LETHBRIDGE — After a back-and-forth first and second periods and a third frame full of penalties, the Lethbridge Pronghorns upended the Manitoba Bisons, 4-3 to open the new Canada West season, thanks to a late-game five-hole wrist-shot from top-line center Mikaela Reay.
Reay's first goal of the season came with 4.6 seconds left, following what was an exciting first game for the Pronghorns this season and handed new bench boss Doug Paisley his first Canada West win.
Lethbridge starter Alicia Anderson made 30 saves in her team's opening night win, while Bisons goalie Amanda Schubert fended off 26 of her 30 shots faced in the loss.
Both teams came out strong to open the game, with both netminders making key saves on their opponent's star players, but it was the home side who found twine first.
After taking the puck across the nearside blueline, Kyra Grieg found a wide-open Tricia Van Vaerenbergh in front of the Bisons net, putting the puck behind netminder Schubert for her first goal of the season.
Manitoba did not take long to find an answer, as just 57-seconds later the Pronghorns turned the puck over to a breaking Jennai Buchanan. Buchanan would break into the open slot and fire a shot low-blocker on Horns netminder Alicia Anderson to tie the game at one.
Sensing a change in momentum, Lethbridge drew two penalties from the visiting side, but were unable to capitalize on either opportunity despite getting five shots on Schubert in two chances.
The Bisons capitalized on their two successful penalty-kills with the go-ahead goal to close the period, as Emilie Massé strips the puck from a disjointed Pronghorns defence at the near-side half-boards, shooting the puck from the slot just past the glove of Anderson.
Lethbridge started off the period on the powerplay but could not convert on their third man advantage. They would avenge their failed powerplay shortly after, as Kyra Grieg cycled the puck back to Defenceman Kirana Stocker. Stocker fired a seeing eye slapshot that made its way through crowds and past Schubert's glove to tie the game up at two.
Momentum for the home side would grant them another, as a failed Bisons clearing attempt lands on the stick of Captain Maddie Apperson, who put a beautiful no-look backhand pass from the blueline onto the stick of a trailing Madison Porter directly in front of Schubert, outwaiting her before putting the puck behind, for her team's second goal of the period.
Despite strong offensive pressure from the Pronghorns through the rest of the period, Manitoba refused to go away quietly. Off a quick breakout, Halle Edwards would feed a speeding Massé who potted a backhand deke top-shelf on a sprawling Anderson, tying the game up at three heading into the final frame.
The Pronghorns got into – and out of – some penalty trouble throughout the third, starting with a Grieg Tripping penalty, and with Van Vaerenbergh assessed two for Slashing and two for Unsportsmanlike Conduct after Grieg's had expired. The home side would successfully survive the Bisons chances defending all three minor penalties.
Manitoba successfully killed off a penalty of their own before seeing themselves on the right end of a brief 5-on-3, with Grieg and Porter in the box. Lethbridge would kill off both of the staggered penalties along with the abridged two-man disadvantage.
Heading into the final minutes of the frame, the Pronghorns held the momentum in the Bisons end. After a failed no-look pass to centre ice by Massé, Reay picked up the loose puck and fired it five-hole past a screened Schubert with 4.6 seconds remaining on the clock to give her Pronghorns the win.
The Pronghorns face the Bisons to close out their weekend series on Saturday, October 5. Puck drop is at 1 PM at the Nicholas Sheran Arena.
