SASKATOON – In what was a wild third period, the University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team scored four unanswered goals to pick up a 4-3 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Merlis Belsher Place.
Despite trailing by three with twenty minutes to play the Bisons managed to score four goals in the final frame, including two in the last 1:26 of the contest, to pick up the win.
For Manitoba, Jordyn Zacharias was instrumental in the comeback as the forward tallied the equalizing goal to go along with two assists, including a helper on the game-winner in the victory. Kate Gregoire's goal with 1:19 left in the third was the difference in the hockey game. Mekaala Fisher and Sheridan Fisher also found twine for the visitors.
On the Saskatchewan side,
Kara Kondrat registered the first goal of her U SPORTS career, while
Rachel Lundberg chipped in her first of the season.
Elizabeth Salyn also potted a goal and an assist.
Unfortunately for the visitors, their win wasn't enough as the out-of-town scoreboard delivered a fatal result for Manitoba. The UBC Thunderbirds' victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns was enough to eliminate the Bisons from playoff contention.
Meanwhile, for the Huskies, the loss keeps them one point up back of the Calgary Dinos in the conference standings with just two games remaining. The loss also snaps the team's seven-game win-streak, which tied an all-time program record.
Manitoba netminder Amanda Schubert recorded the win for the Bisons with a 20-save performance.
At the opposite end of the ice, Saskatchewan's goaltender
Jessica Vance stopped 16 shots on the night.
The Huskies hopped out to a 1-0 advantage when Salyn banged home a loose puck in the slot to give the home side an early lead.
With the Huskies one-goal lead carrying into the second, Lundberg added to the lead just five minutes into the frame with her first of the season.
Kondrat was perfectly set up from
Sophie Lalor, and the second-year forward made no mistake, scoring her first in the green and white to make it 3-0.
With the Bisons entering the third on a powerplay and trailing by three, head coach Jon Rempel rolled the dice with an unconventional coaching tactic that changed the momentum of the contest. The bench boss elected to start the third with Schubert on the bench in favour of an extra attacker for the player-advantage.
The decision paid instant dividends, as Fisher found twine for her fifth of the season to get the Herd back within one.
The visitors continued to press throughout the third and eventually their persistence was rewarded just past the midway point. Zacharias worked into the zone and dropped the puck for Oswald, who went shelf to make the score 3-2.
With the clock about to strike midnight on the comeback attempt, the Bisons delivered the equalizer. Zacharias scooped up a loose puck and after her backhand attempt was blocked, the fifth-year was able to stick with it and beat Vance on the second-chance opportunity to knot the game up at 3-3.
But Manitoba wasn't done. Just seven seconds after the marker, Gregoire shocked the home crowd. Right after the puck drop, the visitors earned an odd-man break and Zacharias worked the puck over to the rookie forward who slid the puck underneath Vance to make it 4-3 with just 1:19 remaining in the third.
Despite pressing for an equalizer of their own, Schubert was able to shut the door on the Huskies, completing the improbable comeback for the Bisons.
Next weekend, Manitoba will be back on the road, as they'll look to wrap up their 2019-20 season on a high note against the Alberta Pandas.
Meanwhile, the Huskies will head south on Highway 11 for the first half of a home-and-home against their provincial rival Regina Cougars, before returning home for Saturday night's tilt in what will be their final game of the regular season with the program set to recognize the eight fifth-year players.
