The University of Regina's men's hockey team hosts the UBC Thunderbirds this weekend at the Sherwood Ice Sports Centre.

The Cougars (3-5-2) and UBC (4-6-0) enter the weekend tied for fifth place in Canada West with eight points apiece. UBC was defeated twice at home by No. 3-ranked Saskatchewan last weekend, while the well-rested Cougars had last weekend off.

Kyle Ross continues to lead the Cougars in scoring, as the second-year forward is 12th in the conference with ten points (five goals and five assists) in ten games. Rookie defenceman Dylan Chapman ranks second among Canada West blueliners with eight points this year. Dustin Bru, Neil Kodman, and Ryan Cruse have each registered six points so far in the team's first ten games.

Between the pipes, second-year goalie Brant Hilton ranks second in Canada West in both goals-against average (2.29) and save percentage (.921).

Jeff Lynch, who played five years in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, leads UBC with four goals and 10 points, while Darrell May has a team-leading seven assists. Gerry Festa and Francois Thuot have split the netminding duties for UBC. Festa has a 3.87 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage, while Thuot has a 3.87 goals-against and an .875 save percentage. Both goalies have 2-3 records.

Since the 2006-07 season, the Cougars have earned at least one point in seven of the eight games they've played against the Thunderbirds, sporting a 5-1-2 record against UBC. The two teams, who have never met in a postseason contest, have played a total of 93 games against each other. Regina has won 48 of those games, UBC has won 34, and 11 ended up in a tie.

Both Friday and Saturday's games are scheduled to face off at 7 p.m. Live statistics will be available through the link on the calendar on the right-hand side of the Cougars' Internet site.

THE HISTORY FILE: The first regular season game between Regina and UBC was started on Oct. 21, 1979 in Vancouver and finished on Nov. 18, 1979 in Regina. The game was suspended after two periods due to an electrical failure at UBC's rink. The final period was played a month later in Regina on a Sunday following UBC's two-game series against the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Thunderbirds ended up winning the game 5-1.