Weekend of wins: The Dinos swept through the competition

By Rodrigo Verney, September 28 2022—

Dinosaurs are very well known for their powerful bite power that can take on even the biggest of prey. However, it felt like the pretty busy weekend that our University of Calgary Dinos had would leave them with more than they could chew. It was up to them to defend their name and tear through the competition to send a powerful message early on in the season. Thankfully for us, they did just that. 

The Dinos scared the competition away in three major sports and became the primary topic of conversation. They took on the challenge that was thrown at them and had amazing results against powerhouses in their sports with major performances in hockey, volleyball and soccer over the course of a single weekend. The Dinos made it pretty obvious to the league that these teeth aren’t just for show.

Men’s hockey

Our beloved hockey team made its way back home this weekend after a tough loss to the Mount Royal University Cougars in the Flames Community Arena. Desperately in need of a win, the Dinos took on a classic back-to-back dispute against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies last Friday. 

The first game saw a major comeback by the Dinos that found their rhythm after being down two goals to nothing at the end of the first period. The tallest hill to overcome was their inability to finalize plays throughout the game. The Huskies were up even though the Dinos were shooting at a higher volume. That, in part, can be credited to the poor capitalization on power plays and some inability to finish at the goal. However, some good hits and great shot attempts with power behind them turned the tide in favor of the Dinos and allowed them to enjoy a pretty big lead after the Huskies got desperate and pulled their goalie out for an extra attacker at the end of the third period.

The second game on Saturday was much more balanced. The Huskies brought the Dinos’ attack to a halt with a truncated defensive system throughout the game. Thankfully, that wasn’t enough to stop them. Continuing their trend of powerful attacks, the Dinos found the net two times. The only problem was that the Huskies matched their scoring and sent the game to overtime tied at 2–2. Still, the Dinos couldn’t allow another loss and scored the goal to lead them to 3–2 victory.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s Volleyball team took on three of the best varsity teams in a three-day back-to-back tournament at the Jack Simpson Gym and beat them all. This was a busy weekend for the young squad and they absolutely delivered. Beating the Cougars, the UBC Thunderbirds, and the Huskies while losing only two sets during the three-game stretch. This remarkable start can be, in part, attributed to the head coach Christine Biggs who is doing a fantastic job of uniting such a young team and shaping them to become a major contender during the season to come.

“Even though they are a new team and we have lots of new players, I think that they are getting along really well, they are communicating really well, and finding solutions together. So I am really excited to see where they take that,” said Head Coach Biggs after their win against the Thunderbirds last Saturday. 

Each game displayed a level of cohesion that was quite different from what you would expect with a younger team. Even with the occasional point lost due to a bad serve, or some minor miscommunication in some plays, the Dinos were setting the pace throughout the whole game. Tough screens and good control of the ball meant powerful finishes and opportunities to convert strong and smart plays that took advantage of the inexperience of the other teams that naturally come with the preseason. It is becoming pretty apparent that the Dinos women’s volleyball team are leaving their mark through the season in search of a deep playoff run, and the best thing to do is to just stay clear of their path.

Women’s Soccer

Possibly one of the most exciting teams to watch in action this season. The fact that the Dinos women’s soccer team carries with its name a lot of history isn’t exactly surprising. Nothing compares to being able to say that it has been wonderful to see the ascension of a team that still has so much potential. From turning the rocky start of a tie and a loss to a seven-game winning streak all the way to beating the number one ranked team in the league, the Dinos sure know how to put on a show. 

Their game last Sunday started hot with multiple attacks that resulted in saves by our goalie Katie French. Unfortunately, the ball found the net 21 minutes into the game after French correctly dived for the ball against an attacker. Sadly, she wasn’t able to hold on to the ball itself and it bounced off to another Thunderbirds scorer who found herself with a wide-open goal.

Good kicks with some decent spacing were starting to flourish for the Dinos and it helped them regain control of the match. Just like water and stone, enough attacks lead to a goal near the 35-minute mark and helped the Dinos get their attack in synch to match the pressure the Thunderbirds were exerting on them. Two minutes later, the Dinos scored again off a foul and got the lead in their favor. 

The Thunderbirds, however, are not a team that you can sit comfortably against. They tied the game at the start of the second half. It was only near the middle of the half that the Dinos were able to come out on top with a goal to regain control of the match. The win only became a reality once a goal late in the game by the Thunderbirds got overturned due to an off-side violation. Ending a game that will remain in the minds of everyone in attendance.

To find out about future hockey, volleyball, soccer or other sport games, visit the U of C Dinos website.