The University of Regina men's hockey team gave up three first-period goals and dropped its Canada West regular season opener 7-2 against Mount Royal University on Friday night.

Scoring Summary
Colton Kroeker scored twice for the home team, while Connor Chartier, Ryley Lindgren, David Stephens, Josh Bly and Zack Henry added singles. Tyler King (pictured) notched two goals for the Cougars, with an assist from Ben Duperreault on the first and rookie Conner Chaulk on the second.

Kroeker, Chartier and Lindgren all found the net in the first period, as MRU outshot the Cougars 19-8 in the opening frame. Stephens stretched the lead to 4-0 before King got the Cougars on the board late in the second period by ripping a slapshot past rookie goaltender Riley Morris.

King found the net again in the third period with a powerplay marker, but Kroeker potted his second of the game just 14 seconds later. The scoring continued as Bly converted a nice passing play, taking a backdoor pass and beating Michael Herringer before Zack Henry put the game away with another late goal.

Between the Pipes
Herringer made 33 saves goal for the Cougars, while Morris made 21 saves for his first Canada West win. MRU outshot Regina in each period, racking up 40 shots on the night.

Special Teams
Regina went 1-5 on the powerplay while MRU was held off the scoresheet on special teams, finishing the night 0-6 with the man advantage.

Next Up
The Cougars will look to salvage the split against MRU on Saturday afternoon, with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Flames Community Arena.