Files from University of Manitoba Sports Information
WINNIPEG - The UBC Thunderbirds playoff hopes took a hit on Saturday night as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Manitoba Bisons at the Max Bell Arena in Winnipeg.
Greg Beller scored at 2:27 of the overtime period to give the Bisons their first win over UBC in four chances this season. The win also keeps the Bisons in fourth place in the Canada West standings, a critical position as only the top four teams make the playoffs. Lethbridge and UBC currently sit three points back of Manitoba, however both the Bisons and Pronghorns have games in hand on the T-Birds. UBC will need to take at least three points from Alberta in the last series of the season on February 25-26 and get help to keep Manitoba and Lethbridge within reach.
A total of six minor penalties were called in the first period, with UBC's
Scott Wasden picking up three on his own. But the Thunderbirds' penalty killing unit would only allow one goal against on the five powerplay attempts the Bisons got in the opening 20 minutes. Kyle Howarth's marker off a Jordan Cyr pass came on a five on three advantage for the Bisons.
Max Grassi evened things up for UBC with Cyr serving a hooking minor with under four minutes left in the period.
Jordan White made 11 saves in the period for UBC, while Manitoba's Steve Christie stopped five of the six shots he faced.
Just as UBC took five minor penalties in the first period, the Bisons returned the favour, taking five penalties to UBC's one in the second. But it was during a stretch of four-on-four play that UBC's
Brandon Campos got a breakaway pass from
Craig Lineker, and beat Christie with a move to the backhand to put the visiting Thunderbirds up 2-1. The lead wouldn't last long however, as Howarth picked up his second of the game to tie things up at two. During a five-on-three in favour of UBC, Christie kept things tied by making a cross-crease double pad stack save, while at the other end, the Bisons Greg Beller had a partial breakaway of his own, but wasn't able to get a shot off on White. Nothing got by White or Christie for the rest of the period, and the teams headed into the third with the score tied at two.
Mike Hellyer put the Bisons ahead less than five minutes into the third period by burying an opportunity from the side of the net, giving the Bisons a 3-2 lead. With just over six minutes left, the Herd's Greg Beller took a hooking penalty, and UBC's
Justin McCrae tipped a
Ben Schmidt slapshot past Christie to tie the game at three. Blair Macaulay had the best chance before the end of regulation to give the Bisons their lead back, but he couldn't knock in a rebound from point blank range with 16 seconds left. So for the third time this conference season, UBC and the Bisons would play on past 60 minutes.
To start the overtime period, the Bisons carried a two-minute powerplay that resulted from a double-minor high sticking penalty to UBC, called late in the third period. The Bisons had a number of chances to score on that powerplay, but White stood tall for UBC. Greg Beller got to make up for his costly penalty in the third by coming onto the ice off a line change just as the powerplay expired, getting the puck in the slot area, and firing a shot that beat White five hole to give the Bisons a 4-3 win.
The Bisons (12-8-4) head to Alberta over the February 18 and 19 weekend before closing their conference season back at home with two games against Saskatchewan the following weekend. Meanwhile UBC (10-12-4) has a bye week before playing host to Alberta over the February 25 and 26 weekend.
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