CALGARY – The University of Manitoba Bisons scored three power-play goals to beat the University of Calgary Dinos men's hockey team 5-3 Thursday at Father David Bauer Arena.
The Bisons improved to 8-3-0 with the result, while the Dinos sit at 2-8-1.
Manitoba opened the scoring just under eight minutes into the game when Sam Borschowa drove down the right side and sent the puck through the crease to Brandon Funk, who put it home. Calgary created plenty of chances in response but couldn't get one through.
Around the midway point of the period, the Dinos had a series of good looks, including chances on either side of the ice that Bisons goaltender Braden Holt turned aside with a cross-crease slide. Dinos goaltender
Carl Tetachuk made a key stop on a Bisons breakaway with about six minutes left in the first, and Calgary killed a Manitoba power play in the final two minutes to keep it a 1-0 game.
Calgary hit the post early in the second period before Manitoba doubled its lead on the power play with just over six minutes left, when Dawson Pasternak moved in from the blue line, deked around a defender and sniped one past Tetachuk. The Dinos answered with about four minutes remaining while playing four-on-four, when
Sam Oremba took a pass from
Stephen Kirkpatrick in the crease and slipped the puck between Holt's legs for his first career U SPORTS goal and the Dinos' first of the night.
"It's a bit of a sigh of relief," said Oremba. "I've been around the puck quite a bit and have had quite a few chances. It was just one of those days that I got the puck in front of the net and went five-hole with it. It was a great play by [Kirkpatrick] to get me the puck."
Manitoba restored its two-goal lead less than 30 seconds later on a two-on-one, when Eric Alarie lifted a pass over a Dinos stick to Ben Bonni, who finished it off. The Bisons added another power-play goal in the final minute of the period, as Grady Lane found the puck in a scramble in front of the Calgary net to make it 4-1.
Defenceman
Pavel Bocharov pulled Calgary back within two less than three minutes into the third on a five-on-three power play. He took a pass from
Remy Aquilon, walked in and sniped the top corner over Holt's left shoulder.
Manitoba restored its three-goal lead just past the midway point of the period with a power-play goal from Alarie, who fired from the slot into the top corner. Aquilon scored his first goal as a Dino in the final two minutes of regulation, dancing along the blue line on the power play before firing a shot through Holt.
Calgary outshot Manitoba 35-28, and Holt finished with 32 saves for the Bisons. Tetachuk made 23 saves for the Dinos.
The game had some extra edge to it, with tempers boiling over after the final buzzer. Oremba said that intensity is part of what makes the matchup fun, and that the Dinos will remember it when the teams meet again Friday afternoon.
"I thought we did a lot of good things today," Oremba said. "We were just in the penalty box, and it hurt us with the three power-play goals for them. The game plan is to stay out of the box, and we should have a different result tomorrow and hopefully flip this slump."
The Dinos and Bisons will take to the ice again Friday, Nov. 13 at Father David Bauer Arena. Puck drop is at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at GoDinos.com/Tickets.
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