It’s been a season of sevens for the University of Calgary men’s hockeysaurs. Earlier this year, they ended their seven-year losing streak against the University of Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton, but the weekend of Nov. 10-11 seven was anything but lucky, with the University of Manitoba Bisons’ obliterating the Dino’s seven-game winning streak.
After splitting the first series of the season, the Dinos were handed two very tough losses, suffering a 5-4 overtime loss Friday night, and being swept under the Zamboni in an embarrassing 5-2 defeat the following evening.
The Dinos seemed to have the opening game well in claw, building up a quick 3-0 lead going into the second period. Dino Brett Thurston tore it up with three points on the night, two coming off of assists in the first period alone. The Dinos special teams were as effective as they have been all season, opening the scoring with a Ryan Annesley short-handed goal. Travis Friedley quickly made the score 2-0 with a two-man advantage.
But the Bisons came charging out of the box during the second period, and the Dinos were outshot 12-7, two of which managed to slip by Dino net-minder Scott Talbot. The Dinos were able to respond offensively, making the score 4-1 only 44 seconds after the Bisons’ first goal. The third period, however, was a different story.
The Bisons were able to tie up the game in the first two minutes of the third, and the teams traded shots for the rest of the game. Overtime was quick and painful for the Dinos, with Bison Joshua Belair’s unassisted goal in the first two minutes of the extra frame. The Dinos winning streak came to an end, but they hit the ice running the next night, ready to salvage a series-split.
Unfortunately, the Dinos were trampled after a few minutes of offensive brilliance Saturday night. After a scoreless opening period, Dino Aaron Richards put his team up 2-0 in the first five minutes of the second frame. The Dinos’ success was short-lived, as the Bisons scored five–yes five–goals in a mere eight minutes. The Dinos were outshot 19-8 in the second and couldn’t generate any offence to counter the Bisons’ onslaught.
The Dino defence was reminiscent of early in the season, with seven careless penalties in the second period alone. The box never seemed to be empty with the Dinos racking up a shameful 38 minutes in penalties, including Jarret Lukin’s 10-minute time-out for game misconduct and Jevon Desautels’ 10-minute misconduct, both in the eventful second period. The Dinos skated off the ice and out of Winnipeg with an 8-4-0 record, and a lot to think about on the long bus ride home.