MHKY: Provincial rivals clash in championship bout

By Brian Swane, special to CW

One of sports’ great rivalries will determine possession of the W.G. Hardy Trophy, as the Calgary Dinos host the Alberta Golden Bears in the 2023 Canada West best-of-three men’s hockey championship series at Father David Bauer Arena, March 3-5.

The provincial rivals are always on a collision course, but the stage wasn’t set for the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta until last weekend, when both teams faced do-or-die Game 3s in the semi-final round. Ultimately, the Dinos bested the Saskatchewan Huskies in Calgary while Alberta knocked off the UBC Thunderbirds in Edmonton.

This marks the 13^th time the Bears and Dinos have faced off in the championship round, with Alberta holding a seven-five edge in those series. The provincial rivals last played for the top prize in Canada West men’s hockey came eight years ago, when Alberta swept Calgary at Clare Drake Arena to capture the title in 2015.

Since then, there has been three postseason meetings between the Bears and Dinos, all semi-final series won by Alberta, including a sweep in Edmonton last year. All-time, Alberta is 22-7 with 17 consecutive wins in playoff series against the Dinos.

After topping the 2022-23 standings with a program record 50 points, Calgary has perhaps never been better equipped than now to snap their skid against the Bears. The Dinos ended the regular season on a 23-game win streak, including victories over the Bears in the teams’ only two regular season meetings, 4-0 in Calgary on Nov. 25 and 3-2 the next night at Clarke Drake Arena.

While finishing in second place with 10 less points than the Dinos, Alberta was tops in Canada West during the regular season with an average of 5.11 goals per game and goal differential of +73 over 27 games.

Both the Bears and Dinos faced adversity in the semi-final round, each losing the series-opening contest to fall behind 1-0. Calgary stormed back with wins of 4-2 and 6-1 over the Huskies, while Alberta rallied by defeating UBC 4-3 and 6-3.

When they needed him most, Canada West 2023 Second Team All-Star Josh Prokop came up big for the Bears against UBC. The second-year forward, who finished the regular season second in Canada West with 18 goals, led Alberta with six points in the series, including a goal and two assists in the series-clinching Game 3 victory.

Calgary goalie Carl Tetachuk, the CW Goaltender of the Year, rose to the occasion in his first postseason with the Dinos. After allowing four goals on just 20 shots to the Huskies in Game 1, the phenomenal freshman turned aside 48 of 51 Saskatchewan shots over the final two games.

Other players who may be counted on by their respective teams to make a difference in the championship series include second-year Dinos forward Riley Stotts, a First Team Canada West All-Star who led the Dinos in assists for both the regular season (26) and semi-final series (4), and All-Rookie Team forward Jakin Smallwood, who followed up his 16-goal regular season for the Bears by scoring the winning goal late in the third period of Game 2 against UBC to keep Alberta’s season alive.

The Golden Bears have captured the Dr. W.G. Trophy a record 29 times, while Calgary ranks third all-time with 8 Canada West titles.

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Alberta Golden Bears @ Calgary Dinos

Father David Bauer Arena – Calgary, AB

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