Thunder lose 39-36 to Huskies in a playoff overtime thriller

It was a wild finish to the Prairie Football Conference semi-final game between Regina and Edmonton, with the Huskies coming out with the 39-36 overtime victory to punch their ticket to Saskatoon where they will meet the Hilltops for the championship.

The Thunder and Huskies split the regular season series, with the Thunder holding a narrow one-point point-differential between the two clubs.

While kickers dominated the game in the first half, with the Thunder holding a 12-3 lead going into the break, the points would begin to come in the second-half.

The Huskies scored early in the half, after Oshane Samuels picked up a fumble and took it to the end zone for the touchdown.

The Huskies continued to ride their wave of momentum, with Tanner Buchanan catching a touchdown pass to give the Huskies their first lead of the game.

The Thunder used a big play to Ethan Douglas to get down deep into Huskies territory, where they would answer back with a score of their own.

But Edmonton’s Wes Bookland put the Huskies on top once again with a 73-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter.

Thunder running back Brayden Long answered with a five-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 26.

This led to a wild final three minutes of regulation, with the Edmonton’s Samuels picking up a second fumble and returned it for the touchdown.

The game eventually wound up tied when Rylan Sokul found his way into the end zone.

With 24 seconds remaining in the game, Regina had a chance to kick the game-winning field goal but the attempt was blocked by the Huskies.

In overtime, the Thunder struck first, kicking a field goal in extra time.

But an unnecessary roughness call gave Edmonton the ball at the Thunder one-yard line, where they would punch it into the end zone for the win and the right to face Saskatoon for the PFC championship.

The championship game will be played in Saskatoon on Oct. 28.