Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's hockey team locked down a second-place finish in the Canada West standings after a 3-2 win over Manitoba on Saturday night at the Max Bell Arena in Winnipeg.

Carleen Meszaros, Paige Wheeler, and Kendra Finch all scored for the Cougars in the victory, while Toni Ross stopped 25 of 27 shots between the pipes to secure the win.

The U of R finishes the conference schedule with a fine 18-7-3 record and ended up with 39 points, one ahead of third-place UBC. The Cougars receive a bye through the Canada West quarterfinals and will host UBC in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series beginning on Feb. 22 unless the Thunderbirds are upset by sixth-place Manitoba in the quarterfinals, in which case the U of R would host the winner of the Alberta/Saskatchewan series.

Nicole McGlenen opened the scoring for Manitoba at the 7:30 mark of the first period, but the Cougars replied before the first intermission when Meszaros beat Manitoba goalie Dee-Ana Marion after a goalmouth scramble to notch her sixth of the campaign.

The Cougars scored twice in the second period, the first coming when Wheeler beat Marion from in tight to put the U of R into the lead for the first time. Finch added all the offence the Cougars would need five minutes later, scoring on a wraparound to put the visitors up 3-1.

Kyleigh Palmer got one back for Manitoba on the power play less than a minute after Finch's goal as the Bisons cut the lead to one, but that would be the final offence of the night for either team as Ross stopped all seven shots she faced in the final frame.

Game 1 of the Canada West semifinals will be hosted at The Co-operators Centre on Friday, Feb. 22 with Game 2 to follow on Saturday, Feb. 23. Both of the first two games of the series will start at 7 p.m., while the third game – if it's needed – is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m.

NOTES: The second-place finish for the Cougars in the Canada West standings is the highest since the U of R also finished in second place during the 2006-07 season ... the U of R's 18 conference wins breaks the program's previous high of 15, also set back in 2006-07.