WINNIPEG — The University of Manitoba Bisons continued their strong start to the 2026-27 Canada West men's hockey season with a 4-1 victory over Trinity Western on Friday night at Wayne Fleming Arena.
After earning an early-season road win over nationally ranked UBC and splitting a series with Saskatchewan, the Bisons put together one of their most complete performances of the season, scoring four unanswered goals and receiving another strong effort in net from Braden Holt.
Trinity Western struck first just 3:19 into the opening period when Zack Whittaker netted one off an Aiden Knutson assist to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
The Bisons answered on the power play midway through the frame. With Carter Schmidt in the penalty box for slashing, Grady Lane converted at 10:34 off assists from Caden Zaplitny and Ben Bonni to even the score. The goal was Lane's first of the season.
Manitoba grabbed the lead later in the period when Erik Pastro finished a setup from Brandon Funk and Dawson Pasternak at 16:09. The goal was Pastro's second of the season and gave the Bisons a 2-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.
The Bisons took control in the second period with a pair of power-play markers.
First, Lucas Brennan scored at 7:06 with assists from Tanner Willick and Skyler Bruce after a Trinity Western tripping penalty. Just over four minutes later, Manitoba capitalized again with the man advantage when Dawson Pasternak converted a feed from Bruce and Willick at 11:38 to extend the lead to 4-1.
That was more than enough support for Holt, who turned aside 36 of 37 shots to earn the victory. The veteran netminder was at his busiest in the third period, stopping all 20 shots he faced as Trinity Western pushed to get back into the game.
The Bisons outshot Trinity Western 41-37 overall - despite a 20-13 edge for the Spartans in the final period - but the Bisons' special teams proved to be the difference. Manitoba finished 3-for-7 on the power play, while Trinity Western went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Willick and Bruce each recorded two assists, while Pasternak contributed a goal and an assist. Brennan led Manitoba with six shots on goal, while Kaycee Coyle generated nine shots as the Bisons fired 41 pucks on net.
The victory was another example of the identity head coach Gord Burnett outlined before the season: a team committed to competing for a full 60 minutes. After falling behind early, Manitoba responded with four consecutive goals and held Trinity Western off the scoresheet for the final 56 minutes to open the weekend series with a win.
The team improved to 5-2 on the season and is back in action Saturday night at Wayne Fleming Arena. Tickets are available here.
