BOX SCORE CALGARY - The University of Calgary Dinos clinched the final playoff spot in Canada West with a 4-1 win over the Mount Royal University Cougars Thursday night at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome in the Crowchild Classic.

Getting the opportunity to play in the Saddledome is something very few teams get to experience. Nerves were heightened and so were the stakes for the Dinos as they were battling for a final playoff position that the Cougars could play spoiler to. The Dinos came out with the win though and guaranteed themselves a playoff position.

"It's nice, we never get this many people out on a regular game. It's loud and energetic, you always got a little more energy going out on the ice," said Janelle Parent on playing in the Saddledome.

Through the first 20 minutes of play neither team could find their scoring touch. While the majority of the first five minutes were played in the Dinos end, the Cougars applied pressure and generated a number of turnovers. Calgary's Amanda Tapp kept all 8 shots in front of her to keep the game scoreless.

Despite starting the second period with a power play Mount Royal couldn't get anything through to the front of the Dinos' net. It was the Dinos who struck first. Parent fed Calaine Inglis a pass on a partial breakaway where she beat Jessica Ross low blocker side.

Less than a minute later Kira Sonnenberg was taken out center ice while pursing the puck. There was no penalty on the play as Sonnenberg missed the rest of the game.

The hit on Sonnenberg appeared to be a momentum changer for the Cougars as they netted their first goal of the game five minutes into the second.
Kacy Smith beat a Dino along the boards and came around the top of the circle to put a slap shot through traffic and beat Tapp. Mount Royal's goal would tie the game at one-a-piece going into the third period.

It only took 36 seconds into the third period for the Dinos to pull ahead. Parent passed the puck out from behind the Cougars net only to step out and put in her own rebound just inside the post for her second point on the night.

The Dinos weren't done there. Midway through the third stanza on the power play, Parent gave a pass out from the corner to Stephanie Zvonkovic on the point who wired one through traffic and past Ross to increase the Dinos lead to two goals.

Mount Royal pulled their goalie with just over a minute left in play. Tapp made a sprawling glove save to hold the Cougars to one goal. Jenna Smith added an empty-netter to reaffirm a Dinos win. Parent had the assist on the empty net giving her four points on the night.

The Dinos now have a record of 11-14-2. Calgary will wait till the end of the weekend to see whom they will face in the first round of playoffs.

"Coming into tonight's game we knew how big this was, we knew that we needed to win this game," explained Parent. "We had a slow start and in order to get the win we knew we had to step up and really lay it all out on the line. It was a team effort tonight."

Both teams will face-off once more tomorrow night, Feb. 7 at the Flames Community Arena for a puck drop of 7 p.m. Saturday's game will be the final game of regular season action.

-UC-