While the Dinos may not be perfect this season, they are pretty damn close.
The team continued their strong start as they rolled over the Lethbridge Pronghorns 4-1 in Calgary and came away with a single point in a 5-5 draw on the flip side of the home-and-home matchup.
Two energetic teams set a fast tempo early in game one. The Dinos struck first but gave up the lead on a Lethbridge powerplay. It took three unanswered goals to guarantee their victory. Pacing the team were Jordan Walker, and Ian Constable, who each had a goal and an assist while Trevor Segstro and Adam Loncan rounded out the scoresheet.
Game two saw the team head south, and after a feisty road game with a total of 74 penalty minutes, come away with a tie. A pair of early goals by Phil Barski helped the Dinos go into the second intermission with a 4-3 lead. However, an early third period surge saw the Pronghorns take the lead. Sheldon Nedjelski played the role of the hero–drawing the Dinos back even with slightly over four minutes remaining. After starting both games, goaltender Aaron Baker left the game in the third period due to an ankle injury suffered when an opposing player landed on top of him.
“Baker will definitely not play this weekend, and as for now, we are taking it as a week-to-week thing,” said Assistant Coach Scott Welsh about the goalie’s status.
Special teams for both squads were a big factor in last weekend’s outcomes. Only six of the 15 goals were scored with the teams at even strength.
The Dinos will now take their undefeated record into this weekend’s matches against their archrivals from Edmonton. Coach Welsh knows his team will be ready.
“Whenever we play the U of A it’s always a huge game.”
The Alberta Golden Bears are ranked first in Canada and have an impressive 6-1-1 record, but the second-ranked Dinos will be out to stake their supremacy, with first place in the division on the line. Game one will be at Father David Bauer Arena at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, with the series concluding in Edmonton the following night.