TORONTO, ON – Brimming with St. Patrick’s Day green and abuzz with UPEI Panthers supporters, few noticed the Calgary Dinos stepping off the ice at the 2023 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championships in Charlottetown.
After entering the tournament with one of the best-ever regular season campaigns for a U SPORTS men’s hockey team, the Dinos fell to the eighth seed and host Panthers 4-2. A strong forecheck sent them back to Alberta earlier than expected, while UPEI fell to the Alberta Golden Bears in a dramatic semifinal.
Although the Dinos weren’t able to follow up their first Canada West championship in 27 years with back-to-back conference titles in 2023-24, losing to the UBC Thunderbirds in Game 3, they find themselves in a similar position, facing the hosts in the opening round of the U CUP.
Led by head coach Mark Howell, the Dinos enter this year’s tournament as the fifth seed, taking on the fourth seed and host TMU Bold at the former Maple Leaf Gardens, looking to avoid quarterfinal heartbreak for the second season in a row.
Getting past the first round is the bare minimum for the Dinos this season, and while going up against the hosts for another bout may be a tough draw, the group knows what they’re getting into this time around.
It doesn’t get much easier if they advance either, likely to take on the top-seeded UNB Reds, who, should they beat the Brock Badgers in their quarterfinal, would enter the national semifinal with a 48-game win streak.
While neither of the goalscorers from their loss to UPEI, Bradley Schoonbaert and Josh Maser, are still on the team, the starting netminder Carl Tetachuk will know the pressures of dealing with a feverous partisan crowd, not only from the 2023 tournament but the Canada West Final.
With a large returning core, buoyed by top rookies Jake Poole and Adam Kydd, the Dinos have every ability to knock off the Bold and silence the home crowd before taking a run toward the program’s first University Cup title.
Colson Gengenbach enters his second U SPORTS tournament atop Calagry’s scoring rankings, with 20 goals and 35 points through the regular season, while fellow top-line forwards Jake Gricius and Riley Stotts each scored above a point per game, netting 27 points apiece in the same amount of 26 appearances.
On the backend, Noah King continues to hold down the blueline alongside Zach Wyntick and Dakota Krebs and the group conceded the fewest goals in Canada West this season, only allowing 61 for an average of just over two per game.
While the team brings more experience than last year, it’s also shown a winning edge in big moments this season. For example, they came back after an early deficit in Game 1 of the Canada West final, showcasing their fight back all season.
Similarly, they’ve come up big in clutch moments, highlighted by its Game 2 Canada West semifinal win over its rival MRU Cougars, with Gengenbach’s OT winner.
Despite putting together back-to-back 20+ win seasons and achieving that mark for the 11th time in program history, the Dinos come to the U CUP looking to break a trend of 12 straight losses at the national tournament. Their last U CUP tournament win came against the Brandon University Bobcats in 1981, while the team has never won a national title.
Getting set to play in what looks to be a nearly sold-out crowd against the U CUP hosts for a second year in a row, the Dinos have every focus on the national championship this season, and for a team that’s been consistently one of the best over the last two years, they won’t be satisfied with much else.