By Еvan Osentоn
It could be that AC/DC frontman Angus Young was referring to the University of Calgary men’s hockey team when he sang, "[They’re] TNT, [they’re] dynamite, TNT, and [they’ll] win the fight, [they’re] TNT, [they’re] the power-load, TNT, just watch [them] explode." Doubt it? Consider the evidence.
The Dinos’ weekend series Nov. 2 and 3 against the University of Regina Cougars was indeed explosive, featuring two Dino victories, plenty of goals, massive hits, a near-brawl and most exciting, a fan getting smacked on the head with an errant Dino shot (ask her whether or not the Dinos are "the power-load"). Every aspect of the Dinos play was indeed incendiary–the goaltending was spectacular, the forecheck was tireless, the defence kept shooters to the perimeter and Calgary scored goals like a team bent with dementia. If this wasn’t a "dynamite" performance, then what is?
On Friday, Calgary went up 1-0 on a beautiful one-timer from Colin Embley and 2-1 after Tyler Murray stuffed in the rebound from a Ronnie Grimard breakaway. Regina tied the score again, but Calgary controlled the rest of the game with an ease that bordered on boredom. Trevor Segstro scored two virtually identical goals 7 minutes apart before Sean Robertson potted a short-handed marker on a two-on-none break with teammate Ken McKay. At 5-2, the Dinos were content to sit back and watch as the Cougers (especially goalie Graham Cook) spiralled into a bile-laced rage.
Late in the third, Cook attacked Calgary forward McKay, an assault which led to six penalties and a slew of bad-blood for the rest of the night. Nevertheless, the Dinos bent to neither threat nor coercion. Kudos to Dinos Jeffrey Yopyk and Lonny Tetley for playing outstanding defensive games and to Calgary keeper Scott Rideout for his brilliant play once again between the pipes (33 saves and another first-star selection, his third consecutive).
Saturday’s matchup featured an obviously embarrassed Regina squad play with a tenacity not evident in Friday’s game–amazingly, the flatlanders managed to hold the Dinos to 3-3 going into the third. Eventually, the Dinos stopped pitying the Rams. Darren Cain, Robertson and McKay each scored in the third, the defence stood tall and the Dinos held on for a 6-4 victory.
The interesting link between all six Dino goals? McKay factored in on all of them, scoring two and adding four assists. Combined with two helpers on Friday, McKay had eight points over the weekend, which now has him ranked third in the conference in scoring. Not to be outdone, Dallas Fallscheer, Yopyk, Sheldon Nedjelski et al. played better defence than the score suggests, and Rideout again played well–despite the statistical anomaly that is four goals against.
Featuring McKay, Segstro, Grimard, Embley, Murray and Cain, the Dinos have one of the most prolific offences in the league. In his fourth year of eligibility, Rideout has cemented himself as the number-one goalie in Calgary and one of the best in the nation. No wonder the Dinos moved up in the rankings yet again this week, vaulting past Saskatchewan to seventh in the country. Next up: the Dinos travel to desolate Brandon, Manitoba for a Nov. 9 and 10 series against the woefu Bobcats.
Lip-Smacking update:
McKay’s two goals on Saturday night keep him on pace to win 25 pounds of juicy, nutritious Alberta pork. However, there is a new contender in the pork race–Trevor Segstro is also at eight goals and counting.
Pork, colloquially known as "the other white meat," is a healthy dinner alternative and at only six grams of fat per 200 mg serving, it’s a delightfully delicious way to treat your family while keeping a close eye on your budget and your waistline.
Try some today!