By Sean Nyilassy and Lee Bogle
After a season turning-point first win Jan. 22 against the Grant MacEwan College Griffins, the Dinos women’s hockey team went like a record baby, right round baby, right round. Their first rotation was back into uncharted territory, a 3-2 last-minute loss to the top-ranked team in the ACAC. The Red Deer College Queens paid a visit to Calgary Jan. 28 to take on our Dinos.
The Dinos prehistoric manners were not well received by the Queens, who won the previous two outings by a combined score of 10-1. Calgary however, was not going to be out-protocol’d on this eve. RDC struck first during the opening frame with Steph Wahl snapping back with a Dinos goal before the period’s end.
Another Queens goal to open scoring in the second was answered by a mark from fun-loving Beth Nerland. This kind of tenacity has been lacking all season, so gathering themselves up from the ice is worth a victory in our books. Unfortunately, we don’t write books.
An early Queens goal in the third frame was tragic but fairly inevitable–the Dinos were out-shot 34-12 throughout the game. This earns quasi-new Dino goalie Courtney MacMurchy some street-cred, although she didn’t de-throne the Queen, she did court the prince. She pushed away 94 per cent of the shots directed her way. To the offence’s credit–or the opposing goalie’s detriment–they capitalized on 17 per cent of the opportunities they created.
Alas, records must turn and the Dinos made re-entry into familiar territory–a struggle with a mediocre team. They met the fourth best or third worst team in the ACAC, depending on your perspective on the level of fullness/emptiness of your glass, the NAIT Ooks on Sun., Jan. 30.
God was not on the Dinos side on God’s day, as the Ooks donned the Almighty’s pants and sent the Dinos to extinction. The Ooks scored a “trinity” of goals, triplifying the Dinos total. De-idiot-ofied, that means Ooks 3, Dinos 1.
Hopefully the record will keep spinning Feb. 4-5 as the Dinos meet the Mount Royal College Cougars then the Griffins. If things go well, perhaps the lady Dinos will begin a streak against the Griffins as epic as the Dinos-University of Alberta Golden Bears streak still alive in men’s hockey…
Perhaps.