CALGARY - It's always a good time when the Calgary Dinos take on the Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas and, although this weekend's hoops series in the Main Gym will have zero bearing on the final standings for either the men or the women, there's still plenty of intrigue.
For the Dinos women, this season-ending trip north is the first of back-to-back weekends on the U of A campus. In a rare scheduling feat, the calendar dictates that Calgary will visit Alberta to end the regular season, then head right back up the highway for the best-of-three Central Division semi-final against the Pandas next weekend. So, while this week will not change the already established playoff seedings, the Dinos get a unique opportunity to play at least four straight games against the same opponent in the same surroundings.
While it may seem unusual to end the regular season against an opponent and then play them right away the next week in the playoffs, Shawnee Harle's Dinos are used to it – in fact, this will be the third straight year that this has been the case.
The past two seasons, the Dinos ended the season against Saskatchewan, only to host the Huskies in the first round of the playoffs both years. And both years, Calgary went down to defeat in two straight games to end the season. While they are in tough against the No. 5 Alberta Pandas again this season, the opportunity to play them four straight times can only boost the Dinos' hopes.
The Dinos and Pandas met earlier this season back on Jan. 2-3 in the Jack Simpson Gym. Alberta took both ends of the two-game series by 68-60 and 81-62 scores.
Four Alberta fifth-year seniors – Katie Barrett, Ashley Wigg, Kristin Jarock, and Melanie Schlichter – will be honoured during their final home regular season weekend. Calgary's two seniors, Whitney Haswell and Courtney Coyle, were recognized two weeks ago before the Dinos' last home games.
The Dinos men are in a similar situation, completing the regular season at the Main Gym with no opportunity to move in the standings – not that they would want to, having locked up top spot in the Central Division more than two weeks ago. But on this Seniors' Weekend in Edmonton, the Dinos will be witness to the end of an era.
Alberta head coach Don Horwood, a 26-year veteran, will hang 'em up after the 2009 season after one of the most celebrated careers in CIS history, leading the Golden Bears to a trio of CIS titles. Horwood will be honoured on Friday night, with several of his former players in attendance – including Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren.
A Dinos-Bears match-up in the post-season is also a distinct possibility, but Calgary does hold a significant advantage. By virtue of their first place finish, the Dinos get a bye next weekend while Alberta hosts Saskatchewan in the division semi-final. The winner of that best-of-three series will play the Dinos in the best-of-three division final Feb. 20-22 in the Jack.
The Golden Bears are responsible for one of the Dinos' four losses on the season, back on Jan. 3 in Calgary, in a 78-62 decision. The Dinos were without star senior Henry Bekkering, however, and since his return the Dinos have played some of their best ball of the season.
Calgary earned a big split on the road last weekend, taking a five-point win over Victoria before falling to UBC in a game much tighter than the 91-76 score would indicate. The good showings against Pacific teams were important, as the road to the national championship will almost certainly go through that division; however, for the Dinos, it's all about their archrivals – maybe for the next two weeks.
Tickets for the Central Division Final are now available online at goDINOS.com, by phone at (403) 220-7749, tickets@ucalgary.ca, or by visiting Kinesiology Client Services.
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