PREVIEW: Pats back home to take on Saskatoon Blades
The Regina Pats (2-3-1-0) return to home ice on Saturday night to host the Saskatoon Blades (1-3-0-0). Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Pats lost their last game on Friday night in Medicine Hat, 4-2 to the Tigers. The Blades were home to Swift Current on Friday and lost 6-2. Saturday will mark the first of eight meetings between Regina and Saskatoon in 2017-18. Tonight’s game can be heard starting at 6:35 with Bennett Dunlop Ford Pats Hockey on 620 CKRM. The game will also be broadcast on Access 7.
| Regular Season Comparison | Regina | Saskatoon | |
| Record | 2-3-1-0 | 1-3-0-0 | |
| Goals For/Against | 20/26 (-6) | 11/21 (-10) | |
| Powerplay | 26.7% (8/30) | 0.0% (0/12) | |
| Penalty Kill | 60.7% (17/28) | 69.2% (9/13) | |
| Team Save Percentage | 0.862 | 0.811 | |
| Leading Scorer | Bradley/Oksanen (5-5-10) | Shmyr/Ramsay (4 pts) | |
| Leading Scorer (Defence) | Dawson Davidson (2-4-6) | Mark Rubinchik (0-3-3) | |
| Scoring by Period (1st-2nd-3rd-OT) | 6-5-9-0 | 4-2-5-0 |
The Lead Up: Big Pats Fall 4-2 in Medicine Hat Friday
Emil Oksanen had two assists and Jake Leschyshyn made his season debut for the Pats who fell 4-2 on Friday night in Medicine Hat. The Tigers opened the scoring in the first period, when Tyler Preziuso tipped a point shot past Tyler Brown. Just over a minute later, Wyatt Sloboshan tied the score when he picked up an Emil Oksanen rebound on the power play. The rapid scoring continued, as the Tigers Mark Rassell outraced the Pats defense to retake the lead at 2-1. In the second period, George King got his second goal of the season to tie the score at two and the score remained that way until the 9:16 mark of the third period when Ryan Chyzowski picked up his second and it was 3-2 Medicine Hat. Zach Fischer scored just under two minutes later to extend the Tigers lead to 4-2 and that stood as the final. Regina was one for four on the power play and was three for three on the penalty kill while Tyler Brown made 27 saves in the defeat. Medicine Hat held the edge in shots at 31-21.
Leschyshyn Returns
Pats forward Jake Leschyshyn played in his first game since February 3, 2017 on Friday night in Medicine Hat. The 18-year-old suffered a knee injury which required surgery and ended his season on that date. Prior to the injury, Leschyshyn had scored 17 goals and had 40 points in 47 games. Since then, Leschyshyn was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. After more than seven months of rehab, the Saskatoon product made his long awaited return on Friday.
Leading The Way
Pats forward Emil Oksanen continued his torrid pace to start his rookie season on Friday night with two assists against the Tigers. The 19-year-old leads all Western Hockey League rookies with five goals and 10 points to this point in the year. He is also first in powerplay goals with three and tied for first with one game winning goal. Oksanen has a point in every game he’s played in this season and is riding a five game point streak entering Saturday night’s contest.
Upcoming Schedule
Pats Vs Saskatoon – Wednesday October 11, 7 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM)
Pats @ Prince Albert – Friday October 13, 7 p.m. – Art Hauser Centre (CKRM)
Pats Vs Edmonton – Sunday October 15, 4 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM)
