Following a very tight 4-3 loss in Manchester on Tuesday, the University of Manitoba turned their fortunes around Thursday evening with a bounce-back, come from behind victory over the Fife Flyers, also of the Elite Ice Hockey League.
Fife struck first just seven minutes into the first period, as Paul Crowder put the home team ahead 1-0 on a power play strike that found its way past goaltender Byron Spriggs. The Bisons responded exactly seven minutes later with an equalizer from Joel Schreyer on a great setup from team captain Brett Stovin.
Although being heavily outshot (13-6), the Bisons and Flyers remained deadlocked at ones through the first period of play. The second frame featured an awakening on the Manitoba offence, as the Bisons drilled Fife’s netminder Shane Owen with 21 pucks in the period, but couldn’t solve the goaltender.
The game appeared to be heading for a tiebreaker late in the third period, as neither team had been able to capitalize on any offensive opportunities. However, with just 16 seconds left to play, Zach Franko scored the game-winner, giving Manitoba the 2-1 victory over Fife.
The Bisons enjoyed a travel day filled with sightseeing on Friday, as the players, coaches and training staff took in the world renowned Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, before heading over to Belfast for their two-game set against the Giants on Saturday and Sunday. The University of Manitoba team will begin their regular season on October 12th when they host the Alberta Golden Bears in their home opener.
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