CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos have had a rollercoaster season, but have once again qualified for the Canada West Final Six for the second consecutive year.
With a 6-6-2 record, the Dinos finished in third in the Prairie Division, taking the final spot in the playoffs. Saskatchewan earned first with 26 points, and Alberta followed closely behind with 23 for second place. In the Pacific Division, the UBC Thunderbirds finished the season with a 12-1 record, earning themselves the right to host the Canada West Final Six. Victoria finished second and Fraser Valley took the final spot.
With these final standings determined, the Dinos are set to play the Victoria Vikes in the quarterfinal on Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. MT, as both first place teams get a bye into the semis.
The last time Calgary and Victoria met was Oct. 19 when the Vikes handily defeated the visiting Dinos 4-1. In the game, the Dinos scored just 15 minutes in with a goal from fourth-year John Troncoso, but would let the lead fade away as the Vikes scored three unanswered goals from then on out to win it. Cam Hundal scored a hat trick with two goals in the first half, and another with six minutes left in the game.
Izak Lawrence will finish his career as a Dino this season, and will finish at the team-high scorer. This season he scored seven gaols and added two assists for 16 points and it would only be fitting to win the championship before moving on. Kieran Lane-Oppenheim had seven points for the Dinos in 14 games including one goal and five assists and both Jaron Broom and Troncoso scored three goals each for Calgary. Starting goalkeeper Jordan Unreiner recorded two shut outs this season and finished with a 1.27 goals against average, with 46 saves in 11 games.
Should the Dinos defeat the Vikes, they will advance to the Canada West semi-finals the following day where the winner is set to play Saskatchewan. The last time the Dinos played the Huskies, each team won in a 1-0 game on a doubleheader weekend in Saskatoon.
The entire conference tournament will be broadcast live on CanadaWest.tv.
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