CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos will travel to Saskatchewan to play the University of Saskatchewan Huskies this upcoming weekend, Nov. 1-2. Action will begin at 7 p.m. both nights in Saskatoon.
This past weekend the Dinos earned a split…again. The Dinos hosted the University of Manitoba Bisons, ranked No. 4 going into the weekend. The Bisons showed the poise of a winning team on Friday night, netting all three of their goals before the end of the opening stanza.
In Friday's 3-1 loss Calgary looked confounded and just couldn't find a way to beat the Bisons' goaltending despite outshooting Manitoba 24-16. Saturday's game, however, saw a completely different Dinos team. The Dinos showed the form of the two-time national finalists, evident in the final 3-0 score. Amanda Tapp registered her 11th career CIS shutout, while Janelle Parent was again a big contributor on the weekend, scoring Calgary's lone goal on Friday night and then netting two of the three goals on Saturday. Heather Berzins claimed an assist in both games.
"We played five periods of hockey this weekend and on Friday we weren't ready for puck drop," explained Dinos head coach Kelly Bechard. "We came out flat. Our game on Saturday was one of our best so far. Saturday's win made the girls realize what we have to do to be successful and consistent."
The Dinos will need to maintain that consistent play as they face one of their toughest challenges of the season this weekend in Saskatoon. The Huskies hold a record of 5-2-1 and sit in second place in Canada West. Last year, the teams split their four games right down the middle.
Saskatchewan will look to veteran forward Cami Wooster and rookie Kaitlin Willoughby, both lead the team in points. Currently both women are in the top ten for point leaders with Willoughby being the only rookie in the division to hold a spot. Wooster was among the top 10 scorers last season, registering eight goals and 19 assists. The Huskies are supported on the back end by second year goaltender Cassidy Hendricks who as a rookie last season claimed a spot in the top 10 goaltenders with a .920 save percentage. Hendricks currently has a .927 save percentage in the five games she has played.
"Playing in Saskatchewan is also a little different because we are use to playing on Olympic0sized ice and they have a smaller facility," said Bechard. "We have been working on adjustments in our game going into this weekend. Everything has to go to the net with playing on a smaller ice surface, everywhere in the offensive zone is an opportunity."
Next weekend the Dinos enjoy a bye week before returing Nov 15-16 when they will play a home-and-home set against their crosstown rivals the Mount Royal University Cougars. This will be the first game the two teams will play in the Crowchild Classic.
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