WINNIPEG- After playing their home games to begin the season at The Rink Training Centre in Oak Bluff, Manitoba, the University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team returned to their rightful home on Friday. The Bisons welcomed the Alberta Pandas to Wayne Fleming Arena on the University of Manitoba campus for the first of two games between the teams this weekend.
 
Down 1-0 and still in the fight half way through the second period, Manitoba proceeded to give up three consecutive goals to Alberta, giving their opposition a 4-0 advantage.  Shortly after a Bison power play had expired, Payton Laumbach scored on a one-timer from the faceoff dot for Alberta's second of the game. Following Laumbach's tally, the Pandas' Cassidy Maplethrope scored back-to-back within two minutes for her third and fourth goals of the year.
 
The three-goal middle frame turnout out to be downfall for the hosts on the night, going on to lose by a final score of 5-0.
 
The loss sees Manitoba's record drop to 3-6-0-0 in the Canada West conference. The win keeps Alberta at pace with the first place Mount Royal Cougars, who now hold just a one-point lead over the Pandas in the standings.
 
Alberta's first goal came early in the game with less than four minutes gone. Panda forward Abby Soyko got loose for a clean breakaway and beat Bisons' goaltender Meagan Relf high over the blocker for her fourth goal of the season. The visitors came close to extending their lead late in the opening frame but Relf stopped the initial shot followed by the first and second rebound to keep her team down by just one headed into the second period. 
 
The middle frame brought an offensive outburst by the Pandas with the two goals from Maplethorpe along with the third from Laumbach.
 
Early in the third, Maplethorpe completed the hat trick at the 4:27 mark, beating Relf again during a Panda power play, extending her team's lead to 5-0, which was the final score.
 
The Pandas and Bisons return to the ice again tomorrow at 2 p.m. for their second and final game of the weekend.