Dinos fall short in record breaking Crowchild Classic game

By Lexus Rae and Bavan Kailey, February 5 2026—

Another year, another record breaking Crowchild Classic crowd at Scotiabank Saddledome. A total of 13,324 fans showed up to cheer on the Dinos and Cougars in a thrilling matchup where the Dinos fell short 2-1.

The puck dropped in front of a roaring crowd that witnessed the Dinos take first possession and register the first shot on goal. With both teams trading possession throughout the first period, it was only a matter of time before one of the two teams tied for first in the Canada West Prairie Division to take the early lead. The Cougars struck first, securing their first goal just 8 minutes in. Tension between the players were high after the goal with both teams receiving penalties towards the end of the period. But with 6 minutes left in the first, Dinos’ forward Jake Poole scored an scored on the powerplay, tying the game heading into the first intermission. 

Despite a slow start to the second period, saves on both ends of the ice by the Dinos’ Carl Tetachuk and Cougars’ Shane Farkas kept the margin tight as emotions flared with matching roughing penalties for both teams as four-on-four play took over which gave the Cougars the opportunity to strike again and put MRU up 2-1. Despite prime efforts from the Dinos to tie it up again, they could not sneak the tying goal past Farkas before the end of the second period.

The Dinos entered the third period trailing by one, facing pressure early as Mount Royal controlled possession and spent extended time in the offensive zone. Tetachuk kept the game within reach, making several key saves as the Cougars continued to push offensively to pad their lead and secure the game. His strength in the net would prove to be what the Dinos needed as they began to generate momentum and create chances, supported by the energy from the record-breaking crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome. However, despite their efforts, Calgary struggled to gain full possession in the final minute of play, preventing them from pulling their goalie for an extra attacker.

The game ended with increased physicality between the two teams as frustration set in, closing out a tight 2–1 loss for the Dinos. Tetachuk finished the night with 39 saves on 41 shots, while the Dinos recorded 24 shots on goal.

One of the bright spots for the Dinos was Jake Poole, who scored the team’s lone goal on the power play late in the first period. Poole finished the game with one goal on six shots, leading the Dinos in shots on goal.

“I saw Kydd passing behind the back ready for a one-timer,” Poole said. “He was just trying to pull his eyes away, and I saw the shot go off.”

Poole also spoke about the impact of the crowd throughout the game, especially during key moments late.

“You can’t really hear people on the bench,” he said. “So when the crowd’s cheering, it brings you energy. It gives you that extra boost.”

With another important matchup coming up, Poole emphasized the importance of rest and preparation moving forward.

“It’s nice to have a day off to reset,” he said. “Saturday’s a big game. We need those two points. The standings are tight, and everyone’s giving that extra gear to finish top three.”

Head coach Mark Howard echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of this weekend on the Canada West standings.

“Now they’re two points up and we got to find a recipe and a formula on Saturday night to get a win,” Howard said. “You gotta do many things well to win games against the good teams in our league at this time of year… You got to be not just physically hard, but mentally stay engaged and make hard plays.” 

With that rest day in hand, the Dinos visited the Cougars at Flames Community Arena to wrap up the weekend, looking to take what they learned from the high energy game in hopes of stealing a win in a quieter venue. The Dinos capitalized on multiple powerplays to put themselves up 3-2 over the Cougars through the first two periods. However, the win would slip through the Dinos’ fingers as the Cougars potted a goal halfway through the final frame to tie the game. Overtime wouldn’t solve the stalemate and the shootout goal by the Cougars’ Jayden Weins would ultimately decide the game as the Dinos managed to walk away with a point from the weekend.

Up Next

A weekend series against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will be the deciding factor for where the Dinos finish in the standings and whether they will hold home ice advantage in the playoffs. With MRU on a bye-week, Calgary can jump to the top of the East Division with a series sweep over the Huskies.