Joshua StorieThe Pandas hockey team started the New Year on a winning note this past weekend, sweeping their weekend series against the Manitoba Bisons with a pair of shutouts: 2-0 on Friday night, and 3-0 on Saturday night.
The Pandas got the scoring started early on Friday, with Alison Campbell wiring a shot past Bisons’ goalie Rachel Dyck just 18 seconds into the opening frame.
The rest of the game was a defensive battle, with the Bisons holding a slim 11-10 shot advantage heading into the third period, while still trailing 1-0. Ultimately, the visitors couldn’t solve Pandas goalie Lindsay Post, and Campbell added her second goal of the game into an empty net to give the green and gold a 2-0 win.
The quick start was key to the Pandas’ success on Friday according to head coach Howie Draper.
“When you get the first goal, it helps you settle, relax, and just play your game,” Draper said.
It was more of the same on Saturday night, with the Pandas playing more lockdown defence. The shot counts were even in the first period at six a piece, but the Pandas emerged with the only goal, as Megan Eady’s seeing-eye shot found the back of the net.
The Bisons held an 8-5 shot advantage in the second period, but weren’t able to get anything past Post, and the Pandas put the game out of reach in the third period, getting goals from Cayle Dillon and Sasha Lutz to make the final score 3-0.
For Draper, strong play on defence was the key to victory this past weekend.
“(The players) get the idea of shrinking the zone now, and the idea of taking away as much space from the opponent as they can,” he said.
“When everyone’s on the same page with the system play, obviously things are a lot more effective.”
This defensive dominance starts from the net, and goaltender Lindsay Post has been on a roll of late. She’s recorded shutouts in five of her last six starts, stopping 105 of her last 107 shots.
“When you’ve got a goalie that’s that confident in the net, and you know that if you make a mistake she’s going to back you up, then that gives you a little more confidence with the puck,” Draper said.
The two wins move the Pandas into sole possession of first place in Canada West, and Draper said it was good to earn them against an opponent like the Bisons.
“It’s always nice to beat Manitoba because they’re such a strong team, and they’re gritty, and they play with an edge,” he said.
Despite this, Draper emphasized the fact that all the games remaining on the schedule are crucial.
“It’s always nice to beat (Manitoba), but it’s no more important than any game we’ve got coming up,” he said.
“Looking at the standings, literally any team in the conference could still finish in first place depending on what might happen… so every game is important.”
The Pandas currently sit two points clear of the Saskatchewan Huskies for first place in Canada West, and now face a matchup with the UBC Thunderbirds, who are third in Canada West, four points behind the Pandas.
“I think we’re just going to stay the course, they’re very much like Manitoba, they’re a very well coached team. They’ll work very hard, and they’re also very gritty,” Draper said.
The Pandas face off against the Thunderbirds on Jan. 15 and 16 at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.
