PLAYOFF RECAP: Pats’ Season Ends in Heartbreak with 5-4 Overtime Loss to Tigers
Final Score: Tigers 5, Pats 4 (OT)
Tigers win series 4-1
Medicine Hat, Alta. — The season came to a heartbreaking end for the Regina Pats on Saturday night, falling 5-4 in overtime to the Medicine Hat Tigers, who captured the first-round series in five games.
In Medicine Hat, the Pats looked poised to extend their season early, jumping out to a strong start. Dayton Deschamps opened the scoring just 1:20 into the game, wiring a shot from the high slot after a hard-fought puck battle along the boards by Ellis Mieyette and Jace Egland gave Regina a 1-0 lead.
The Pats took full control in the second period with a quick offensive burst. Zachary Lansard doubled the lead on the power play less than two minutes in, finishing a setup from Keets Fawcett. Just 23 seconds later, Ruslan Karimov made it 3-0 after capitalizing on a loose puck and firing it past Jordan Switzer.
Medicine Hat responded midway through the frame, but the Pats pushed back when Mieyette restored a three-goal cushion at 4-1, burying a rebound after a strong drive to the net by Karimov.
However, momentum shifted late in the second period. The Tigers struck twice in the final two minutes, with Noah Davidson tipping one home before Bryce Pickford blasted a one-timer to suddenly cut the lead to 4-3 heading into the third.
That late push carried over, and the Tigers completed the comeback in the third period. A tough bounce behind the Regina net led to Liam Ruck finding an empty cage at 14:36, tying the game at four.
Despite being outshot heavily throughout the night, the Pats forced overtime thanks to 32 saves from Marek Schlenker, who kept Regina in the fight as Medicine Hat pressed for the winner.
But just 51 seconds into overtime, Cam Parr ended it. Carrying the puck high in the zone, Parr fired a low shot that slipped under Schlenker, sealing the 5-4 victory and ending Regina’s season.
The Tigers outshot the Pats 37-21 and went 2-for-7 on the power play, while Regina finished 1-for-3. Schlenker turned aside 32 shots in a valiant effort, while Switzer made 17 saves for the win.
With the loss, the Pats bow out of the playoffs after a hard-fought series.
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 — #38 Dayton Deschamps (1), assisted by #21 Ellis Mieyette & #24 Jace Egland at 1:20 // Mieyette and Egland won a battle along the right boards, the puck bounced to the high slot where Deschamps stepped into one and ripped it past Jordan Switzer to give the Pats an early 1-0 lead.
Second Period
Pats 2-0 — #57 Zachary Lansard (3), assisted by #10 Keets Fawcett at 1:54 (PP) // The Pats worked the puck around in the Tigers’ zone with Fawcett finding Lansard at the high slot, and he finished off the play with a long wrister that beat Switzer to make it 2-0 for the visitors.
Pats 3-0 — #25 Ruslan Karimov (4), unassisted at 2:17 // Karimov picked up a loose puck deep in the Tigers zone, skated to the faceoff circle and wired a shot high blocker side past Switzer to make it 3-0 for the Pats.
Tigers 3-1 — #34 Andrew Basha (3), assisted by #5 Kadon McCann & #27 Bryce Pickford at 6:17 // In a mad scramble by the Pats net, Basha found the loose puck and put it past a sprawled out Schlenker to get the Tigers on the board at 3-1.
Pats 4-1 — #21 Ellis Mieyette (1), assisted by #25 Ruslan Karimov & #6 Reese Hamilton at 12:47 // Karimov got the puck along the left boards, drove hard to the net, but Switzer stopped his attempt. Mieyette followed up the play by depositing the puck into the open cage to make it 4-1 for the Pats.
Tigers 4-2 — #39 Noah Davidson (3), assisted by #16 Luke Cozens & #10 Yaroslav Bryzgalov at 18:18 // Cozens cut behind the Pats net and put a centering pass to the front of the goal where Davidson was able to get a piece of the puck and tip it under Schlenker to make it 4-2.
Tigers 4-3 — #27 Bryce Pickford (3), assisted by #11 Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll & #14 Dayton Reschny at 19:55 // The Tigers controlled the play in the Pats zone, worked it to the left point and Pickford one-timed a shot past Schlenker to make it 4-3 late in the second.
Third Period
Tigers 4-4 — #12 Liam Ruck (2), assisted by #26 Marcu Ruck & #34 Andrew Basha at 14:36 // The Tigers shot the puck in, Schlenker went to play it behind the net, but the puck bounced off the end glass to Ruck, who deposited it into the empty cage tying the game up at 4-4.
Overtime
Tigers 5-4 — #20 Cam Parr (1), assisted by #5 Kadon McCann & #14 Dayton Reschny at 51 seconds // Parr had the puck in the Pats zone, carried it back to the blueline, and his low shot snuck under Schlenker to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 10 – 8 – 3 – 0 — 21
- Tigers: 11 – 13 – 12 – 1 — 37
Power Plays
- Pats: 1/3
- Tigers: 2/7
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 32 saves on 37 shots
- Tigers: Jordan Switzer — 17 saves on 21 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #55 Ephram McNutt
- Second Star: #27 Caden Brown
- Third Star: #20 Cameron Parr (GWG)
