LETHBRIDGE  – Propelled by three first half tries, the University of Calgary Dinos completed a perfect season and claimed their first Canada West title with a 29-14 victory over the defending Canada West Champions Victoria Vikes.
 
Both teams had already qualified for the national championships hosted in Victoria, with the Vikes serving as the hosts and the Dinos as the conference winners. This will be the Dinos' first appearance on the national stage since the program's inception in 2009.
 
The Dinos went a perfect 4-0 during conference play and beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 50-12 in Friday's semifinal to get to the Championship game.
 
"Winning this championship kind of feels like we're getting the monkey off our back," said Dinos head coach Simon Chi. "It's one of those things where the stars aligned and the preparation and the effort hasn't changed. Things have been going our way this year and it's the credit to the work of a lot of people."
 
A tentative start from both teams, with mistakes stopping early momentum by both teams, but the top seeded Dinos would be the first to strike, Vanessa Graham would put the Dinos on the board and with Elysa Sandron's convert the Dinos held an early 7-0 lead, 10 minutes into the contest.
 
Vikes looked to answer, methodically moving the call down the field and getting into the end zone but the unrelenting Dino defense held the ball up. Off the ensuing sequence, the Dinos were able to steal the ball off a ruck and kick the ball down field to relive the Vikes pressure.
 
Four-time Canada West All-Star Emily Tuttosi picked up the Dinos' second try of the half before Sandron scored a try of her own in the 36^th minute to give the Dinos a 17-0 half time lead.
 
Out of the break, the Vikes had some good early pressure but miscues by the Vikes stalled any momentum the Vikes would build. The Dinos dominance in the scrums and rucks also pushed the Vikes back.
 
Eight minutes into the second half, the Vikes pressure was finally rewarded. Madeline Graham broke three tackles and sprinted to touch the ball directly under the uprights and Jessica Nielson hit the convert to cut the Dinos lead to 17-7.
 
The Dinos would answer right back with dual-sport athlete Temitope Ogunjimi intercepting a pass, stiff arming the first defender and racing away from the back to score her first try and extended the Dino lead to 22-7. Ogunjimi was a dominant force in Friday's semifinal scoring five first half tries versus the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
 
Again the Vikes were not going to relinquish their crown without a fight, pushing the Dinos deep into their own end, but the Dinos defense held strong, holding the ball up in the end zone for a second time, forcing a five metre scrum.
 
Off the scrum, the Vikes were able to punch the ball in with Dakota Weir touching the ball down for the try and Nielson hit the convert to cut the Dino lead to eight points (22-14).
 
It was now Calgary's turn to respond and they would do just that. The Dinos grinded the ball down the field and 2016 Canada West MVP DeLeaka Menin pushed the ball over to extend the Dinos lead to 29-14 with Sandron's convert with eight minutes to play.
 
The Dinos were able to hold off the Vikes for the remaining eight minutes to capture their first Canada West title in program history.
 
"It was just a matter of executing our game plan today," said Chi. "We knew this was going to be a tough game. We played them on their home turf at the beginning of the season and that was one hell of a game. It was another great game to watch as a fan, but my heart was racing through a lot of this match. The girls stepped up and they wanted this game, they were hungry for it. I'm really proud of them, but it was a great game from Victoria too, so my hat goes off to them as well."
 
The national championship begins on Nov. 4 and runs until Nov. 6 in Victoria, B.C.