SASKATOON - Bailee Bourassa scored in double overtime for the Saskatchewan Huskies to defeat the University of Regina women's hockey team 2-1 at The Co-operators Centre on Friday night.
 
Abby Shirley also scored for the Huskies and Jenna Merk was the lone goal scorer for the Cougars.
 
The first period served as a tone-setter in what turned out to be a gritty defensive battle between the two rival teams. Throughout the game both sides took a combined 20 minutes in penalties, Regina 12 and Saskatchewan 8.
 
Merk scored the first goal of the game with 4:38 left in the second period. Merk brought the puck to the front of the Huskies crease and took a shot on net. The initial shot was stopped but the rebound popped out and Merk took a second whack at the puck finding the back of the net. Sidney Shyiak assisted on the goal.
 
Shirley got the Huskies back into the game with a goal midway through the third period. Shyan Elias backhanded the puck against the Huskies boards to clear the puck from their zone, resulting in it bouncing just out of the reach of a Cougars defender and giving the speedy Shirley a breakaway. Shirley snapped a shot from the hash marks beating the Cougars goaltender blocker side.
 
Both teams could not solve the opposing goaltenders throughout the rest of the third period or the first overtime frame resulting in a 3-on-3 overtime period.
 
Bourassa scored the game-winner 59 seconds into the second overtime period. Leah Bohlken pulled the puck from a pinned Shirley and passed it over to Bourassa who took the puck end to end and outmuscled two Cougars in their zone before roofing the puck into the Cougars net. 
 
Jessica Vance stopped 16 shots for Saskatchewan in the win as they improved to 15-7-2-3 on the season while Jane Kish made 19 saves for the Cougars who fall to 9-14-4-0.
 
The Cougars and Huskies will travel up to Saskatoon for Saturday's rematch at Merlis Belsher Place.