The Regina Cougars scored three unanswered goals on Friday night en route to a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Bisons at Wayne Fleming Arena. As a result of the win, the Cougars get up to nine points, pulling even with the Bisons. However, Manitoba retains the sixth and final playoff spot by having one more regulation win. 
 
Things started off well for the Bisons trio of Sarah Dennehy, Ashley Keller, and Kate Gregoire.
On an early powerplay, Keller snapped a shot from the left circle that found a leak between the short-side post and goalie Arden Kliewer. Keller's fourth of the season put Manitoba on the board first for the second time this weekend.
 
Less than three minutes later, the Bisons took advantage of a bounce off Wayne Fleming Arena's lively end boards. Dennehy found the puck and put it past Kliewer, who couldn't get to the post in time. It was the fourth-year winger's third of the season.
 
Gregoire assisted on both goals, bringing her up to eight points on the year. 
 
After a four-on-four sequence ended late in the first, the Cougars brought an abbreviated powerplay into the second; good news for Regina, whose highest point producers have done the bulk of their damage while a player up. 
 
In the opening half-minute, the puck deflected to Paige Hubbard, the team's point-leader, in front of Bison netminder Kimmy Davidson. Davidson got in position to deny Hubbard, but Regina captain Jenna Merk potted the rebound to make it 2-1. 
 
"Kimmy made some great first saves for us, and we weren't quite able to clear it for second chances," said Bisons coach Jordy Zacharias postgame. 
 
Kliewer faced a 19-shot barrage down the stretch of the second period, but held strong on each one, leaving room for the Regina comeback. 
 
"We had a lot of grade-A scoring chances that we couldn't quite bury," said Zacharias, though she applauded the team's ability to get shots on net, something they struggled with early in the season. 
 
"Now it's capitalizing on the opportunities that we have." 
 
 There were no goals for the next three quarters of the period, which saw the teams combine for six penalties. 
 
With just under five minutes left, Regina changed the mood. After Hannah Pennell's point-shot deflected off the post, Makena Kushniruk drove the puck behind Davidson to tie the game. 
 
After the Bisons spent multiple shifts in a row almost exclusively on the Regina side of the red line in the opening ten minutes of the third, the Cougars came to life in the second half of the period. 
 
Merk, who'd scored her first goal of the season earlier in the game, brought the puck out of the corner, cut her way to the slot and fired a shot that was blocked, but the rebound came right back to her. She shot it through a crowd and put the Cougars on top. 
 
The final minutes were a scramble for the Bisons, who pulled Davidson twice in the late stages, but Regina carried the flow of the play and held on for the victory. 
 
After splitting the first series after a two-week road swing, the Bisons will stay home for next weekend and take on the Calgary Dinos.