WINNIPEG - In a thrilling start to the 2011 Canada West playoffs for the No. 6 ranked Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team, the Bisons prevailed by a 3-2 score in the first overtime over the No. 7 ranked Calgary Dinos in game one of the 2011 Canada West Semi-Final best-of-three playoff series.
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Game two will be played on Saturday, February 19 at 7 p.m. CT and game three (if necessary) will be played on Sunday, February 20 at 7 p.m. CT. All games held at the Max Bell Arena (U of Manitoba campus).
The Bisons would battle back from behind twice in the third period (1-0 and 2-1) to tie the game with just over six minutes left in regulation when forward Addie Miles took a seeing-eye pass from forward and rookie Meagan Vestby and lifted the puck over Dinos' netminder Amanda Tapp. Vestby was not done, as she became the hero for the home side. On the power play, the Swan River, MB native tapped in a rebound off a point shot from Kacey Funk with ten seconds left in the first overtime for the win to give Manitoba a 1-0 playoff series lead.
“This was one of the bigger goals of the season,” commented Vestby after the playoff win. “I was having difficulty scoring during the regular season (two goals this season) but the playoffs are a whole new season. This was definitely a team win tonight but we have to come back tomorrow and be all business again.”
This was the first Canada West action since Jan. 21/11 (missing five conference regular season games) for Olympian and first year Dinos' star Hayley Wickenheiser. Plus, this was the first time she had faced the Bisons as she missed both regular season meetings. Wickenheiser showed her presence in the second period, making a nice move to slide over a pass to forward Erika Mitschke who snapped it by Bison goalie Tara Lacquette for the first tally of the playoff game. Wickenheiser added a second assist on the second Calgary goal by Jenna Smith at the 5:14 mark of the third period.
Manitoba started the third period behind 1-0 but defenceman Caitlin MacDonald deflected a shot by Funk into the net on the power play. The visitors responded quickly with the go-ahead goal only 1:05 later as Mitschke had the second assist on the Smith goal. The Bisons would apply the pressure late in the third and were rewarded by the heroics of Vestby on the tying and winning goals of game one.
“To comeback from twice down, shows we can do it,” stated Bison women's hockey head coach Jon Rempel. “Both teams fought hard tonight and I expect the same battle for the rest of the series.”
Manitoba outshot Calgary 38-30 with Tapp making 35 saves and Lacquette with 28 saves in almost 70 minutes of playoff hockey. Calgary went 0-2 on the power play while Manitoba was 2-7 with the man advantage.
The winner of this series will advance to the Canada West Final and earn a berth into the 2011 CIS Women's Hockey National Championship at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON.
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