Women's Hockey | 11/16/2016 2:23:00 PM

FRIDAY: at UBC, 7 p.m. (PST), Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
SATURDAY: at UBC, 4 p.m. (PST), Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre

The University of Regina women's hockey team is back in action this weekend following the Canada West bye week, as the Cougars travel to Vancouver to match up against the first-place UBC Thunderbirds.

Regina enters the weekend in fourth place in the conference with a 5-4-1-0 record. The Cougars split with the Alberta Pandas in their last action, winning 3-0 on Nov. 4 before the hometown Pandas rebounded for a 4-2 win the following afternoon.

Jaycee Magwood leads the Cougars in scoring, and is fourth among the conference's leading scorers with five goals and five assists totaling ten points. Kylie Gavelin is just two points back of Magwood with three goals and five helpers while Kylee Kupper has already surpassed her goal total from a season ago with four goals and three assists.

Jane Kish has made eight appearances in net for the Cougars, earning a conference-high five wins to go along with two shutouts. Kish has posted a 2.37 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. Rookie Morgan Baker has played in four games, recording a 2.52 GAA and an .870 save percentage with a 1-1 record.

The Thunderbirds sit in first place in Canada West with a 7-1-2-0 record, good enough to earn them a No. 1 ranking in the country. After splitting the opening weekend with Saskatchewan, UBC has rattled off eight-straight wins including 5-1 and 4-3 road victories over the Lethbridge Pronghorns in their latest action.

Fourth-year forward Cassandra Vilgrain leads Canada West in scoring with three goals and 11 assists in 10 games played. Nicole Saxvik (3G, 8A), Kathleen Cahoon (5G, 3A), Stephanie Schaupmeyer (2G, 6A) and Mairead Bast (4G, 3A) have also made significant contributions on the offensive end.

UBC has two rookies between the pipes, as Amelia Boughn and Tory Micklash have each made five starts. Boughn is sporting a 4-1 record with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, while Micklash sits at a perfect 5-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .870 save percentage.

Regina rookie forward Lilla Carpenter-Boesch (pictured) may have some family bragging rights on the line this weekend, as her older sister Jenna enters her fifth season with the T-Birds.

"This will be my first time playing against Jenna, and there will be a lot of family out to watch these games," the Cougar rookie said on Tuesday. "Aside from playing against my sister, these are important games for our team. We want to prove that we can compete with the top-ranked team in the country and this weekend is a great opportunity."

The Cougars and Thunderbirds split both of their regular-season matchups a season ago before UBC bounced the Cougars 3-2 in Game 3 of a Canada West semifinal series.