Photo courtesy Dave Holland Photography - www.daveholland.ca

CALGARY – A clutch goal amidst traffic with under a minute left in overtime from second year forward Greg Gardner and two markers from Jesse Gimblett trumped a 36-save performance from Dinos goaltender Dustin Butler as the Alberta Golden Bears defeated the Calgary Dinos 4-3 in the extra frame.

BOX SCORE

With the victory the Bears (16-1-1) complete the weekend sweep of the Dinos (9-6-3) and round out their season series with Calgary, finishing with five wins and a shootout loss. The Dinos were able to take a valuable point in the standings despite dropping the heart-breaker, which will serve them well as they fight for positioning with the Manitoba Bisons and the Saskatchewan Huskies in the top half of Canada West as the season winds down.

The game did not have the looks of a close one in the early going, as the Bears rushed out to a 1-0 lead only one minute and eighteen seconds into the first with a power play goal from Gimblett. The Dinos penalty kill took another blow 14 minutes later with Joel Eisenkirch off for interference, where Brian Woolger got the best of Butler to make it 2-0.

Gimblett would get his second goal of the evening shortly thereafter on an odd man rush, beating Butler with a quick wrist shot, sending Alberta into the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead and Calgary into the room wondering what just hit them.

Calgary found life after the first intermission however, where they settled down and seemed to play with more discipline. The hard work paid off midway through the second, where they got on the power play for an extended period, even finding themselves with a 5-3 situation - which they couldn't take advantage of. However, the power-play following the two-man advantage was much more fruitful for Calgary, as captain Aaron Richards beat Alberta goaltender Travis Yonkman stick-side to put the Dinos on the board.

Calgary wouldn't stop there as Teegan Moore used the new found energy to make good on a three-on-two situation late in the second. Roofing a backhand after fanning on an initial wrist shot, Moore got his fifth goal of the season and brought the Dinos within one going into the second period.

After an early goal from defenceman Ryan Gillen knotted it up at three, and what looked to be a goal from Bears forward Eric Hunter was disallowed as the net was off of its moorings, the goaltenders took over from there. Yonkman turned away countless solid opportunities for the Dinos in the third period, with a stop on Tyler Swystun after an odd bounce off the boards standing out among them. Yonkman would finish the game with 26 saves in his ninth victory of the season.

Butler however, shone the brightest in the late-going despite giving up the game-winner in the extra frame. Making 21 saves in the third period and in overtime, Butler did so in dramatic fashion, as the Bears found themselves on the power-play two times in the last four minutes of the third, and once more in overtime.  The second year goaltender would finish with 36 saves after a rough first period, with Gardner's game winner in a crowded crease spoiling the valiant effort.

With the game winner, Gardner moves his season point total up to 12, and successfully avoided the shootout for his team, where the Bears dropped a 3-2 decision to the Dinos in early October.

Sitting comfortably in first by a margin of 11 points in Canada West, Alberta will enjoy a bye-week next weekend before returning to action on Jan. 22 against the Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Dinos will take many positives from their battle with the number two ranked team in CIS, and remain tight with the second place Manitoba Bisons, who dropped a 6-4 decision to the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday evening. The Dinos will have another home-and-home series next weekend, travelling to Lethbridge on Friday before hosting the 'Horns on Saturday.

-UC-