Accelerating Pats Host Ice
Regina Pats vs. Kootenay Ice (7 p.m.) – Brandt Centre
620 CKRM, WHL Live
Game Sponsor: Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Regina, Saskatchewan – The Regina Pats (26-23-3-4) return to the Brandt Centre (7 p.m.) to play host to the Kootenay Ice (10-42-5-0). It’s the third meeting of the season between the clubs with the Pats splitting the first two games in Kootenay. Their previous matchup saw the Ice skate to a 5-3 win over the Pats. Rookie forward Riley Woods leads the Pats with three points (1G, 2A) in two games against the Ice this season. Sam Steel features a goal and an assist in the season series. The Pats come into this evening’s matchup with three straight wins and seven in their last ten including Wednesday’s 4-2 triumph in Prince Albert. Tonight’s game can be heard on 620 CKRM beginning at 6:35 p.m.
Austin Wagner and Adam Brooks continued to lead the way for the Pats against Prince Albert. Both scored in the first period to give the Pats a 2-0 edge after twenty. The Raiders battled back with goals from Brendan Guhle in the second and Jordan Tkatch in the third to tie the game before Brooks’ second of the night put Regina in front again. The Raiders thought they had a tying marker, but Tim Vanstone’s goal was waved off. Brooks completed the hat-trick with an empty netter to ice the game at 4-2. Tyler Brown made 34 saves in the victory.
The Pats head into tonight’s matchup with the Ice on a four game home winning streak. Regina scored five goals in three of those victories while outscoring the opposition 19-6 at the Brandt Centre. The Pats are 7-2-0-0 in their last nine home games and hold a 14-10-2-0 record on home ice.
Adam Brooks’ four point night on Wednesday put him to 89 points (31G, 58A) on the season. His next point on the season makes the 2011 2nd round bantam pick the first Pat to reach the 90 point plateau since Jordan Weal racked up 116 points (41G, 75A) in the 2011-12 campaign. If Brooks is going to match the Pats’ fourth all-time leading scorer’s best season, he’ll need to pick up the pace a touch. At his current rate of production, Brooks is projected to reach a 72 game total of 114 points.
Riley Woods has three points in two games in Cranbrook against the Ice. That mark accounts for almost all his points away from the Brandt Centre. The rookie has six of his ten points in his hometown of Regina with five goals and one assist in 13 games. His only point not in Regina or Cranbrook was a goal in Saskatoon on January 30.
There may be a bit of sibling rivalry going on tonight. Connor Hobbs’ brother Declan is a goaltender for the Ice. The two met in game action earlier in the season when the Pats captured a 3-2 victory. The elder brother (Connor) was held pointless while the younger made 27 saves on 30 shots.
“It’s a little weird, I try not to think about it, but it’s tough when I’ve been shooting on him in the driveway my whole life and now I’m shooting on him in front of four or five thousand people,” Hobbs told the media yesterday. “It’s different, but it’s just another game to me. Afterwards we’ll have some fun and be family again.”
Tickets for tonight’s game are available at Ticketmaster.ca, the Brandt Centre Box Office and Safeway locations throughout Regina. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.
