The University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team will face the University of Saskatchewan Huskies this weekend at Max Bell Centre in Winnipeg.

At stake is the Can West championship banner.

"This is what we worked for all year,” said Bisons head coach Jon Rempel. “We had four goals; to finish first, to qualify for Nationals, to win Canada West and then win a National Championship. We're half way there. We're on kind of a mission and that's where we are today."

The Bisons, who are ranked number one in the country, eliminated the reigning National champion University of Alberta Pandas in the semifinals last weekend.

Manitoba lost the series opener 4-1 to Alberta; took game two 2-1 in overtime and won the deciding third game 1-0 thanks to Jordyn Zacharias’ goal with 6:30 left in the fourth overtime period.

Rempel says his hockey team is riding high after that monumental win but they still have work to do.

"The biggest thing is the emotional reset,” said Rempel. “It's not the physical or mental. Those two will be there. It's the emotional reset and understanding that this series will be different but it will be just as difficult. There’s the confidence to not shut it down after losing a really tough one on the Friday night. We got a tough call against us with three minutes left in the game and Alberta scored on the power play. To rebound, win game two in overtime to keep it alive, and then stay with it on Sunday, I thought was really big for this team."

The Huskies swept the defending Can West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the other semifinal.

The Bisons head coach says his hockey team will have to stay patient and disciplined against Saskatchewan.

"They are a very different team than Alberta. A little more balanced and probably a little more gritty in certain regards. They have really, really good goaltending. So it’s patience, discipline and using home ice to our advantage. We have to be able to skate on this ice surface. Those will be key things for us."

Rempel added the loss of fifth year forward Karissa Kirkup for the entire season hit the team hard.

The Virden native suffered an upper-body injury in an exhibition game against the Regina Cougars at Tundra Oil & Gas Place in September.

"That was a big blow for this team,” said Rempel. “It's Karrisa's dynamic play, her ability to create stuff off the rush, speed, her ability to do things with pucks, quick release, all these types of things at this level that are so needed plus she's really good in the face off circle and through the middle. You always try to build your team strong through the middle up front and go from there. I think our team has done a good job of sort of filling that gap. I did wonder all year what it would might have been like with her in there considering what we were able to do and have been able to do."

"Karissa's been great. She's been around most of the practices. It's been a tough year for her and fortunately she'll get her year back so that's the upside here. It's tough for her to watch because she's a competitor. The team has rallied around her and she's been real positive around the room so I've appreciated that as a coach."

Game one of the best-of-three Can West final between the Bisons and Huskies is Friday (7 p.m.) at the Wayne Fleming Arena.



Cassidy Dankochik with the play-by-play of Jordyn Zacharias’ winning goal in the fourth overtime of game three against the University of Alberta from the canadawest.tv webcast (courtesy U of M Bisons athletics)