Calgary – Mount Royal stifled by Bison's late third-period push
After a strong showing from the Cougars a night ago, where they manufactured seven goals, the Manitoba Bisons had different intentions entering Saturday.
It took a lot longer than 89 seconds for the first goal to cross the line as both teams struggled to generate any offensive momentum in the 1st. The phrase "let the kids play" was in full effect as there were very few whistles to be heard. Outside of a couple of posts being hit, high-danger scoring chances were few and far between.
Period 2 was where both teams found their footing, led by the likes of Julia Duke on MRU and Norah Collins for Manitoba.
Neither would open the scoring, however, as it was the veteran tandem of Athena Hauck and Aliya Jomha that would go tape to tape as MRU grabbed a 1-0 lead.
The Bisons would push back immediately with chances galore, keeping the Cougars defensive unit hemmed in for almost 2 minutes. Scout Anderson also showed poise in between the pipes, fending off a flurry of opportunities in tight.
Still, the Cougars held a one-goal lead and the shots were 15-9 as the second commenced.
In the third, a new look The Bisons team sharpened their horns and sprung onto the attack. They earned a powerplay in the process but couldn't convert.
Someone who did convert was Cougars rookie forward Jordyn Rivett. Midway through the third, she crept her into Bison territory, tossing a dart from a long distance, beating Paige Fischer for her first career goal.
It was a joyous moment for both Jordyn and her teammates, but it may have been an even bigger one for head coach and father Scott Rivett. It was definitely an emotional moment for MRU's bench boss!
Manitoba followed things up with a moment of their own as scoring machine Norah Collins painted the top left corner, cutting the Cougars lead to just one.
The Bisons didn't stop their scoring at that. Aimee Patrick found herself wide open out front, cranking a shot into the back of Scout Anderson's net. That would knot the game at 2 with just 9.8 seconds to play in regulation.
Overtime would soon follow, where the Bisons used their newfound momentum to stun the Cougars. It was captain Kylie Lesuk who knifed a pass to Dana Goertzen for the tap in completing the Bisons comeback!
For Mount Royal, they will have to rebound fast, as the Cougars will be off to British Columbia to face the Trinity Western Spartans. You can catch both Friday and Saturday's games on CanadaWestTV – Powered by BioSteel.
