Manitoba Bisons open season with a win

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This article was published 05/10/2018 (2618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IF you’re judging by Friday night, the latest edition of the Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team bears an uncanny resemblance to the team that captured a U Sports national title in March.

With some timely offence from centre Jordyn Zacharias, stifling defence led by captain Erica Rieder and stingy goaltending from sophomore Lauren Taraschuk, who stopped 22 shots, the Bisons cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Dinos in the Canada West conference regular-season opener for both teams at Wayne Fleming Arena.

Manitoba unveiled its Canada West and U Sports championship banners during a pre-game ceremony with the six grads from last season’s champions also in attendance.

Zacharias, who scored once, added an assist and registered a game-high six shots on net, created headaches for the Dinos all game long, pushing the play in the offensive zone and creating chances for herself and second-year linemates Emilie Masse and Madison Cole.

“Zach just drives the bus on that line, but I think there’s some good chem developing with Cole and Masse and I think after the first period they kinda got their legs under them,” Bisons interim head coach Sean Fisher said.

“I think (Zacharias) could’ve had a couple more and both (Masse) and (Cole) could’ve had a couple more.

“That’ll be a line that can do some things for us.”

Lauryn Keen and Sheridan Oswald, on a first-period power play, also scored for the hosts, who led 3-1 after 40 minutes. Elizabeth Lang scored to give the Dinos a 1-0 lead 5:02 into the opening period.

Kelsey Roberts stopped 29 shots in the Calgary net, but spent most of the final five minutes of the third period on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. The Dinos managed only one good scoring chance during that stretch.

“We didn’t have a great first (period). I think emotions, butterflies, all those things, but I think this team rebounded like pros,” Fisher said.

“That was what we talked about leading up, that amateurs would allow the distractions that happened tonight to overcome them and not get the result they wanted. But pros would get it down and we’ve got a bunch of pros in that room.”

The teams meet again this afternoon on the U of M campus. Game time is 2 p.m.

THREE STARS

1. Manitoba’s Jordyn Zacharias;

2. Manitoba’s Courtlyn Oswald; 3. Calgary’s Elizabeth Lang.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14