Dino-mite: U of C men's hockey team head into playoffs on 23-game hot streak

This has been quite the year for the Dinos, the University of Calgary men's hockey team.

They've been ranked No. 1 in the country since Jan. 10 and rightfully so.

The Dinos finished off the regular season with a record-breaking 23-game winning streak.

Leading scorer Riley Stotts says that run gives his team confidence heading into the playoffs.

"I think we'll keep it in the back of our mind but park it in a way because we've got a championship that we're focused on," the 23-year-old said.

"It's just another thing that we can look forward to working to, so if we work forward to that, it's going to translate to wins, so it will translate to a championship, hopefully, and that's what we're going to go for."

DINOS FACE HUSKIES

The Dinos' opponents in the semi-finals will be the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Huskies got there by beating the Mount Royal University Cougars in the quarter-finals last weekend in thrilling fashion, winning the third and deciding game in overtime.

Captain Noah King knows this isn't going to be an easy series.

Although the Dinos won the season series three games to one, two of those games went to double overtime.

King says the Dinos will have to be at their best.

"They're a very good team," King said.

"They're big, strong and physical but they’re also fast and skilled. They're going to bring their best and, hopefully, we can weather the storm and have a good win in our home building."

HUSKIES WILL BE MOTIVATED

This is the second year in a row the Dinos will face off against the Huskies in the playoffs.

Last year, the Dinos went into Saskatoon and knocked off the Huskies in the quarter-finals.

Head coach Mark Howell knows the Huskies will have plenty of motivation in this series.

"They've lost a few guys and we've lost a few guys but there's still probably 70 per cent of the guys on both teams that were there and understand what happened last year," Howell said.

"We've got to make sure we come out and are ready to go and, like I said, use the rest to our advantage and come out with fresh legs and, hopefully, use the energy we have to our advantage."

REST WAS GOOD

The Dinos finished first in the regular season, so they had a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

Howell says having a couple of weeks off was good for his team.

"Everybody's healthy for the first time all year," Howell said.

"We've got 25 healthy bodies that are available to us and guys are eager and excited to get going. I think it's been a long two weeks but I think we earned the opportunity to have a rest and now guys are anxious to get going again."

Here's the schedule for the series:

• Thursday: Huskies @ Dinos, 7 p.m., Father David Bauer Arena
• Friday: Huskies @ Dinos, 7 p.m., Father David Bauer Arena
• Saturday (if necessary): Huskies @ Dinos, 7 p.m., Father David Bauer Arena