Ticket Information
Live Webcast
Live Statistics

The first conference game on the 2012-13 CIS schedule features the University of Regina hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies on Thursday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Returning four of five starters from 2011-12 and adding a promising transfer, the Cougars hope to take a step forward this season after collecting a 5-15 record over last year's conference schedule.

Leading the group of returners is forward Paul Gareau, who already has a 35-point game to his credit this season in a win over Concordia two weekends ago. Entering his final season in a Cougar uniform, Gareau will almost certainly finish among the school's all-time top ten scorers.

Fourth-year post Connor Burns transitioned into a starting role last year as and averaged 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Cougars. He averaged just under 30 minutes per game during the conference schedule and will likely be heavily used again at post this season.

The Cougars have mostly gone with a starting lineup through the non-conference schedule that features three guards, including returning players Brendan Hebert and Antonio Tate and junior college transfer Frank Brown.

Hebert started for the Cougars last year and had a team-leading 78 assists, while Tate joined the team for the second semester and averaged 13.6 minutes played per game off the bench. Brown was an all-conference selection for Phoenix College last season and is expected to make an immediate impact in the backcourt for the Cougars.

Also returning for the Cougars are guards Sterling Nostedt and Darius Mole, with both players seeing significant playing time coming off the bench so far this season. Nostedt enters his final season of CIS eligibility ranked seventh in school history with 113 three-pointers made in his career, while Mole served as the team's starting point guard in 2010-11 but missed all of last season while rehabbing an injury suffered during the non-conference schedule.

Medicine Hat College transfer Matthew Augustine, second-year post Vule Grujic, and first-year forward Travis Sylvestre (Michael A. Riffel HS) will also see roles off the bench for the Cougars this season. Also on the roster is second-year guard Ryan Schmidt, first-year guard Jeff Propp (Michael A. Riffel HS), second-year forward Jeremy Zver, second-year post Daniel Osiowy, and first-year guard Kyle Dudley (Balfour Collegiate).

Despite returning zero starters from last year's team, Saskatchewan comes into the weekend ranked No. 5 in this week's CIS poll after a strong performance in non-conference play. Matt Forbes, Patrick Burns, Ben Baker, and Evan Ostertag have stepped into starting roles for the Huskies, while San Diego City College transfer Stephon Lamar has made an immediate impact for Saskatchewan.

The two teams met two weeks ago in non-conference action, with Saskatchewan taking a 12-point win at the Graham Shootout in Saskatoon.

The second leg of the home-and-home series will go on Saturday night in Saskatoon.