U of C Dinos men’s hockey team off to roaring start to season

The University of Calgary men's hockey team is on the road this weekend—the Dinos will be in Winnipeg for a pair of games against the Bisons.

The University of Calgary Dinos are off to one of their best starts in program history.

The Dinos have jumped out of the gate with a 12-1 record and are in first place in the Canada West East Division.

Captain Adam Kydd says the team has really come together.

“We’re just finding ways to win games right now,” he said.

“I’d say we’re exceeding expectations, for sure, going into the year with the coaches poll and everything. We’ve found chemistry as a team with so many new guys early on.”

17 new players

The Dinos started the season with 17 new players.

Head coach Mark Howell says he wasn’t sure what to expect, but he’s been pleasantly surprised.

“We’re quite happy with where we’re at, obviously,” he said.

“I guess if you would’ve asked me in August, I’d probably be surprised … but as we went through the pre-season and the start of the regular season, we felt we had a chance to be a pretty good team.”

Scoring leader

Kydd has played a big role in making them “a pretty good team.”

He leads the league in scoring with six goals and 23 assists in 14 games.

He says he came into the season very motivated.

“I found some confidence,” the 23-year-old said.

“I had a tough go last year with some injuries, so I didn’t really get my feet under me at all last year.

“This year, I had a good off-season and came in with high expectations for myself and found some confidence early.”

Leader on the team

This is Kydd’s last year with the Dinos, and he wants to make it a good one.

He was named team captain and has embraced the role of being a leader.

“We had eight or nine players graduate last year, so obviously some needed leadership to replace those guys,” he said.

“So I just kind of took what I learned from them, and along with the veteran guys we have this year, we’re all figuring it out together with all the new guys, and it’s gone well so far.”

Howell says Kydd was the obvious choice to lead, and he has high praise for his captain.

“He’s had a really good start, and he’s a leader,” Howell said.

“He leads by example; he’s an all-Canadian academic in school, so you know he lives and breathes what it means to be a Dinos hockey player.”

The Dinos are in Manitoba this week for a pair of games against the Bisons.