Rookie forward Rachel Johnson speeds past Manitoba’s Kyleigh Palmer.

The number four ranked Huskies men’s hockey team ended their weekend series with the unranked Manitoba Bisons Oct. 12 and 13 in an even draw. Each team won one of the two games played at the Max Bell Centre arena on the University of Manitoba campus.

The Bisons got the best of Saskatchewan in the first game of the weekend, defeating the Huskies 3-1 en route to Manitoba’s first victory of the season.

Fourth-year forward Blair Macaulay led the Bisons with two goals and an assist in the match. Macaulay also started the scoring in the first period, sniping a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Huskies goalie Ryan Holfeld.

The Dogs tied the game at one 19 seconds into the second frame. Rookie forward Jimmy Bubnick took a pass from Derek Hulak and beat Bisons veteran netminder Jesse Deckart. Deckart closed up the holes after that, stopping 21 shots in the game.

The Bisons gained a one goal lead midway through the final frame and got the insurance marker with 1:32 left to play when fourth-year forward Ian Duval potted a pass from Macaulay.

The Bisons had another strong start Oct. 13, but the Huskies’ Holfeld stole the show. Holfeld led the team to a 2-1 victory, improving his squad’s regular season record to 3-1 and landing them in a four-way tie for first place in the Canada West.

“Our league is incredibly difficult. You have to play hard every night to earn a spot at the top,” Huskies head coach Dave Adolph said.

The Dogs return to action Oct. 19 and 20 when they host the Alberta Golden Bears in special weekend match up at Credit Union Centre.

The Huskies women’s hockey team also played Manitoba, hosting the Bisons at Rutherford Rink for games on back-to-back nights Oct. 12 and 13.

In the first game Manitoba scored three unanswered goals in the second period to go up 3-1.

Huskies assistant captain Danny Stone tightened the match, scoring a backhanded marker before the end of the second frame. The Dogs thought they had tied it on a deflected goal in the third, but the point was disallowed because it deflected off a high stick.

Manitoba won the first game of the weekend 3-2.

The Huskies found their stride in the second match, redeeming themselves with three goals in five shots on Bisons starting netminder Leiette Klassen, who was replaced in net by Dée-Ana Marion late in the first period.

The change in goalies sparked the Bisons to score their second goal of the match 1:05 into the second period on a scramble in front of the net, bringing the score to 3-2.

The Huskies’ Cami Wooster added the Dogs’ fourth goal in the third period while rookie Rachel Johnson scored her first Canadian Interuniversity Sport goal with just over seven minutes left in the game to cap the 5-2 Huskies victory. It was the Dogs first win of the season.

The Huskies hope to carry the momentum from their final game into Edmonton where the Dogs will put their 1-2-1 regular season record against the undefeated Alberta Pandas on Oct.19 and 20.

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Photo: Logan Mcmanus