University of Regina Athletics

QUICKLY
Cole Wirun recorded two goals and two assists to lead the undefeated University of Regina men's hockey team to a 5-3 victory over Trinity Western on Saturday evening at The Co-operators Centre. The Cougars built a three-goal lead before holding off a late Spartans push to complete a weekend sweep of the visitors.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Regina opened the scoring just 1:03 into the first period when former Iowa Bull, Wirun, found the back of the net off assists from Brady Smith and Jye Zawatsky. Zawatsky doubled the lead at 7:36, finishing a play set up by Wirun and Riley Fequet to give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes.
• Wirun struck again at 14:31 of the second period, converting a feed from Zawatsky and Fequet to extend Regina's lead to three. Trinity Western responded just 34 seconds later when Mikhailo Simchuk scored on the power play, cutting the deficit to 3-1 heading into the final period.
• The Spartans continued their push early in the third, with Zack Whittaker scoring at 2:49 to pull Trinity Western within one.
• Regina responded at 12:40 when captain Kade Runke converted on the power play. Wirun and Boston Harkness picked up assists on the goal, restoring the Cougars' two-goal cushion at 4-2.
• Simchuk scored his second of the night on another Trinity Western power play at 17:07, making it a one-goal game once again. The Spartans pushed for the equalizer in the closing minutes, but Mannville native Jordan Borysiuk sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:58 off a Carson Whyte assist.

OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Wirun led the Cougars with two goals and two assists for a four-point performance, contributing to four of Regina's five goals.
• Zawatsky finished with a goal and two assists for three points, while Fequet added two assists.
• Runke scored Regina's third-period power-play goal, while Borysiuk added the insurance marker into an empty net.
• Regina finished with 32 shots on goal, compared to 30 for Trinity Western.

POWER-PLAY PRODUCTION

• Regina scored once on four power-play opportunities, with Runke finding the back of the net in the third period to restore the Cougars' two-goal lead.
• Trinity Western converted twice on six power plays, with Mikhailo Simchuk scoring both of the Spartans' goals with the man advantage.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

• In his first regular season minutes as a Cougar, Ross Hawryluk earned the win for Regina, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced.
• Trinity Western goaltender Cole Savage made 27 saves and was credited with four goals against. Borysiuk's fifth goal was scored into an empty net.
• Regina held a 32-30 advantage in shots on goal.

NEXT UP

• The Cougars will head to Calgary for a pair of Canada West matchups against the Dinos next weekend. The teams are scheduled to meet Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM live on CanadaWest.tv.