Box Score

Winnipeg - In the second game of a back-to-back weekend series with the 8^th place Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday January 26, the 5^th place Bisons women’s hockey team found themselves in a hard fought battle. The Bisons stepped up their game from the first match with the Pronghorns and walked out of the Max Bell Arena with a 5-2 home win.

With the victory, Manitoba improves to 10-10-4 record while Lethbridge drops to 7-14-3.

The Bisons had a shaky start to the game when the Pronghorns jumped off to an early two goal lead with goals by Chlesea Minor and Sarah Burke just four minutes part only just over seven minutes gone in the contest. A goalie changeup after the second goal got the Bisons rolling as Leiette Klassen came into replace starter Dee-Ana Marion and the home side quickly answered with a goal of their own by Amy Lee midway through the first.  

Coach Jon Rempel was happy about how his team responded to the early scare.

“They stayed composed when we were down so early and I was happy about that. Then getting those five straight goals was huge.”

The heavy offensive action that was seen in the first slowed down in the second when the two teams fell into a defensive grind. A style that coach Rempel was comfortable with.

“It was a tough and gritty game. The girls kept up with them so I was glad to see that.”  

The grind was suddenly snapped when Kyleigh Palmer pick pocketed Crystal Patterson when she miss played the puck in front of her net, and Palmer tied the game with a short-handed goal in the second.

The third period started with high energy from the Bisons, and the pressure translated into some excellent scoring chances early. Eventually Manitoba made good on those chances when Nellie Minshull gave the hosts their first lead of the game on a seeing-eye pass by captain Lee and she fired home the close range shot in front of the Pronghorns net.   

A bad pass across the blueline in the offensive zone by the Pronghorns sprung Bison forward Megan Vestby on a breakaway. She made no mistake when she deked out Patterson and buried the backhand goal to extend the Bisons lead to two goals at the 13:02 mark of the final frame.
With two minutes left and down by a couple, Lethbridge pulled their goalie. Jessica Carswell stole the puck in her defensive zone and scored an empty netter from half ice.

The game finished at 5-2 for the Bisons. The win means that the two teams split the weekend series but the Bisons gained three points with an overtime loss on Friday. More importantly it gives the Bisons a little more breathing room in the playoff picture while Lethbridge is still battling for a playoff spot.
Manitoba now travels to play at UBC on February 1-2 weekend while Lethbridge plays Mount Royal in and home-and-home series starting Friday night in Lethbridge.