By Lee Bogle and Sean Nyilassy
The Dinos women’s hockey team is employing a tortoise’s strategy this year. They kicked off their regular season with a sloooow start. Falling behind the hare quickly, they attempted to come back. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
The hares on Thu., Oct. 21 were the Red Deer College Queens. Midway through the second period, the Queens had already raised their scepters in triumph four times. Queens raise their scepters when they score, in case you were wondering. The Dinos started to notice that they were falling behind and attempted to mount a furious comeback. But the moat around the Queen’s castle kept the Dinos at bay. A late goal for our ladies was all that came of their efforts. The final score was 4-1 for the tyrant Queens.
Friday Oct. 22 the Dinos ladies were given another chance at victory. They ventured deep onto college ground to skate the ice of the SAIT Trojans. The big wooden horse drew first blood, taking a 1-0 lead late in the first period. Whatever happened in the changeroom during the break jump-started our tortoises. We like to think it involved an electric prod.
Two power-play goals early in the second period put the Dinos up in statistics and in spirits. Unfortunately, this was not to last. The Trojans stuck one behind Tiana Velestuk in the dying seconds of the final frame.
If playing short-handed is the new strategy to win, the Dinos put their backs into it. Assistant Captain of last year’s team and all-round tough girl Andrea “Poupy” Poupart landed herself in the box twice Friday night. She was caught once for tripping, then once for hooking. And who knows what she was doing behind the refs’ backs.
It was penalties like these that let the soldiers out of the horse, allowing SAIT to score.
Being short handed during overtime proved to be a weakness of the Dinos that night. On a power-play, the Trojans were able to put one top corner, beating Velestuk and ending the game.
However, it wasn’t her fault. The cursed stars were maligned and the fourth moon of Jupiter was off rotation. It must’ve been that time of the month.
When asked what the team needs to win, Poupy commented; “I’m not going to say German discipline.” But if our reverse psychology course told us anything, then we know what she meant.
The overtime loss salvaged the Dinos one point towards their standing in the ACAC. They currently lay in last place, tied with the Grant MacEwan College Griffins. Both teams have just one point, but early in the season this only leaves them three points behind the number one ranked Queens.
The girls’ next stop is NAIT where they will face the Nooks Fri., Oct. 29.
Their home opener is Sat., Oct. 30 in the Olympic Oval at 7 p.m. where our ladies will meet the Trojans in a re-match that is sure to excite and thrill all the supporters in the stands. After the heartbreak overtime loss, the Dinos will be out to draw blood from the SAIT squad. Come out and show your support for our girls if you aren’t already sitting on a bus hammered as so many of us will be.