There may have been snow on the ground, but that didn’t stop the Dinos field hockey team. They hosted their annual indoor invitational field hockey tournament Feb. 11-13. For over 30 years the University of Calgary has played host to teams from all over the country and the U of C Invitational has become one of the largest indoor tournaments in North America. This year, a total of 18 teams participated in senior and junior sides of the tournament.
Two teams from Saskatchewan and two from Edmonton participated, as well as the under-18 provincial team. Representing the home town were two ladies league teams and three U of C alumni teams. The Dinos entered two teams, one made up of first- and second-year players and the other comprised of team veterans.
The U of C Invitational has established itself as the premier indoor field hockey event in the province. It is unique in that it acts as a development tournament for younger players by offering playing experience on the junior side while demonstrating the expertise of provincial, varsity and alumni athletes on the senior side. Several current Dinos players first started playing in the junior tournament and have since graduated to the senior side.
The three alumni teams impressed spectators with fast paced, high scoring games that showcased their skills and experience from years of high performance training with the Dinos. When the weekend was over, the alumni teams took the top three spots with the U of C Alumni Navy team placing first, Alumni Grey second and Alumni Red third.
“The alumni shows the caliber of players produced by the University of Calgary,” Dinos Head Coach Anne Kromm said.
Prior to the home tournament, both U of C teams competed in the University of Alberta indoor tournament where the senior Dinos team took first place against the U of A alumni team. Watch out next year for the Dinos squad to take another stab at the Canada West and national titles.