SASKATOON – A battle at the top of the division was dampened a bit by the weather as the Calgary Dinos and Saskatachewan Huskies battled to a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon from a cool and rainy Griffiths Stadium.

Both teams entered the game coming off wins the day before and exit still sitting in second and third place in the Canada West Prairie Division. Calgary is second with a 6-2-3 record, while Saskatchewan is right behind in third at 6-3-1.

The Dinos hit the ground running, having the first scoring opportunity of the game five minutes in after a Saskatchewan foul. Sofia DiGiacomo sailed the ball straight into the hands of Huskies goalkeeper Kalin Roberts, who had a little slip up with the ball due to the wet conditions, but kept it in hand.

Saskatchewan's Cheyenne Lehmann cut through the middle, showing some impressive footwork in the 20th minute, driving hard and fast to the Dinos net. She was stopped by Calgary goalkeeper Anna Demarbre, but it was a close save. 

Tensions ran high in the 29th minute, after a corner kick from Lehmann sailed the ball into a crowded Calgary net with Demarbre locking up the ball and keeping it out of the danger zone. A little tussle after the save would see Saskatchewan's Marie Kilcher draw the yellow card. 

Two incredible shots from the Huskies came in the 41st minute, when a corner kick from Lehmann was drilled into the net by Marie Kilcher, who was stopped short by Demarbre. She couldn't hold on to it and Alyssa D'Agnone fired in the rebound, only to be blocked by a Calgary defender. Teams would head into the halftime break scoreless. 

The second half was physical, with the teams playing aggressive from the outset. Three fouls and a Calgary yellow card would hit the stat sheet in the first five minutes of the half. A rough collision between Saskatchewan's Kalin Roberts and Calgary's Isabella DiPalma just inside the Saskatchewan box would see both athletes walk off the field with training staff. Nadia Kalyar would replace Roberts in net for the Huskies. 

The 67th minute saw Caitlin Stove drill in a shot on Calgary's net that hit the crossbar and sailed over. Amou Madol ran it in less than a minute later with a shot of her own that also went wide. Calgary's Sofia DiGiacomo drove quick to the net in the 74th minute but couldn't get past Kalyar. Grace Moore had two shots on goal shortly after but couldn't capitalize and the score would be 0-0 after regulation time. 

Nine minutes of extra time was added to the clock to accommodate for the earlier injuries and it was a flurry of activity on the field as Calgary and Saskatchewan played aggressive ball, taking every opportunity to net the game winner.  Neither team would be able to score, ending the afternoon at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park with a draw.

The two teams finished the day almost identical in the stat column, as well, as the teams were tied in shots (eight), shots on goal (four), saves (four), and corner kicks (three).

Next up for the Saskatchewan Huskies is a home and away series against the Regina Cougars in a U Prairie Challenge, presented by SaskMilk, match-up. Friday night the team heads down south for their game against Regina at 7:00 PM, and Saturday will see the Cougars head to Saskatoon for a 7:00 PM matchup at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.

Meanwhile, the Dinos finally return home after four straight on the road, hosting Lethbridge from Dinosaur Field on Saturday at noon.

-UC-