Cougars thrilled with new opponent
Nov. 20, 2009 - Regina Leader-Post
By Tim Switzer
No offence to the Alberta Pandas, Manitoba Bisons, Saskatchewan Huskies, Lethbridge Pronghorns or UBC Thunderbirds, but Kelsie Graham was ready for some new scenery.
The University of Regina Cougars player finally got that this season, her fifth and final year in Canada West hockey, when the Calgary Dinos rejoined the league after a seven-season absence.
"It makes every other team try that much harder because you have to battle that much more for a playoff spot," said Graham, whose team will get its first up-close look at the Dinos tonight (7 p.m.) at the Sherwood Ice Sports Centre. "After you've played the same teams for four years, it's kind of nice to see someone else and start another rivalry.
"They've been in the men's league for quite some time and I know that the men's league is tight and they have to battle for playoff spots every game. It's just another team to play and another responsibility you have."
But the addition of the Dinos, who are coached by former national team member and two-time Olympic gold medallist Danielle Goyette, has players excited for more than just the chance to play in a new rink once or twice a year. A seventh team in the conference means a better league all around.
"It gives us more teams to play and I think they'll be competitive pretty quick," said Cougars head coach Sarah Howald. "They'll be a tough team so it adds more credibility to our league."
"It gives more girls the chance to play somewhere and makes the league stronger," added forward Rae-Lynn Somogyi. "More local girls can stay home and play rather than always having to look for somewhere in the States to play. It gives us a wider look rather than playing one team over six times."
The seven Canada West teams will battle for the same four playoff spots that six teams fought over in previous years.
Currently, the Dinos and Cougars are two of the teams sitting outside the playoff picture.
The Dinos (1-7-0) are in last place and are three points back of the Cougars (1-4-3) heading into the weekend, which includes tonight's game and the rematch Saturday.
Given the Dinos' troubles, Regina players are treating this weekend's contests as a pair of must-win games.
"We need some points," said Somogyi. "They're struggling so we need to take these points away and do what we can do."
Graham hopes the Cougars are heading in on the right track, despite losing a pair of games to the Bisons last weekend. The Cougars fell in a shootout in both games against the No. 4-ranked Bisons.
"By no means did that get us down because they're ranked fourth in the country and we're not even ranked in the top 10 so to take two games to shootouts is pretty huge," said Graham. "But this weekend everyone understands that we need to sweep. We can't afford to go and lose another point."