U of R Sports Information

REGINA - The University of Regina men's hockey team lost 2-0 to the UBC Thunderbirds in the final game of the 2018-19 Canada West regular season at The Co-operators Centre on Saturday afternoon.

Chase Clayton scored both goals for UBC, including an empty-netter, and Patrick Dea stopped all 29 shots for his first Canada West shutout. Dawson MacAuley made 26 saves between the pipes for the Cougars.

With the win, UBC improves to 14-12-2 and will wait to see how Mount Royal fares on Saturday evening with a home playoff spot on the line. The Cougars finish the season with a 4-23-1 record.

The first period produced no score, with Regina outshooting UBC 10-5. The T-Birds had the best scoring chance of the opening 20, as a Kyle Becker slapshot from the point beat MacAuley but rang off the post.

Clayton's goal opened the scoring at the 7:26 mark of the second period, off an assist from Carter Popoff. Clayton took the puck up the board on a 2-on-1 and elected to shoot, beating MacAuley with a perfectly-placed shot to the blocker side.

UBC went to the powerplay midway through the third period after a James Hilsendager hooking minor, but Regina had a great chance seconds after the penalty. After a UBC turnover the Cougars went racing the other way, with Tristan Frei leading the charge. Frei chose to shoot, firing a wrist shot that beat Dea but clipped off the post and bounced away from danger.  

Regina had a powerplay chance of its own with time ticking away in the third period, but couldn't capitalize with the advantage. UBC nearly put the game away shortly after, but a couple clutch saves from MacAuley and a shot off the post by Matt Revel kept it at a one-goal game.

With MacAuley out of the net late, Clayton scooped up a loose puck and raced down the ice to tuck it into the empty cage and add the finishing touches.

Saturday's contest marks the final games of the careers of Zach McPhee and Corey Kosloski. McPhee spent five years with the Cougars, and two as an alternate captain, while Kosloski played three seasons with the team.