Horn men clinch playoff berth

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:56 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's hockey team is headed back to the Canada West playoffs and they'll do so on home ice, beginning Mar. 6.

The Horns clinched not only a playoff spot but also a home playoff series this past weekend when they picked up a split with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos. After a lackluster 6-2 loss Friday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena, the Horns rebounded with a solid 5-2 victory over the Dinos on Saturday night. Four power play goals, including a pair from defenceman Ryan Pottruff, paved the way for the Horns, who improved to 14-12-0 on the season.

The U of L, now fourth in the Canada West standings, still has a shot at third place but would need a weekend sweep of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Golden Bears to catch the idle ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba Bisons. At worst, the Horns will finish fourth in the conference and host a playoff series against either Regina, UBC or Calgary. All three of those teams are still battling for the fifth and sixth playoff positions (although Regina has at least clinched one of those spots).

The Horns last made the playoffs in 2006-07 when they hosted UBC Thunderbirds and lost a three-game series 2-1. The club concludes its Canada West regular season this weekend, also at home, when the first place Golden Bears (20-4-2) come calling for games Friday and Saturday nights, 7 p.m., at Nicholas Sheran.

Women's Hockey

The Pronghorns will not be suiting up for playoff action this spring but a weekend split, capped by Sunday's 7-3 rout, was a good way to cap the 2008-09 Canada West regular season.

The Horns got three goals from Shelby Ballendine and a pair from Brittany Kaye to blitz the playoff-bound UBC T-Birds 7-3. The win followed a 6-4 loss on Saturday that saw the Horns nearly erase a 5-1 first period deficit.

U of L finished the season 4-19-1 and graduated a pair of players, Lindsay Peters and Johanna Myers.

UNews - Brittany Kaye

Horn men clinch playoff berth

Related Topics