WINNIPEG — The University of Manitoba Bisons rallied with two third-period goals to defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Wayne Fleming Arena, earning a split of the opening home series and improving to 2-2 on the Canada West season.
The Bisons have now split series with the top two ranked teams in the preseason coaches' poll after a season opening 1-1 series with the UBC Thunderbirds last weekend.
Returning home to play in front of an energetic crowd, the Bisons bounced back from Friday's 4-0 loss and continued a season-opening stretch that has already included a road win over nationally ranked UBC.
The teams battled through two scoreless periods, with Manitoba goaltender Matthew Kieper and Saskatchewan netminder Bryan Thomson turning aside every shot they faced. Kieper was particularly busy early, stopping 24 shots through 40 minutes as the Huskies carried a 24-10 advantage in shots on goal into the third period.
Saskatchewan finally broke through just 22 seconds into the third when Raphael Pelletier scored off a pass from Landon Kosior to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Bisons responded midway through the period. At 8:44, Joel Purdom finished a play from Skyler Bruce and Grady Lane, tying the game 1-1 with his second goal of the season.
After killing off all three Saskatchewan power plays, Manitoba seized the momentum late. Following the expiration of a Huskies penalty, Dawson Pasternak found the back of the net at 16:37, converting a feed from Caden Zaplitny to give the Bisons their first lead of the afternoon.
Kieper and the Manitoba defence made the lead stand over the final minutes. The second-year netminder stopped 38 of 39 shots for his first Canada West victory of the season, while Thomson finished with 15 saves on 17 shots for Saskatchewan.
Despite being outshot 39-17, the Bisons capitalized on their opportunities and received strong defensive play throughout. Manitoba finished 0-for-1 on the power play, while Saskatchewan went 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Pasternak led Manitoba with three shots on goal, while Erik Pastro and Evan Toth added two apiece. Purdom and Pasternak supplied the offence as the Bisons erased a third-period deficit to secure their second win in four games to open the season.
