CALGARY – For the first time since 1985, the Calgary Dinos will not participate in the Canada West postseason after losing the final playoff berth to the UBC Thunderbirds with a 5-0 home ice loss.

BOX SCORE

The game was won early in the first period, which the Birds took complete control of. Out-shooting the Dinos 18-8 in the first frame, four of those shots found the back of the net, chasing starting goaltender Jeff Weber from the game with under a minute to play. Dustin Butler finished the period and played the rest of the game in goal for the Dinos, letting in one more on a four-on-two situation late in the third period.

4:17 into the first stanza, Dalton Pajak slid one past Jeff Weber just before the net came off its bearings, putting the T-Birds up with the eventual game winner. Midway through the period, it was Andrew Wasmuth and Theran Yeo each solidifying the lead with two goals only a minute and 11 seconds apart. Yeo's blast from the point had Weber helpless, who had lost his stick in a scrum just seconds before.

Matthew Schneider capped off the period with a goal at 19:01, sending Weber to the showers early, and the Birds into the intermission with a sizeable advantage.

The Dinos tried to peck away at the lead, but simply could not convert on any opportunities, and were unable to create any flow in the UBC zone. Credit goes to the Thunderbirds for this, as countless Dinos shots were either blocked or tipped before reaching goaltender Francois Thuot.

Brock Nixon did his best with seven shots on the night, but a listless Dinos squad just couldn't overcome their early deficit. Dan Ehrman had four shots to help the cause, while Jerrid Sauer contributed three of his own. Sauer, who went to the Memorial Cup with the Medicine Hat Tigers, put forth a determined effort on defense for Calgary in the loss.

With the shutout Thuot is credited with the victory, while Jeff Weber is hit with the loss after a tough first period. Captain Jordan Beirnes rounded out the UBC scoring late in the game.

For Calgary, it is a fitting end to a very disappointing season. With high expectations coming into the year, the Dinos' fast start was ultimately overshadowed by a 5-14-2 finish, which was too much of a slide to reach the postseason. It will truly be back to the drawing board for the Dinos going into the off-season.

With the sweep, the UBC Thunderbirds, who played a fantastic weekend series in Calgary, will be rewarded with a fifth place finish in Canada West. They overtook the Regina Cougars, who lost both of their games this weekend to the Saskatchewan Huskies, and will now travel to Lethbridge for Canada West Quarterfinal action. The Cougars finish with the sixth and final playoff spot, and will now travel to Winnipeg to face the third place Manitoba Bisons.

Both the Alberta Golden Bears and the Saskatchewan Huskies will have an extra week to prepare for the quarterfinal winners, as they receive the playoff bye after finishing first and second in the conference respectively. The Alberta Bears finished their sweep of the Lethbridge Pronghorns this weekend after winning 2-1 on Saturday night.

-UC-