LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Manitoba Bisons used three first-period power play goals to defeat the Trinity Western Spartans 3-1 Friday afternoon at the George Preston Recreation Centre in Langley, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 2-18-5 in Canada West, while the Bisons improve to 3-19-5.
 
TWU first-year goalie Leon Sommer (Linz, Aust.) made 29 saves in the loss, while Manitoba's Ross Hawryluk made 51 saves to record the win.
 
Third-year forward Jarrett Penner (Saskatoon, Sask.) scored the lone Spartans goal on the power play at 13:14 of the second period. Manitoba's three first-period power play goals came from Dylan Thiessen at 2:54, Hayden Ostir at 4:43, and Jackson Arpin at 5:17.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
After a hard body check the Spartans' third-year defenseman Landon Fuller (Williams Lake, B.C.) was given a major penalty at 2:21 of the opening period, which immediately put TWU on the defensive. The Bisons took advantage with a power play goal by Dylan Thiessen at 2:54. TWU third-year forward Jeremy Klessens (Red Deer, Alta.) was given a tripping penalty at 4:17, which gave the Bisons a two-man advantage. Manitoba capitalized with two more power-play goals. Hayden Ostir scored at 4:43, followed by Jackson Arpin at 5:17. Manitoba finished the opening period outshooting Trinity Western 19-8.
 
In the second period, without the penalties, the Spartans took more control of the game. TWU dominated the time in the offensive end and were rewarded with a power play goal by Penner at 13:14, to pull the Spartans to within two, trailing 3-1. The period finished with TWU trailing by two goals after outshooting Manitoba 23-5.
 
The Spartans' third-year defenseman Jake Jurgeneit (Toronto, Ont.) looked like they had pulled to within one goal, at 6:33, but the goal was called off because of goalie interference. TWU continued to dominate the play in the final frame, outshooting Manitoba 21-8, but were unable to find the back of the net as the Bisons held on for the 3-1 win.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Ben Walter
"I thought that was the most complete game that we have played this season.  We had some tough breaks at the start of the game which led to three PP goals for them but I love how our team responded and fought back."  
 
"Unfortunately, their goalie played great and we couldn't break through to tie the game up but there is a lot to build on and we are excited for another chance at Manitoba tomorrow." 
 
"I'm very proud of all of our D, losing Fuller early in the game was tough and the other five really battled hard for the rest of the game."  
 
"Offensively there is a lot to like.  We finished with 49 shots on net which is a high for us this year and I like our chances tomorrow if we can generate offense like that again."
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans outshot the Bisons 52-32.
• TWU finished the night going 1/5 on the power play, while Manitoba finished at 3/5.
• Last week the Spartans lost two to previously No. 3 UBC, 6-3 on Thursday in Langley, B.C., and 5-1 on Friday night in Vancouver, B.C
• Last week the Bisons lost twice 5-1 to the No. 2 Calgary Dinos at home in Winnipeg, Man.
• The Spartans are 4-5 lifetime against the Bisons.
• In their last series with Manitoba on November 2 and 3, the Spartans defeated the Bisons 3-2, and 5-2 on the road in Winnipeg, Man.

 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and the Bisons will finish off the two-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The game can be seen live on Canadawest.TV.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
 
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