Bisons women snag Canada West title on home ice

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This article was published 04/03/2018 (3054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team is the 2017-18 Canada West champion after sweeping the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the conference best-of-three series over the weekend.

The No. 1-ranked Bisons followed up a 1-0 overtime win on Friday by defeating the No. 8 Huskies 5-2 on Saturday, with both games played at home at the Wayne Fleming Arena on the U of M campus. It’s the first Canada West title for the women’s team on home ice in the program’s 21-year history.

“To do it at home finally is so special for this group,” said Bisons head coach Jon Rempel in a statement. “It’s been a long time since we have had one, and all the hard work for the last four or five years for this group paid off.”

Manitoba won the Canada West championship in 2011 and 2009, both of which were on the road and against the University of Alberta.

“I am so happy right now, I can’t even describe it,” added Bisons fifth year captain Caitlin Fyten. “I am just overwhelmed with joy right now.”

The Bisons, who finished the regular season atop the Canada West standings with a record of 19-5-3-1, and the Huskies (18-7-1-2) will both represent the conference at the 2018 U Sports Women’s Hockey National Championship. The tournament will be hosted by Western University in London, Ont., from Mar. 15-18.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton