USPORTS announces 2022-2023 schedules for major sports
By Rodrigo Verney, August 3 2022—
The offseason is a difficult time for sports fans. We have to settle for analysts discussing their awful takes and speculations for the sake of a good headline. Amidst this media cycle we tend to lose the important information that passes us by. If scouring the internet in search of the necessary information is hard enough as it is for common sports fans — it gets a lot more stressful for college sports fans.
Hence, here are the most important dates on the schedules of University of Calgary major sports in an effort to help fans get ready for a long-awaited season. This way you can catch up on your favorite team’s schedule while they get ready for their first pre-COVID-style regular season. This amazing two-year feat of medical cooperation means a program that will be full of trips inside and out of Alberta with full attendance on the stands. So bring out your U of C pride and mark down your calendars. We are ready to show Canada that Dinosaurs are far from extinct.
Football
First match: August 24 at 8 p.m. MT — Away.
This will be a tough season for the football team. Although it feels like we just won the Vanier Cup yesterday, the year and a half long hiatus clearly left some pieces dangling as we saw the last six-game season in 2021. Well, this time around we are back to our eight games per regular season and the expectations are through the roof. The team counts on veteran help and young rising stars to bring us back to the spotlight and maybe even contend for the Vanier Cup scheduled for November 26. The Dinos will host their first matchup at the MacMahon Stadium on Friday, September 2 against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies team that is looking to win it all.
Soccer
First match: August 27 at 2:15 p.m. MT — Away.
Men and women’s soccer will be the second team to open up the Dinos schedule with a men’s away game. Both teams will play a combined 28 games, of which they will host half. The young male squad will kick off their season in the battle of Alberta without home advantage. It won’t be until September 10 that we’ll see the team play in the Dinos Field against the Huskies. On the women’s side, their first game will be on September 3 at 11 a.m. against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack. However, Dinos fans will witness them play at home on September 9 against the University of Manitoba Bisons, beating the men by a day.
Hockey
First match: September 9 at 3 p.m. MT — Away.
Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams will have their start away from their home rink this season. Each team will play a total of 14 games without counting playoffs. Their first game will be 21 days apart, as the women’s hockey team will see the puck hit the ice first at MacEwan University on September 9. The men will face off against the University of British Columbia for their first and second game of the season. The women’s team will break the ice back at home first as well, facing the MRU Cougars on September 15 and 16. The men will only return to their home rink on October 7 when they face off against the U of S Huskies in a back-to-back home encounter.
Volleyball
First match: October 21 at 6 p.m. MT — Away.
The men’s and women’s volleyball teams will start their season off with back-to-back games at Kenyon Court against the MRU Cougars on October 21st. The first home game will come seven days after their first game, as the women’s Dinos host the University of Regina Cougars. For the men, they will have their home court advantage on November 4 hosting the Trinity Western University Spartans for the weekend. The Dinos are looking to win it all this season after an impressive performance last time. Homecourt will be stronger than ever with seven total homestands in both the women’s and the men’s schedules. So all eyes turn to the playoffs that will follow a pre-COVID format, so no surprises on that front. It’s all on their hands to reach Canada West’s quarterfinals set to happen from February 24–26 with finals being on March 10. If successful, nationals are just a week away beginning March 16 and going until March 19.
Basketball
First match: November 4 at 6 p.m. MT — Home.
Wrapping things up with the last major sport to kickstart their season, which is looking good for both the men’s and women’s teams. Both will start with back-to-back home games against the UBC-Okanagan Heat. Both teams will surely welcome the return to the 20 games schedule with U of C hosting half of these games throughout the season at the Jack Simpson Gym. They will encounter powerful matchups to prepare them for the new playoff schedule.
There will be some changes from what we are accustomed to when it comes to the conference’s top four teams that get to advance on both the women’s and men’s sides. Those final four will be reseeded, however, the top two will host their respective matches, as the top gets homecourt advantage. They will face off for a chance to win it all on March 4 in the championship game. A bronze medal match will also be hosted on that same weekend if one is needed.
For more information on the Dinos’ schedule this season, visit the GoDinos website. For information on how to get your tickets, visit Showpass. Tickets prices varies depending on the game. Parking is readily available in hourly lots and many other locations throughout campus.