The stakes could not be higher for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team this weekend.
The team has a chance to book its ticket to the playoffs, something the program has only done once in the last eight years.
“We’re really excited to potentially clinch the first playoff spot in a while here,” Pronghorns Head Coach Spiros Anastas said. “But, at the same time, we need to keep our emotions level.”
After a nearly disastrous six game losing streak coming out of the Christmas break, the ‘Horns have rallied to win three of their last four. The team sit two points up on the University of British Columbia for the final Canada West playoff spot.
“We struggled coming out of the break,” Anastas said. “We have a young team, a lot of first timers facing that month off. But, we’ve been able to get back to our process and we’ve been playing pretty well.”
The ‘Horns control their own destiny: they only need one win to guarantee a playoff spot. They can also qualify if Mount Royal University loses both of their weekend games.
It’s a tough test for the ‘Horns, as they host the best team in Canada West in the Saskatchewan Huskies.
“We have a team that plays up to its competition. Our record against ranked opponents is strong so we have confidence coming into this weekend,” Anastas said. “These are the teams you want to be playing at this point in the season because you’re going to run into them in the playoffs.”
In an effort to help prepare his team for the big moment, Anastas is turning to a five-time super bowl champion coach for motivation.
“I’ve been littering our locker room with (New England Patriots Head Coach) Bill Belichick quotes this week,” Anastas said. “Because he’s kind of the epitome of doing your job and everything is going to work out. Follow the process, no days off. We’ve kind of embodied that in our own team and our own locker room.”
The Pronghorns host U of S Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.