Eoin Colquhoun, Pronghorn Athletics
LETHBRIDGE – Playing in the final game for both teams, the Regina Cougars scored three times in the first half of the opening period and held on to a 6-4 win over the Lethbridge Pronghorns to close the 2017-18 Canada West season.
The win snaps a 13 game losings streak for the Cougars and will finish the season with a 4-22-2 record.
Following a Calgary Dinos win Friday night, the Pronghorns were officially eliminated and can point to an eight game losing streak prior to this weekend as a main reason for missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season. Lethbridge finishes with a 9-16-3 record.
Captain Cody Fowlie led the way for the Cougars with a four point performance, including a hat trick. Regina also got goals from Jordan Burns, Colton Sparrow and Tyson Predinchuk. Blake Orban, Brooks Maxwell, Bryson Gore and Taylor Fisher replied for Lethbridge.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first period the night before, Regina returned the favour Saturday, scoring three times in the opening 8:51.
Cougar Captain Cody Fowlie opened the scoring only 13-seconds into the game, snapping a shot over the shoulder of Pronghorn goaltender Ty Edmonds.
Just over two minutes later Colton Sparrow slid one past Edmonds for his fourth of the season and Fowlie picked up his second of game, taking advantage of a fortuitous bounce off the back boards. Brody Luhning's point shot rebounded off the glass and up and over the net to Fowlie, who had a wide open net to bang home his team leading 10th of the season.
As the period went on, the Pronghorns began to get some chances of their own but the iron kept them off the scoreboard until the final minute of the period. Mitch Maxwell hit the post twice and fellow senior Ryon Moser clanked the iron as well.
On a late power-play defenceman Blake Orban got the Pronghorns on the board with only 32-seconds remaining, as his point shot eluded a screened Michael Herringer.
After a slow start, shots through the opening 20 minutes favoured Lethbridge 16-10.
Shortly after a Lethbridge penalty expired, Regina regained the three goal lead. Tyson Predinchuk corralled a puck in the slot and snapped a shot blocker side past Edmonds.
Jordan Burn's upped the Cougars lead to 5-1 finishing off a three-way passing play and spelling the end of Edmonds afternoon.
The Pronghorns responded with a pair of goals in just over a minute to cut the game back to a two goal game. First Byson Gore snapped home a shot on a breakaway for his first of the season and Brooks Maxwell scored his second of the weekend 1:05 later.
While on the man-advantage the Pronghorns cut the game to a one goal game thanks to Taylor Fisher. Brooks Maxwell found a wide open Fisher backdoor and Fisher one-timed a shot into the wide open net.
However, that is as close as the Pronghorns would get as Fowlie completed the hat trick into the empty net with 36-seconds remaining to seal the Cougars first win since November 25th, also against Lethbridge.
Lethbridge outshot Regina 47-28 on the night and fished two-for-six with the man-advantage, while the Cougars scored once on four power-play opportunities.