Box Score WINNIPEG- After a narrow 3-2 loss to the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday night, the University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team welcomed the Thunderbirds back inside Wayne Fleming Arena for the weekend series finale on Saturday afternoon.
For a second-straight day, the Bisons found themselves on the wrong side of a three-goal game by the Thunderbirds as they dropped the second and final match of the two-game weekend series by a score of 3-1 to the conference leading T-Birds.
With the loss, the Bisons still remain in the mix for a Canada West playoff spot as they try and chase down the sixth place Trinity Western Spartans. Coming into the game, Manitoba trailed in the Spartans in the standings by three points with two games in hand.
Despite the outcome, first-year Bison
Dana Goertzen supplied a highlight reel goal for Manitoba, the first of her U SPORTS career.
"It was one thing to score my first career goal at home in front of my parents but it was another to do it against that team," said Goertzen. "Obviously they are number one in the league and it is tough to score against them. More than happy to score against that team at home."
At the 11:14 mark of the opening period, Goertzen scored the game's first goal after making a beautiful move around the last Thunderbird defender. Goertzen toe-dragged the puck between the legs of Hannah Koroll, causing her to fall before beating the T-Birds goaltender Kate Stuart with a shot blocker side.
Manitoba came out of the gates with a much stronger defensive effort in the first, flipping the script from Friday night and making it much more difficult for UBC to exit their own zone.
In the second, UBC used an early power play to tie the game up at 1-1. After a scramble in front of the net, Jacquelyn Fleming found the loose puck and slide it past Bison goalie Kimmy Davidson.
As the teams approached the halfway mark of the middle frame, UBC's Kailee Peppler was called for checking to the head, resulting in a four-minute power play for Manitoba. The Bisons managed to put the Thunderbirds under significant pressure but were unable to capitalize. The two sides fought the rest of the way, keeping the game knotted at 1-1 by the end of the second.
The visitors only needed 39 seconds to take their first lead of the afternoon after Chanreet Bassi scored her seventh of the year and second of the weekend to put her UBC squad up by one.
The hosts were quickly back on the penalty kill after
Ashley Keller was sent to the box for tripping at 1:33 of the third. The T-Birds used the ensuing power play to go up by two thanks to a goal from their captain Rylind MacKinnon.
The Bisons had a chance to narrow the gap when UBC was called for back-to-back infractions at 5:13 and 13:13 but Manitoba was unable to take advantage of either odd-woman opportunity.
The Herd got into penalty trouble late and they searched for a goal to try and cut into the Thunderbirds' two-goal lead. UBC used those two late penalties to run out the clock and claim the 3-1 victory.
"The girls showed a lot of push this weekend and we will be ready for next weekend," added Goertzen. "We are going to have to forget about this weekend but not how we played. We will regroup and get ready to play Trinity and get those four points."
Next weekend Manitoba will travel west to British Columbia where they will face the Trinity Western Spartans for a pair of pivotal games in terms of the Canada West playoff picture.
