U of C edges MRU Cougars in preseason opener

Johny Faul, September 17, 2015 —

The Dinos men’s hockey team hit the ice for the first test of 2015, posting a 3–2 preseason win over the Mount Royal Cougars at the Max Bell Arena on Sept. 11.

Special teams proved to be the difference in this tilt. The Dinos recorded two powerplay goals and killed off all four of their penalties. Dinos head coach Mark Howell stressed the importance of his team’s effort.

“In this league, you know that you have to work on your special teams a lot, and we do that,” Howell said. “If you want to win in this league, your special teams have to score and be good on the penalty kill. That was a big difference tonight.”

While the Dinos finished with the victory, Howell knows his group must improve.

“Tonight was a learning experience for us,” Howell said. “We didn’t respect how hard we would have to work.”

The Cougars got out to a quick start, scoring the opening goal and dominating the pace of play from the get-go. Dinos defenceman Dylan Busenius righted the ship for his club, finding the back of the net on a five-on-three powerplay to tie the game after the first period.

The Cougars struck right back, however, as forward Jamie King fired in a quick goal from the slot to give Mount Royal a 2–1 lead near the end of the second frame.

Though the Cougars outshot U of C by a fair margin, new Dinos goaltender Steven Stanford stood tall to keep his team in it.

With 13 minutes remaining in the game, the Dinos tied it up once again as forward Chris Collins wired one home. Just minutes later, Collins struck again, burying a brilliant powerplay goal to give his team a 3–2 advantage.

The hard-fought victory is a good sign for the Dinos squad, especially considering the notable roster turnover they’ve undergone since last season.

The Dinos will hope the new additions continue to excel as they prepare to face the SAIT Trojans and Calgary Flames prospects to round out their preseason.