The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's hockey team got the win they so desperately needed while the men's and women's basketball teams capped their Canada West schedules with weekend splits during a busy weekend of Pronghorn Athletics.
Men's Hockey
The Pronghorn men, in Edmonton for a two-game series with the CIS top-rated Alberta Golden Bears (19-3-2), rebounded from a 6-2 loss Friday night to post a 6-4 victory on Saturday. The win ended a seven-game losing skid for the Horns (13-11-0) and gave them some much-needed breathing room in the Canada West standings.
With two weekends to play in the regular season, U of L now has a six-point lead on both Regina and UBC for fourth in the conference (and home ice in the first round of playoffs). The Horns are now just three points back of Manitoba for third place.
Dustin Moore was the hero Saturday night, scoring three times and netting the game-winning goal. After the Horns let an early 4-0 lead slip away, Moore potted the winner late in the second period and added an insurance goal in the third. Backup netminder Brandon Highton got the win in net with 36 saves.
The Horns now close out the regular season with a pair of series at Nicholas Sheran Arena. This weekend the University of Calgary Dinos roll into town before the season concludes with a return visit by the Bears. Pronghorns need just one point over the next two weekends to clinch one of the six Canada West playoff spots as they sit seven points clear of last-place Calgary (and have clinched the tiebreaker with the Dinos) with four games to play.
Basketball
The Pronghorn women's basketball team (5-17) closed out a strong second half with a weekend split against University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The Horns picked up a 71-70 overtime victory Saturday night for their fourth win of the second half and third win over a ranked opponent since the Christmas break.
Hannah Blanchette hit a free throw with 1.5 seconds left in overtime for the winning margin as the Horns edged the nationally third-ranked Huskies.
The Horns men's team (5-17) looked poised for a weekend sweep but after beating the Huskies 87-67 Friday night and holding a five-point lead at the half on Saturday, they were shredded in the closing half, eventually losing 102-77 to cap a difficult season.
Senior guard Allen Kadima, playing in his final Canada West game, had 11 points and nine assists for the U of L. The nine helpers helped him set a new Horns single-season record for assists with 144.
