CALGARY - To be the best, you've got to beat the best. It's an adage that the University of Calgary Dinos have certainly paid homage to with their 2010-11 preseason schedule.

Under the leadership of head coach Mark Howell, the Dinos made significant strides in 2009-10, returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence with a record of 13-9-6. While Calgary bowed out of the postseason in the first round, the Dinos return virtually every key playmaker from last year's team and have added solid depth with their recruiting class.

From Wednesday, Sept. 15 to Sunday, Sept. 19, Calgary will engage in three home tilts against two of the premier hockey programs in the country, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds and the University of Alberta Golden Bears. And upon completion, Calgary will have a better idea of its spot in the CIS pecking order.

The Varsity Reds had a regular season to remember but a postseason to forget in 2009-10. Going 21-1-0 through their AUS schedule, the V-Reds outscored their opposition by an absurd 143-56 margin, had the leading scorer in the nation in Hunter Tremblay, and held the No.1 ranking in the national Top 10 for 15 of 16 weeks.

The wheels fell off abruptly as the StFX X-Men swept UNB in the first AUS semi-final, stringing together three consecutive 3-2 victories. The eventual winner of the AUS championship, the Saint Mary's Huskies, went on to capture the University Cup in thrilling fashion, winning in overtime of the championship match.

Their opponent in that championship final? The Golden Bears of Alberta, who ran roughshod through Canada West with a record of 23-4-1 and were personally responsible for Calgary's postseason demise, beating the Dinos in the conference semi-final.

Both teams will be a significant test for a Calgary team that boasts a competitive squad of their own, with a dynamic group of forwards in particular that are consistent threats to score.

Forward Reid Jorgensen led the Dinos in 2009-10, accumulating seven goals and 23 assists to rank sixth in Canada West with 30 points. Jorgensen was not only honoured as a second-team conference All-Star for his contributions, but as the recipient of the UBC Hockey Alumni award for Sportsmanship and Ability.

Torrie Wheat, Teegan Moore, and Brock Nixon combined for 64 points in 2009-10 and are all game-breakers themselves. All three will aim to get back on track early in their pre-season battles.  

Goaltender Dustin Butler enters his third year between the pipes for Calgary and will be pushed by rookie Kris Lazaruk.

Along with CIS player of the year Tremblay, who returns for his fourth year with the Varsity Reds after a 57-point outburst last season, UNB boasts a fantastic defensive unit with second-team All-Canadian Luke Gallant and a CIS all-rookie teamer Ben Shutron highlighting the blue-line.

Alberta will benefit from one more year of service from Canada West player of the year Chad Klassen, who led the conference with 46 points last season. His partner at the top of the points list, Derek Ryan, returns for his fourth year with the Bears after a 39-point year in 09-10.

Howell is confident his team will be better off with the tougher schedule.

“We wanted to play games against teams of elite calibre,” the second-year coach explained. “Both UNB and Alberta will probably come into the year ranked 1-2 in some order, and this will be a great way to see where the bar is set in terms of competition.”

“We had success last year, and we need to build off of that right away.”

UNB comes to Father David Bauer on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 18 with each game facing off at 7 p.m., while Alberta will travel down Sunday evening for a rare 6 p.m. tilt.

-UC-