Both MRU squads take tough losses, but break attendance record |

Naomi Campbell, Staff Writer | 

The 11th annual Crowchild Classic hockey game between the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars and the University of Calgary (UofC) Dinos on Friday, Jan. 31 drew a record 13,118 fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Beating the attendance record of 12,859 that was previously set in 2016, the Cougars put up a fight in both games but conceded two losses as the Dinos won the women’s game 2-1 and the men’s game 4-0. Still, the Cougars out-rank the Dinos in the playoff hunt in both men’s and women’s hockey and were able to secure revenge wins on Saturday, with MRU taking a 5-2 win in the women’s game at Flames Community Arena and the men’s team winning 5-0 in Dino territory at Father David Bauer Arena.

Women’s game

The puck dropped at 4:30 p.m., to start the head-to-head battle for the women. Within the first period, Mount Royal held a heavy offensive advantage against the University of Calgary. Players like Abbey Borbandy, Julia Duke and Sydney Benko came up with some insane scoring opportunities, but could not sneak the puck past Dinos goalie Amelia Awad. MRU netminder Kaitlyn Ross took a firm stance between the posts to deny every puck sent her way. No penalties were given out, and the shots were 9-6 in favour of the Cougars by the end of the period.

The excitement picked up in the second period right away when Jerzey Watteyne had an incredible open net opportunity, but could not capitalize on the goal as Awad deflected the puck at the last second. Only a minute later, Summer Fomradas buried the first goal of the game for Mount Royal, with assists from Duke and Alex Spence. Aliya Jomha made a number of attempts to capitalize on a second goal for MRU, but Awad stood her ground in front of the Dinos net. Both teams picked up penalty minutes in the second period, but MRU’s penalty kill, which is among the best in all of U SPORTS, held strong, thanks in huge part to Ross. After 40 minutes of action, the Cougars were holding onto a narrow 1-0 lead.

The third period began in a defensive standoff, with neither team finding a steady offensive flow. With seven minutes left of regulation, though, the Dinos tied the game as Brooklyn Anderson finally put a puck past Ross with an assist from Sydney Mercier. Both teams played with high energy and motivation, but could not score another goal before the end of a mesmerizing 60 minutes of play. The horn sounded at the end of the third, leaving them to head into five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime.

The UofC spent plenty of time in their offensive zone, but Mount Royal’s conference-topping defence stayed solid, not allowing a goal. Jomha was called for a penalty early in the extra period, but Ross kept a number of quality Dino scoring opportunities out of the net. Watteyne had yet another scoring opportunity on the breakaway, but neither team scored a golden goal. After five minutes of play, no goals were granted, leading them into a shootout. Awad stopped all three of the Cougars attempts, including an incredible move from Jomha. The Dinos took a 2-1 victory in the 11th Crowchild Classic at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Borbandy put up three shots on goal in the game and played with endless reserves of energy for the entire 60-plus-minute match. “I would say that my burst of energy from the offensive side came from the realization that there’s only so much time left in this game, and it’s a huge crowd, and we waited all year for this moment,” Borbandy said.

“Why not take the opportunity to do things that I normally don’t do, and play with some type of energy that the team needs and just be a different player? This is a moment that I will remember forever and if I didn’t take that chance, I probably would regret it just knowing that this is an opportunity that most people don’t get.”

The Cougars struck back on Saturday, winning 5-2 at Flames Community Arena in their final game against the Dinos of the season. Jomha got her revenge, dropping four points by scoring two goals and providing two assists. Benko, Borbandy, and Allee Gerrard also scored in the game and Ross made 15 saves as MRU secured their revenge against their crosstown rivals.

Men’s game

The women’s game was a close battle, fought until the umpteenth minute. The men’s game was a brutal beating, and unfortunately for MRU fans, the Dinos were the ones doling it out as the Cougars took a 4-0 loss. The Cougars had scored in every other game this year, including the preseason, but could not beat Dinos goaltender Carl Tetachuk despite loading 34 shots on goal to the UofC’s 19.

MRU started off the first period with a thirst for shots on goal, leading 9-1 in that category through the first 10 minutes. The Dinos picked up a penalty about eight minutes into the match, and it looked like the Cougars were about to score their first goal of the game.

However, with just four seconds left in the powerplay, the Cougars turned the puck over in their defensive zone. The Dinos tried to centre the puck from behind the net, but it bounced off of Teague Patton’s skate right in front of the Cougars’ net—just outside of Shane Farkas’s reach. Jake Gricius snapped a shot past Farkas and despite holding a massive shooting advantage, the Cougars went down 1-0 early.

The Cougars upped their aggression in the second period, as did the Dinos, and penalties were handed out generously. Eight minutes into the period, MRU picked up a pair of penalties to the Dinos’ one, giving the UofC a four-on-three advantage. It didn’t take long for the Dinos to capitalize on their powerplay as Dinos forward Colson Gengenbach rocketed a wrist shot from the high slot into the top left corner of the net to give the UofC a 2-0 lead.

MRU remained aggressive on offence, loading shot after shot at Dino’s goaltender Tetachuk, who remained flawless between the posts. Nearing the end of the second period, MRU held a 26-8 advantage in shots on goal, but turned the puck over in the offensive zone, setting the Dinos loose on a two-on-one breakout. Mack Stewart led the break up the left wing before saucing a bouncing puck over to Tyson Galloway, who backhanded the puck in mid-air past Farkas. With just their ninth shot on goal, the Dinos went up 3-0 and held onto that lead until the end of the second period.

Things were looking grim for MRU, but Cougars fans had faith in their high-octane offence to make a miraculous comeback in the final period. However, the Dinos were the only team to score in the third period; nine minutes in, the UofC got a fortuitous bounce off the side boards on an errant pass, springing Dallon Melin on a short breakaway. Melin caught the puck backhanded, played it to his forehand in one swift move and unloaded a beaming shot past Farkas for their fourth and final goal of the game.

The two teams exchanged shots until the final buzzer, and after 60 agonizing minutes for Cougars fans, the Dinos took a 4-0 win in the 11th Crowchild Classic at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jayden Wiens has been on a tear throughout this rookie campaign this season and was impressed by the energy of the record-setting crowd at the ‘Dome in his first-ever Crowchild Classic matchup. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, but that was probably the craziest experience I’ve ever had,” Wiens remarked.

“The crowd was electric, obviously [we] wanted a better result, but, overall, the experience was amazing.”

The Cougars marched into Dinos territory on Saturday night looking for revenge and found it in the form of a 5-0 blowout victory at Father David Bauer Arena. Each goal was scored by a different Cougar as Justin Lies, Teague Patton, Dawson Milliken, Robbie Holmes, and Blake Stevenson all found the back of the net in the resounding victory. Farkas earned his third shutout of the season by making 15 saves in the final matchup between the MRU Cougars and UofC Dinos of the season.

Naomi Campbell is a Staff Writer for The Reflector 2024-2025.