CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men's hockey team will have the opportunity to defend their Canada West title.
 
Forward Colson Gengenbach scored just 3:42 into overtime to secure a 4-3 victory for Calgary and sweep the Mount Royal Cougars in their best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.
 
Trailing by two with seven minutes remaining, the Cougars clawed their way back and tied it with 26 seconds left before the Dinos regrouped and Gengenbach ended the game with an elusive shot.
 
"Riley Stotts made a good pass to me, I looked to the point and I saw their forward cheating that way. I just turned and shot it. I didn't really aim and it went in," explained the conference first team all-star. "Obviously we gave them two goals we didn't want to there, but we are a good team. We regrouped and got back to what we needed to do to win the game."
 
In a high-flying first period, Mount Royal got the lone goal immediately following a Calgary penalty. With the Dinos trapped in their zone, Zafir Rawji drove to the net where he picked up a rebound and beat Carl Tetachuk from a sharp angle. The goal, halfway through the period, was Rawji's first of the year.
 
The second period turned into a goaltending showdown, beginning with Riley Sims in the Mount Royal net fending off some early Calgary pressure.
 
Tetachuck was not to be outdone though with a miraculous save on the biggest penalty kill of the season.
 
With two Dinos in the box for three minutes, Tetachuck stretched across his crease to rob Connor Bouchard by flashing his glove.
 
With one penalty about to expire, Jadon Joseph made an incredible play to strip a Cougar of the puck and spring Dylan Anderson as he left the penalty box. In alone, the first-year defenceman deked out Sims and lifted the puck on his backhand to tie the game with just over three minutes left in the middle frame.
 
It was Calgary's first shorthanded goal of the season.
 
The Dinos used that momentum to seize a two-goal lead in the third period – both on two-on-ones – with tallies by Joseph and Gengenbach.
 
Mount Royal's comeback began with a save by Sims, then, Spencer Moe dished the puck up to Robbie Fromm-Delorme who scored with a backhand shot.
 
After the Dinos nearly sealed it on an empty net in the final minute, the Cougars rushed up the ice and tied the game on a setup from Bouchard to Blake Stevenson.

Jake Gricius had the first chance to end it moments into the extra session on a rush up the middle, but the home team wouldn't have to wait much longer for Gengenbach to send Father David Bauer Arena into a frenzy under four minutes into overtime.
 
With the win, the Dinos have also secured a berth at the 2024 U SPORTS University Cup in Toronto.
 
Stay tuned to GoDinos.com for schedule information for the 2024 Canada West Final where the Dinos will face either the UBC Thunderbirds or Alberta Golden Bears.

-UC-