CALGARY – Having clinched first place in the Canada West conference last weekend in a Battle of Alberta, the Dinos look to close out their regular season with some wins at home as they host the last three of four games at Father David Bauer Arena.
Just four games remain in the season for the reigning national champs, who now hold a 20-3-1 record, one of the best in the country. The Dinos hold a steady No. 2 ranking through this week and will take on the Saskatchewan Huskies (9-11-4) this weekend.
Puck drop will go at 7 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a 6 p.m. start on Saturday.
Last weekend, Calgary extended their win streak to six games with some big wins over the Alberta Pandas, who currently sit in third place in the conference. A 4-3 defeat of the Pandas was followed by another 2-1 win on Alberta's home ice last weekend in Edmonton.
Four Dinos sit in the top ten in scoring in Canada West, including
Hayley Wickenheiser who takes top spot with 35 points on 14 goals and 21 assists. Teammate
Jenna Smith follows right behind her in second place with 12 goals and 16 assists, good for 28 points.
Iya Gavrilova claims seventh spot with 22 points and defenseman
Stephanie Ramsay follows suit with 21 points, good for tenth.
Goaltender
Amanda Tapp has also been a strength the Dinos have relied on all season, as her presence in the net is undeniable. She still holds the top spot in the league goals against average at 1.50.
Saskatchewan on the other hand has a little bit of work to do. Currently in the last playoff spot, the Huskies are fighting to hold on to it. They have split the last three series in a row and come off an emotional 4-3 OT win over the provincial rival Regina Cougars.
The Huskies boast twins Cara and Cami Wooster. Cara is just one point behind Calgary's Smith in the scoring race with 27 points on 12 goals and 15 assists. Her sister, Cami, also has 15 assists on the season and they both play integral parts in Saskatchewan's offence. Fifth-year forward Danny Stone rounds out the Huskies' offence with an impressive 11 goals and 11 assists on the season.
Saskatchewan and Calgary previously played back in November in Saskatoon. The Huskies were able to hand the Dinos one of their three loses of the season that trip. Calgary went on to win the second game 4-3 with an overtime goal from
Stephanie Ramsay, assisted by
Melissa Zubick.
Calgary's final two games of the season are a little unique. In what was meant to be a home-and-home series with Crowchild Classic partners Mount Royal, the first of the two-game set will be played at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, February 7. Dubbed as a chance to see some CIS hockey played with the 'Flames Experience', the Cougars will take on the Dinos at 5 p.m.
The following night, the Dinos will host the 7-14-3 Cougars at Father David Bauer Arena in their last game of the regular season on Enterprise Rent-A-Car Senior Night at 7 p.m.
The last time these two cross-town rivals faced each other the Dinos came out on top twice, winning games 3-1 and 1-0.