CALGARY – Led by a two-goal performance by Hayley Wickenheiser, the Dinos women's hockey team continued its tear into the top of Canada West with a 2-0 shutout victory over the University of Alberta Pandas Saturday at the Olympic Oval.

BOX SCORE

The win improves the Dinos' record to 6-2, good enough to keep them at the top of Canada West while the Pandas' record drops to 4-3-1, good enough to tie Regina for second.

“We have to be happy with our weekend, we knew it was going to be a battle,” Dinos head coach Danielle Goyette commented after the victory. “We knew that it was going to be a challenge tonight because they were not happy after the loss last night. I told the girls to enjoy these wins because we should be proud of this.”

After beating their provincial rivals for the first time in 11 years last night in a 2-1 overtime decision, the Dinos went to work on the visitors early by notching their first goal 9:04 into the first period. The goal, Wickenheiser's ninth in eight games, came after an Alberta turnover in the corner of their own end that found the stick of Wickenheiser who skated into the slot and shelved the Dinos first point of the night.

The offense dried up for the Dinos after that first goal despite three power plays for the home side at the end of the first period and stretching into the middle of the second. Despite this advantage, the Dinos would end that frame being out-shot 11-6.

The fact that the Dinos still held the lead after 40 minutes can be partly attributed to the play of goaltender Amanda Tapp who saved a couple of incredible chances in the second period to keep her club in the lead. The first of those chances came near the middle of the period when Alberta forward Lindsie Fairfield caught the Dinos on a change and found herself on a breakaway alone against Tapp only to be denied by the Calgary netminder.

The second key save came near the end of the second where a point shot from Alberta defender Sarah Grandinetti was redirected by Sarah Hilworth, but Tapp was there with the right pad.

The special teams advantage from early in the second would be turned on its head late in the period as Chelsea Peterson and Melissa Zubick both took penalties in the last minute of that frame handing the Pandas 1:04 of five-on-three time at the start of the third period.

Due to Tapp's goaltending and their aggressive forecheck, the home team managed to kill off that penalty and preserve the 1-0 lead.

The Dinos penalty kill went to work again at 8:12 in the third when Erin Davidson went off for hooking. Seeing this as an offensive chance the Dinos forced a turnover in the Pandas' end and in very similar fashion to their first goal found Wickenheiser in the slot putting the puck past Panda goalie Michala Jeffries. Elana Lovell and Melissa Zubick both earned assists on that goal with touches on the forecheck that forced the turnover while shorthanded.

The two-goal lead would become in doubt again very shortly after that goal as Nicole Kuglin went to the box for tripping at 8:42, turning the Alberta power play into 1:30 of five-on-three time.

That chance would be squelched by the Dinos' forecheck which, like the previous five-on-three, kept the Pandas out of the offensive zone for much of the advantage, holding the visitors to a single shot on that power play.

Both power plays finished the night without converting after the Dinos went zero for four on the man advantage while the Pandas went zero for six. The Pandas ended up out-shooting the Dinos 23 to 17.

Next weekend the Dinos take to the road as they face the Saskatchewan Huskies, then return home to host Manitoba Nov. 12-13. Alberta gets a week off before hosting Regina after Remembrance Day.

-UC-