Martens scores twice in 2-1 Dinos win

CALGARY – A two-goal night from forward Jess Martens helped the University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team kick off the second half of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Regina Cougars Friday night at Father David Bauer Arena.

"I thought it was pretty good," said the fifth-year senior. "The first game back is always tough, but I thought we had a pretty good team effort and I was able to capitalize, so it feels good always."

Martens' first goal came 10:20 in the first period, setting the Dinos up 1-0. With Sophia Zuck taking the puck down into the corner, a quick pass to the slot would have Martens picking it up and launching it past Cougars' goaltender Natalie Williamson. 

"We've been playing together for three years and we both kind of complement each other," said Martens about Zuck, smiling. "Both of us are a little bit speedy so we're able to complement each other and we have that chemistry we've built over the past few years."

It wasn't long until Regina took one back. Despite being on the penalty kill, the Cougars broke through the Dinos blue line creating a two-on-one. It was Makena Kushniruk who took a shot from the right circle, sending it over the right shoulder of Amelia Awad and into the top corner tying the game up 1-1 with 7:02 left in the first period, leading towards a night that would continue to be a battle of the goaltenders

A scoreless second period saw lots of action at both ends. A few key saves came from Williamson when the Cougars were given a four-minute penalty, however the Dinos just couldn't capitalize on the chances they created, outshooting the visitors 36-16 at the end of the second frame.

The game-winning goal came from Calgary's dynamic duo yet again. A costly penalty given to the Cougars in the third period opened the door for Martens to break the deadlock with her second goal of the game. After Jada Johns passed it up on the rush, Martens took it into the Cougars zone, deking through their defence and firing one to the back of the net to finish the night with a 2-1 final score.

Williamson finished the night with 43 saves on 45 shots, while Awad blocked out 24 of 25.

With a rematch coming Saturday at 5 p.m., the Dinos will look to increase their pace of game, looking for another win.

"I thought we had a good game overall, we just need to capitalize on our chances," Martens said. "We had 45 shots on goal, so just putting a couple of those in the net and keep playing as a team and we should be good."

Added Dinos head coach Josh Gosling, "I think we liked a lot of the things we did. We created a lot, we missed a lot of grade-A chances, but [the team's maturity showed and] we didn't get caught up in it. We were able to shelf it, go back to work, and grind one out.

"We set a standard that we can push. The locker room needs to understand that they're going to come out harder tomorrow, so we have to be ready for another level."