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VANCOUVER — The University of Calgary Dinos men’s hockey team fell just short of a title defence, dropping a 5-3 result to the UBC Thunderbirds in Game 3 of the Canada West Final on Sunday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
After the Dinos struck early with a goal 88 seconds into the contest, the T-Birds responded with four goals and held on in the third period to capture their first conference championship since 1971.
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Riley Stotts got the offence rolling early for Calgary as he capitalized on a two-on-one opportunity with Colson Gengenbach.
The Dinos’ start looked promising as they limited the T-Birds’ shots, but as the period went along, the home team’s tenacious pace took over.
Following a clutch save by goaltender Cole Schwebius off an odd-man rush, UBC went the other way and tied the game on a goal by Ryan Pouliot.
An odd bounce put the Thunderbirds ahead. On a Calgary breakout pass, the puck hit Chris Douglas’ skate in the slot and snuck into the net. The officials initially called it off, but after a lengthy conversation signalled it was a good goal.
UBC extended their lead on a power play halfway through the second period. A hard shot bounced off Dinos netminder Carl Tetachuk and fell into the slot for Tian Rask, who tapped home the rebound.
With the tide rapidly shifting in the T-Birds’ favour, Jake Kryski potted another to make it a 4-1 game after 40 minutes.
The Dinos made it a nervous finish with a pair of goals in the third period.
First, only minutes into the frame, it was Jadon Joseph depositing a rebound at the side of the goal. Then with 12 minutes to go, a redirection by Arjun Atwal cut the deficit to one.
A late push by Calgary had UBC on their heels, but an empty netter by Douglas sealed the championship.
Both the Dinos and Thunderbirds will participate in the 2024 U SPORTS University Cup, set to take place in Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre from March 14-17. Stay tuned to GoDinos.com for schedule and seeding information.
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