Women’s Hockey: Weekend Update

By Еvan Osentоn

Let’s say your friend was mauled by a Panda. Weeks later, as their bandaged body staggered across the hospital room with an IV in tow, you’d applaud their rehabilitation efforts rather than insult them, right?

Such is the case with the University of Calgary women’s hockey team. On the Jan. 12-13 weekend, they were mauled 7-0 and 11-0 by the University of Alberta. Last weekend, they made amends for these defeats… by losing to the University of Manitoba. But, c’mon–they only lost 3-2 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday. This is a definite improvement. Go Dinos!

Friday’s game was, by several accounts, the best the 1-12-1 squad has played all year. Kerry Caffrey’s second-period goal (on a penalty shot–exciting!) knotted the score at two. It’s been a long time since this team was tied in the late stages of a game. The 3-2 defeat was only the result of shot-differential–a problem that has plagued the team all year–as the Dinos were outgunned 35-10.

Saturday’s game appeared to catch the Dinos off-guard. The Bisons skated circles around an obviously tired home-side en route to the lop-sided victory. The good news is the veteran trio of Nancy Scholz and sisters Jodie and Stacey Sorensen kept up their fine play, each of them notching two points over the weekend.

The Dinos’ regular season is over, but as the throngs who lined up outside the campus ticket office this morning at 5:00 a.m. know, Nationals are only a few weeks away (Feb. 22-25). Calgary hosts this year’s tournament, and if the Dinos continue to improve as they have in recent weeks, they may yet prove they belong at Nationals.