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January 19 - First year forward Alana Cabana scored a pair of goals to lead the University of Alberta Pandas hockey team past the Manitoba Bisons, 5-2 Saturday night on Clare Drake Arena ice in Edmonton.

The win gives the #2 ranked and defending CIS champion Pandas a sweep of the #5 ranked Bisons at perhaps the most critical time. The two teams met in early November in Manitoba where the Bisons skated to a 3-2 win during game one. Howie Draper's Panda team responded with a 2-0 win the next night and coupled with the sweep this weekend, means that Alberta owns the season series, three games to one. Both Alberta and Manitoba came into the weekend with identical 15-2-0-1 records and as the clear leaders in the Canada West. A sweep by either team would likely mean first place in the Conference and home ice throughout the Canada West playoffs as well as a first round bye. With just four games remaining in the season the Pandas will likely hold onto their first place sitting with a 17-2-0-1 record and will almost certainly face the Bisons again in the post-season.

Unlike Friday's night game, a 3-2 shootout win where Alberta out-shot the Bisons 35-11 and the teams combined for four PP goals (two each), the Saturday night edition featured a looser game that focused more on quality, rather than quantity.

The Pandas still out-shot the visitors, 28-16, but this time buried their chances behind Bisons' goalie Stacey Corfield, who had an answer for much of the Panda attack last night and through seven rounds of the shoot-out.

Cabana got the home team on the board first, depositing a loose puck past Corfield during a frenzied scramble at the 9:17 mark of the first, a lead that would stand through the opening stanza.

Mia Mucci and Canada West scoring leader Jen Newton padded the Alberta lead in the second period, scoring at the 5:23 and 8:44 marks of the second.

Meghan Ross, who scored last night for Manitoba, notched an extra attacker tally in the third, but Laura Salomons, with an assist from Cabana, would strike back for Alberta on the PP minutes later, to restore the three goal lead.

Ross added another power-play goal, giving her three goals in two games and 10 on the season, with just over seven minutes to go.

With Corfield on the bench and Cabana in the box, Manitoba pushed hard for the comeback, literally hemming Alberta in their own end for close to three minutes. Cabana stepped out and picked up the first puck to squirt past the Panda blue-line since she stepped into the box at 17:44 and walked it into the empty net for a three point night and a 5-2 Alberta win.

Manitoba has a bye next weekend before returning to Alberta to battle Lethbridge on February 1 & 2.

Complete statistics...

January 18 - It took eight rounds and two tries in the shoot out, but Leah Copeland eventually won the game for the University of Alberta Pandas, 3-2, over the Manitoba Bisons, Friday night at Clare Drake Arena.

The winner of the weekend series will likely finish in the top spot of the Canada West and have home ice advantage throughout the Conference play-offs.

Copeland, the reigning Canada West Female Athlete of the Week, took the first shot for Alberta but was stopped by Bisons' goalie Stacey Corfield. The Calgary native, who has 20 points in 19 games, would exact her revenge with a forehand-backhand deke in the eighth round, giving the #2 ranked and defending CIS champion Pandas the win over the #5 ranked Bisons. Both teams came into the weekend with identical 15-2-0-1 records and had split their previous series in Manitoba. The Bisons scored a 3-2 victory on the opening night in November and then dropped a 2-0 decision to Alberta the next night.

Manitoba, thanks to a power-play tally from Meghan Ross, led after the first period, despite being out-shot 10-3.

The shot clock trend would continue well into the night as the Pandas finished with a 35-11 difference, including 13-2 in the second period and 3-0 in the over-time session.

Cami Wooster picked up her fifth goal in Canada West play, putting home an extra attacker advantage of her own at the 8:44 mark of the second.

Special teams were at it again in the third as defenceman Amanda Schnell, who sits eighth in Conference scoring from the blue line, notched her third goal of the season and put the Bisons back in front by one five minutes into the third period. Almost five minutes later, Canada West scoring leader, Jen Newton banked her 19th goal and 37th point, also on the PP, sending the teams to OT.

With nothing settled in the extra period, the teams headed to the shoot out. The teams, fittingly enough, each scored three times on their first seven shots, setting the stage for Copeland's finisher.

Addie Miles of the Bisons had a chance to her team in front, but a smart poke check from Alberta goalie Dana Vinge kept Miles' effort away from the goal. Copeland's nifty move in tight, sealed the deal for a 3-2 Panda win.

The two teams go at it again tomorrow night, 7:00 pm on Clare Drake ice.

Complete statistics...

January 17 - The women’s hockey team (15-2-1) and will face #2 Alberta Pandas (15-2-1) at Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, AB this weekend. The important two game series will be on Friday, January 18 and Saturday, January 19. Game time for both games is 8 p.m. CT. The series will be a battle between top two ranked teams in Canada West and the Bisons head into Edmonton to play the reigning CIS champion Alberta Pandas while currently tied with Alberta for first place in Canada West standings with 31 points.

The Manitoba Bison women’s hockey team has rocketed to a fantastic 15-2-1 start (.861 winning percentage) over the first 18 conference games during the 2007-08 season. This is the fastest start in the 11 year program’s history.

Manitoba extended their conference winning streak to five games (last loss on Nov. 30: 4-3 [SO] to Regina) and completed a 185:24 minutes of shutout hockey for the Bisons. It was a streak that saw the goalie tandem of Dana Hoogsteen and Stacey Corfield combine for three straight shutouts (a team record).

The Herd has already established a new team record with 31 points in a conference regular season (old record was 30 points set last season). In addition, the Bisons have tied another team record with 15 wins in a regular season (set last season).

Manitoba is still ranked #4 in the latest CIS Top 10. They have been ranked in the Top 10 since the start of the season, which is 11 consecutive weeks, and the lowest they have been ranked is fourth all season.

In the 2007-08 season, this will be the second series between the two squads. The two teams faced each other earlier this season and each captured one victory. Manitoba earned their second-ever victory over the Pandas with a 3-2 win on Nov. 9/07 and Alberta won 2-0 on Nov. 10/07 with both games at Manitoba. The Bisons are seeking their first ever victories at Alberta in the program’s history.

Manitoba is first in Canada West in goals allowed at 25 over 18 conference games, just over a goal per game (1.38) and second with 56 goals. The Bisons are second with 548 conference shots (30.4 avg.) and have five shutouts, best in Canada West. On special teams, Manitoba is first in penalty kill at 90.8% (10/109) and third in power play at 17.2% (22/128). The Herd is the fourth least penalized team in Canada West with 252 minutes.

The Bisons team has several weapons are near the top of several conference categories. Individually, Chantal Larocque (7g, 11a) leads the team scoring and tied for fourth in Canada West with 18 points. Addie Miles (9g, 8a) is second on the Herd and eighth in conference with 17 points. Captain Leanne Kisil (3g, 12a) is third on team and tied for tenth in conference with 15 points. There are seven Bisons with 11 points or more.

Brenna Leary is third among Canada West defenceman with ten points (1g, 9a). Miles is fifth in conference goal scoring at nine while Larocque, Meghan Ross are tied for tenth in conference with seven goals. Kisil is tied for fourth in Canada West with 12 assists while Larocque and Becca King are tied for sixth in Canada West with 11 helpers. Leary is tied for tenth in Canada West with nine assists. Miles is tied for conference lead with three game-winning goals while Sarah Stebeleski and Katherine O’Rourke are tied for fourth in Canada West with two GWGs. Ross leads team and tied for first in Canada West with six power play tallies and Stephanie Messner is tied for fifth with four PPGs. Danielle Fouillard and Miles each have one shorthanded tally. Ross has one hat trick. There are three Bisons in Canada West Top 10 for shots. Leary is tied for sixth in conference with a +14 plus/minus rating and Miles is eighth at +13.

Goalie Stacey Corfield is first in three Canada West categories with 1.40 Avg, 12 wins and second at .932 Save Pct. Both Corfield has registered three shutouts while Dana Hoogsteen has two shutouts. Corfield is fourth in Canada West with 259 saves.

• Jan. 15 - Morrissette and Venables Named Smitty's Bison Sports Athletes of the Week
• Jan. 14 - Venables selected Canada West Male Athlete of the Week
• Jan. 9 - Men's Track & Field Ranked #1 to Start Second Half of Season
• Jan. 8 - Ross and Ferguson Named Smitty's Bison Sports Athletes of the Week
• Jan. 8 - Women's Hockey Locked in 1st Place Battle in Canada West
• Jan. 8 - Women's Volleyball Begins 2nd Half of the Season Ranked #1