The women’s hockey Dinos were twiced thrashed this weekend, losing 3-0 against both the Mount Royal College Cougars and the Grant MacEwan College Griffins.
Friday’s game against the 2002-03 champion Cougars, who are presently tied with Grant MacEwan atop the league, showed the Dinos the kind of competition that they can expect this season. The Cougars scored midway through the first, amidst a barrage of shots on net. The Dinos tried to answer back with a few quick breaks but couldn’t capitalize.
Most of the game was played in the Dinos’ end, as the bigger and more physical Cougars repeatedly pushed their way through the Dinos defence, pummelling goalie Tonya Young in a 46-save game.
“We’re not a big team,” said Dinos Head Coach Julie Healy. “It is a struggle and an ongoing challenge going up against larger, more aggressive players.”
However, this didn’t seem to stop the Dinos from battling for every inch the Cougars took.
Mount Royal controlled play throughout the second period with a second consecutive goal. A third in the final frame gave the Dinos little chance to crack the goose egg, let alone close the gap. Their only saving grace were the great saves from Young, who kept the veritable plethora of shots from escalating into a high-scoring one-sided game.
“Mount Royal shot a lot and it paid off,” said Healy, who, while disappointed at a loss, was still happy the Dinos stayed focused on puck control throughout the game, surrendering few unforced turnovers.
The following night in Edmonton against Grant MacEwan was much the same as the night before. The Dinos fought the good fight, accompanied by another great display of goaltending, but couldn’t manage to find the back of the net. The resulting 3-0 loss dropped the Dinos to third place with a 2-2 record early in the season.