The University of Regina's men's hockey team opens their Canada West schedule at home this weekend with a pair of games against Calgary. The Cougars and Dinos will face off at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night at The Co-operators Centre.

After guiding the Cougars to a 13-12-3 conference record and their first playoff appearance since the 2009 season, second-year head coach Todd Johnson expects the team to continue its progress heading into this year.

Rookie Cody Fowlie is already making an impression, and Johnson expects he will team up with third-year players Troy Hunter and Tyler Henry to form the top line. Heading into his final year of CIS eligibility, team captain Craig Cuthbert will most likely join Brock Appleyard and newcomer Christian Magnus on the No. 2 line. Magnus looks to be another strong addition, finishing with 36 points in 50 games last year with the Melville Millionaires (SJHL), while also scoring four goals in the postseason.

The Cougars have retained their strong goaltending, as both Lucas Gore and Andrew Hayes return to the team. Last season the pair split the duties between the pipes, with Gore finishing third in the league with a .918 save percentage.

As for the blue line, there are plenty of new faces as Steven Turner, Austin Bourhis, Brody Luhning, and John Neibrandt will all be suiting up for the Cougars this season. Luhning is coming off three strong seasons with the Battlefords North Stars which saw him finish in the top three in SJHL defenceman scoring in each of his last two seasons.

Johnson expects the team to battle hard for a home playoff game in the spring, despite periods of inconsistent play during the preseason. The Cougars are already fighting the injury bug, with three players currently sidelined with upper-body injuries.

Calgary also has its share of new faces, as ten new players will find their way into a Dinos' jersey this fall. The Dinos are coming off a 17-win season in 2012-13 and are off to a fine start this season, as they capped off their 10-game non-conference schedule with an impressive two-game sweep over the University of Alberta last weekend.

Calgary's top returning forwards are Taylor Stefishen, Walker Wintoneak, and Kevin King, while University of Waterloo transfer Tyler Moir could add some scoring punch. Six rookie forwards join the Dinos this year, all of which have WHL experience as they make the jump from junior hockey to the CIS. Kodie Curran, Giffen Nyren, and Cory Pritz all return to Calgary's blue line, while Jacob De Serres and Kris Lazaruk will battle for time between the pipes for the Dinos.

After this weekend, the Cougars' Canada West schedule continues at home against Lethbridge (Oct. 11/12) while Calgary will host UBC in its home openers next Friday and Saturday.

NOTES: Both games will be webcast live at www.canadawest.tv with Global's Kent Morrison handling play-by-play duties.