VIRDEN, Man. - Tundra Oil & Gas Place served as a meeting place for 525 members of both the Bisons and Cougars communities, as well as members from Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation and Canupawakpa Dakota Nation, highlighting the role hockey can play in connecting communities and creating opportunities.
Prior to the game, members of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation performed an honour song, followed by a ceremonial puck drop by Bison alumna and Birdtail Sioux Chief Tréchelle Bunn.
The Bisons'
Seanna Price opened the scoring with her first goal of the season, finding the top corner at 11:25 of the first period after relentless offensive zone pressure.
Brynn Hannula and Izzy Mann picked up the assists. The Herd outshot the Cougars 14-7 in the opening frame.
While the Cougars' Amy Dvernichuk was off serving a body-checking penalty, the Bisons'
Sadie Keller picked up her first goal of the season, beating Amy Swayze on the far side from the right circle at 5:40 of the second period.
Dana Goertzen and
Kelsey Huibers each picked up their second assists of the season.
Dana Goertzen would extend the lead to 3-0 during 4-on-4 play at 11:16, her second of the season, with
Claire Moorman picking up her fifth assist. After being denied on her initial opportunity, Goertzen would battle back to the front of the net, picking up the still-loose rebound before tucking it home five-hole. Shots in the second frame also favoured the Bisons, 10-6.
After a goalie change to start the third period, Regina would end the shutout bid at 6:03, when Quinn McLaren netted her third goal of the season with
Addison Vines in the sin bin for hooking. Pippy Pritchard added her team-leading fourth assist, with Kaitlyn Gilroy adding her third. The Cougars then made it a one-goal game with 3:45 left, as Julianne Girardin blasted one home from the point for her first goal in a year to the day. That would be as close as it would get, as
Sadie Keller would send her second into the empty net in the final minute, with
Julia Bilous picking up her second assist of the season. Shots in the third period favoured the Cougars, 8-6.
Jenna Goertzen picked up her conference-leading sixth consecutive win of the season to move to 6-2-0, making 16 saves on 18 shots. Amy Swayze took the loss, falling to 1-3-0, making 19 saves on 22 shots, including stopping
Sophia Anderson on a penalty shot in the first period. Payton Schlamp came on in relief, saving all five shots she faced. The Cougars would go 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Bisons would go 1-for-6.
With a focus on reducing geographic barriers, the event provided members of the community with the opportunity to experience an elite level of hockey outside the junior ranks in their own backyard, as both teams commemorated the event with a group photo at centre ice at the midway point between the two cities before the Bisons moved to autograph alley.
The next action for your Bisons (6-4-0) comes on Friday, Nov. 13 as they host the Calgary Dinos (5-4-1) at 7:00 PM at Wayne Fleming Arena.
Tickets are available here.
