CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men's hockey team will play a home-and-home set against the Mount Royal University Cougars in the Crowchild Classic this upcoming weekend.

Mount Royal will host the first matchup, which will begin Friday at 7 p.m. Action will resume Saturday night as the Dinos welcome the Cougars to Father David Bauer Arena. Puck drop will be at 6 p.m., following a pregame ceremony recognizing the newest members of the Dinos Hall of Fame.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. Rivalry Renewed – The Crowchild Classic always seems to result in entertaining matchups. Over their past eight matchups, Calgary and Mount Royal have scored a combined 55 goals against one another. Calgary holds the all-time record of 52-26-3 over the Cougars, including a 20-13 mark in conference play. However, the Cougars are 6-4 in the most recent 10-game span.

2. Tale of Two Teams – Both Calgary and Mount Royal head into the weekend with a 2-2 record. The Dinos earned wins over both their opponents this year, UBC and Saskatchewan, while the Cougars' two wins came on the road against Trinity Western last weekend.

3. Forward Momentum – Cougars forwards Nolan Yaremko and Riley Sawchuk will be players to watch throughout this matchup. Yaremko, who led all U SPORTS skaters a season ago with 39 points, already has eight points through five games, including three goals. Sawchuk, who is now a second-year skater, tallied 38 points of his own last season and has six points in the 2022 season, thus far. 

4. Standout Setup Man – Dinos second-year forward Riley Stotts has showcased prolific playmaking skills throughout the first four games of the season. Stotts has four assists to his name and has assisted in all but one of the Dinos games this season. In addition, Stotts has thrown nine shots on net.

5. Power Play Prowess – As mentioned before, the Cougars and Dinos are two very evenly matched teams that know each other's tendencies very well. The crosstown rivalry often results in high-energy play. One area that could tip the scales is power play opportunities. Through the first four games, MRU has netted four power play goals on 20 opportunities, while Calgary has given up four power play goals on 19 opportunities.

-UC-