Highlights: Dinos enjoy weekend of victories

By Sonny Sachdeva, October 20 2015 —

U of C rugby goes undefeated through 2015 season

The Dinos put together an undefeated season for the first time in the history of the University of Calgary’s rugby program. The club clinched first place with a 29–8 win over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Oct. 17.

With the victory, the Dinos’ record improves to 4–0. They look ahead to the Canada West playoffs later this month. The Dinos enter the tournament as the only undefeated team in the division, and boast two of the top scorers in the Canada West — Elysa Sandron and Natasha Loucks rank first and third in the divisional scoring race with 45 and 20 points, respectively. Sandron and Loucks are also first and second in the Canada West in tries with five and four.

The Dinos finish the regualar season with a dominant points spread, posting 121 points in four contests while allowing only 54. They’ll take on the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in the Canada West Final Four on Oct. 23 in Edmonton. Should they advance, they’ll head to Kingston for the CIS Championship on Nov. 5.

Louie Villanueva

Men’s and women’s volleyball open season with matching victories

The men’s and women’s Dinos volleyball teams opened their 2015–16 seasons this weekend, taking on the University of Winnipeg Wesmen on Oct. 17 at Winnipeg’s Duckworth Centre. The Dinos came out on top in both matches, finishing with identical 3–1 victories over the Wesmen. Curtis Stockton and Connor Frehlich led the way for the Dinos men’s squad with 20 and 16 kills, while Beth Vinnell and Laura McManes powered the women’s team with 18 and 12 kills.

The Dinos also swept Winnipeg in the second installments of the men’s and women’s series. The men’s team reeled off a 3–2 win on Oct. 18 while the women’s team won 3–0. Keith West put forth an exceptional performance in the men’s second game, posting 21 kills, two blocks and two aces. Janna Ogle led the women’s team with 11 kills, while Ali Woolley posted nine kills and three blocks.

Both teams now look ahead to back-to-back sets with the Brandon University Bobcats on Oct. 23–24 at the Jack Simpson Gym.

Dinos men’s hockey earns first win in overtime thriller

After suffering three straight losses to start their 2015–16 season, the Dinos men’s hockey team finally got their first win of the campaign in a thrilling overtime tilt against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The Dinos and Thunderbirds traded goals through the first 60 minutes of the contest, sending the game to a three-on-three overtime period with the score stuck at 2–2.

Dinos forward Chris Collins utilized his speed to spur the final play of the game, rushing up the wing and slipping a saucer pass over to Elgin Pearce, who roofed the game-winning tally. Pearce currently reigns as the club’s top sniper with three goals through the team’s first four contests. He and Collins both lead the team in points with four apiece.

The Dinos now prepare to face the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in two straight games on Oct. 23–24. Game one of the back-to-back set will take place in Lethbridge before both teams return to Calgary to play game two at Canada Olympic Park’s Markin MacPhail Centre.