CALGARY – Now sitting comfortably in third in Canada West after an impressive weekend in Winnipeg, the Calgary Dinos look to keep the ball rolling against the Regina Cougars on Halloween weekend.

In beating the former No. 3 Manitoba Bisons in their own barn on Friday by a score of 2-1, and dropping a tight one in the shootout on Saturday, the Dinos took three of a possible four points from the Bisons, put the rest of the conference on notice that they are not to be overlooked.

Dinos goaltender Dustin Butler earned the 28 save victory on Friday night, and followed that up with an excellent 36 save performance in the Saturday shootout loss. Butler moved his save percentage up to 0.908 with the two gritty efforts, and made his best attempt to convince the coaching staff that he is capable of increased playing time.

Reid Jorgensen, a third year forward, notched three helpers for Calgary on the weekend, and moved himself up to 10th in Canada West in points for his efforts. Kyle Annesley and Brock Nixon each find themselves in the top 20 in scoring as well, with Nixon scoring three points against the Bison to help his cause.

The Dinos continue to get a strong offensive push, but perhaps more importantly proved themselves defensively against Manitoba, letting in only three goals over two games against a team that had previously had no problem scoring in conference play. Dan Ehrman has been very solid for Calgary, contributing three points along with tough defence, while players such as rookie Cory Pritz and former Medicine Hat Tiger Jerrid Sauer continue to impress on the blueline.

The Dinos (3-1-2) will welcome the sixth place Cougars to the Father David Bauer Arena for the weekend set, and can accentuate their statement to the CIS with a two-day sweep, something they have not had yet this year after splitting the first three weekends. The Dinos received votes for the CIS Top 10 this week for the first time this season, and hope to crack the rankings in short order.

The Cougars are coming off of their bye weekend after a 2-4-0 start to the season. Inconsistent results and big losses have dropped them to a league low -16 despite sitting ahead of their provincial rivals, the Saskatchewan Huskies, in the standings.

Regina relies on a balanced offensive attack, where their four top scorers each have three points each on the year. One of whom is Dylan Chapman, who was a member of the 2008 Canada West All-Freshman Team.

Cougars goaltender Brant Hilton, who ranked second in the conference in GAA in 2008, has had his struggles in 2009, splitting time with rookie Shayne Barrie en route to a 4.95 GAA. Barrie has been better, but has also been in tough, letting in 3.54 goals against.

The Dinos and Cougars will face off on Friday and Saturday at the Bauer, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. for both contests. Following the two game set, the Dinos will stay at home for the first weekend of November to face the surprising 1-5 Saskatchewan Huskies, while the Cougars will return home to entertain the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

-UC-