Losses have been few and far between for the University of Calgary Dinos women’s hockey team this season — the team finished with 26 wins and four losses in the regular season. The Dinos are ranked first in the Canada West conference and are looking forward to success in the playoffs, and head coach and former Team Canada player Danielle Goyette said she is always pushing the team to succeed.
“We have been fortunate to play some good hockey lately, but we are always looking for more from our players,” she said.
The Dinos have been an offensive powerhouse this season with the top-three scorers in Canada West: Iya Gavrilova, Stephanie Ramsay and Goyette’s former Olympic teammate Hayley Wickenheiser.
Goyette attributed the team’s success to their ability to play as a unit. “We haven’t been focusing on just one or two players because one player might be able to win a game, but an individual can’t win a championship.”
Forwards Erika Mitschke and team captain Tanya Morgan have been important contributors, killing penalties and taking advantage of power plays.
In addition to their exceptional play on the ice, the women have gained a larger fan base over the season. The Dinos switched venues recently from the Olympic Oval to Father David Bauer Arena near the U of C.
“The Oval wasn’t very accessible to our fans,” explained Goyette. “At Father David Bauer, people no longer have to park far away and walk to the rink. We get more fans at our games now and it makes it much more fun for our players to play the game.”
Feeding off this fan support, the Dinos have skated to 12 wins and only one loss at home this season.
The Dinos look to carry their season wins into playoffs starting on Feb. 17 against the University of Lethbridge in a best of three Canada West semi-final.