CALGARY - The Calgary Dinos, winners of three of their past four games, travel to Lethbridge for a weekend set against the Pronghorns in their second-last series of the season. The Dinos remain one point out of the final playoff spot in Canada West with four games to go.
In a three-way battle for the two final Canada West playoff spots, the Dinos have an excellent chance this weekend to gain some much needed ground against the UBC Thunderbirds and the Regina Cougars. The 'Birds and Cougars, who face-off twice this weekend in Vancouver in a huge matchup for all three teams, are currently deadlocked with 20 points apiece in the standings. A sweep from either team would create significant separation at the bottom with only one weekend left.
The Dinos would love to take advantage of such a situation with a sweep of their own this weekend against the 'Horns. Giving added incentive to the Dinos is that home-ice advantage in the playoffs is not yet out of the question, as it is the 'Horns currently occupying the fourth seed in Canada West. Winning both games this weekend against Lethbridge would leave the Dinos only two points out of that coveted fourth spot with two games left to play.
Dan Ehrman and Paul Gentile kept their recent success going this past weekend against the Manitoba Bisons, as they combined for three goals on the weekend. Both Ehrman and Gentile have helped solidify a better rounded team effort for the Dinos in recent games, something that has been much needed throughout the season.
Kyle Annesley had himself a good weekend against the Bisons as well, scoring the shootout winner on Saturday to go along with two assists in regulation. Annesley, who has 16 points on the season, and forward Brock Nixon will be relied upon heavily in the coming weeks to assert themselves offensively. The Dinos lose four of their top five point getters for a week following their series with the 'Horns, as the Universiade games beckon.
With a tough loss on Friday followed with a shootout win on Saturday, Jeff Weber remains the most consistent option for the Dinos in net. Weber ranks fifth in the conference in GAA with 2.75 and seems to be finding his confidence at just the right time of the year.
Amidst two consecutive losses to the Horns during the last weekend of November, the lone bright spots for the Dinos were Brett O'Malley and Torrie Wheat, who had four points in the Friday loss. With their team offense having returned to the Dinos following their harsh mid-season struggles, this weekend's tilt against Lethbridge should be of a different style.
Leading the Horns through their season has been Steve Zmudczynski and Dustin Moore, who both occupy spots among the top ten scorers in Canada West. Both Zmudczynski and Moore have been instrumental in leading Lethbridge to one of their more successful seasons in recent history. The Pronghorns found the CIS rankings for the first time since 2002 following their prior weekend sweep of the Dinos, and climbed as high as ninth in the rankings.
For the third consecutive week, the Dinos will face a goaltender that does not know his way around the team bench. Having only sat one game this season, Scott Bowles has been a workhorse for Lethbridge, winning 12 of his 23 starts. His only blemish during the season has been his relatively high 3.42 GAA.
The Pronghorns, who set a team record with eight straight midseason victories, have since been on a slide, having dropped five of their past six on the road. Needing only one more win and a UBC loss to clinch a playoff weekend at home, the Horns will have four chances to do so in the Nicholas Sheran Arena on their home campus.
The Dinos and Pronghorns hit the ice at 7 p.m. in Lethbridge on Friday and Saturday evening. Following the weekend, the Pronghorns invite the CIS No. 1-ranked Alberta Golden Bears to their home ice to finish out the season. The Dinos will return home to host what could be a dramatic season-ending series against the UBC T-Birds, as both look to advance to the Canada West playoffs.
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