FRIDAY: vs. Calgary, 7 p.m., The Co-operators Centre
SATURDAY: vs. Calgary, 7 p.m., The Co-operators Centre
SUNDAY (if necessary): vs. Calgary, 7 p.m., The Co-operators Centre

The University of Regina women's hockey team will host a Canada West playoff series this weekend for the first time since the 2012-13 season, as the Cougars welcome the sixth-seeded Calgary Dinos to The Co-operators Centre for a best-of-three quarterfinal series.

The Cougars split a home-and-home last weekend against the Saskatchewan Huskies to secure third place in Canada West, while the Dinos swept Lethbridge to sneak into the final playoff spot.

The Cougars won the season series against the Dinos, taking three of the four matchups. Regina opened the regular season with 4-3 and 7-0 home wins over Calgary in October, before winning 4-3 then falling 3-0 at Calgary in early January. Calgary allowed the most goals of any team in Canada West this season, surrendering 81 goals but closing out the campaign with nine wins in 11 games to earn a playoff berth.

Regina has the number three and four scorers in Canada West in Kylie Gavelin and rookie Jaycee Magwood. Gavelin tallied 11 goals and 16 assists in 26 games, while Magwood put up 11 goals and 15 helpers in the full 28 games. Emma Waldenberger was also a threat offensively, finishing third in the conference in goals scored with 13. Five of Waldenberger's 13 markers came in the first weekend series against the Dinos.

Regina will have to slow down the nation's top two scorers, as Iya Gavrilova piled up 20 goals and 23 assists in 28 games this season. The fifth-year forward out of Krasnoyarsk, Russia is followed immediately by fellow Russian Sasha Vafina in the CIS scoring race. Vafina, a third-year athlete from Chelyabinsk finished with 14 goals and 20 helpers on the year. In the four games against the Cougars this season, the duo combined for four goals and six assists. Also bolstering the Dinos attack is Delaney Frey (5 G, 8 A), Stephanie Zvonkovic (4 G, 8 A) and Chelsea Court (7 G, 3 A).

 "They're good players, so we're going to have to work hard to control the puck and limit their opportunities," head coach Sarah Hodges said of the Dinos' top line. "Even when you focus on them they can still score so we'll have to manage the puck well. Making them work on both ends of the ice will be key."

Toni Ross finished with a CIS-leading 17 wins in net for the Cougars, which is the fourth-highest single season total in Canada West history. Ross also finished second in the conference in save percentage at .929 and sported a goals-against average of 1.93. The fifth-year goaltender's 1493:22 minutes of ice time this season is the second-highest total in the nation. 

Hayley Dowling made 18 appearances in net for Calgary and Sarah Murray saw action in 11 games. Dowling had a save percentage of .915 and a goals-against average of 2.30 while Murray hit marks of .885 and 3.08.

"Every weekend has been important for us all year, so we'll keep approaching games the same way," Hodges added. "As long as we limit our errors and make sure we're on the attack as much as possible I think we'll put ourselves in a spot to be successful."

The Cougars and Dinos have only one previous playoff meeting, back on Feb. 11, 2000 when the Dinos won 3-2 in a single-game Canada West semifinal.

NOTE: Saskatchewan will host Manitoba in the other quarterfinal series while Alberta and UBC earned byes to the semifinal and await the winners.