it up.
 
Mount Royal continued to dominate in offensive zone time in the early minutes of the first period. Four minutes in, Athena Hauck got found space and potted a loose puck to open the scoring. 
 
The Bisons pushed back and improved their offensive zone time but struggled to get pucks to the net through most of the period. In the final five, they discovered more seams to the net. Shots at the end of the first were 10-6 Cougars.
 
It was an exciting second period as the Bisons dominated the Cougars in puck possession, recording 14 shots. 
 
An early tally from Bisons Norah Collins may be to thank for that. To the right of the net, forward Chloe Snaith sent the puck toward the crease, but nobody was able to snag it. As it slid toward the blue line, Collins sniped it off the crossbar as she fell to the ice. With traffic in front of Ross, the puck went into the goal like butter and the Bisons tied the game.
 
Toward the end of the period, the Bisons were relentless in the offensive zone. Every time the Cougars would escape the pressure and send the puck just past their blue line, the Bisons would carry it right back in. The gassed Cougars held on as Ross continued to stop shot after shot.
 
Just under two minutes into the third, Bisons forward Julia Bird helped her team secure their first lead of the game, winning a battle for the puck behind the net. Defenceman Hanna Bailey eventually got the puck on her stick, beating Ross from the blue line thanks to a screen from Aimee Patrick. 
 
 
Just after a Bisons powerplay ended, Cougars forward Breanne Trotter was released from the box, and on a delayed penalty, sniped top corner to tie the game with just under seven minutes to go.
 
Both teams were awarded powerplays in the first overtime, but neither were able to break the tie. In the second overtime, both netminders made huge saves, including a massive stop on a two-on-one from Shippam, where she got the pad down on a rebound that was loose in front.
 
With 55 seconds left in the second overtime, Klimpke took her time to walk in as she scored the game winner to end the barn burner.
 
"It was a bit of a heart racer [going into OT] but I feel like sometimes when you're in the dressing room and when your team's going, you kind of know it's going to end in a win and we kind of had that feeling," said Shippam. 
 
"After the second period, we knew that was our game and we deserved it."
 
Mount Royal will face the Bisons again Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.