October 6 - The University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team remain unbeaten to start the 2007-08 season, downing the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 4-1 Saturday evening.

With the win, the Bisons improve to 2-0-0, and stay atop the Canada West standings. The young Pronghorns team will continue to look for their first win as they drop to 0-2-0. On Saturday evening, Lethbridge iced a team with 12 first year players.

The Bisons got goals from Sarah Stebeleski, Amanda Schnell, Danielle Fouillard and Addie Miles. The Pronghorns lone marker came from Dayna Janzen.

"I thought last night we played extremely well. Tonight they battled a lot harder," said Bison head coach Jon Rempel. "I don't think we were sharp tonight but I really like the way we just keep going when they scored that goal. We came back with three big ones which I thought was a big testament to our character early in the year."

Although the Bisons controlled most of the game, they only had a one-goal lead heading into the final period, and the Pronghorns tied the game five minutes into the third.

" I thought we were playing a fairly good game because we weren't giving them anything. Not that we were protecting a one-goal lead because there was a ton of scoring chances tonight. I thought their goaltender played well the first two periods but we just couldn't squeeze another goal by her. I think in the past we really would of let that goal affect us, but tonight it didn't. We just kept playing. I was happy with that."

Stebeleski, who in addition to getting the opening tally for the Bisons also recorded an assist, giving her three points for the weekend series was happy to get an opening weekend sweep and the resolve her team showed when Lethbridge tied the game in the third.

"We didn't really panic. We knew what we had to do and we had to get a job done," said Stebeleski. "Once they got that goal it just kind of motivated us to pick our game up and as you saw we put a few more in to seal the deal."

Manitoba got on the board first at 13:58 of the first period. The Bisons Becca King worked her way from the corner to the front of the net, but lost control as she was checked by the Pronghorns defence. Stebeleski whacked at the loose puck and put it up over the blocker shoulder of Lethbridge keeper Kailey McMaster.

Just over seven minutes into the second period, Lethbridge had a great opportunity when Bison defenceman Kacey Funk was unable to stop an errant pass to the point as she dove for the puck. The Pronghorns Kate Nesbitt hustled towards the puck and a clear breakaway but could not get there before Corfield, who spotted the streaking forward and had to play the puck far out of her own net.

Corfield had to be sharp again when the Pronghorns Kelci Herman was left all alone in front of the Bison net. With under a minute to go in the second period, Herman snapped a one-timer from the slot, but Corfield plucked it out of the air to keep Lethbridge off the board.

The Pronghorns got on the board for the first time during the weekend when Janzen stole the puck from Bisons Erica Holmes deep in the Bisons own end. Janzen took a few steps and wristed one just out of the reach of Corfield's glove hand. Janzen's first ever CIS goal evened the score, 3:32 into the third period.

Manitoba took the lead back three minutes later, when Schnell's shot from the point hit a skate from the crowd in front of McMaster, and found its way to the back of the net.

The Bisons continued to pour in on in the third, netting a short-handed goal at the 10:37 mark. Stebeleski was fighting for control of the puck just to the right of McMaster, and when it came free, Fouillard was right on there to pound it home for the two-goal lead.

Just over a minute later, Manitoba once again increased their lead when Miles streaked down the left side and blasted a shot that ricocheted off the cross-bar and left post before winding up behind McMaster. That made the score 4-1 at 10:33 of the third period.

Corfield recorded her second win of the season, stopping 12 of 13 shots. McMaster turned aside 29 saves in the losing effort for Lethbridge.

The Bisons will now have a pair of exhibition games before they return to Canada West action. Next Friday, the women's hockey team will take on Robert Morris College at Balmoral Hall. Saturday, they will host Balmoral Hall at the Max Bell Arena.

In two weeks, Manitoba will travel to Saskatoon to take on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Lethbridge will have next weekend off and will resume Canada West play, Friday, October 19 at home versus the defending CIS Champions, the University of Alberta Pandas.

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