Max Sturley, Dinos Communications

CALGARY – The losing drought is over as the University of Calgary Dinos nabbed their first win of the season, dropping the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-2, Friday evening at the Father David Bauer Arena.

"I think we finally, now that we won, can believe in ourselves a little bit more," said Dinos forward Rachel Paul who scored twice in the win.

"We know that we can win, so I think that is going to be a big shift in our mindsets going into future games."

Coming into the game, the Dinos were shutout in four straight contests and just six minutes into the first, the goalless streak was dashed.

Off a Cougars turnover, Dinos defender Laine Grace fed her defense partner in Paige Michalenko, who fired a sneaky wrist shot from the point, beating Mount Royal netminder Zoe DeBeauville clean, making it 1-0.

The goal marked the Dinos captain's first goal of the campaign.

Penalty trouble for the home side gave the Cougars an opening 10 minutes after allowing the opening tally.

Cougars scoring leader Breanne Trotter beat Dinos goaltender Kelsey Roberts up high with a bullet wrist shot, tying the game 1-1.

Heading into the second stanza, the Cougars once again capitalized on the odd-man advantage.

Cougars forward Nicolette Seper played give-and-go with defender Daria O'Neill before depositing a wrister past Roberts, giving the Cougars the 2-1 lead.

The Dinos showed some fight and tied the game back up, six minutes later.

Delaney Frey put the moves on Cougars defender Cassidy Trotter before setting up linemate Rachel Paul, who went far blocker past DeBeauville, deadlocking the game 2-2.
On the play, both Frey and Paul picked up their first points of the season.

In the third period, Paul found the twine again with 9 minutes to go.

In a solo effort, Paul danced out of the corner before backhanding a shot past the right pad of DeBeauville, restoring the Dinos lead.

"I was at the end of my shift and I was pretty tired, and I saw a lane so I tried to take to the net and get a whistle," Paul on her second goal.

"Somehow the puck went in."

The Cougars pushed hard to tie the game late, but the Dinos held firm, backstopped by Roberts, who made 37 saves in her first win of the season.

"Starting the season 0-8 is pretty tough," said Roberts after the win.

"We had a good third period, and that's what pushed us through tonight."

The win tonight for the Dinos snaps an eight game losing streak, while extending the Cougars losing skid to three.

These teams will meet again tomorrow night at the Flames Community Arenas, for a 6 p.m. puck drop.

-UC-

Photo by David Moll