Bronze stature
Bisons women’s hockey team finishes third at CIS Nationals
KRISTEN CAMPBELL THE FULCRUM
PHOTO BY JASON CHIU, CUP.
OTTAWA — The Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team travelled to Ottawa to take part in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships March 16-19 with hopes of earning gold, but instead settled for a third-place finish.
A 4-1 defeat to the McGill Martlets in their opening game at the tournament dashed the Bisons’ golden dreams. Both teams had scoring opportunities throughout the first period, but McGill quickly seized control. The Bisons were able to hold off the Martlets for most of the period, but with 1:52 left in the first, McGill defender Catherine Ward scored a shorthanded goal to give the Martlets the advantage.
At the start of the second period, the Bisons had plenty of scoring chances, but could not break through the Martlets defense. Then, with 11:41 remaining in the period, forward Shauna Denis scored McGill’s second goal, again shorthanded.
Despite an amazing game by Manitoba goaltender Stacey Corfield, the Martlets netted another goal early in the third period from McGill forward Kate Elzinga. Manitoba forward Stephanie Messner found the net in the third period to prevent her team from being shutout. With this goal, the Bisons’ momentum picked up, but was no match for the Martlets offence as they managed to score once more before the final buzzer.
PHOTO BY GEORGE NGO, CUP.
Messner commented after the game that one loss was not devastating for the Bisons. “We were pumped going into this. We knew that we were the underdogs, but we tried. Tomorrow we are going to go in with the same mentality and give it our all,” she said.
The March 17 game yielded very different results for the Bisons, as they came away with a 4-1 victory over the Moncton Blue Eagles. Exceptional play from both goalies kept the score knotted at zeroes until Manitoba forward Sarah Stebeleski managed to score with 1.2 seconds remaining in the first period.
As Manitoba continued to control the Blue Eagles, Stebeleski’s second goal of the game, at 9:35 into the second period, further raised the Bisons’ morale. However, a goal by forward Marieve Provost put Moncton on the board. Manitoba quickly responded with another sharp goal by forward Brittany Mahood with 3:18 left in the second.
Holding a 3-1 advantage at the start of the third, Manitoba pressured the Blue Eagles into surrendering a fourth goal, as centre Leanne Kisil found the net. Despite Moncton’s best efforts, the Blue Eagles could not break through the barrier that Corfield set up in net.
Manitoba head coach Jon Rempel commented on the Bisons’ ability to recover from their first-game loss. “I thought it was a nice response from our team after a really hard-fought game yesterday. It was sort of an emotional let-down. It’s tough to come back and play after you play really well and don’t get the result you want. I thought we responded with a gusty effort. That’s the signature of this team, that when our backs are against the wall we play maybe not our best, but our toughest hockey.”
The win ensured Manitoba a place in the third-place game on March 19, from which they ultimately earned the bronze medal. The Bisons defeated the second-seed Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks 3-2, after Messner scoring the winning goal in the game’s dying minutes. Manitoba’s Amanda Schnell opened the scoring 1:26 into the first period, before Laurier veteran Laurissa Kenworthy replied after 14:39.
Manitoba opened the second period on Kisil’s second goal, and Laurier again responded towards the end of the period as Kenworthy netted her second.
Messner stepped up in the game’s final minutes, scoring the winning goal to seal the Bisons’ third-place finish.
Messner reacted to the team’s victory and Bisons’ play during the tournament: “It feels fantastic. We come down here knowing that there’s not very much expected from us, so to win a bronze medal against teams that don’t really give us a chance and don’t really respect us feels good.”
