CALGARY – Danielle Goyette's Dinos women's hockey team will be looking for its second win of the season while the fifth-ranked Manitoba Bisons search for their first when the two teams meet at the Olympic Oval this weekend.

The Dinos enter this series after being swept by the undefeated University of Saskatchewan Huskies last weekend in 5-0 and 3-2 decisions, while the Bisons had a similar experience last weekend after they dropped two games to the University of Alberta Pandas by scores of 6-1 and 4-1.

The Bisons come in as defending conference champions and, despite the two season-opening losses to the Pandas, are still ranked No. 5 in the latest CIS Top 10 poll. Manitoba's Canada West title last year broke a seven-year stretch at the top for the Pandas

The 1-3-0 Dinos enter this matchup in fifth place in Canada West, while the 0-2-0 Bisons will be looking to move out of the seventh, and last, place in the division.

Keys for the Dinos this weekend lie in offensive production and staying out of the penalty box. All three of Saskatchewan's goals last Saturday came with the extra attacker, and the Dinos boast just a 68 per cent success rate on the penalty kill. On the flip side, the Dinos have scored just once on their 17 power play opportunities so far this season, which translates into an efficiency of less than six per cent.

Through four games, not a single Dino has recorded more than a single tally. Elana Lovell, Beccy Neihaus, Tanya Morgan, Melissa Zubick, Cait O'Hara, and Danielle Boyce all lead the Dinos statistically with one goal each.

Caitlin McDonald and Tammy Brade were the only Bisons to score against the Pandas. Brade, the power play goal leader in Canada West last season, will be looking to find the twine this weekend against the floundering Dinos penalty kill that allowed three goals on eight chances Saturday against the Huskies.

The Bisons' penalty kill has suffered similar troubles after allowing three goals while shorthanded in both of their losses to the Pandas. In addition to improving its penalty kill, Manitoba will look to stay out of the box after averaging eight minor penalties in each of the first two games of the season in Edmonton.

On the goaltending front, the Dinos will be looking to either veteran netminder Katie Urness who is still recovering from a pre-season injury or to rookies Jessica Ross and Jennifer Mallard. Ross was responsible for the Dinos' first victory against UBC and posted respectable numbers in that series. Mallard got the start in last Friday's opener against Saskatchewan but was quickly replaced with Urness, last season's ACAC all-star netminder. Of the three, the veteran Urness has the best save percentage at .903.

Manitoba's Stacey Corfield had a flurry of activity against Alberta, turning away 18 of 24 in the first game and 29 of 33 in the second bout. Corfield backstopped Team Canada to a gold medal at the Summer Universiade last February in China, earning a first team conference all-star nod.

The Bisons and Dinos meet at the Olympic Oval on Friday and Saturday, with both tilts facing off at 7:30 p.m.
 
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