CALGARY – As the conference prepares for a full-slate of action after a bye week, the University of Calgary Dinos find themselves in a crosstown match-up with their rivals, the Mount Royal University Cougars. It will be a home-and-home series, with the first game taking place at Father David Bauer Arena on Friday before shifting to Flames Community Arenas on Saturday.

Prior to the bye week, the Dinos found success against the third-ranked team in the nation, the Saskatchewan Huskies. After earning a point in a hard-fought 2-1 shootout loss, the Dinos bounced back with a big 4-2 win against a team that had previously been undefeated in regulation. 

"We have been trying to keep our practices high tempo and do some game situational drills," explained fifth-year forward Chris Collins on his team's preparations for this week. Collins has once again been having an excellent season with nine points (2g, 7a) in eight games played. "A big thing for us this season is to be consistent, no matter who we are playing against."

Consistency will be a key for the Dinos in their next four series before the Christmas break as they face off against the teams ranked fifth to eighth in the standings. This is after a very tough start to the season, where they faced the Canada West champion Alberta Golden Bears and runners up Saskatchewan in back-to-back weekends.

In the season's first hockey installment of the Crowchild Classic, the Dinos are prepared for a familiar foe. 

"Against MRU it has always been about who can transition the puck better and get the puck to the net. We will be focused on keeping puck possession, shooting the puck from everywhere and following up on rebounds," says Collins.

Next weekend, the Dinos will host the University of Regina Cougars on Nov. 17-18 while the Mount Royal Cougars will travel west to play the UBC Thunderbirds.

DETAILS: 

• Date: Friday & Saturday, Nov. 10-11
• Start time: 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday
• Venue: Friday, Father David Bauer Arena; Saturday, Flames Community Arenas

HEADLINES:

• This weekend series between the Dinos and Cougars is a prelude to the Crowchild Classic game that will be played in the Scotiabank Saddledome on January 25th.
• Last season, the teams split their four games played with both teams winning and losing twice.
• The Dinos and Cougars have been a tight-fought rivalry over the last five years, with the Dinos owning a slight 8-7-1 edge over a five-year span.

No. 9 CALGARY DINOS (4-1-2-1)
Before Bye Week: Saskatchewan Huskies - Friday 2-1 SOL; Saturday 4-2 W
Next week: vs. Regina Cougars 

• Despite earning three of four points against the Huskies, the Dinos dropped a spot in the U SPORTS national rankings, from eighth to ninth.
• The Dinos enter the weekend scoring an average of 3.8 goals per game, good for third in the conference and ninth in the nation.
• The defence has been contributing offensively in a big way, with Drydn Dow and Dylan Busenius tallying seven and eight points respectively. 

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (3-4-0-1)
Before Bye Week: Manitoba Bisons - Friday 4-1 L; Saturday 3-2 L
Next week: @ UBC Thunderbirds

• After starting the season on a three game losing streak, the Cougars bounced back with three straight wins, before suffering a sweep in their last weekend series.
• The Cougars are entering a tough stretch over these next few weeks, as they face the top four teams in the standings - Calgary, then UBC, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.