Men's Hockey | 1/5/2018 10:37:00 AM

FRIDAY: vs. Mount Royal, 7 p.m., The Co-operators Centre
SATURDAY: vs. Mount Royal, 3 p.m., The Co-operators Centre

The University of Regina men's hockey team is in action for the first time in 2018 this weekend, as Mount Royal University is in town to kick off the second half of the Canada West regular season.

This is the second meeting of the two teams this season, with both of the first two games needing a shootout to decide a winner. The Cougars (3-11-2) split with MRU (6-9-1) in Calgary in October, winning a 7-6 thriller in Game 1 before falling 5-4 on Saturday.

In the Den
Regina has played well as of late, but has struggled to close out tight games. Four of the Cougars' last five losses have been by one goal, with the two most recent coming before the break against the No. 3-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies. The Cougars fell 3-2 in Saskatoon at the start of December and then 6-5 as the crowd at The Co-operators Centre was treated to a back-and-forth affair for ShineOn night on Dec. 2.

First-year forward Zak Zborosky leads the Cougars in scoring and is sixth overall in the conference with 20 points in 15 games. The Regina product is tops among Canada West rookies as well as his nine goals and 11 assists have powered the Cougar attack. Cody Fowlie and Ian McNulty are also among the top 15 scorers in the conference, as Fowlie has six goals and nine assists and McNulty has posted five goals and nine helpers.

Michael Herringer has appeared in a conference-high 14 games in net for Regina, picking up all three of the Cougars' wins. The first-year netminder has posted a 4.89 goals-against average and a .861 save percentage. Dawson MacAuley has played well in his five games in net, with a 3.04 GAA and a .928 save percentage.

The Other Cougars
MRU was swept by the No. 1-ranked Alberta Golden Bears in their last games before the break, dropping a 3-1 decision at home before suffering a 4-2 loss on the road.

Veteran forward Brad Kennedy leads MRU in scoring with 10 goals and four assists in 16 games. Jamal Watson (12 points), Jesse Lees (11), Luke Simpson (11) and Connor Rankin (10) have also hit double figures in scoring.

Cam Lanigan and Colin Cooper have split time in net for MRU, with Lanigan making eight appearances and Cooper playing in six games. Rookie Wyatt Hoflin has made four appearances in goal and is still looking for his first win at the Canada West level. Lanigan has posted the best number of the group, with a 2.63 goals-against and a .910 save percentage.