Box Score WINNIPEG - Led by a pair of two-point performances from forwards Tyler Dittmer and Ian Duval, the unranked Manitoba Bisons (6-3-1) added to the futility that’s been the Canada West season for the unranked Lethbridge Pronghorns (0-9-1), defeating them 4-2 Saturday night at Max Bell Centre at the campus of the University of Manitoba.
The loss marks Lethbridge’s ninth consecutive defeat of the season, while Manitoba has now earned at least a point in its last six conference games. With the win, the Bisons sweep the two-game series, outscoring the Pronghorns 8 to 3.
Both team’s respective head coaches went with different goalies for the second game of the two-game set. Bisons Joe Caligiuri spelled last night’s starter, Jesse Deckert, and sophomore Pronghorns netminder Dylan Tait got the nod over Damien Ketlo, the rookie out of Fort Fraser, BC.
Caligiuri stopped 15 of 17 shots in the win. Tait, peppered with 36 Manitoba shots on goal, turned away 32 of them.
The sub-storyline to this Canada West matchup was the amount of penalties levied against both teams. A total of 29 penalties (15 against Manitoba, 14 for Lethbridge) were handed out during the course of 60 minutes of play. The linemen also hand their hands full dealing with scrums and skirmishes seemingly after every whistle.
Manitoba’s Jeremy Schappert, a third-year player out of Winnipeg, opened scoring for the Herd with an unassisted goal at 13:21. It was the blueliner’s third goal of the season, the most amongst Bisons defencemen this year.
With the just 2:42 left in the period, the Bisons struck again.
Fourth-year stalwart Luke Cain made no mistake on his scoring opportunity, roofing the puck past a sprawling Tait. Joining Cain on the score sheet with assists were forwards Duval and Blair Macaulay. Cain’s first period goal marked the third time the Thunder Bay, ON product has found the back of the net this season.
A mere nine seconds into the second period, Manitoba added to its lead with a slapshot goal by fifth-year forward Tyler Dittmer. Dittmer, who racked up three assists last night, was assisted by defenceman Dane Crowley and rookie blueliner Lee Christensen.
Caligiuri’s shutout bid ended just 44 seconds into the third period, as Lethbrirdge’s Hayden Rintoul found the back of the net, cutting Manitoba’s lead to 3-1. Rintoul, who also scored last night, was assisted by rookie defenceman David McMullen on the play.
Lethbridge’s third period tally only seemed to ignite the Duval-Dittmer line, as the duo combined for yet another goal at 6:06. Dittmer found a streaking Duval, who made no mistake on his third goal of the season and his second in as many nights.
The Pronghorns added a goal to cut Manitoba’s lead to 4-2 at 12:52. First-year winger Killian Hunt found his way on the score sheet with a tally assisted by Pronghorns leading scorer Chase Schaber and defenceman DJ McDougall.
The Bisons travel to Vancouver next week to take on UBC for two-games Nov. 16 and 17. The Pronghorns next face Mount Royal in a home-and-home series. Those games are slated for Nov. 16 and 17 as well. The Bisons and Pronghorns will do battle once again Jan. 25 and 26 in Lethbridge.
