CALGARY – The Dinos will be looking to extend a new win streak as they come off a two-game road sweep of the Regina Cougars last weekend where they clinched a postseason berth.
Despite dropping a game to the UBC Thunderbirds at home on Jan. 5, the defending national champions still reign supreme in the Canada West conference, holding a 16-3-1 record, one of the top records in the nation. The Dinos hold a steady ranking at No. 2 through this week and look to sweep up the Manitoba Bisons. Game one will go at 7 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a 6 p.m. puck drop on Saturday.
The Cougars were no match for the Dinos in their games last weekend on the road. In the first of two games, Calgary triumphed over No. 10 Regina 5-1 in a game that included a hat-trick from third-year forward Jenna Smith, who sits just behind teammate Hayley Wickenheiser in the Canada West standings for scoring with 24 points. On Saturday, the Dinos added another W with a 6-1 take down of the Cougars. Wickenheiser scored the hat trick this time, with the help of Smith who ended up with a six-point weekend.
The Dinos boast five of the top ten scorers in the conference. Wickenheiser has played just 14 games, but still has the most points in with 29, 11 goals and 18 assists. Linemate Smith comes in second with 10 goals and 14 assists and defenceman Stephanie Ramsay sits tied for fourth scoring nine goals and adding 11 assists to her totals this season. Iya Gavrilova and captain Tanya Morgan also make the top ten at eighth and tenth, respectively.
Goaltender Amanda Tapp is a defensive standout for the defending champs. The veteran is No. 1 in save percentage at .939 and averages just 1.41 goals per game.
Manitoba is on a hot-streak of its own. The Bisons hold a 9-8-3 record, good for fifth place in the Canada West standings. Despite a rough end to 2012, where Manitoba dropped four of its last five games, they began the New Year on the right foot, sweeping the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Mount Royal Cougars with some decisive victories.
Manitoba forward Nellie Minshull has 17 points on the season with seven goals and ten assists to lead the Bisons. Goalie Dee-Ana Marion is in just her second year and has a save percentage of .909, allowing 1.95 goals a game.
The last time the Bisons and the Dinos faced off at the end of October, Calgary came out with two solid wins. The first, a 5-1 romping with two goals apiece from Wickenheiser and Ramsay, and the second a 4-1 win with import Iya Gavrilova scoring two for the Dinos.
The Dinos face a stiff test on Jan. 25 and 26, as they go at it in a Battle of Alberta with the Pandas. Alberta's women's hockey team currently sits just behind the Dinos in the Canada West standings, and comes into this week ranked at No. 7 in the country. With a 13-6-1 record, Calgary will have some tough competition ahead of them as the regular season heads down the home stretch.
The last time these two teams played back at the beginning of November, they split the weekend with Alberta taking the first game off the Dinos 4-2, and the Dinos getting revenge in a 1-0 stalemate the following night.
Calgary's next home games will be played against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Feb. 1-2.
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