Box Score

John Sonntag (pictured) was the hero in overtime as the University of Regina Cougars beat the Manitoba Bisons 3-2 Saturday afternoon in Canada West men's hockey action.

Sonntag stepped up to break up a pass in the neutral zone, then went in on a 2-on-1 with Tyler Murray. Sonntag looked pass at first, but put the puck to his forehand and went short side on Manitoba goalie Joe Caligiuri to give the Cougars the win and notch his first career game-winning goal.

Mark Schneider and Ryan Dech also scored for the Cougars, who got another incredible goaltending performance, this time from Lucas Gore who turned aside 36 shots in the win. Jordan DePape got the other marker for the Bisons, while Caliguiri stopped 22 shots in the loss.

The Bisons opened the first with plenty of chances, including a wraparound attempt by Jesse Paradis that went off the post. However neither team could find the back of the net and they went into the second period in a scoreless tie.

Manitoba got an opportunity midway through the second when a Darren Bestland shot beat Gore but rang off both posts. An avalanche of five penalties ensued, and the Cougars would pounce first. At 11:50 while on a 5-on-3 power play, Schneider patiently waited before wristing in his fifth of the year for the game's first goal. Just 18 seconds later, after the Bisons took a cross-checking penalty to put Regina on another 5-on-3, Dech deflected a slapshot off a pair of bodies for his second of the year to put the Cougars up 2-0.

But the penalties swung back in favour of Manitoba before the second was over. On their own 5-on-3 at 14:08, they got back within one, off the stick of DePape who deflected a Paulsen shot past Gore for his sixth of the year.

In the third, the Bisons were able to tie it up shorthanded at 7:06, as Paradis cleaned up a rebound on a 2-on-1 break-in for his ninth of the year. The teams played a slower, smarter brand of hockey the rest of the way, pushing the game to extra time.

Manitoba controlled most of the first 4-on-4 overtime period, but at the 3:28 mark of double overtime, John Sonntag got the game-winner for the Cougars on a steal at centre ice, then a patient snap shot past Caliguiri.

The Bisons see their record fall to 9-11-4 with the loss. They'll hit the road next week for a series in Lethbridge against the Pronghorns.

With the win the Cougars improve to 13-11-2, move two points ahead of Manitoba in the Canada West standings and pick up their first back-to-back wins since mid-November, when they swept the Saskatchewan Huskies. They'll be back in action next weekend when they play host to the Alberta Golden Bears at The Co-operators Centre. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night.