The Bisons football and soccer teams are road warriors this weekend, traveling to Alberta and Saskatchewan respectively. All games can be seen live at canadawest.tv.
FTB: Tachinski looks to keep rolling against Alberta
On the gridiron, the 0-1 Bisons aim for their first win of the season against the 1-0 Alberta Golden Bears. Game time is 7 pm MDT.
This contest features two of the top pivots in the country, in Manitoba's
Jackson Tachinski and Alberta's Eli Hetlinger.
In week one, Tachinski tallied a combined 297 all-purpose yards as well as three passing majors in his first start as the unquestioned leader of the Bisons' program. His dual-threat capabilities make him dangerous anywhere on the field, and he's been particularly lethal against the Golden Bears.
In his career against the U of A, Tachinski is 2-0, with six touchdown passes and seven majors overall. The second of those wins came in the 2021 Canada West semi-finals, where the Bisons rushed for 260 yards.
Noah Anderson and
Breydon Stubbs combined for 124 yards in the game and both will suit up Friday, along with captain
Vaughan Lloyd. The trio were part of a rushing attack that combined for 242 yards in week one, the most of any team in the conference. A veteran offensive line helped pave the way, and will be boosted by the return of emotional leader
Ryder Klisowsky at left guard, who'll suit up for the first time since a lower body injury towards the end of last year.
Alberta counters with Hetlinger, who threw for 1396 yards a year ago before going down with a season-ending injury in week five. His 352 passing yards in a 34-11 win at home last season against the Herd were a career high prior to his 380 in a 31-21 opening week win over Calgary.
Hetlinger's two favourite targets were Carter Kettyle and Jonathan Rosery, who combined for 261 yards receiving.
Kettyle had two grabs for 171 yards and two scores, as he showcased breakaway speed in open space on both majors. Meanwhile, Rosery -- a CFL Draft pick of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers -- led the Golden Bears with six grabs, going for a total of 90 yards.
Manitoba's veteran secondary will be up to the task, coming off a three interception game against Saskatchewan in week one, helping the Herd to a 25-7 lead at the half.
Sebastien Reid -- who tallied two interceptions and was the week one CanWest Defensive Player of the Week -- is one of the best cover corners in the country and will be critical to the team's game plan, however it'll be success by committee for a group that has six players who've started at least one conference game.
WSOC: Multiple Bisons climing program record book in lead-up to rivalry games in Saskatchewan
On the pitch, the 1-3 women's soccer team takes to Saskatchewan to battle the 1-1 Huskies and 0-1-1 Regina Cougars. Game times are 2 PM and 12 PM, respectively.
Captain
Jessica Tsai enters the game among the best in the conference in multiple categories.
She's just five assists shy of tying Desiree Scott's program record of 26, and her two on the year put her in a tie for second in the conference. Her ten shots are also tied for seventh in CanWest, while her 127 overall are just 17 behind Allison Kastner (2008-12) for fourth all-time.
Speedster
Nicole Davis also scored her 14th career goal last weekend, putting her in a tie for seventh all-time with Selina Speranza (2013-16).
Look for both players to create early momentum for the Bisons. They've combined for seven goals against the Cougars and Huskies in their careers, five coming from Tsai.
Along with the duo,
Camila Goldsztein and
Janelle Chomini have also scored this year. Goldsztein leads all players with two goals, both against Lethbridge in a 2-1 win.
Look for Manitoba's forwards to establish themselves early with their speed, countering the likes of Alyssa D'Agnone (two goals on the year) for Sask and Winnipeg native Peyton Enns for Regina. Enns, a former All-Rookie member, scored one of the Cougars' goals in their 2-1 playoff win over the Bisons at IG Field last year.
