WINNIPEG – The University of Manitoba Bisons closed out the regular season with a 3-2 loss to the University of Regina Cougars, Saturday evening.

The Bisons got goals from Calin Wild and Rick Wood while Dustin Bru, Dillion Johnstone and Adam McPherson responded for the Cougars.

Regina improves to 10-15-3 on the season, good enough for the sixth and final playoff spot. Manitoba drops back to .500 at 13-13-2. Unlike last year though, when Manitoba went 10-16-2 to finish last in the Canada West standings, the Bisons will play on, and in fact host a playoff series.

Manitoba will remain at home to host the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds next Friday, Saturday and Sunday if necessary. During the regular season, the Herd had a record of 4-0 against the T-Birds. All games were decided by one goal. Regina travels to the University of Calgary to take on the No. 7-ranked Dinos.

Regina didn’t waste long getting on the scoresheet after being shutout Friday evening.  On the powerplay, Johnstone fed Bru in the slot, who fired a shot past Bisons netminder Justin Harris. That put the Cougars up 1-0 at 7:23 of the opening period.

Wild scored 3:42 into the second period to tie the game at one. Cougars' goaltender Adam Ward made an initial save, but Wild banged the rebound underneath for his fourth of the season. Ward made a short protest saying that the puck never went in, but was over ruled by the referee quickly.

Manitoba took the lead on a bad angle shot from Wood ten minutes later. Standing in the corner near the goal line, Wood threw it on net, avoiding all skates, sticks and pads, to light lamp. Wood’s 13-goal of the season put the Herd up 2-1 at 13:45.

The Cougars pulled even on Johnstone’s 11-goal of the year, only 2:56 into the final period. Johnstone blasted a shot from the high slot that beat Steve Christie who had come for the Bisons to rest Harris. Just over two-minutes later, Regina regained the lead off a bad break for Manitoba. McPherson’s fanned shot from the point had Christie going to his right, but it was tipped by a Bison defenceman, causing it to change direction and Christie could only watch helplessly as slide past him and into the net. McPherson’s third of the season came at 5:25 to make the score 3-2.

The Bisons had their opportunities to climb back in during the third. The Cougars killed off a double-minor penalty and two-man advantage in the third period to preserve the win.

Ward stopped 21 shots in net to pick up the win for the Cougars. Harris made nine saves and Christie seven. Christie was the goalie of record for the loss.