Box Score Written by: John Gaudes

WINNIPEG  - There's no doubt about it, open nets will haunt the Manitoba Bisons men's hockey team this week.

The team missed key scoring chances for a second straight game as the Regina Cougars came into Wayne Fleming Arena and finished off a pivotal weekend sweep on Saturday, February 1 with a 3-2 win in double overtime.

Manitoba falls to 9-11-4 with the loss, while Regina leaps to 13-11-2 in a breakthrough weekend for their squad. The Herd are now two points back of fourth place Regina.

"There's a fine line between winning and losing," said Bisons head coach Mike Sirant. "And it just makes a difference whether you're scoring goals. We had open nets, multiple opportunities and we just didn't put them away. This is the result of that."

At the 3:28 mark of double overtime, John Sonntag got the game-winner for Regina on a steal at centre ice, then a patient snap past Joe Caliguiri.

The Cougars also got goals from Mark Schneider and Ryan Dech, and another incredible goaltending performance, this time from Lucas Gore who stopped 36 in the win.

Manitoba got a goal and an assist from Jordan DePape and a goal from Jesse Paradis, while Joe Caliguiri stopped 22 in the loss.

If Manitoba was worried off the hop over another game of missed opportunities, the first two periods did not show signs of change. There were several fantastic chances - too many to name here. The most notable of the first was a wrap around by Paradis - who skated very well for the first 20 minutes, but was stopped by the post.

In the second, the post continued to stand strong. 10 minutes in, a Darren Bestland shot got past Gore but rang off both posts. An avalanche of five penalties ensued, and the Cougars would pounce first. At 11:50 while on a 5-on-3 power play, Schneider patiently waited before wristing in his fifth of the year for the game's first goal. 18 seconds later, after the Bisons took a silly cross-checking penalty to put Regina on another 5-on-3, Dech deflected a slapshot off a pair of bodies for his second of the year to put the Cougars up 2-0.

The penalties, though, would swing back in favour of Manitoba before the second was over. On their own 5-on-3 at 14:08, they got back within one on the stick of DePape, who deflected a Paulsen shot past Gore for his sixth of the year.

In the third, the Bisons were able to tie it up shorthanded at 7:06, as Paradis cleaned up a rebound on a 2-on-1 break-in for his ninth of the year. The teams played a slower, smarter brand of hockey the rest of the way, pushing the game to extra time.

The Bisons came out in overtime and dominated the five minutes of 4-on-4, owning zone time and getting multiple chances. The turnover in the subsequent 3-on-3 period, though, would seal their fate, as Sonntag's third of the year closed the afternoon.

Just two weeks remain on the Bisons men's hockey regular season schedule, as they now head out on the road to play Lethbridge. First game in the weekend back-to-back is Friday, February 7 at 8 p.m. CST. Regina heads home for a weekend against Alberta, first game on Friday, February 7 at 7 p.m. CST.