Bisons win shootout thriller
LADY COUGARS SWEPT BACK TO REGINA
STEVE BOHRN STAFF
PHOTO: CHRIS SHAY.
The Bisons women’s hockey team fought a pair of battles against the University of Regina Cougars on Nov. 24 and 25 at the Max Bell Centre, and came away with a solid four points and a weekend sweep.
They earned a 3-1 win on Friday night and went the distance for a 3-2 shootout victory on Saturday.
The weekend result pulls Manitoba to 7-5-0, good enough to pass the Cougars and bring them to second place in the Canada West Conference’s Great Plains Division.
Head coach Jon Rempel said he was impressed by the way the girls kept their composure after the game on Friday. “The girls have seen how the defence-first strategy has come through in games in the past, and that is what lets them stay so focused when it comes to games like this.”
Another key for the team has been scoring the first goal, and on this homestand they were able to succeed in doing so on both nights. As a collective, goals have been hard to come by for these Bisons and getting that early lead let the team get into a rhythm and play the rest of the game the way that they wanted to.
“I think the whole team breathed a sigh of relief and the tension was suddenly gone after we got the first goal,” said Rempel.
This weekend was one for the Bisons’ veteran leadership to shine through. The Hoogsteen twins, Shannon and Dana, were chosen as the players of the game on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.
On Friday Shannon Hoogsteen scored twice, and added another marker on Saturday. She was a constant presence on the ice, causing the Regina players to give her a lot of respect. As a result,she was able to make things happen in the Cougars' end of the ice.
Saturday was Dana Hoogsteen’s turn to steal the spotlight. For the first two periods her play seemed to be about average, but when the third period came and the game was on the line, she really brought her game up. She made several huge saves in the last two minutes, preserving the tie and almost single-handedly sending the game to overtime.
During the game, she faced a total of 21 shots, turning away all but two, and killing off a Regina 5-on-3 advantage for more than a minute during the first period. She only allowed one goal in the shootout, allowing the Bisons to complete the sweep with shootout goals by Sarah Stebeleski and Stephanie Messner.
The Bisons managed to sweep, something that has been difficult for every team in Canada West this year. Says Rempel, “The teams are so tight and the coaches such good motivators, that winning two games in a row is such a hard thing to do. You really need to play much better the night after a win.”
Much of the success can be attributed to the leadership provided by the veterans of the Bisons, and on this weekend, the players that needed to step up did so. The Bisons are the No. 10-ranked team in the nation as of Nov. 21 and these results should help those rankings.
The Bisons will go on the road now for weekend sets with the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta before Christmas. Their next home games are scheduled for Jan. 13 and 14 when they host the UBC Thunderbirds
