LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - The University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team completed a weekend sweep over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, dropping the Horns 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena.
BOX SCORE
The weekend series was the first time the teams met up in Canada West play since 2002, before the Dinos moved to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association. However, the Horns were able to salvage a single point and move within three points of the Regina Cougars and UBC Thunderbirds for the final playoff spot, as both teams were also losers on Saturday night. The Dinos also put themselves in the thick of the postseason race, using the weekend sweep to move to three points back of the final berth.
After dropping the Horns by a 3-1 score on Friday night, the Dinos picked up right where they left off, scoring 3:32 into the game while on the power play.
Beccy Niehaus took a feed from
Nicole Kuglin and fired a wrist shot past the glove of Kailey McMaster to give the Dinos an early 1-0 lead.
The Horns managed to even the game up before the intermission when Horns rookie Jenna-Marie Durninbroke down the right wing and put a wrist shot over the glove of
Katie Urness. The Horns headed into the intermission with a commanding 12-5 lead in shots on goal over the Dinos.
The two teams went back and forth throughout the second period and neither team could find the back of the net until the Dinos were given a five on three advantage late in the period. The Dinos created a flurry in front of the Horns net where Kailey McMaster made two massive stops before
Shannon Davidson finally managed to poke it past the Horns goalie. The Dinos outshot the Horns by a slim 7-6 margin in the second period.
Lethbridge defenseman Amy Van Buskirk knotted the game back up early in the third by taking a Rochelle Radke feed in the middle of the faceoff circle and firing a hard wrist shot past Urness. For Van Buskirk the goal marked her fourth goal in four games after going goalless in her previous 28 contests. The Horns looked to take their first lead of the weekend at the midpoint of the third period when they were awarded a 5 on 3 advantage. The Dinos stood tall and the Horns were unable to generate any serious chances during the power play. The Horns outshot the Dinos 8-5 during the third period of play.
With neither team able to find the back of the net in overtime a shootout was required to determine a winner. After the first three shooters were turned aside by the goaltenders, Calgary forward
Elana Lovell scored beautiful goal by coming down on McMaster before wiring a wrist shot off the crossbar and in. Another three shooters were denied before
Tanya Morgan was able to put the game on ice after her backhand deke got past McMaster.
The win improves the Dinos record to 5-14-1 on the season, while the Horns drop to 4-10-4. The Horns will now look ahead to next weekend as they take on the first place University of Alberta Pandas in Lethbridge. Meanwhile, the Dinos will welcome the UBC Thunderbirds to Calgary.
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