CALGARY – For the first time in over a decade, the Calgary Dinos start the regular season with two consecutive home games as they get set to host Manitoba for a Friday evening contest inside McMahon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

HEADLINES

• Calgary and Manitoba both are looking for their first win of the season this weekend. The Dinos nearly pulled off the memorable comeback before falling in overtime to defending Hardy Cup champion Regina in their opener, while the Stan Pierre era opened with a road loss at UBC for the Bisons.
• Friday's game is the first of two meetings between the Dinos and Bisons this season, with Calgary making the return trip to Winnipeg in Week 7.
• The two teams played just once a season ago. Calgary led 17-8 at the end of the third, but a pair of runs from Jackson Tachinski helped the Bisons escape McMahon with a 22-17 win.
• While Calgary has opened its conference season on campus each of the past five years, it has been over a decade since they've played back-to-back home games to start a season. In 2012, the Dinos opened with a 37-21 win over Regina before handing Alberta a 65-6 loss on their way to a 7-1 regular season and a Hardy Cup win.

Calgary Dinos (0-1)
Next week: at Alberta

• Last week's contest was just the fourth overtime game in the last 21 years for the Dinos and just the ninth recorded game that needed more than four quarters to decide a winner in program history. The Dinos went to double overtime at Saskatchewan in Week 3 last season. Prior to that, the most recent OT game dates back to Week 8 of the 2016 season - a 41-35 win at UBC.
• It was a strong start to the season for Dinos receiver Matt Sibley. The fourth-year local product hauled in a team-high eight catches for a career-best 132 yards and two touchdowns. Not only did Sibley reel in two TDs, but his two-point conversion helped Calgary tie things up with just six seconds left to force overtime.
• Vince Triumbari was named the Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week after Week 1. The fifth-year kicker was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals in the opener, connecting from 21 and 34 yards. He also added three extra points, but saved his best for last with the thunderous kick off that went for a rouge to knot the score at 36-36 with six seconds left and force OT. In all, Triumbari tallied 10 points in last week's contest.
• After two straight at home, the Dinos will now hit the road for two in a row, starting at Alberta next Friday (Sept. 12) night at 6:30 p.m. from Foote Field.

Manitoba Bisons (0-1)
Next week: vs. Saskatchewan

• The Stan Pierre era opened with a 21-9 loss at UBC last weekend for the Bisons. Pierre was named Mantioba's head coach after Brian Dobie, who led the program for 29 years, retired. Pierre has been with the Bisons for 27 seasons, primarily serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
• Last week's score isn't necessarily indicitive of how close the opener was for Manitoba. The Bisons got the ball in the red zone six times - five of which came in the second half - but UBC's defence forced two key turnovers in the low-scoring battle.
• A season ago, the Bisons started 5-0 and finished 7-1 in conference play before suffering a 28-25 loss to Regina in the postseason opener.
• Manitoba finally holds its home opener next weekend, hosting Saskatchewan on Saturday for the first of two in a row at Princess Auto Stadium.

-UC-