Jonny Hooker's overtime winner lifted the Manitoba Bisons to a 3-2 win versus the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday night at Wayne Fleming Arena.

"They did a good job and I saw a lot of effort and enthusiasm. Before the game I was telling them to take it one shift at a time because you never know which one will be the difference in a game," said Bisons Head Coach Gordon Burnett after the win. 

"We did a good job being above pucks and limiting their chances. We weathered a few storms against a really good hockey team," Burnett added on the victory. 

The unsung hero of the match was third year goalie Ross Hawryluk who made 33 saves in the win, including a show stopping effort in the second period.

"I saw the two-on-zero coming down and just realized I had to fade back to match their speed. I was lucky enough to be in position for them to hit me with the puck," Hawryluk said about his key stop. 

"As much as the numbers were good, I'm so proud of my teammates. They're the reason that game was a win and they made my job super easy," added Hawryluk about his performance. 

The first period started slow and steady. After a scramble in front of the net 6 minutes in, Cameron Trimble poked in the loose puck under the leg of Golden Bears netminder Matt Berlin to give Manitoba the early advantage. 

Both teams went stride for stride after the opening goal, neither side threatening the other with golden opportunities for the rest of the first. 

Hawryluk started the second period with a huge save for the Bisons while tangled up with an Alberta player to keep the Golden Bears off the board. 

That lead didn't last for long though as the Golden Bears broke out in a two-on-one where Adam Hall finished off a beautiful saucer pass from Josh Prokop.

Alberta continued to pour on their offence on the power play but Hawryluk stood on his head to keep the score deadlocked at 1-1.

Hawryluk's unbelievable save from a two-on-zero while Manitoba was on the power play proved crucial in the end.

The Bisons offence turned it up a notch at the start of the third. Codey Behun and Kian Calder contributed assists while Jackson Arpin did the rest on a beautiful wrap around goal for his second of the season. 

The Bisons battled to keep the Golden Bears out, but it didn't last. With two minutes left Alberta popped one to tie the game at 2-2. Noah Boyko splashed through enemy lines to deadlock the game for the second time on the evening.

Jonny Hooker played the hero in overtime, slotting home the game winner on the power play 20 seconds in.

Manitoba picked up their first win vs Alberta in two years and first home win vs the Golden Bears in almost exactly four years to the day November 23, 2019. Needless to say the Herd had some feelings about the win. 

"They were really excited about the win I can tell you that. I know it means a lot to them from their excitement level," said Burnett about the team's post game reaction.

"Winning cures a lot of things but it's right back to work tomorrow."