Under the direction of first-year head coach Todd Johnson, the University of Regina's men's hockey team lifts the lid on the 2012-13 Canada West schedule this weekend against the UBC Thunderbirds at The Co-operators Centre.

The Cougars and UBC will face off at 7 p.m. on both Friday night and Saturday night.

Johnson, who was hired in the offseason as the eighth head coach in the 37-year history of the men's hockey program at the U of R, came to the Cougars after spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL's Kootenay Ice.

He takes over a team that's strong between the pipes, as second-year goalies Lucas Gore and Andrew Hayes return to the Cougars. Gore led all Canada West rookies in minutes played last season, while Hayes posted solid numbers after joining the Cougars in January. Adding to the mix this year is Mitch Kilgore, who was a runner-up for SJHL Goaltender of the Year honours in 2011-12 with the Weyburn Red Wings.

Fifth-year team captain Russ Nielsen heads up the Cougar blue line, and it's expected that first-year defenceman Lucas Friedel (Salmon Arm Silverbacks) will join him on the top pairing. Second-year defencemen Mark Schneider and John Sonntag both return, but newcomer Ryan Dech – who just joined the team this week after spending the last two seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings – could very well slide into the top four.

Up front, Johnson expects to ice a first line with Tyler Henry centering Matt Strueby and Troy Hunter. Strueby finished second on the Cougars in both goals (8) and points (15) last season, while Henry has collected a team-leading three goals during the U of R's five non-conference games. Though the lines are still being sorted out at practice, Craig Cuthbert between Brock Appleyard and Tyler Penny could serve as the No. 2 line heading into conference play.

Guided by reigning Canada West Coach of the Year Milan Dragicevic, UBC's top returning player is Jordan White. Noted for his brief stint with the San Jose Sharks on an emergency basis a couple seasons ago, White was named a second-team conference all-star in 2011-12 after posting a 2.54 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage and appearing in 25 of UBC's 28 conference games.

UBC forward Max Grassi was a point-a-game player for the Thunderbirds last year, recording 25 points in 25 Canada West contests. Scott Wasden also returns after leading the team with 11 goals in 2011-12, while Jason Yee is back after leading UBC's defencemen as a rookie last year with 11 points while appearing in all 28 conference games.

After this weekend, the Cougars will finish off their non-conference schedule with road games against NCAA Div. I schools. They'll play Alaska Fairbanks next Friday before meeting Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

NOTES: Counting conference games only, the Cougars hold a 54-44-11 advantage over UBC in the all-time series.