REGINA, Sask. - Kelly Regnier's goal with five minutes left in the third period was the difference as the University of Regina's women's hockey team took a 2-1 win over Lethbridge on Saturday night in a Canada West game at The Co-operators Centre.

Regnier collected a loose puck after Michela Esposito sent it in from the right point and beat Lethbridge goalie Crystal Patterson for her second of the year, giving the Cougars their first lead of the game. The Pronghorns pulled Patterson for an extra attacker in the final minute, but weren't able to generate any quality scoring chances as the U of R secured the win to end up with a three-point weekend.

Kylee Kupper also scored for the Cougars, while goalie Toni Ross stopped 18 of 19 shots to collect her fourth victory of the Canada West schedule as the U of R improves to 10-6-2 on the season. Kristen Reeves scored in the second and Patterson ended up with 29 saves for Lethbridge, which falls to 6-9-3 with the loss.

After a first period which saw little in the way of scoring opportunities for either team, Ross stopped a breakaway attempt by Megan Bailey 30 seconds into the middle frame but Lethbridge opened the scoring soon after. Reeves walked into high slot from the right boards and beat Ross with a wrist shot to the top corner, giving the third-year forward her sixth of the season.

The Pronghorns held the one-goal lead for most of the second until penalties by Bailey and Chelsea Minor gave the Cougars a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage. The home side capitalized when Alexis Larson found Kupper in the right faceoff circle and the rookie forward snapped a shot past Patterson to notch her first CIS goal, sending the teams into the second intermission tied at 1-1. The Cougars had the run of the play for much of the period, ending up with a 13-5 shot advantage in the middle stanza.

Lethbridge had a great chance to score with seven minutes left when Ross came well out of the net to clear the puck from her own zone, but the Pronghorns blocked the attempt and only a block by rookie Nikki Watters-Matthes on the ensuing shot kept the score tied. Regnier's game-winning goal came just two minutes after Lethbridge's chance.

The Cougars had a 31-19 shot advantage during the game and were 1-for-4 with the man advantage, while Lethbridge was held scoreless on its only power play opportunity of the game.

Lethbridge returns to action with a home-and-home against Calgary next weekend, while the Cougars hit the road for a two-game set at UBC.

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