Horns playoff hopes in jeopardy

The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team’s playoffs hopes just took a solid check.

The Horns were downed 7-3 by the Manitoba Bisons during Canada West play Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg.

The loss comes less than 24 hours after a tough 5-4 loss the Bisons to start the weekend Friday night and drops the Pronghorns to 8-15-3 this season.

Those two losses in Winnipeg combined with the Calgary Dinos sweep of the Regina Cougars puts the Horns four points behind Calgary with two games left in the season.

After the winless road trip, the Pronghorns will have to sweep the Cougars in the final weekend of the regular season next weekend in Lethbridge and hope the Bisons do the same to the Dinos in order to make the post season.

In women’s play Saturday, the Pronghorns battled the Bisons to double overtime at Nicholas Sheran Arena before the visitors netted the winner in the second overtime.

The loss puts the Pronghorns at 3-17-2-4.

In Winnipeg on Saturday, the Pronghorns held a 2-1 lead after the first period, but the Bisons scored three goals in the second and third period to ice the win that improves them to 16-8-2-0.

Artsiom Kalashnikov and Tyler Hansen scored for Lethbridge in the first period for a 2-1 lead.

But the Bisons scored a trio in the second period for a 4-3 lead they never relinquished.

Dallas Valentine added the other Horns goal in the third period.

Kalashnikov added an assist for a two-point afternoon, while Garret Hughson stopped 18 of 22 shots before backup Ty Edmonds came in early in the second and made 21 saves on 24 shots.

On Friday, the Pronghorns also nursed a 2-1 lead after the first period and went up 3-1 early in the second before Manitoba struck for three goals before the second intermission for a 4-3 lead.

Ryon Moser and Brooks Maxwell scored for Lethbridge in the first period and Kalashnikov upped the Horns lead to 3-1 6:45 into the second.

Brooks Maxwell and Moser and each had an assist for two points. Hughson made 26 saves. In the women’s game Saturday, the Pronghorns and Bisons exchanged goals in the first and third period for a 2-2 tie after regulation.

Manitoba struck first 8:13 into the game on a goal from Jordyn Zacharias, but Lethbridge’s Maddison Toppe knotted the score at 1-1 after the first with her second of the season on the power play with 1:11 left in the first.

After a scoreless second period, the Pronghorns took the lead on their second power play goal of the night as Tricia Van Vaerenbergh scored her fifth goal of the season.

With time winding down, the Bisons forced overtime when Mekaela Fisher with 4:39 left in regulation.

In overtime, Manitoba started shorthanded and killed off another infraction in the first overtime.

Then it was the Bisons’ turn to go to the power play in the second overtime and the visitors cashed in as Natasha Kostenko scored 2:26 in.

Pronghorns goaltender Alicia Anderson made 34 saves.

On the Friday, the Bisons won 3-0 with a pair of goals in the second and another in the third.

The Pronghorns women will wrap up their season next weekend on the road in Regina as they face the Cougars.