Winnipeg, MB- A first period goal was all the No. 1 ranked University of Manitoba Bisons needed to defeat the visiting University of Saskatchewan Huskies 1-0 Saturday afternoon.
Nicole Carswell scored just 2:41 into the game. She managed to beat Saskatchewan goalie Jessica Vance after a Caitlin Fyten point shot was tipped on net. The Carswell goal would give Manitoba the early 1-0 lead.
The rest of the period was dictated by the play of the goaltenders. Besides letting in the first goalie, Vance was solid for her squad. Lauren Taraschuk was also steady for her team, stopping all 8 shots in the opening frame.
The Huskies and Bisons battled to a scoreless second period while Vance and Taraschuk continued to shine for their respective teams. Saskatchewan came close to scoring during a mad scramble in front of the Manitoba net, but it was Taraschuk that eventually pounced on the loose puck.
The play of the two goalies continued to be the story of the game in the third period. Both the Bisons and Huskies had numerous opportunities to score but both Vance and Taraschuk swallowed up everything that came their way.
Taraschuk finished the game with a 26 save shutout. Vance ended up stopping 19 of 20 shots in the loss.
Next weekend, Manitoba will play host to the Mount Royal Cougars (Jan.19-20) and Saskatchewan will travel west, to play the Calgary Dinos (Jan.19-20)