Box Score
CALGARY- Despite battling back to tie the score on three separate occasions, the Lethbridge Pronghorn men's hockey team dropped a 5-3 decision in Calgary to the Mount Royal Cougars in the front half of a home-and-home series.
 
Both Mount Royal and Lethbridge were part of a three-way tie in the standings along with UBC with 8-9-1 records heading into tonight's game. It is shaping up to be a dogfight for the rest of the season for the final playoff spots in Canada West.
 
"It was probably as even of a game as I've seen," said Pronghorn head coach Spiros Anastas. "Shots were even, and possession was pretty even."
 
"Only thing that wasn't even were power play opportunities, some calls didn't go our way but we need to be more disciplined. That was the difference, they score two on the power play and take away the empty netter, and we outscore them five-on-five."
 
"We'll be more discipline at home tomorrow, but I'd expect another tight game."
In the first frame, Lethbridge contained Mount Royal's long and wide breakout, holding them captive in their own defensive zone, forcing the Cougars to play tighter in their own zone. As the pace of the game intensified, so did the action.
 
 Jesse Lees walked the blue line and put the home-side Cougars on the board at 10:12 netting his fifth goal in three games. Getting a pass from Tanner Olstad, Lees took the chance to find a gap and used the sea of bodies as a screen, wiring a shot above Garret Hughson's head and into the top of the net to give the Cougars the first lead of the game.
 
Lethbridge responded not too long after thanks to Ryan Chynoweth who buried a wraparound past Cam Lanigan's short-side to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the first break.
 
A back-and-forth second period gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. The Cougars started the second period on the front foot with a man-advantage capitalized by Connor Rankin. Lees played pitch and catch with partner Kord Pankewicz on a man-advantage, who fed the puck to Rankin inside the bottom of the right face-off circle. Having no passing lane, Rankin released a quick snapshot with authority over the shoulder of Hughson, off the post and in to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.
 
Less than two minutes later, the Pronghorns tied the game at two. Brooks Maxwell pressed on the Cougars defense and caught the puck off an attempted breakout and sprung himself with Ryon Moser, who tapped in the puck past a lunging Lanigan at 17:28.
 
However, Taylor Green joined an offensive rush from the back-end and snapped a shot in to give MRU their third lead of the game at 3-2.
 
Both sides were feisty out of the gate, playing shot-for-shot in the special-teams game. Russel Maxwell had a blocked shot float over the head of Lanigan and bounced over the goal-line for his second of the campaign right as the power play expired.
 
The Cougars landed their own counter-punch, scoring on the power play of their own after Olstad batted in his own rebound inside the crease to give his team their fourth and final lead of the game at 4-3.
Luke Simpson iced the game on an empty netter with 37 seconds to play.
 
Lethbridge host the second game of the home-and-home tomorrow night at Nicholas Sheran Arena, puck drop is slated for 7:00pm.