CALGARY – For the second year in a row, it's a first round playoff match-up between the University of Calgary Dinos and the University of Manitoba Bisons at McMahon Stadium.

Kickoff of the Canada West semifinal is set for noon Saturday, live on TELUS Optik channel 997 and CanadaWest.tv, presented by Co-op. The winner will advance to the 83rd Hardy Cup against the winner of Saturday's second semifinal which sees Alberta (4-4) face Saskatchewan (5-3) in Saskatoon.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

Calgary clinched first place thanks to their 36-17 win over UBC last Saturday and enters the postseason as the top seed in the conference for the eighth time in nine years.

The two teams met just two weeks ago in Winnipeg, with the Bisons picking up a big 43-29 win over the Dinos to secure their spot in the playoffs. It was one of two setbacks on the season for the Dinos, who finished 2-2 on the road while racking up a perfect 4-0 record at McMahon, where they are now 44-4 in the regular season over the past dozen years.

In the same game a year ago, the Dinos prevailed 37-13 while holding the Bisons to a single touchdown.

HEADLINES

• The Dinos and Bisons split their season series, with each picking up a 14-point home victory: 24-10 for the Dinos Sept. 6 at McMahon, and 43-29 for the Bisons Oct. 19 at IG Field
• A Calgary win would vault them into the Hardy Cup for a record 12th consecutive season, and bring that game to McMahon for the 10th year in a row
• Saturday marks the eighth postseason meeting all-time between the teams, with the Dinos holding a slim 4-3 advantage in those previous seven contests. Six of those meetings have come since the turn of the millennium, and the Dinos are 4-1 at McMahon with the lone loss coming in the 2014 Hardy Cup
• The Hardy Cup champion will host Ontario's Yates Cup champion in the U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl Nov. 16.

No. 8 CALGARY DINOS (6-2)
Last week: defeated UBC 36-17

• The Dinos picked up six Canada West all-star selections from the conference's coaches Thursday. On offence, receiver Jalen Philpot was a unanimous selection and is joined by linemen Peter Nicastro and Logan Bandy. Defensively, cornerback Deane Leonard was also a unanimous choice, while linebacker Grant McDonald and nose tackle J-Min Pelley also earned nods.
• Despite a rash of injuries at key positions in all three phases of the game, the Dinos still managed to come out on top of the conference with a 6-2 record. Calgary was the top passing team in the league with more than 320 yards per game, and finished second with their 30.8 points-per-game average. Defensively, the Dinos led the conference in takeaways with 11 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries – both tops in CW. Their three defensive touchdowns, two of which came from all-star Deane Leonard, also led the conference.
• Adam Sinagra's lowest and highest passing totals of the season both came against the Bisons. Sept. 6, his 207-yard passing performance was all the Dinos needed in a 24-10 win, while he tossed for a season-high 361 in Calgary's 43-29 loss at Manitoba.
• Despite playing just three and a half games on the season, Hunter Karl finished third in receiving yards-per-game with 77.5. Since his return in Week 6, Karl has picked up 266 receiving yards on 18 catches.

MANITOBA BISONS (4-4)
Last week: lost to Regina 47-14

• Manitoba picked up eight all-star selections Thursday, recognizing six players. Matt Riley was honoured as both the punter (tie) and placekicker, while running back Michael Ritchott took home all-star honours at his offensive position as well as on kick return. Receiver Macho Bockru, cornerback Arjay Shelley, halfback Shae Weekes, and defensive end Derek Dufault round out the Bisons' all-stars.
• It was an up-and-down season for the Bisons, highlighted by big home wins over Saskatchewan and Calgary. But those were mitigated by a 0-4 record away from IG Field, including a disappointing 47-14 setback at Regina to wrap up the season last week.
• Bisons QB Des Catellier finished fourth in CW with 217.0 passing yards per game. 
• All-star defensive end Derek Dufault led Canada West with seven sacks on the year.

-UC-