WINNIPEG – The No. 6 Calgary Dinos played stout defensively on Friday night at Wayne Fleming Arena, holding the Manitoba Bisons to just nine shots in a 3-1 win to advance to 13-4-1-1 on the season. With the loss, Manitoba fell to 4-13-1-1
.
Puck possession was a major storyline in the first period, as Calgary utilized their strong transition game to control the back half of play after a back-and-forth start. They outshot the Bisons 13-2 while taking a 1-0 lead into the dressing room.
The lone goal of the period came with 3:38 to go, as Calgary's leading point-getter
Sara Craven found the team's goal-scoring leader
Delaney Frey with a stellar back-hand pass that the latter made no mistake on from in tight.
The goal marked the 13th time this season that the Dinos have scored first in a game, with their record now sitting at 11-1-1 in those instances.
"It's something we've been focusing on," Dinos head coach
Danielle Goyette said post game regarding her team's tendency to score first.
"I don't think we had a great start tonight. It wasn't the start that we wanted. I felt the Bisons took over the first 10 minutes, but I felt the response was pretty good. Are we happy with that win? No. I think we can play better and at this time of the year we have to be more consistent as a team. It's January. Tomorrow we have to make sure we're better prepared."
Calgary continued to win the majority of battles in the neutral zone and along the boards in the second period, increasing their lead to two while upping their shot total to 22 compared to Manitoba's seven. Schubert continued to keep her team in the game with stellar rebound control.
The second goal of the contest came with 6:32 to go in the middle frame, as Dinos forward
Sage Desjardins provided line mate
Holly Reuther with an excellent pass from behind the the net that she cashed in on.
Manitoba's best opportunity once again came due to a flash of speed, as forward Polina Goncharova — making her return to the lineup after missing six games due to an MCL injury — fed Fisher, who sped past her defender at the blue line but couldn't beat Calgary goaltender
Gabriella Durante on a partial breakaway.
The Bisons pushed for a response and found it early in the third, as forward Sheridan Oswald found rookie Samantha Sichkaruk on a two-on-one that she netted top corner just 1:20 into play. The goal was the first of Sichkaruk's university career and was scored in memorable fashion, as she lifted Reuther's stick to gain control from close distance.
The final 10 minutes of action featured cautious play from both sides, as Manitoba got just one more shot on net the rest of the way. The Dinos were able to finish the game off with an empty net goal in the final minute, courtesy of
Taylor Beck.
Both sides will be back at it on Saturday at 2 p.m.
