The UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team suffered a 5-0 shutout at the hands of the host Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg on Friday night.
It was Manitoba's 19th straight victory over UBC, dating back to the 2006-2007 season.
Thunderbirds' goaltender
Samantha Langford (1st, Pense, SK) made a total of 31 saves in the losing effort.
Manitoba's net minder Tara Lacquette was on fire in the cage, stopping 22 shots on the night and picking up her first shutout of the 2011-2012 season.
The Bisons' five markers were put up by Nellie Minshul (2), Amy Lee, Kayla Duna, and Michelle Pawluk.
The Thunderbirds fall to 1-6-2 after tonight's loss, while Manitoba climbs to 4-3-2.
The first period was all Manitoba, as their special teams went to work and got the job done. The Bisons first power play opportunity came early on in the period, but the Thunderbirds were able to kill it off. They wouldn't be so lucky the second time around, however, as Manitoba would pick up a power play goal on a tip in front of the net by Nellie Minshull, putting the Bisons up 1-0 early on.
It was more of the same as the period continued, as UBC's
Tatiana Rafter sat for two on an interference call, giving Manitoba their third (wo)man advantage of the period. This time it was Amy Lee who got a quick shot on net that the Thunderbirds' goalie
Samantha Langford got a piece of, but not enough to keep it out of the cage, and the Bisons would go up 2-0.
With a minute and a half to go in the period, Manitoba's Jessica Carswell took a hooking call, giving UBC their first power play of the game, but they couldn't capitalize before the end of the period, and the Bisons would have to start the second period down a player, but up 2-0 on the scoreboard.
Perhaps the most telling stat of all was the shots at the end of the first, with Manitoba leading the Thunderbirds 17-6.
It was more of the same in the second period as the Bisons continued to put shot after shot on the net, and controlled the action. The Thunderbirds managed to kill off a couple of penalties early on in the period, but couldn't keep the puck out of the net for long.
On a scrum in front of the net, just past the half way mark, Manitoba's Kayla Duna found the puck on her stick and smacked it into the cage, putting her team up 3-0 in the second period.
As UBC continued to struggle to get the puck on net, the Bisons were firing at will, and Michelle Pawluk put her team up 4-0 with a hard slap shot from the point that Langford couldn't see, and it blew right by her.
Down 4-0, the Thunderbirds clearly started to get frustrated as the physical play picked up, but they still couldn't manage to find a marker before the end of the period. Shots in the second were 11-7 Manitoba, and they would head into the third period with a commanding lead.
The Thunderbirds still could not find a marker in the third period, despite upping the number of shots on net.
The lone goal in the period came shorthanded for Manitoba only four minutes in, as Nellie Minshull went end to end, blazing past the entire UBC team and finally past Langford as well as she put the puck in the back of the net in an effort that was likely responsible for earning her the number one star on the evening, and giving her team the commanding 5-0 lead and victory.
The two teams will face off again Saturday, November 19 evening at the Max Bell Centre in Winnipeg, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. CT.
- with files from Jordan Thompson (University of Manitoba Sports Information)
