Box Score

Meghan Sherven and Bailey Braden both scored in the third period but it wasn't enough, as the University of Regina women's hockey team fell 3-2 to the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday afternoon.

Jessica Rosenbaum, Brenley Anderson and Amy Lee all found the back of the net for the Bisons, while Dée-Ana Marion turned aside 23 shots for the win in goal. Toni Ross made 26 saves for the Cougars.

The first period opened with several chances for both teams, but the Bisons struck first. Chantal Gamache and Rosenbaum came in on a two-on-one rush and Rosenbaum fired a wrister past Ross to put the Bisons up 1-0. Manitoba went up by two midway through the period on the power-play, as Anderson poked home a loose puck in the slot to put her team up by two.

The Cougars began to pick up their game in the second period. But after they took three penalties in a row, the Bisons capitalized once again on the power play. This time it was Lee who picked up a rebound in the crease and hammered it home to give the Bisons a 3-0 lead. Midway through the period the Cougars received a golden opportunity to get back in the game when both Alana Serhan and Caitlin Fyten were sent off for hooking and tripping respectively. But despite pulling Ross to make it a six-on-three power-play the Cougars couldn't get any shots on net and went into the third down by three.

However the Cougars weren't about to give up. Just 2:01 into the third, Meghan Sherven picked up a loose puck from a Jolene Kirkpatrick point shot and fired it past Marion from the right faceoff dot to put the Cougars on the board. Just under seven minutes later the Cougars pulled within one. After some great pressure throughout the opening minutes, Braden took the puck off the boards, walked out and fired a shot on goal. Marion got a piece of it with her glove, but the puck just trickled across the line inside the far post to cut Manitoba's lead to one.

The parade to the penalty box continued late in the third. But despite having a chance with a four-on-three advantage the Cougars couldn't find the equalizer, and the Bisons held on for the 3-2 victory. When it was all said and done there were 19 infractions called on the ice, for a total of 38 minutes in penalties between the two teams.

Manitoba sees their record improve to 15-7-4 with the win, while also clinching home ice in the first round of the playoffs. They'll wrap up their regular season next weekend at home against the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The Cougars drop to 11-11-4 on the year, and will hit the road next week against Alberta to close out their regular season schedule.