REGINA, SK – It was a high-scoring night for the Saskatchewan Huskies to wrap up the U-Prairie Challenge presented by SaskMilk against the Regina Cougars at the Brandt Centre in Regina on Sunday evening. The Huskies pulled off a narrow win in Saturday's game at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, but that was not the case in Sunday's game. The Huskies put home nine goals, resulting in a 9-0 win over the Cougars. 

THE HIGHLIGHTS

• The Huskies would go with Jordan Kooy between the posts, and the Cougars with Adam Evenloff. The Cougars would swap out goaltenders to start the third, putting in Curtis Meger to finish the game. 

• Liam Keeler would open the scoring for the Huskies on the power play with his first goal of the season, assisted by Vince Loschiavo (8) and Landon Kosior (2) at 7:33 in the first. The Huskies' second goal would follow shortly after, scored by Cade Hayes (3) at 11:46, assisted by Ty Prefontaine, his 4th assist of the season. The Cougars remained scoreless, with Jordan Kooy stopping all seven shots.

• Goal three would come from Justin Ball (7) at 9:48 in the second with a smooth tap in the back door off a perfect pass from Vince Loschiavo (9). Gunner Kinniburgh would also earn a point on the goal. Cater Stebbings (9) would add a fourth to the Huskies' tally at 15:00. Justin Ball and Liam Keeler would put in their second goals on the night before the end of the second, both short-handed goals, making it a 6-0 game for the Huskies heading into the third. The Cougars got off an additional seven shots, unsuccessful on all attempts.

• Justin Ball completed his hat trick at 6:01, his ninth goal of the season, once again assisted by Vince Loschiavo. Chantz Petruic (8), a top performer in Saturday's game, would score his first of the night with five minutes to play in the third. In the final minute of play in the third, Mark Rumsey would put the puck past Meger from the blue line to score his first goal of the season and wrap up the scoring for the Huskies. 
   

THE STATS

• Saskatchewan's Jordan Kooy earned himself a shutout with 21 saves. Regina's Adam Evenloff stopped 16 of 22 shots, and Curtis Megr stopped 11 of 14 between the posts for the Cougars.

• Saskatchewan had 6 PIM, giving Regina three power-play opportunities. Regina had 12 PIM to provide Saskatchewan with six power-play opportunities. Saskatchewan finished 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Cougars were scoreless on their three opportunities, and the Huskies putting in two short-handed goals.

• Shots on net were 36-21 in favour of the Huskies.
   

THE STANDINGS
The Huskies are 13-5-0 and have officially secured a playoff position with tonight's win. The Cougars are 4-16 and are still looking to secure a spot in the Canada West playoffs. The Huskies are fifth in the standings, and the Cougars sit seventh.

THE NEXT ONE
The Huskies will take to the road for the next few weekends, starting their road trip in Langley, BC, challenging the Trinity Western Spartans. The two teams met earlier this season at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon. The Huskies swept the series with two 5-0 wins. 

2024 GFL U SPORTS WOMEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP presented by CONNECT ENERGY
The Saskatchewan Huskies are proud to host the 2024 GFL U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship presented by Connect Energy. The national championship will be held at Merlis Belsher Place on March 14-17, 2024. Ticket packages are available at HuskieTickets.com.