FRIDAY: vs. Manitoba, 7:00 p.m. (The Co-operators Centre)
SATURDAY: vs. Manitoba, 2:30 p.m. (The Co-operators Centre)

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The University of Regina men's hockey team is set to host the Manitoba Bisons this weekend for a pair of Canada West games.

Regina (6-15-1) has opened the new year on a four-game losing streak, after falling to Mount Royal twice to open 2015 and losing two games to the first-place Alberta Golden Bears last weekend. The Cougars are still alive in the playoff hunt, as they trail the Saskatchewan Huskies by five points with three weekends remaining in regular-season play.

The Cougars played the No.1-ranked Golden Bears close, losing 2-1 in overtime on Friday before suffering a 6-3 defeat on Sunday. Troy Hunter scored a goal in each game and Dylen McKinlay and Sanfred King also recorded markers on Saturday. 

Mitch Kilgore and Lucas Gore were each peppered with shots in their starts on the weekend, as Kilgore made 42 saves on Friday and Gore stopped 46 shots on Saturday. Kilgore has posted a save percentage of .914 on the season to go with his 3-3-1 record while Gore is at marks of .902 and 3-12-0.

"We're going to have to keep doing what we're doing," head coach Todd Johnson said. "We need to keep getting pucks on net and creating opportunities for ourselves."

The Bisons are heading into the weekend holding fifth place in the conference with an 11-11 record. Manitoba is coming off two wins over the Lethbridge Pronghorns from last weekend, where they won 5-3 and 6-0.

Jordan DePape leads the Bisons and is fifth in Canada West in scoring, with 25 points on the campaign. Aaron Lewadniuk has recorded 18 points and Shaquille Merasty has 17 this season for Manitoba.

Deven Dubyk has seen the majority of action between the pipes for the Bisons and has a record of 10-8. Dubyk also has a save percentage of .923 and a 2.36 goals-against average for the campaign.

Cody Fowlie leads the Cougars in points thus far with 13. McKinlay, a rookie, is close behind with 11 points on four goals and seven helpers.

"Dylen has been great for us this season," Johnson said. "He had a great game on Saturday and keeps getting better every time he plays. He's getting used to school as well and he's going to be one of our top players moving forward."

The Cougars visited the Bisons earlier this season, losing 6-0 and 4-1.

"When we played them before we played two uninspired games," Johnson added. "We've been playing passionate and determined hockey lately so I think we're in a much better spot if we keep that up."

Friday's game is set for 8 p.m. at The Co-operators Centre, while Saturday's rematch will face off at 2:30 p.m.