Lethbridge – After more than a month since their last game, the Lethbridge Pronghorn women’s hockey returns to action this weekend and with only 12 games remaining in the conference schedule. With only seven points separating third and eight place in Canada West, every point will be crucial if the ‘Horns are to make a second consecutive post-season appearance.
 
To open the 2013 portion of the conference schedule the ‘Horns host the Regina Cougars Friday and Saturday night at 7:00pm at Nicholas Sheran Arena. Both games will also be webcast on www.canadawest.tv .
 
For the ‘Horns (5-8-3 CW) the first half of the conference schedule was inconsistent to say the least, but with a solid second half of the season, the ‘Horns could make a second consecutive appearance in the Canada West playoffs.
 
So far, the ‘Horns have not been able to string consecutive wins together and the lack of a consistent offensive attack is a huge reason for that. Through 16 games the ‘Horns are tied for last in goals scored with only 30 and despite being tied for 7^th in the conference standings, defensively the ‘Horns have been solid, allowing the fourth fewest goals in Canada West with 40.
 
The ‘Horns do not have a player in the top 20 scoring the conference but are led by a trio of players. Megan Bailey and Sarah Spence each have 10 points, while Kirsten Reeves is tied for third in Canada West goal scoring with 8.
 
On the other side, the Cougars (12-4-0 CW) have the biggest turnaround from last season. A year after missing the playoffs with a 7-15-2 record, the Cougars sit comfortably in second place and are challenging the defending CIS Champion Calgary Dinos for the top spot in the conference. Heading into the first weekend after the semester break, the Cougars are riding a six game winning streak and are 9-1 in their last ten games.
 
While the Cougars have scored the second most goals in the conference with 45, they have been equally good on the defensive end, allowing the third fewest goals in Canada West with 34.
 
Senior forward Rianne Wright leads the way offensively for the Cougars and is tied for third in the conference in points with 18.
 
During the first half of the season, the ‘Horns and Cougars split their weekend series in Regina with the Cougars winning 1-0 in overtime, before the ‘Horns rebounded with a 4-3 win to close the series.