CALGARY – While they posted the best regular season in their history in 2010, head coach Brian McDonnell and the University of Calgary Dinos know that their season now comes down to one all-important game.

At 8-4-2, the Dinos posted their first eight win season to go along with an undefeated home schedule where they went 6-1. Amongst their wins, the Dinos beat ranked teams such as the Victoria Vikes, the UBC Thunderbirds and the Alberta Golden Bears – no small feat in a tough Canada West league.

With third place wrapped up after a 2-1 Saturday win against the Fraser Valley Cascades, Calgary knew that regardless of the result of Sunday's match against Victoria they would be facing the UBC Thunderbirds in one of the conference semi-finals. With the conference Final Four being held at Foote Field in Edmonton this weekend, the difference between second place and third place was only one of pride, with no advantage being won either way for the Dinos and Birds.

Calgary did lose the match 2-1 to the Vikes, which assured third place.

Now the Dinos get set for their most important match of the season, which goes this Saturday against the second place T-Birds. The No. 1 seed Golden Bears take on the Saskatchewan Huskies in the other playoff battle.

The Bears, by virtue of their first-place finish, have already earned one of two Canada West spots at the CIS tournament in Toronto Nov. 11-14. Should they defeat the Huskies Saturday, the winner of the Dinos-UBC semi-final will earn the other spot at the national championship.

As such, there is potentially much to be gained with a semi-final win, and the Dinos have every reason to believe they can crash the national party for the first time since 1980.

McDonnell, who in his first year has pushed all the right buttons with an exciting Dinos team, was in fact a goalkeeper for the last Calgary team that earned a Canada West playoff berth in 2006. That team lost in the Canada West gold-medal match and did not earn a trip to Nationals due to Alberta taking up a conference berth as thanks for their hosting duties.

Then teammates of McDonnell, #J.P. Crescenzi#, Matt Reid, and Brian Delaney were also a part of that 2006 squad, and as athletes playing under McDonnell in 2010 they have one more shot at postseason glory. Crescenzi has been sensational this past season, posting a 0.98 GAA and a Canada West-leading 0.859 save percentage, while Reid and Delaney have given an extremely valuable veteran presence on the pitch.

Izak Lawrence and Brett Howard picked up the offensive load over the season, with Lawrence tying for second in Canada West in points with 12. Howard had four goals and three assists in his rookie season, with all four markers coming in his last four games.

Christian Lorenzoni and Jeremy Jenkyns have been strong offensively for Calgary as well, each scoring two goals on the season.

UBC is led by Gagandeep Dosangh, who potted seven goals throughout the season. Goalkeeper Zach Kalthoff, who let only five shots past him out of 33, is perhaps the T-Birds' biggest weapon, and along with Crescenzi will certainly challenge for a first-team all-star bid in goal.

Calgary and UBC will face off at 2:15 pm on Saturday at Foote Field in Edmonton, with the winner moving on to the 2:15 gold medal game on Sunday, to be played against the victor of the Alberta-Saskatchewan semi-final.

-UC-