Dinos women look to keep wins coming
The buzz around the Calgary Dinos women’s hockey squad is building.
The U Sports Canada West Conference puck squad is brimming with confidence after earning points in four consecutive games.
Just in time, too, with the firstplace Manitoba Bisons coming to town for a pair of weekend games, Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m., at Father David Bauer Arena.
The Dinos returned home with added bounce following a sweep of the host Regina Cougars, winning with back-to-back 1-0 shutouts.
Not since Feb 12-13, 2016, have the Dinos completed a weekend sweep, and with points in four consecutive games, the buzz around the team is building.
Second-year star netminder Kelsey Roberts continues to prove she is one of the best goaltenders in the conference, stopping all 71 shots she faced in Regina while picking up her third and fourth shutouts of the season.
Roberts’ stats have been beyond impressive, as she now sports a 1.23 goals-against average and a conference-leading .966 save percentage. Overall, she has stopped 340 of 352 shots faced on the campaign.
Up front, the Dinos had two goals last weekend. Rachel Paul’s third period rebound tally sealed the victory on Friday, while Delaney Frey’s glove-side snipe fuelled the Saturday win.
On the back end, first-year defender Laine Grace picked up assists on both goals. With those two points, she stands alone as the team leader in scoring with two goals and three assists. She also had points in three of her last four games.
Forwards Sage Desjardins and Rachel Paul are tied for second in team scoring with four points each.
On the other side of the puck, the Bisons come to Calgary rocking an explosive offence through the first 12 games. Forward Jordyn Zacharias leads Canada West in scoring with 11 points and is complemented by teammates Venla Hovi and Allana Sharman, who are tied for third in scoring with nine points each.
In net for the Bisons, expect split duties between Lauren Taraschuk and Rachel Dyck. Similar to Roberts in terms of numbers, Taraschuk has been impressive with a 5-1 record, a 0.94 goals-against average, and a .954 save percentage.