SASKATOON – The University of Calgary Dinos men's hockey team carried a two-goal lead into the back half of the third period in its Canada West opener Friday night, but the University of Saskatchewan Huskies scored three times in the final nine minutes to take a 4-3 decision at Merlis Belsher Place.
The game came on the night Saskatchewan raised its 2025-26 Canada West banner in front of 1,863 fans. The loss leaves the Dinos 0-1 to start the season.
Saskatchewan struck first less than a minute in. Raphael Pelletier picked off a pass inside the Calgary blue line, walked in and beat goaltender
Carl Tetachuk with a wrist shot that deflected in off a defender.
Calgary answered just over five minutes in when
Jake Poole scored, with assists from
Kurtis Smythe and
Hayden Pakkala, to tie the game 1-1. Tetachuk kept it level through the rest of the period, turning aside a Huskies 3-on-2 rush and a string of quality chances on a late Saskatchewan power play.
The Dinos had a chance to take the lead early in the second with more than a minute on a two-man advantage, but the Huskies' penalty kill held firm. Calgary instead took its first lead with just over six minutes left in the middle frame, when
Logan Hauer broke in alone and beat Huskies goaltender Nolan Maier high to make it 2-1.
The Dinos stretched the lead just past the midway point of the third while killing a penalty.
Stephen Kirkpatrick took a pass from
Carter Massier and scored shorthanded off the rush for a 3-1 advantage.
Saskatchewan's power play then turned the game. Barely a minute after Kirkpatrick's goal, Keaton Sorensen converted a back-door feed from Pelletier to cut the deficit to one. With just over four minutes left in regulation, the Huskies tied it on a 5-on-3 as Carter Stebbings finished a one-touch pass from Landon Kosior.
Kosior, a fourth-year defenceman, then found himself alone in the slot with just over a minute to play and beat a diving Tetachuk for the winner.
Tetachuk finished with 28 saves as Saskatchewan outshot Calgary 32-16, while Maier made 13 stops for the win. Calgary went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Huskies finished 2-for-6.
The Dinos will return to action Saturday, Oct. 10 when they face the Huskies again at Merlis Belsher Place, with puck drop set for 5 p.m. The game can be seen live on Canada West TV powered by BioSteel.
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