The University of Calgary men’s hockey team began their second week of play last weekend with a road trip to the Saskatchewan prairies in order to face the University of Regina. The visiting Dinos went into last weekend’s games with only one thing in mind: to win.
"We definitely felt like we should win two games, and we had to win two games," Head Coach Tim Bothwell remarked.
As a result of strong physical play combined with impressive offensive power, winning was exactly what the Dinos accomplished. Not only did they pick up the four important points they were after in this early stage of the season, but they did it in impressive fashion by winning both games, 8-2 and 4-2.
Bothwell admitted the play of his team is improving, and he is "extremely pleased with the effort the guys put in."
Friday’s affair saw the Dinos switch the goaltending duties by replacing number one net-minder Scott Rideout with backup Tyler Nilsson. This apparently caused no problems for the Dinos because their offence was able to mount a huge 5-0 first period lead. Ultimately, the scoring might of the U of C, sparked by Tyler Murray, Ken McKay and Trevor Segstro proved to be too strong for the hometown Regina Cougars. The final result ended with eight Dinos goals and 30 shots saved by goalie Nilsson.
Despite the solid play on Friday, the Dinos once again made the switch between the pipes; Rideout got the start. The U of C, determined to go away with two victories, got off to a slow start Saturday night.
"Scott Rideout gave us a chance to win," stated Bothwell. "By being very, very good in the first period, we were able to get better as a team from that point on."
Better is exactly what they got. The Dinos were able to put the first three markers on the board and eventually win the game.
The U of C improved their record to 2-1-1, in spite of the absence of key players like last year’s leading scorer Ron Grimmard and physical defenceman Mike Laplante. The Dinos will remain on the road for the rest of October and be back in Calgary in November to face the University of British Columbia.