Lethbridge, AB - For the first time this season, the Lethbridge Pronghorns completed a weekend sweep, downing the Calgary Dinos 4-3 in the back half of their home and home series. It was the fourth time this year that the Horns had an opportunity for the weekend sweep, and their first sweep in more than a year. Ironically, their last sweep came versus the Dinos in Calgary, February 16 & 17, 2007.
Prior to Saturday night, Horns forward Andrew Courtney (Belleville, ON, 3rd) had yet to take to the ice in front of his home crowd at Nicholas Sheran Arena this season, and did not disappoint in his first home appearance. It did not take Courtney long to produce; in the opening seconds of the period, he broke down the right wing of the ice and fired a hard wrist shot between the legs of Dinos goalie Dustin Butler (Calgary, AB, 1st). The opening minute set the pace for a hectic game as the Horns men were able to edge the Dinos 4-3 and complete their first weekend sweep of the season.
The Dinos evened the game up at the 11:34 mark of the opening stanza as Brett O'Malley (Calgary, AB, 4th) was left alone in front of the net and made no mistake, finishing a feed from Adam Redmond(Edmonton, AB, 5th). Calgary took their first lead late in the first period thanks to defensemen Jerrid Sauer (Medicine Hat, AB, 1st), who was in the right place at the right time, burying a rebound past Horns goalie Scott Bowles (Penticton, BC,2nd). The first period saw the Dinos outshoot the Horns by a total of
12-10.
The Horns would even the game up near the midpoint of the second period thanks to the resiliency of forward Dustin Moore (Red Deer, AB, 2nd). Moore stayed with the puck even after taking a hip check from a Calgary defender and threaded the needle to a wide open Jason Roberts (Spiritwood, SK, 4th)
in the slot; Roberts put a snapshot upstairs, off the bar and in.
Lethbridge would again regain the lead early in the third when senior forward Justin Kanigan picked off a pass and managed to break through the Calgary defense. The puck would take an odd bounce off the leg of Kanigan and fool Butler. However, the Dinos would not go away quietly and once again evened the game up on an extended powerplay. Defenseman Travis Friedley (Delia, AB, 4th) wired a slapshot from the point over the blocker of Bowles, and again the provincial rivals were tied.
Overtime seemed like a foregone conclusion, but Horns forward Steve Zmudczynski (Thorold, ON, 3rd) thought otherwise after Andrew Marshall (Niagara Falls, ON, 2nd) sent him alone on a breakaway, burying a shot between the legs of Butler. The Dinos would pull their goalie in order to get more pressure on the Horns, but the game was iced as Andrew Courtney bookended his big night by blocking a shot and giving his team the victory.
With the win the Horns moved to 6-6-0, while the Dinos slip to 5-7-0. The Horns will return to home ice next weekend as they host the University of Manitoba Bisons while the Dinos move on to the west coast to play the UBC Thunderbirds.
