Lethbridge – For the second consecutive week Pronghorn hockey hits the ice versus a provincial rival. This week the ‘Horns will face the University of Alberta, a perennial Canada West power.
Due to the annual Lethbridge Old-timers hockey tournament, the men’s hockey team (2-4-1 CW, 2-8-1 overall) will host the Alberta Golden Bears Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Nicholas Sheran Arena. Puck drops 7:00pm and 3:00pm respectively.
The ‘Horns will look to rebound after a tough weekend versus the Calgary Dinos that saw the them lose both games during the home-and-home series and put them in real danger of falling behind the pack if they don’t string some wins together to finish the first half. Head Coach Greg Gatto had hoped his squad learned from the last two seasons where they had dug themselves into an early hole that even a near perfect second half of the season couldn’t dig them out of. Through the first seven games of the season, the ‘Horns are tied for sixth in Canada West but only six points separates the top and bottom of the conference.
One of the biggest surprises in the conference this season has been the inconsistent play of the Golden Bears (4-2-2 CW). For the first time since 1995 the Bears are not ranked in the CIS top ten and sit in an unfamiliar position in the middle of the pack. The Bears had gone 257 ranking weeks straight with being in the CIS top 10 before falling outside the top 10 two weeks ago.
After opening the season with a sweep of the Regina Cougars, the Bears have been involved in six straight one goal games, four of which have needed extra time. The Bears have split series’ with the Manitoba Bisons and Saskatchewan Huskies and were swept by the Calgary Dinos.
2010 CIS All-Freshman team member Sean Ringrose leads the Bears offensively with 8 points in 8 games, but it’s a pair of freshmen who have made an immediate impact with the Bears. Former Spokane Chief Levko Koper and former Edmonton Oil King Jordan Hickmont each have 7 points thus far.
Between the pipes, fourth-year Real Cyr leads the conference in goals against average at 1.37 and has been in goal for three of the four Bears wins.
Last season, the ‘Horns scored the second most goals in the conference but have struggled putting the puck in the net so far this season, averaging just over two goals a game in the first seven games. Last year the team averaged nearly 3.5 goals a game.
Former Medicine Hat Tiger Taylor Gal still leads the ‘Horns with four goals and three assists but has gone his last three games without a point. Captain Dustin Moore is second on team scoring with five points and freshman Cass Mappin has had a good start to his Pronghorn career with three goals, tied for second among conference freshmen.
While special teams are always a key component in a successful team, this weekend’s series features the conferences two worst power play units. The Bears are ranked at the bottom of the conference list operating at only 13.3% while the ‘Horns are only slightly better, ranking 6th at 15.4%. The ‘Horns power play struggles have only been a recent occurrence; after starting the season at over 27% they have only scored twice in their last 21 opportunities.
The Bear’s penalty killing unit is ranked fourth (81.8%), while the Horns penalty killing unit is sixth (73.9%).
Puck drops Saturday and Sunday at 7:00pm and 3:00pm respectively at Nicholas Sheran Arena. The games can also be watched at www.canadawest.tv .
