WINNIPEG – In the latest battle of the Prairie Provinces, Manitoba can add another check in the win column.

Becca King scored at 5:03 of overtime to lift the University of Manitoba Bisons (No. 5) to a 2-1 victory, and a series sweep over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (No. 8).

“It was a pretty sweet goal to get,” said King. “Pretty much all you could ask for in a big game like that.”

Manitoba now advances to the Canada West final were they will play the University of Alberta Pandas (No. 2) at Edmonton from February 22-24.

Also with the win, Manitoba clinches its second straight trip to the CIS Nationals to be played this year in Ottawa, March 7-10.

“I always knew we had the group here to do it,” said Bisons head coach Jon Rempel. “I think we’ve proven all year that we belong with the best teams in the country, cause we’ve been up there all year. This was good for us especially today because Saskatchewan gave us a heck of a battle. It was playoff hockey. It was back and forth. It was good physical, hard hockey and both teams played extremely well.”

The other goal scorer for Manitoba was Katherine O’Rourke. The line of O’Rourke, Leanne Kisil, and Meghan Ross accounted for every goal of the series except for King’s overtime winner. They also recorded nine of the 14 points for the Bisons in the series.

Stacey Corefield was sharp in net for the Bisons, stopping 18-shots, including two key saves in OT. Vanessa Frederick kept the Huskies in the game, making 24-saves in net for Saskatchewan.

The Huskies leading goal-scorer, George, with 10 in the regular season opened the scoring for the Huskies on the powerplay at 8:37. Saskatchewan crowded the front of the net, allowing George to backhand a shot from the slot that Manitoba netminder Corefield couldn’t handle.

O’Rourke responded for the Bisons before the end of the first period, tying the game at one-a-piece. Kisil redirected Ross’ pass from the point from the side of the net to the front, and O’Rourke was able to deposit the easy goal. O’Rourke’s first goal of the post-season came at 14:08.

The second period was a spirited affair with seven minors being called in total. A series of roughing-after-whistle penalties forced Saskatchewan to kill off a two-man advantage near the halfway point, but they managed to do so, keeping the game knotted at one. Manitoba duplicated the same feat six-minutes into the third.

When regulation settled nothing, Manitoba and Saskatchewan went to a ten-minute overtime.

The Bisons had to kill off a penalty when Amanda Schnell took an interference penalty. But Manitoba was able to hold off Saskatchewan, and just seconds after serving her penalty Schnell was on the ice when King gave the Herd the win.

Manitoba got the puck low where Chantal Larocque was able to pass to an unattended King in the front of Frederick. King buried the golden opportunity to clinch the series.