CALGARY – Coming off their first trip to the University Cup since 2000, the University of Calgary Dinos enter the 2011-12 season with expectations set high at Father David Bauer Arena.

The 2010-11 season saw Calgary finish second in Canada West with a record of 17-8-3, their best finish since 1997. Last year's campaign also saw two members of the Dinos take home national honors as head coach Mark Howell was named coach of the year, while Dustin Butler took the title as CIS goaltender of the year. With a solid returning core and an impressive group of additions, the Dinos look to take the next step and compete for a championship.

Calgary was ranked No. 2 in the pre-season Canada West coaches' poll, behind perennial favourites Alberta and just ahead of the Manitoba Bisons, their first opponent of the 2011-12 season.

One of the early tasks for the Dinos this season will be to fill the void left by Torrie Wheat and Aaron Richards. Over his five-year CIS career, Wheat was an offensive force, posting 104 points in 118 games. Richards, who missed the first half of the season last year with a medical issue was able to net 12 points despite only dressing in 13 games. Other departures to the Calgary line-up include Matt Isbister, Jevon Desautels, and Nathan Deobald.

While those losses are significant, Howell was able to make several key additions to the team over the off-season. Leading the list of recruits for the Dinos is a familiar name to Calgary hockey fans in former Calgary Hitmen co-captain Tyler Fiddler. In the 2009-10 season, Fiddler scored a career-high 30 goals and helped the Hitmen win the Western Hockey League's Ed Chynoweth Cup championship. Other recruits joining Fiddler on the Dinos this season are Dylan Hood, Jacob DeSerres, Taylor Stefishen, Max Ross, Spencer Copp, and David Robinson.

The Dinos also announced a pair of late roster additions this week that should significantly solidify their chances in 2011-12. Teigan Zahn, who spent last season with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, is a two-time NHL draft choice. He was taken in the fifth round, 132nd overall in 2008 by the Chicago Blackhawks and, after failing to sign, reentered the draft in 2010. There he was selected in the 7th round, 186th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A steady defenceman, Zahn recorded 23 points in 72 games with the Blades last year while racking up an impressive +39 rating on the season. He attended the Los Angeles Kings' training camp in September and enrolled at the University of Calgary immediately following his release.

Randy McNaught brings a six-foot-five, 220-pound frame to the right wing for the Dinos. A 2010 seventh-round pick by the New York Rangers (190th overall), McNaught appeared in eight games with the WHL's Vancover Giants last season after previous stops in Saskatoon and Chilliwack. A season-ending ankle injury kept him out of the line-up for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.

The Dinos' forwards this season consist of a mix of skilled and gritty players. Calgary will look for big seasons from some of their more experienced players after losing some scoring threats. Brock Nixon enters his fourth season with the Dinos after finishing second last year in team scoring. Nixon will now play a huge role in mentoring the new Calgary recruits, which include five freshman forwards. Reid Jorgensen, the team's leading scorer with 33 points in 28 games last year, has committed to return for a fifth and final season and will once again bring his offensive firepower to bear for the Dinos.

On the blue line, Calgary has reliable defenders it can feel very comfortable with entering this season. Five of the seven defencemen on the roster have at least two years of experience in CIS and will add a veteran presence to the squad.

Between the pipes, Calgary has some of the best goaltending in the nation. Butler, the reigning CIS top goalie, was pushed by Lazaruk last season and Memorial Cup champions DeSerres looks to be in the mix as well. In 28 regular season games last year, Calgary goaltending held a goals-against average of 2.39.

The Dinos begin their 2011-12 campaign by hosting the Manitoba Bisons this weekend. Last year, the Dinos went 3-0-1 against the 'Herd, including a perfect 2-0-0 record at home against them. Manitoba enters this season after finishing in fourth last year in the Canada West.

Puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights at Father David Bauer Arena.

-UC-