CALGARY – It took 70 minutes of hockey and a shootout to finish, but in the end a controversial shootout goal by Manitoba Bisons forward Becca King handed her team a 3-2 win over the Calgary Dinos women's hockey team at the Olympic Oval tonight.

BOX SCORE

The goal that ended up deciding the game came after 70 minutes of play that saw Calgary jump out to an early lead. The home team opened the scoring 45 seconds into the game while on the powerplay with rookie forward Chelsea Peterson scoring her second goal of the season. That goal came from a setup by Melissa Zubick that allowed Peterson to shoot on Manitoba goalie Tara Lacquette through traffic. The shot deflected off of a defender's leg and went in, giving the Dinos a 1-0 lead.

The Dinos would follow this strong opening with a seemingly never-ending parade of penalties, six in the rest of the first, that would culminate in Manitoba gaining 1:28 of five-on-three time at the end of the period.
Despite this advantage, the Herd was unable to convert on any of their chances with Dinos netminder Jennifer Mallard and her posts turning away shot after shot. In all, the first period saw Mallard make nine saves with Manitoba ringing two more off the post.

Manitoba's luck would change early in the second while shorthanded. On that penalty kill Manitoba forward Amy Lee put up an impressive fight on the forecheck and turned her effort into a shot on net. While her initial shot was turned away, Mallard couldn't prevent Lee from picking up her own rebound and tying the game.

Despite the Dinos reduction of penalty minutes in the second their lone foray to the box, a hooking minor to Casey Irving, would put the Bisons ahead 10:33 into the second. That goal was attributed to Caitlin Macdonald who sniped a shot through traffic from the left circle and found the back of the net. Nellie Minshull and Addie Miles both picked up assists on that marker.

The Dinos wouldn't wait long to respond, with Shannon Davidson netting the game tying goal at 13:33 in the second, the game's only even strength goal. Davidson's goal was assisted by rookie Jenna Smith who set Davidson up for a drive into the slot followed by a top-shelf backhand shot that beat Lacquette.

The remainder of the game would be nearly as penalty ridden as the first half, with the Dinos having already converted on only one of the eight powerplay chances they would receive versus the Bison's one goal on ten chances. All told, the Bisons took 29 shots at Mallard while the Dinos flung 26 shots at Lacquette. The final period and overtime versions of these opportunities wouldn't result in any scoring which led the teams to a shootout.

The only player to convert in the shootout was Manitoba's Becca King, who shot first for the visitors. Her approach took a wide arc and appeared to have been stopped by Mallard before it drifted into the net behind her.

Despite the Calgary bench arguing that the goal shouldn't have counted it was allowed to stand. That goal turned out to be the game winner as Manitoba's second shooter, Minshull, was unable to beat Mallard and Calgary shooters Erika Mitchke, Kira Sonnenberg and Jenna Smith were unsuccessful in their attempts against Lacquette.

“I'm a little disappointed. I know we have the team to beat Manitoba.” Dinos head coach Danielle Goyette commented after the loss.

“We have to give credit to our goalie tonight she saved us big-time in overtime and we are still lucky to get one point here. I think that the girls worked hard tonight but we didn't work smart and that cost us”

The second game of this two-game tilt faces off Saturday at the Olympic Oval with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m.

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