BOX SCORE BOX SCORE

WINNIPEG - Hayley Wickenheiser and Stephanie Ramsay each scored twice as the No. 1-ranked Calgary Dinos defeated the Manitoba Bisons 5-1 Friday night at the Max Bell Centre in Winnipeg.

Calgary improves to 6-0-1 on the year, while Manitoba falls to 2-4-0. The Bisons last defeated the Dinos on Nov. 26, 2011 in Calgary and didn't come close to repeating that feat Friday night.

Manitoba opened the scoring in the first with a Rachéle Bosc goal, her second of the season. After that though, they went dry, allowing the Dinos to jump ahead and keep their lead throughout.

In the opening minutes, however, things looked hopeful for Manitoba.

Thanks to a pair of early Calgary penalties, it was the Bisons who earned opportunities first. Two chances for forward Kristin Cockerell on her backhand were kicked aside by Dinos goaltender Amanda Tapp, who finished with 17 saves on the night. Later though, the Bisons opened the scoring on a big rebound left out by Tapp, dribbled in by Bosc to the delight of a packed Max Bell Centre.

That goal, however, woke up Calgary, who closed the period at a torrid pace. Three goals in five minutes put them ahead for good, the last of which coming on a Wickenheiser effort that saw her deke four Bisons defenders before wristing it top shelf past Manitoba goalie Leiette Klassen. The earlier two were credited to forward Elana Lowell and defender Stephanie Ramsay.

In the second period, Ramsay and Wickenheiser each added another, as the latter again showed off superior puck-handling skills on a drive to the net that extended her team's lead to four goals. Manitoba was able to get a few breaks thanks to the speed of their forwards, but were often thrown off the puck by strong defenders for Calgary.

With the game in hand, the Dinos made the third period a more casual one, moving the puck up and down the ice, keeping the game at their pace and the Bisons at bay. When the final horn sounded, they had the game secured and looked ready to carry their momentum into a rematch Saturday night.

The Bisons and Dinos will meet again in women's hockey for the second of a back-to-back on Saturday night, with puck drop at 6 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed live at http://cgy.canadawest.tv.

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