CALGARY, Alberta – Fourth-year forward Kyra McDonald (Inuvik, NT) finished an impressive weekend with three goals to lead the Spartans to a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Dinos Saturday afternoon at the David Bauer Arena in Calgary, Alberta. The hat trick was a first for the women's hockey program.
 
The win improves the third-place Spartans to 12-11-1-0 (25 points) in the Canada West West division, while the loss drops the fourth-place Dinos to 6-14-0-1 (14 points). The Spartans lead the Dinos by 11 points with four games remaining for TWU and six games for Calgary.
 
Also scoring for the Spartans was third-year forward Kara Yackel (St. Paul, Man.) with her fifth of the season. McDonald's three goals give her five goals and one assist on the weekend.
 
While Hannah Reagh scored her second of the season for the Dinos.
 
First-year goalie Olivia Davidson (Edmonton, Alta.) made 22 saves in the TWU win, while Amelia Awad made 27 saves in the Dinos' loss.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now return home to host the Alberta Pandas on Friday, January 31 at the Langley Events Centre, and Saturday, February 1 at the George Preston Community Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PT), and 7:15 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
Trinity Western Head Coach Peter Hay
"We are having so much fun! Once again a full team effort where every player contributed to the success. The PK was 100% and our PP scored at important times in both games. Special shutout to the line of Reid, Matthews, and McDonald as they dominated the weekend sweep. McDonald getting a hat-trick today and five goals for the weekend was huge. She gets better every game and is becoming a top Canada West player. Also, great for Olivia Davidson to get her first win when starting the game. The team culture and energy are at an all-time high and we are gearing up for four big games vs top-ranked teams in Canada vs Alberta and MRU before heading into playoffs that we essentially clinched this weekend. Good day to be a Spartan."
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans capitalized on one of four power play opportunities in the first period to take a 1-0 lead over the Dions after the opening 20 minutes. McDonald scored the period's only goal at 19:43, assisted by Chloe Reid and Kelsey Ledoux, marking McDonald's eighth goal of the season. Calgary incurred four penalties throughout the period, giving Trinity Western multiple chances with a player advantage. TWU outshot Calgary 9-5 in the period.
 
In the second period, TWU capitalized on their opportunities to secure a 3-1 lead over the Dinos. The period saw Trinity Western's Yackel score her fifth goal of the season, assisted by Kyra Anderson and Brooke Dorash, while McDonald netted her ninth goal on a power play, with assists from Chloe Reid and Jordyn Matthews. Despite penalties from Olivia Leier, Kelsey Ledoux, and Reilley Kellner, Trinity Western's defense held strong, conceding only one goal to Calgary's Hannah Reagh. The Spartans had a 15-10 edge in shots in the period to hold a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
 
In the third period, the Spartans capitalized on a late mistake by Calgary to secure a 4-1 victory. McDonald scored an empty-net goal at 17:46, marking her tenth goal of the season and completing her historic hat trick. Trinity Western successfully killed two Calgary power plays and had two power play opportunities themselves, although they did not score on them. The Dinos outshot the Spartans 8-7 in the final period.
 
NOTABLE 

• The Spartans outshot the Dinos 31-23.
• TWU was 2-7 on the power play, while Calgary was 0-4.
• With the weekend sweep the Spartans' magic number for securing a postseason spot drops to one. A TWU tie or a Calgary tie or loss will give the Spartans the third-place spot in the west division.

Last night the Spartans defeated the Dinos 6-1.

• TWU is 4-0 on the Dinos this season.
• TWU is currently 7-8 lifetime against the Dinos.

 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
 
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
 
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