SASKATOON – The University of Regina Cougars women's hockey team stormed back late in the third period and took down their provincial rival Saskatchewan Huskies in a shootout, recording a 3-2 victory on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Merlis Belsher Place.
 
Merissa Zerr and Paige Hubbard were the goal scorers for Regina in the win while Jaycee Magwood, who added an assist on Hubbard's third-period equalizer, delivered the shootout winner for the Cougars. Hubbard and Zerr also tallied an assist each to record two-point nights.
 
Meanwhile for Saskatchewan Sophie Lalor and Morgan Willoughby found the back of the net with Bailee Bourassa, Holly Angus, Emma Nutter and Elizabeth Salyn tacking on assists.
 
Cougars netminder Jane Kish recorded 34 saves, while also stopping all four Huskies attempts in the shootout to record the win.
 
At the opposite end of the ice, Jessica Vance made 26 stops between the pipes for Saskatchewan.
 
Regina, who was locked into the fifth-seed in the conference after Mount Royal won earlier in the day, will trek west next weekend for a quarter-final matchup against those Cougars.
 
Meanwhile, the loss sees Saskatchewan finish third in the Canada West, meaning the team will be back in action next weekend on home ice. The Huskies will play host to the UBC Thunderbirds in quarter-final play.
 
After the opening frame saw neither team find twine, the visitors opened the scoring just four minutes into the second. After Vance was able to stop Zerr's first chance with an unbelievable glove stop, the third-year forward stuck with it and banged home the loose puck to make it 1-0 in favour of Regina, a lead which would carry into the second intermission.
 
The Huskies were able to equalize after entering the third period trailing by one for the second-straight night. Lalor found the back of the net after some nice puck movement on a powerplay.
 
Just under three minutes later the Huskies got the go-ahead goal, with a trio of fifth-year's getting in on the action. After Salyn snapped the faceoff back to Nutter, the Cochrane, Alta., native walked the line and fed her defence partner in Willoughby who beat Kish from the point for her first goal of the season, sending the Huskies into jubilation.
 
However, right when it looked like Saskatchewan would escape with the regulation win, Regina responded. Hubbard went over the shoulder of Vance to tie the game up at two goals apiece, with just forty seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
 
After neither overtime period was able to solve anything, it took until the fourth round of the shootout for a shooter to find twine. Magwood stepped up and went five-hole on Vance, to give the Cougars the victory in the regular-season finale.
 
Both teams will be in playoff action next weekend, with Regina in the road in Calgary to take on Mount Royal, while Saskatchewan is at home to UBC.
 
All that action can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV presented by Co-op.