Box Score Box Score

Kendra Finch scored twice and added an assist to lead the University of Regina's women's hockey team to a 5-1 win over UBC on Saturday night in a Canada West game at The Co-operators Centre.

Both of Finch's goals were part of a three-goal first period for the Cougars. Paige Wheeler, Brooklyn Moskowy, and Triston Riemer also scored for the Cougars, while Jennifer Schmidt stopped 30 of 31 shots to earn the win for the U of R.

Kaitlin Imai notched UBC's lone goal.

“We got up a couple goals and really stepped up tonight to make sure that we weren't going to let them back in the game,” Cougars head coach Sarah Hodges said. “I'm real proud of the way the girls have played over the past month and tonight was a great way to end the first semester.”

Wheeler opened the scoring with her sixth of the season just before the midpoint of the first period. With the Cougars on the power play, Rianne Wight found Wheeler out front, who made no mistake to give the home side an early lead.

Finch scored what would turn out to be the game-winning goal four minutes later after breaking in alone on UBC starter Danielle Lemon and shooting glove side to extend the Regina lead. The fourth-year forward lit the lamp again on a fortuitous bounce with just under three minutes left in the opening 20 minutes, as a Brooklyn Moskowy shot deflected off Finch's skate and in.

The Cougars (12-4-0) dominated the first period, outshooting UBC by a 20-6 margin and chasing Lemon in favour of Samantha Langford going into the second.

The change in goaltending made no difference early on, as it took the Cougars just 76 seconds to pad their lead. A shot by Finch snuck through Langford's equipment and sat in the crease for Moskowy, who tapped it in to collect her fourth of the season. The assist gave Finch a three-point night.

Imai scored what would turn out to be UBC's only goal of the contest late in the second with the Thunderbirds on the power play. Genevieve Carpenter-Boesch and Rebecca Unrau drew the assists on Imai's goal, her seventh of the campaign.

UBC peppered Schmidt with 19 shots in the third period alone, but it was the Cougars that came up with the only scoring of the final stanza as a point shot from Riemer beat Langford four minutes in to seal the victory - the Cougars' sixth in a row and 10th in their last 11 games.

UBC was 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Cougars were 1-for-4. Lemon ended up with 17 saves in one period of action for the Thunderbirds before Langford came in for the final 40 minutes and made 11 stops.

Both teams will have a month-long break from the conference schedule before returning to Canada West action in early January.