Calgary Dinos break CW record for longest win streak
U of C men's hockey team have now won 18 straight games, a new conference record
CALGARY - In front of a raucous crowd at Calgary's Saddledome, the Dinos men's hockey team made Canada West history. The team won its eighteenth straight game, breaking a 42-year-old record set by the Alberta Golden Bears over two seasons in 1978-79.
The Dinos completed their win streak in one, a season in which coaches ranked them fifth out of nine before the opening puck drop. With just two weeks left in the season, the Dinos sit first, atop the largely favoured Golden Bears.
To top the night's accomplishment? They did it at the Crowchild Classic against Mount Royal, the team's biggest game in terms of fanfare and buzz, which brings together the two Calgary rivals on NHL ice.
In a building vibrating with the screams and howls of Mount Royal and Calgary fans, the Dinos fought back from a 1-0 deficit, then a 2-1 hole thanks to goals from Jake Gricius and Colson Gengenbach.
Goaltender and WHL Grad of the Month from November, Carl Tetachuk kept his squad in it as they faced an early offensive onslaught from the MRU Cougars. He remained brilliant throughout, as the Cougars plastered him with 48 shots.
The game-winning goal came off a beautiful passing play from Jake Gricius, who fired it across to linemate Riley Stotts, who quickly tapped it back into the middle for Gengenbach right in front of the crease. Gengenbach made no mistake on the one-timer to the delight of the Dinos' red army.
The second-year forward made it a hat trick with an empty net insurance marker.
"It's unreal. It's a one-in-a-lifetime kind of thing," Gengenbach said afterwards when asked what breaking the win streak record means to him.
Coach Mark Howell was beaming.
"I'm really proud of the guys. The last time we lost was to Mount Royal and they bought in immediately the next week we talked about changing what we got to do. From that moment on, they've really bought in, accepted how hard they gotta play, how hard they need to train… To win 18 in a row in our league, it's kind of surreal. It's been a long time," he said.
"It feels great. I had no doubt in the boys. We came out, we worked hard in every practice so I think it was coming. I'm really pumped about it," said Tetachuk.
The Dinos win streak began on October 15th, a 4-3 victory over (fittingly) the Mount Royal Cougars. They'll look to extend the historic streak Saturday evening in a rematch with the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. at the Flames Community Arena. You can catch the action exclusively on Canada West TV, or in person by purchasing tickets at the gate or through this link.