CALGARY, Alta. – A third period comeback gave the Mount Royal University Cougars a 3-2 win over division rivals the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Canada West men's hockey action at Flames Community Arena. 
 
Heading into Friday's tilt, the Huskies held a two point lead over the Cougars for first place in the East Division and could clinch first place with a win. Mount Royal would need to sweep the Huskies to grab ahold of the division and earn a bye to the semifinals.  
 
An early penalty for MRU proved to be costly. Just 12 seconds into the man advantage, Saskatchewan forward and rookie of the year frontrunner Connor Roulette went bar-down from the left faceoff dot to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the contest. 
 
Mount Royal got a powerplay shortly after but were unable to find an equalizer.  
 
Vaughn Watterodt was the culprit for two MRU penalties in the opening period. 
However, the second year forward got the Cougars on the board later in the period to tie it one. The former Saskatoon Blade was etching his name all over the scoresheet. 
 
Midway through the second period, the Huskies retook the lead. Cougars' captain Kyle Walker turned over the puck behind his own net, allowing Carter Stebbings to corral it and shoot one over the shoulder of Shane Farkas. 
 
Penalties continued to plague the Cougars through the second period. Mount Royal became visibly frustrated and could not find a rhythm. 
 
The Huskies took the 2-1 lead into the final period. 
 
In the third period, the Cougars looked like a completely different team. They upped their urgency and were playing at a playoff-level of intensity with valuable points on the line.  
 
Saskatchewan's rookie netminder Nolan Maier stood tall between the pipes, denying the Cougars' frequent chances to find the back of the net. Maier made 24 saves in the loss. 
 
With under seven minutes to play, Mount Royal finally had their hard work pay off. Clay 
Hanus had a low point shot deflected by Spencer Moe, fooling Maier and getting it to go five-hole. Moe's career-high 11th goal of the season made it a new hockey game with just minutes left. 
 
The fifth-year centreman mentioned that the team was forced to confront the game before heading into the third. 
 
Blake Stevenson was elevated to the first line late in the game along with Moe and Connor Bouchard. The Watterodt-Moe-Bouchard line had been very successful over the course of the last month but the Cougars needed a spark. The change evidently paid off late in the game. 
 
The job wasn't finished for the Cougars, who still needed another goal. 
 
With under three minutes Justin Lies gave Mount Royal their first lead of the hockey game. The second-year sniper circled around the zone before firing a shot through a Josh Tarzwell screen and under Maier's pad.  
 
Lies' 14th of the year secured a huge victory for Mount Royal. The Cougars clinched a home playoff series. 
 
Saturday's regular season finale will still have a lot on the line. The winner gets first place and a bye to the semifinals. Loser takes second place and will host the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the quarterfinals next weekend.  
 
Puck drop for tomorrow's game at Flames Community Arena is set for 6:00 PM (CST).