CALGARY – Facing a tough test, the University of Calgary Dinos folded against the University of Alberta Pandas, registering just eight shots in a 2-0 loss, Friday evening at the Father David Bauer Arena.
"We were not prepared to play this game" said Dinos bench boss
Danielle Goyette. "It's really disappointing as a coach. We can't come here and be passengers, we need everyone onboard. We had too many players who played average or below average tonight."
The Dinos had a golden opportunity to strike first on the power play, as they were gifted 82 seconds of 5-on-3 play, but failed to grab a shot on goal.
Calgary netminder Kelsey Roberts continued to show her worth, as she made 12 first period stops, including a beautiful cross-crease blocker save on Panda forward Autumn MacDougall.
Despite Alberta outshooting Calgary 12-1, the game remained deadlocked.
The second period proved to be a better one for the Dinos in the shot department, but it was missed opportunities that characterized the Dinos play. On two separate 2-on-1 rushes, Calgary opted for a tough pass rather than a shot on goal.
"When have six shots on the board, and you have a 2-on-1… you have to take that shot. We needed more shots on net" Goyette added.
These missed chances allowed the opening for Alberta. Off a neutral zone faceoff, MacDougall entered the attacking zone in style before dishing the puck to linemate Lisa Lloyd, who knuckled the puck past Roberts, opening the scoring.
Four minutes later, MacDougall added a goal of her own. On the tail end of a
Cheyann Newman penalty, a turnover led to Alex Poznikoff feeding MacDougall who out waited Roberts before beating her high, doubling the lead.
A late push back shift for the Dinos at the end of the second gave them an ample chance to cut into the lead, but the score stayed 2-0 after 40.
The third period did not offer many openings for the Dinos, as Alberta cruised to a 2-0 victory, holding the Dinos to their lowest shot total of the season. Roberts made 29 stops in the loss.
"Tomorrow, hopefully the players know what they did wrong, so they can do better tomorrow… because that was awful tonight" said Goyette.
Both teams will travel north to play at the Clare Drake Arena, tomorrow evening for a 6 p.m. puck drop. The game can be streamed at Canadawest.tv
