CALGARY - With 2011 upon them, the seventh-ranked University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey squad will look to continue on the success of 2010 as they open the new year with a home-and-home series against the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The Dinos enter the weekend with a 9-4-0 record so far this season, including one 2010 game still to be concluded. That game is the completion of the Nov. 12 match against Manitoba, the shootout for which has to be replayed due to an officiating error.

The Dinos sit with 18 points, one back of the first-place tie between Alberta and Manitoba and just one ahead of Saskatchewan. Calgary ended the 2010 portion of their season with a pair of convincing victories against the Regina Cougars with 7-0 and 7-3 finishes.

The Pronghorns currently occupy the sixth spot in Canada West with a 4-8-2 record after struggling through the first half of the season. Their successes include a weekend sweep of the UBC Thunderbirds as well as overtime wins over the Regina Cougars and Saskatchewan Huskies. All four of those wins, as well as one of their points for an overtime loss, came in November helping to counteract a winless October that saw them drop eight straight games.

The last time these teams met was in mid October when the Dinos rode a three-point performance from Hayley Wickenheiser to win the opener at the Olympic Oval 5-0. The second game was far more even with Lethbridge goaltender Shauntelle Williams turning away 48 shots in a game that had to be decided in a seven-round shootout.

Not surprisingly, the Dinos offense has been led by Wickenheiser who enters 2011 with the second most total points in CIS and the most points per game: 26 points, 12 goals and 14 assists, all in just 10 games.

Also leading the charge out of 2010 for the Dinos is third-year striker Elana Lovell, who has notched 14 points in 14 games with six goals and eight assists.

Lethbridge was led out of 2010 by fourth year forward Shelby Ballandine who has scored eight goals and accounted for six assists in the opening 14 games of the regular season. Following her are second year Manitoba native Jenna-Marie Durnin and third year Saskatoon native Brittany Kaye with nine points each. Kaye's statistics are particularly impressive given that she scored her three goals and six assists in only seven games with the Pronghorns.

Calgary heads to Vancouver to take on UBC for a two-game set next week before returning home for a pivotal home-and-home series against the Alberta Pandas Jan. 21-22.

-UC-