WHKY | MRU opens with commanding win

The Canada West women’s hockey quarterfinals have officially begun, igniting excitement as the Mount Royal University women’s hockey team overcame the University of Manitoba Bisons 6 – 0 in the opening match.

“It’s always a fun time of year, it’s something we all look forward to,” said Cougars head coach Scott Rivett. 

Marking the start of playoffs, the Cougars and Bisons faced off on Friday afternoon, initiating a best-of-three series, with the victorious team advancing to the semi-finals. 

Ranked third in the Canada West standings, the Cougars enter the playoffs with a total of 20 wins and seven losses, scoring 77 goals over the course of the regular season. Entering playoffs ranked sixth, the Bisons have accumulated 54 goals, securing 10 victories and enduring 17 losses. 

The Cougars secured a 1 - 0 lead over the Bisons in the first period.

Kiana McNinch of the Cougars took control of the puck in Bison territory and manoeuvred it past the Bisons defence, finding an opening and scoring against goalie Emily Shippam.

The second period ended with the Cougars leading the Bisons 4 – 0, courtesy of goals from Jerzey Watteyne, Athena Hauck, and Jordyn Hutt. 

In the third period, the Cougars extend their lead to 6 – 0 with goals from Aliya Jomha and Allee Gerrard. 

Cougars goalie Kaitlyn Ross made a total of 27 saves during the afternoons matchup.  

Reflecting on his team’s victory, Rivett said they remained determined and capitalized on opportunities to score.

“I think we just stayed with it to be honest,” he said. “I felt they pushed back pretty hard in the second period, and we were a little loose in our game. I think we ended up being a little opportunistic and took advantage of a couple opportunities we got.”

Bisons head coach Jordy Zacharias said the score does not accurately reflect their team’s performance.

With some players lacking playoff experience, Zacharias emphasized the significance of paying attention to every detail. 

“I don’t know if the score necessarily reflected how we played,” she said. I thought the girls executed our systems in a way that we want. Now they got a taste of what playoff hockey is like and a lot of our girls don’t have that experience.”

The Cougars and Bisons will face in game two Saturday afternoon, with both teams eager to secure a spot in the semi-finals. The puck is set to drop at 2 p.m., and tickets can be purchased here.