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The University of Regina Cougars women's hockey team will hit the road this weekend to take on the Alberta Pandas in the Canada West semifinals.
The Cougars swept the Manitoba Bisons last weekend in the quarterfinals, picking up a 2-0 win on Friday and a 3-1 victory on Saturday.
Kylie Gavelin led the Cougars offensively, notching two goals and two assists over the weekend. She was named the Canada West Second Star of the Week for her efforts.
Stephanie Sawchuk also had a good showing, picking up a goal and an assist, while
Tori Head and
Kelly Regnier also found the back of the net for the Cougars.
Jennifer Schmidt was phenomenal in goal once again, turning aside 36 shots for the shutout victory on Friday. She also got the start on Saturday, allowing just a single goal on 25 shots.
Alberta finished the regular season in first place in the Canada West standings, earning a bye to the semifinals. The Pandas are currently on an eight-game winning streak, including a pair of victories against the Cougars in their final games of the regular season by scores of 2-1 and 4-0.
Jessica Kampjes leads the Alberta offence, netting 11 goals and 22 points. Third-year forward Alison Campbell is right behind Kampjes, with a team-high 14 assists and six goals for 20 points.
Both Michala Jeffries and Lindsey Post have been solid between the pipes for the Pandas. Each goaltender has earned a .940 save percentage or better and getting a combined 10 shutouts.
In addition to their meeting to wrap up the regular season, the two teams also met in Regina in mid-November. The Cougars earned a 2-1 victory on the Friday night before the Pandas picked up a 5-0 shutout win on Saturday.
The last time the Cougars and the Pandas met in the playoffs was in 2010, when the Pandas swept the Canada West semifinal series 2-0 in Edmonton. The only time the Cougars beat the Pandas in post-season action was in 2001, when they defeated Alberta in two games to win the Canada West championship.
Puck drop in Edmonton is set for 8 p.m. CST on Friday night and 7 p.m. CST on Saturday. If necessary, the third and deciding game will be played on Sunday at 7 p.m. CST. All of the games will be streamed live at reg.canadawest.tv.
With files from the University of Alberta Sports Information
