Box Score Lethbridge – The University of Manitoba Bisons upended the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, 4-2 in the opening game of the weekend series, Saturday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena.
Bisons goals were scored by Caitlyn MacDonald, Michelle Pawluk, Kristen Cockerill and Nellie Minshull.
Earning markers for the ‘Horns were Breanna Frasca and Amy VanBuskirk.
Full stats: http://www.leaguestat.com/canadawest/womens/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1318
Starting in net for the Pronghorns was Crystal Patterson, who faced 29 shots. Dee Ana Marion got the start for the Bisons and turned aside 16 of 18 shots on the night.
The opening minutes of play saw each team get some great early chances, making plays at each end of the ice and working hard to notch the critical first goal.
MacDonald managed to crack the scoresheet first. Cutting left as she sped through the slot, she unloaded a hard wrister that went bar down over Patterson’s left shoulder at 8:44.
The Bisons offensive didn’t let up. Capitalizing on a power play opportunity, Rachele Bosc found Pawluk wide open and her quick shot managed to beat the Lethbridge net-minder low blocker side, widening their gap to two.
Desperately seeking their first goal, Lethbridge worked hard to put pressure on Marion. Firing shots from the slot, Chelsea Minor and Sarah Spence’s efforts would come close but not close enough to convert. Frasca found the back of the net moments later, corralling a loose rebound and releasing an off-balance shot quickly before crashing to the ice, beating Marion glove-side and bringing the home team within one.
The Bisons looked to add another late goal in the final seconds of the first but an outstretched Patterson managed to kick the puck wide, avoiding a costly goal.
Outshot 9-5 through one, the ‘Horns looked to bounce back in the second frame but an unfortunate break earned the Bisons another quick goal early into the second period. Sharon Anderson’s hard blast from the point went wide and bounced off the far boards and Cockerill was in the right place at the right time. Tucked to the left of the keeper, her reflexes were quick and she hammered the puck past an unsuspecting Patterson.
The third period saw much of the action take place in the ‘Horns end as the Bisons offensive continued to gather momentum. Their huge offensive push resulted in one more goal by Minshull, at 11:42, whose slick deke out-maneuvered the Lethbridge keeper.
Plagued by penalty trouble for most of the game, Lethbridge would add one more marker before the final buzzer rang as Van Buskirk’s hard slap shot rifled through traffic.
With this loss, the ‘Horns fall to 3-4-2, while the Bisons improve to 3-5-1. Game two of the weekend series goes tomorrow night at 7pm at Nicholas Sheran Arena. The game will also be broadcast live on canadawest.tv
