The men’s hockey Dinos dropped a pair of games to the University of Alberta Golden Bears this past weekend.
If that phrase sounds familiar, it should. It has now been 33 games since the Dinos last defeated their nemesis from the north. In fact, the last time they did so, most freshmen hadn’t even hit puberty.
Maybe that’s a stretch, but if you can remember back to Feb. 5, 1999 when the Dinos beat the Bears 6-5, you’re doing better than me.
The Dinos have a good blend of veterans and skilled youngsters, yet whenever they face the Golden Bears the outcome is predictable. Sure, they came close on Fri., Oct. 17, and if you were at the game you’d agree they played well enough to win. However, the Dinos’ offence was stymied by the U of A’s smothering defensive system during the late stages of the game.
After the good effort Friday, a 2-1 loss was all the team had to show for it. The loss left hope they could build upon the performance in the back end of the home-and-home on Saturday.
Did I say hope? I meant hopeless. All that awaited them in Edmonton was a 6-2 beating.
A grand total of three goals was all the offence could muster against the Bears’ solid defence and fine netminding.
"The losses came against the top two teams in our league," said Calgary captain Sean Robertson who, while disappointed, isn’t panicking just yet. "We also realize that we have work to do to get to where we want to be."
The U of A aside, the Dinos are only a one-win team so far this season and dwell near the Canada West cellar, ahead of only the sad sack University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Lucky for the Dinos however, they will have a chance to even their record this weekend, as they travel to the coast for a pair of matches against those lowly T-Birds. If the Dinos are able to bring four points back this weekend, Robertson feels staying out of the sin bin will be key.
"They are an undisciplined team who like to run around at you," he observed. "We are going to need scoring from our powerplay."
That said, the Dinos will definitely be looking to gather a couple of road wins and regain some lost momentum, getting their season back on track.