Calgary Dinos win 1st Canada West men's hockey title in 27 years

It's been a long road for the University of Calgary men's hockey team to get back on top in Canada West.

The team took home a win in front of more than 1,000 fans at the Father David Bauer arena on Sunday, beating the University of Alberta Golden Bears 2-1 on in the third and deciding game.

Winning the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy was a goal the Dinos had for a long time, according to head coach Mark Howell.

"Right from day one," he said.

"We had a meeting in the dressing room after we lost in the semi-finals last year, and (we) talked about the little thinks we needed to maybe refine and improve on.

"The guys bought it right away, and we had lots of guys stay here in May and June and train with the coaches and the strength coaches. and I guess it all paid off."

BATTLE LIVED UP TO ITS BILLING

What a series it was between these two teams.  

The Dinos won the opener on Friday night 3-2 in overtime. 

The Golden Bears bounced back with a 5-4 victory of their own on Saturday night. 

That meant it was for all the marbles on Sunday night.

Ryan Hughes scored the opening goal for Alberta in the first period and it stayed that way until the third. 

Tyson Upper tied it up at 10:34 of the third after converting from a rebound off the boards.

Then, with 3:16 left, Max Patterson won the faceoff in the Golden Bears' zone and got it over to Josh Maser, who tucked it past Ethan Kruger for the game winning goal.

When the final buzzer went, the Dinos jumped onto ice and started the celebration. 

For graduating players like Bradley Schoonbaert, this is what all the hard work over the past years was about.

"It's pretty crazy," said the 25-year-old forward.

"After the first couple of years, I never thought I'd be in this position. Always getting knocked out by Saskatchewan and Alberta, and then beating those to teams in the playoffs made it extra special."

WINNING FORMULA

This has been a special year for the Dinos. 

The team won a record 23 straight games to end the regular season and can now call themselves the Canada West champs.

Patterson says it's a year he's always going to remember and the winning formula was working together as a team.

"I honestly think it comes down to our details and checking," the 23-year-old forward said.

"Everyone says how hard we are to play against, and I just think we work and we don't stop. Everyone is so close together and it makes it easy to put that work in."

Howell says he's proud of the group. 

There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but they are now the champs. 

He says winning the west was a big step for the men's hockey program.

"I didn't want to go to nationals again as kind of a bridesmaid and a fill in," he told CTV News.

"I wanted to go as a champion. It means something to lift a trophy and be a champion, and for our guys, they learned a lot about how to win."

The Dinos leave for the U-Sports National Championship next Monday with more to prove. 

For as good as the program has been, they're still looking for their first national title.